HELLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO READERS! I am ChristoherWeeblingJr, here to take a break from my usual writing cycle.
Yes, yes, I see you all panicking now, but don't worry; I'll get to HRWBYSHE next update. In the meantime, allow me to present to you one of the longest stories I've ever written. Seriously, almost thirteen-thousand words! And this is all one chapter! I must have written a thousand words each time I sat down. I considered breaking this story into two chapters, one following Yomi and Mato and one following Black Rock Shooter and Dead Master, but then it probably wouldn't have flown as well.
"Come one, Mato." Yuu pestered her new best friend as the two waited for the rest of their circle to meet them for lunch. "It sounds like fun, doesn't it?"
"No, it really doesn't." Mato commented, crossing her arms and keeping her eyes shut, a far cry from her usual facial expressions.
"But you two are pretty much joined at the hip anyway." Yuu remarked as she began poking at the raven-haired girl's cheek.
"Yeah, but that would be pushing it." Mato stated as she pushed Yuu's finger off, lightly chewing on the inside of her cheek.
"Come on." Yuu insisted. "It will only be for a day."
"What would?" Mato turned her head and found herself looking up at those luscious green eyes, that soft greenish black hair, those adorable glasses.
"The Handcuff Challenge." Yuu said as leaned back against the wall, crossing her arms. "You and a friend spend a full twenty-four hours handcuffed together and have to do just about everything together. Mato was just talking about roping you into it-"
"No, I wasn't!" Mato said as she pushed against the brunette. "She was trying to convince me to do it with you. Why, I don't know."
"Twenty-four…" Yomi muttered to herself as she began fumbling with her ribbon lases, turning slightly in the hopes that the burning in her cheeks would cool.
"Come on." Yuu said as she nudged Mato back. "You know you two would enjoy it."
"Shut up." Mato groaned as she leaned back. "I've already said I'm not gonna do it, no matter how many times you ask. You didn't even ask for Yomi's opinion."
"It sounds like fun."
"Eh?!" Mato gasped as she leaned forward to find Yomi looking at her in her usual, shy way.
"Y-yeah." Yomi said, finding the blush on her cheeks only growing hotter. "Spending an entire day with you doesn't sound too bad."
"And that's one vote for!" Yuu called out, throwing up her hand to show the count.
"Unless, of course," Yomi began, looking away from Mato with a sadder look. "You don't want to."
"N-no, it's not that!" Mato called out as she jumped to her feet, gripping on to Yomi's shoulders as she realized how she would take it. "I-I just…" She felt her throat tie itself into a knot as she locked eyes with Yomi, noting the brightness of her cheeks as she failed to come up with any new reasons.
"What?" Mato felt a hand fall onto her shoulder, and her eyes darted to the side to reveal the blonde hair of Kagari, an eyebrow cocked over one eye as she lightly pulled Mato back. "Don't want to spend time with her?"
'Three. Two. One.' Kagari counted off in her head before Mato spun around to face Yuu.
"Alright, fine." Mato sighed. "If Yomi wants to do it, I do too."
"And that's game." Yuu called out as she pulled out her lunch box. "We'll start tomorrow at eight. You guys might want to wear pull-on tops or something."
Mato and Yomi's faces both lit up red as the last syllable rolled of the brunette's tongue, quickly realizing what she was insinuating. "I-is it too late for me to change my mind?" Mato sputtered out.
"Yep." Kagari said with a mischievous grin as she sat down, seemingly mimicking Yuu's movements.
'What have I gotten us into?' Yomi and Mato thought as the two sat down, a brief sigh escaping their lips.
The howl of wind surrounded the Other Self as Blake Rock Shooter marched through the barren landscape that had become the Other World, her eyes almost burning from the bright whites that surrounded her. Compared to what she normally went through, though, it was nothing.
She scanned her surroundings constantly, attempting to make out any figures against the white grounds and sky, her Rock Cannon in hand, ready to fight. She could barely hear anything over the winds, she had to rely on her sight to find any sort of opponents approaching from any angles.
Faintly hearing a crunch, she spun around and aimed her cannon in the direction she swore she heard movement from. She found herself aiming her weapon at nothing but air. Once again hearing a crunch, she spun around again, only to find herself in a similar situation. Easing herself back a step, she made out the crunch once more. She looked down to her feet and placed more weight on the one behind her, once again producing the crunch.
She was trying to aim at herself?
Easing her cannon down, she began marching forward once more, going back to scanning the horizon for any other figures. Before she could get any further, however, a chain wrapped itself around her and began pulling her back. Attempting to fight against the pull and free her bound arms, she looked over her shoulder to see a familiar horned figure, illuminated by the green glow of her scythe.
Dead Master.
Black Rock Shooter flared her burning eye to life as she continued to struggle against the chains. If it was a fight the Dead Master wanted, it was a fight she'd get.
Mato tapped her foot anxiously as she stared down at her watch, sitting on a park bench next to Yomi as the duo awaited Yuu to begin their challenge. Pulling the sleeve of her dark blue jacket back down, she leaned back into her seat as she began looking around, her heart still shaking at the idea of what she and her friend would be doing. She slid her hands into her hoodie's pockets, pulling the open jacket down over her blue star shirt in an attempt to hide them from the cold autumn air.
She glanced over to the green haired girl, tapping her thumbs together as she laid her hands on a white wool tank top sweater hybrid. As the wind blew over the two, the green haired girl pulled up on the large collar of her sweater, almost hiding the green collar of her turtle neck, tightening the cross of her legs clad in dark green pants.
Mato pulled her hands out again and checked her watch one last time before rolling her eyes. "At what point do we decide to go home?" She asked as she rubbed her hands together, staring down at her own dark blue pants.
"Sorry I took so long!" The duo raised their heads to look in the direction of the voice, finding Yuu running towards them waving one arm, the other hidden in the pocket of her black sweater. It took the duo a second to realize it was Yuu, as she had her hood pulled up with a dark orange scarf wrapped around it. "It's a bit of a ways from Saya's house to here."
Mato swallowed nervously as the brunette pulled out a shining pair of handcuffs from her pocket. Her last excuse to avoid this quickly fading.
For once, Black Rock Shooter was growing frustrated.
She had managed to get out of Dead Master's chains, painfully so giving the strength of the blast she sent out of her cannon at her feet, and was now locked in combat with the green demon girl. The term 'combat' being used loosely, because so far, neither side was able to hit the other.
Dead Master was proving to be quite light on her feet as she constantly ducked, weaved, and jumped out of the way of the blue girl's attacks. Black Rock was able to keep the green demon at a distance, however, severely limiting what Dead Master could do. The green girl was limited to attacking with her chains, either by launching them directly at Rock or by using them to throw very large rocks at the girl. Both proved ineffective as Black Rock Shooter lived up to her name and shot them all out of the air.
"Didn't I tell you two to where pull-ons?" Yuu asked as Mato and Yomi stood up.
"Have you seen the weather?" Mato asked as she gestured to the pale blue sky. "It's autumn, Yuu, it's cold."
"Besides, we don't plan of showering during this." Yomi commented.
"Eh, good point." Yuu said as she started twirling the handcuffs at the two. "So, what hands am I cuffing?"
Lifting her cannon up above her head, Black Rock Shooter quickly transformed it into its gatling gun form. If one bullet per second doesn't work, normally twenty do.
Quickly wrapping her chain around a large rock, Dead Master jumped onto the giant stone and launched it into the air as the sound of gun fire approached her. The gunner attempted to tracer her opponent, only for this attempt to be interrupted by a metal clang once the gun reached its limit.
Dead Master jumped off against the rock, summoning her scythe and preparing to land a blow against the girl. Realizing she wouldn't be able to transform her gun back fast enough, Black Rock Shooter released the trigger and quickly jumped off her weapon towards the green girl, branding her Black Blade to counter.
Reluctantly, Mato presented her right hand to the girl with a sigh. Looking down at the hand she would be giving up for this, she saw Yomi also presenting her right hand to the girl. Taken aback, the two quickly pulled up their left hands, causing Yuu to chuckle.
"You two are already in such perfect sink." Yuu remarked as she locked Yomi's left hand in one end of the cuffs and reached for Mato's right.
A metal *Clang!* echoed through the barren field as Black Rock deflected Dead Master's scythe, the two blades locked into a battle for dominance. Dead Master brought back her left hand to prepare to strike her appointment, throwing the punch only for it to get caught by the girl in blue.
"I now pronounce you two wife and wife." Yuu joked as she locked the other end of the cuffs around Mato's wrist, causing the duo to blush.
The battle between the two fighters was interrupted by a sudden light casting across the two's faces. Looking down in its direction, the duo noted the aura lighting around their hands.
The two cocked an eyebrow at this before Black Rock Shooter made impact upon the back of her gatling gun, throwing the trigger downwards and the barrels upwards, causing the ammunition supply to strike Dead Master in the back of the head. The two lost their grips on their weapons and each other as Dead Master was thrown away from the blue girl, only for her momentum to cease, causing her to fall to the ground. A loud *CRACK!* echoed through the field as the gatling gun broke off its base, causing it to tumble on top of the two girls.
By chance, the trigger jammed itself into firing position, and the gun went off at just the right angle to completely destroy the Death Scythe. Before it could go on any longer, chains wrapped around the weapon, lifting it off the two girls, before violently throwing it towards a large rock.
As Dead Master commanded her chains to use the rock to destroy the severely damaged weapon, she and Black Rock Shooter got up to their feet. Black Rock Shooter pulled her arm back to throw a right hook against the Dead Master's jaw, only for her opponent to be dragged towards her, bashing the green girl's nose against the blue girl's forehead.
As the two stumbled away from each other, one holding her nose and the other clenching her forehead, they once again felt a pull between them, dragging their arms out towards each other. Looking down, the two found Dead Master's left and Black Rock's right hands encased in some sort of gauntlets made of black metal. In the place of their hands were large metal balls, with metal tubing coming out of it in the shape of a chain link.
What caught their attention the most however, was how the links were hooked together.
Black Rock Shooter and Dead Master looked back up at each other, the confusion in their eyes revealing to the other that they were both just as much in the dark about this. Their eyes grew more stern as they looked at each other before they let out a sigh.
"Sh-shut up." Mato said as she turned away from the brunette, who began chuckling as Yomi did the same.
"Well, you two have fun." Yuu laughed as she turned away from the duo. The handcuffs rattled as Mato pulled her end closer, eyes widening upon closer inspection of the restrains.
"Uh, Yuu, where's the lever thing?" Mato asked as she began feeling along the edges of the handcuffs, just to make sure she wasn't missing anything.
"What lever thing?" Yuu asked as she spun around on her heel.
"You know, the lever thing we pull to open these?" Mato asked, more panicked as she realized just how smooth the metal was.
"These ones don't come with those." Yuu stated, causing the duo's eyes to widen in shock. "These are the real deal."
"Th-then can you give us the key?!" Mato asked, jerking her and Yomi's hands out.
"Nah, I left that thing at home." Yuu chuckled as she spun around again, placing her hands behind her head as she began walking off. "Wouldn't be much of a Twenty-Four Hour Handcuff Challenge if you guys could just take them off whenever you want."
Mato and Yomi stood there dumbfounded, still trying to comprehend the situation they had just agreed to. They were barely able to catch Yuu looking over her shoulder saying, "I'll give you guys the key before school tomorrow."
The duo just stood there, arms outstretched and faces locked in a gasp as the cold wind blew past them. Once the wind died, the two slowly lifted up their arms between them before giving their wrists a slight tug.
The short jingle of the chain and the way the cuffs pressed against their wrists told them yes, this was real.
"S-so…" Mato began, looking away from the green haired girl as her cheeks began to blaze, innocently poking at one with her free hand. "What do we do now?"
"Um…" Yomi muttered as she began doing the same. "I-I'm not sure. What do you want to do?"
*CLANG!* *CLANG!* *CLANG!*
Sparks flew off the restraints as Black Rock Shooter hacked at them with her Black Blade. She gritted her teeth, narrowing her eyes as she desperately tried to break the restraints. After another strike, Dead Master gripped the girl's wrist, and gestured with her eyes towards the sky.
When Black Rock Shooter looked where Dead Master wanted her to, she saw several of Dead Master's chains wrapped around an incredible large rock, the shadow just barely missing the as Black Rock looked back down at her blade.
The two grabbed onto the katana's handle, pressing the blade against the links of their gauntlet. Once they were certain they had it in a good position, the looked back towards the rock.
"Ready?" Dead Master asked in a hushed voice, looking over towards the blue girl. The only response she got was a quick nod before she pulled the rock back, the two tightening their grip on the metal rod inside the spheres.
With a loud *CRASH!*, the boulder struck the handle of the blade like a hammer would its pick. In an instant, the blade bent and deformed before blasting to pieces all together. The metal shards flew everywhere, and as the boulder fell upon the restraints of the two, it began to become painted blue and green by the blood spraying out of the two.
Dead Master lifted the stone off of the two, looking towards her previous opponent to be met with the girl's flaming eye looking towards the green demon with anger. Dead Master lifted up her free hand over her shoulder, attempting to let the blue girl know she meant no harm.
With a quick sigh, Black Rock's flame ceased before the duo looked back towards their restraints. Not even a scratch. The two then looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders, Dead Master gripping her chin in her claws.
As Black Rock Shooter began tapping her foot, staring over to the wreckage that was her Rock Cannon, Dead Master held up her hand, a puzzled look on her face. "Maybe Black Gold Saw will know something about the-"
"No."
Dead Master was taken aback by the normally quiet girl actually speaking. The blue girl's eyes narrowed as she began thinking over their options. Her eyes then widened as she turned back to the Dead Master. "Let's find Chariot, maybe she can break these."
"Me and her haven't exactly been on the best of ter-" Dead Master began Black Rock Shooter started marching off.
"Let's just go." Black growled as she yanked their gauntlets, pulling Dead Master forward.
Mato found herself grinning as she listened to the creaking of the swing's chains as she and Yomi swung back and forth, the green haired girl lagging behind her. The benefit of Yuu convincing them to do this is November was that the weather was working in their favor, the kids that would normally be rushing around the playground nuzzled up in their homes to keep warm, at least until it would warm in the afternoon. Meaning that no one would be around to question why two teenagers were playing on the swings while handcuffed to each other.
Mato took a glance over to her wrist companion to find Yomi looking into seemingly nothing with disinterest. "Oh, come on, Yomi." Mato began, giving the handcuffs a slight tug to get the girl's attention. "You know this is fun."
"Yeah." Yomi sighed, relaxing her eyes as she tried her best to nuzzle into her sweater's collar as the cool air rushed past her ears. "Guess I'm not sure what I was expecting."
Mato just rolled her eyes as she continued to enjoy the sense of weightlessness the swing set provided. "You let me decide what we'd do."
"… It's not just that." Yomi said as she looked down at the silver chain binding her to the black-haired girl. "I guess I should have figured that Yuu would leave us to spend twenty-four straight hours like this."
"Yeah," Mato said as she looked off into the pale blue sky. "I can barely tell what's going through her head sometimes." Mato leaned back in the swing, pushing herself even high and dragging Yomi along with her. "Knowing her, she probably just found these things on the street and doesn't even have the key."
The two swung in silence for a few seconds before their eyes shot wide open and they looked towards each other. "Y-you don't think she actually did that, do you?!" Yomi asked in a panic.
"I-I don't know." Mato said as she gripped her chin with her free hand. "She wouldn't be that stupid, would she?"
"Come to think of it, where did she even get these things?" Yomi asked as she pulled on the handcuffs, affirming once more that there was, in fact, no safety release. "Think you can text her and see if she does have the key?"
"I don't want her to think I don't trust her." Mato said as she looked towards her wrist companion. "We've been friends since Kindergarten, she'd-Oh, wait."
"That was Strength, remember." Yomi said. "We don't really know how Yuu would act."
"Well, all the more reason I shouldn't ask her." Mato remarked. "She has less reason to trust me."
"Fine, I'll ask." Yomi said as she pulled out her phone. "What's her number?" The rattle of the chain was almost drowned out by the creaking of the swings as Yomi pulled Mato's arm to bring up the touch screen. Because of this, Mato's swing bumped against Yomi's, starting the green girl and causing her to drop her phone.
"I got it!" Mato called out as she hopped off her swing.
"No wait-"
As Mato crouched down to grab the device, her right arm was dragged upwards, as if attempting to pull her back up to her feet. As the black-haired girl turned back to find out why, Yomi slipped out of her seat, the sudden pull of the handcuffs causing it to tilt the swing.
The laws of gravity then pulled Yomi down to the ground beneath her, scrapping her knees against the dirt beneath the swing set before the swings themselves bashed Yomi in the back of the head and Mato in the side.
As the two fell to the ground, they were dragged forwards slightly as the swings lost the last of their momentum, the handcuffs now tangled with the swings. Mato got up to her feet, clenching the bruise forming on her head with her free hand rather awkwardly. "S-sorry 'bout that." She said as she looked over to Yomi, who was clenching the back of her head.
"We really need to work on our communication." Yomi said as she began to get up, spitting out bits of dirt. "Or coordination or something."
As Yomi stood up, Mato looked down to assist the damage to her knees before her eyes went wide. "Are you okay!?" Mato said a she got back on the ground once again, her handcuffed arm pulled across her chest as she looked at the red markings across Yomi's knees through the small tares in her pants.
"I'm sure it's fine." Yomi grunted as she lifted one leg to rub the pain out of her knees.
With a worried look in her eyes, Mato quickly bolted through the set of swings the duo was hooked onto, seemingly appearing at Yomi's side as she wrapped her free arm around the green-haired girl, helping her to her feet. "Come on, let's go get you some bandages."
'This is going to be a long day.' Yomi though as Mato began walking her out of the park.
The sound of the two girls' footfall echoed through the tight cavern as Black Rock Shooter and Dead Master inched their way through a narrow passage. The crunch of dirt and stones leaving Black Rock Shooter on edge as she took note of just how vulnerable they were. Needing to inch to the side with little room to use any weapons. A group of stray stones tapped her on the head, leading her to look up to make sure no one was about to attack.
She hated being vulnerable.
"Is this really the fastest way to Chariot's territory?" Black Rock asked, turning her attention to the green-demon girl.
"No, I said this was the safest way to Chariot's territory." Dead Master remarked as she tried to look back at the blue-girl. Emphasis on tried, as her horns clattered against the tight walls. "I'd rather not get into a fight like this, would you?" She asked as she pulled up their restraints as much as she could.
She then felt a tug against her left arm, halting all progress. She rolled her eyes as she began tugging harder. "Come on, get a move on."
"I can't." Black Rock stated as she began pushing against their now wedged restraints. "The gauntlets are stuck."
Dead Master scowled as she began pushing back against the gauntlets, gesturing to Black as best she could to start pulling. After a moment, there was a clash between a pop and a clunk as the duo stumbled backwards, their gauntlets freed before the cavern around them started rumbling.
The two held still as the rumbling ceased, several pebbles falling against their heads as they looked around. Another moment passed before Dead Master started inching forward once more. "I'm sure it was nothing."
Black Rock Shooter continued to look around, much more cautious as she continued to follow the Dead Master's lead.
She really hated being vulnerable.
*Growl*
Mato looked down at her stomach, placing her free hand over it in some attempt to dampen the groans it made. Yomi looked over at her wrist companion, cocking an eyebrow as Mato failed to hide her hunger. "You're hungry?"
"I kinda skipped breakfast this morning." Mato chuckled as she rubbed the back of her head, an awkward smile plastered across her face. "What do you say we grab a quick snack?"
"Why not." Yomi remark as Mato took lead. Finding the vending machine was rather easy, though putting the money in was more awkward as Mato had to drag Yomi's hand with hers. After pressing the coin against the edge of the slot for the third time, Mato managed to slip it in. Took an extra few seconds on the second coin, and the third coin went in much smoother.
Getting their snack bars only took twice as long as it would have otherwise.
"Why'd she need to cuff my right hand?" Mato muttered as she pulled the wrapping off of her treat. She let the though die for a moment as she let a smile form in anticipation of the chocolate deliciousness before pulling it towards her mouth.
There was a soft clatter as all movement in Mato's and Yomi's wrists were brought to a halt. The two looked at each other quickly, seeing the other with their snack bars in the trapped hands and the handcuff's chain pulled to its limit.
"A-after you." Mato stuttered out as she rubbed the back of her head.
"No, please." Yomi began. "You wanted something to eat anyway."
"W-well, if you insist." Mato muttered again before biting into her snack, dragging Yomi's wrist with her.
"Lunch is going to be a real challenge." Yomi muttered to herself as Mato enjoyed her treat.
"So how exactly do you expect me to convince Chariot to help us?" Dead Master asked as the duo walked down the yellow fields that marked Chariot's territory.
"We don't need to." Black Rock said as she lifted up the gauntlets. "We just need to get her to attack these things instead of us."
"And if that doesn't work?" Dead Master asked.
"Then we fight her, of course." Black Rock said.
Dead Master raised a finger to argue before the duo felt the ground beneath their feet begin to rumble. The stones around them began jumping as if excited for what was coming. The two began looking around fanatically, trying to identify where the tank was coming from. After a moment, Black Rock Shooter tugged on their restraints and pointed towards the horizon.
Approaching them at a break neck speed was the familiar shape of Chariot's spider tank.
Dead Master's eyes widened as Black Rock Shooter bent her knees, a determined look in her eyes. "Think you can take that thing?" Black asked.
"Like this?" Dead Master questioned as she rattled their restraints.
"Just do something." Black Rock stated before attempting to dart off, dragging Dead Master with her.
Dead Master looked back towards the monstrous contraption to see its mouth begin to open. A bang echoed through the golden landscapes as Black Rock Shooter began jumping up large stones, Dead Master just barely able to keep up with her.
Dead Master quickly pushed Black Rock behind the rock they were scaling, just barely avoiding the loud crash as the macrons began beating against the yellow stone. Dead Master looked into the blue eyes in front of her sternly as the shock ran through the stone. "Did you have a plan here?"
"Get its legs with your chains." Black said, spinning her finger around to make the message clear.
Dead Master sighed as she peaked out of their hiding space. "Why not? My relationship with her couldn't get any worse I guess… I'll need to get closer."
Nodding, Black Rock began counting off seconds, attempting to figure out the timing of the tank's strikes. Pulling their restraints to get Dead Master's attention, she quickly bolted out of their hiding place, the green girl trailing behind her much more willingly. Dead Master looked towards the tank to see yet another macron flying at them, and quickly swung her free arm to summon as many chains as she could. Creating an ark with them, the chains managed to stop the giant projectile before it could get close to them.
As the duo bolted towards the tank, Dead Master would swing her chains to deflect the macrons coming their way. The task began harder and harder the closer they got, and Dead Master found herself making many close calls. As she deflected another macron, she felt the projectile scrape against the point of her horn. As the projectile flew away from them, Dead Master got a clear few of the giant spider like vehicle, its head almost directly above them as they ran under it.
Acting quickly, Dead Master swung her arm again, sending sets of chains around the front legs of the tank. She then looked forward as she swung her arms at the rear legs, binding the front legs to the opposite rear legs.
The effects were felt almost immediately as the spider attempted to lift its front leg, dragging the rear with it and the other legs as the chains caught on each other. Black Rock Shooter dragged Dead Master out from under the tank, just barely missing the spikes on the wheels as they heard a loud crash behind them.
Spinning around, the duo found that their plan had worked, and the tank had fallen to the ground, a large dust cloud flying away from it. Realizing what this meant, the duo quickly looked up to see the silhouette of Chariot jumping at them.
"Now!" Black Rock Shooter yelled before she and Dead Master attempted to dodge in opposite directs, pulling their restrains up. As the golden-haired girl fell, she swung her bladed legs in an attempt to attack, only to find the slash landing on the gauntlets between the duo.
Her wheel ground against the link, creating hot sparks as it attempted to cut before looking at the duo. Black Rock Shooter and Dead Master looked back at their gauntlets, almost dumbfounded as Chariot failed to cut through it.
The golden-haired girl looked down at the black metal she was attempting to saw through, cocking an eyebrow as her weapon failed to break through it. Jumping off of the restraints, Chariot landed a distance behind the duo before turning to face them, an annoyed look in her eyes.
"What's the meaning of this?" She asked.
Yomi found herself staring at the pile of fast foods Mato had ordered for launch, she could smell the greases and ketchup from across their table, the red cream easing its way out of the sides of her burger. She watched as the girl in the blue jacket practically drowned her fries using all the ketchup packs she could get her hands on. Looking up at the girl in question, Yomi saw Mato licking a corner of her lips in anticipation.
"How do you stomach that?" Yomi asked as Mato dripped the last of her ketchup onto the fries.
"It's delicious." Mato said with a grin.
"It's unhealthy."
"Well, the stuff that's bad for me should stop tasting so good." Mato remarked as she grabbed onto her burger. "Besides, it's more than what you have." She remarked, pointing to the salad the green haired girl had ordered.
"It was the only thing on the menu that was halfway healthy." Yomi stated as she grabbed onto her fork.
"Poor Yomi." Mato sighed as she eased back into her seat, lightly pulling on Yomi's arm. "One day I shall introduce you to the delight that is the burger."
"And one day I'll introduce you to a healthy meal." Yomi snarked back. The two girls chuckled lightly before turning their attention back to their food.
As Yomi sank her fork into the collection of greens, her arm was jerked in the direction of her wrist companion, who seemed to be attempting to stuff the entire burger into her mouth. The sandwich was then yanked away from Mato's jaw, taking a rather large bite out of it as Yomi began crunching on the leaves. "Can't you use your other hand?" Mato asked as she lightly tugged on their joined wrists.
"Not really." Yomi said after swallowing before jingling the handcuffs. "I'm left handed."
"Right." Mato sighed as she scowled to the side, getting the feeling that Yuu had done that intentionally. Mato took her right hand off of the sandwich, noting how wrong it felt to hold it in her non-dominate hand as Yomi went back to eating her meal, tugging Mato's wrist with her.
Attempting to ignore this, Mato began shoving the meal back into her mouth, ripping off another large bite as Yomi tried to ignore what was happening before her. "Seriously though," Mato said through her filled mouth. "You need to try these at some point."
"I'm fine without knowing, thank you." Yomi replied as she began eating another forkful of her salad.
"Oh, come on, it's delicious!" Mato said as she pushed an end of her sandwich towards Yomi's cheek. The green-eyed girl eyed the sandwich, the scent of fats and condiments becoming so much worse as it nearly pressed itself against her face. "Just one bite wouldn't hurt."
Yomi swallowed her mouthful before looking over to the blue-eyed girl. "How's about this." Yomi began as she presented her fork full of green leaves coated in sugars to the girl across from her. "You try mine, I'll try yours."
"Now we're getting somewhere." Mato remarked before looking into the pools of emerald. "On three."
"That's not really necessary."
"One."
Yomi let out a sigh as Mato completely ignored her. "If you insist."
"Two. Three!" With that, Mato wrapped her lips around the utensil as Yomi bit into the burger. The duo let out a hum as the flavors danced over their tongues, Yomi's more contemplative face melting into a smile.
"This is good." The duo said in near perfect sync.
Black Rock Shooter and Dead Master practically dragged each other through the caverns beneath Chariot's territory, the duo racing at a break neck speed while Dead Master occasionally glanced behind them, the sound of sharp blades grinding against the floor echoing through the cave.
'If it's a fight you want.' Those were the last words exchanged between the two parties after the restrained duo had explained their situation to the golden Other Self. After that, Chariot had launched an offensive against the duo, sending them underground. Convincing Rock that they had no reason to continue fighting her, Dead Master had convinced her that it was time to leave.
Black Rock Shooter and Dead Master attempted to dart down different tunnels, resulting only in their restraints cutting off their momentum and dragging them to the ground. The duo climbed to their feet as Dead Master stared at Black Rock. "This way." Dead Master said, dragging the duo down her cave.
Looking over her shoulder, Black Rock Shooter made out the familiar figure of Chariot racing down the caverns, sword in hand, ready to fight the duo. "Can't you do something to slow her down?" Black Rock asked.
With a wave of her arm, Dead Master summoned another flock of chains and began firing them from one wall to another, quickly creating a web of metal before dragging Black Rock further. "That won't slow her down long."
Glancing over her shoulder again, Black Rock Shooter saw Chariot's blade pierce through the metal and slash an opening for the golden girl. "That won't slow her down at all." Black Rock corrected.
Growl, Dead Master began waving her arm much frantically, summoning as many sets of chains as she could, constantly building metal webs to slow down the girl on wheels. The rattling of the chains was almost deafening as the sound echoed through the caves, leaving behind dozens of webs.
The rattling of the chains was almost deafening as Mato and Yomi stared at the stalls in front of them, the only other sound in the room was the faint trickle of water from the faucets. The chained duo placed their hands lightly on their stomachs, their cheeks burning brighter than stars. Thankfully, no one else had been in the bathroom, the two could hardly imagine how much more embarrassing that would be.
"Curse you, Yuu." Mato muttered as she and Yomi looked back down at their handcuffed arms, the feeling beneath their stomachs growing slowly. "A-are you sure we can't just hold it in?"
"I've been holding it in since this morning." Yomi remarked before she gripped the handle of the door, causing Mato to blush even harder. "Just slip into the other stall."
"O-okay." Mato squeaked as Yomi pulled her into the cubical. As Yomi locked the door behind her, rather awkwardly with how little room she had, Mato felt her blood pressure building up as the duo's shoulders pressed against each other. "Wh-which stall should I… You know?"
"That one." Yomi replied, pointing her thumb to the stall on her right before Mato slid past her and under the wall between the two sets of toilets. Mato let out a sigh of relive as she noted the emptiness of the stall.
The blue-eyed girl let out a wince as she stood up, the handcuffs pulling against her wrist as they caught against the frame of the wall separating the duo. The chains made a soft grinding sound as they slid across the frame as Yomi walked further into the stall, pulling Mato along with her.
The duo sat down, leaning towards their companion on the other side of the wall as they worked on getting their pants off as best they could with one hand. "This is pretty awkward." Mato commented as she opened her fly.
"Less so than the alternatives."
"D-don't remind me!" Mato sputtered out, her face becoming nearly completely red. As Mato turned her head to attempted to get the images out of her mind, she made quick note of the position of the handled on the door in front of her. "I… I forgot to lock my door."
Mato heard a sigh come from the other side of the wall before Yomi chose to speak. "Alright, lock it while we still have a chance."
"Okay." Mato said quickly before practically jumping to her feet, her pants falling to her ankles as she began walking towards the door, almost tripping as the blue fabrics wrapped around her ankles.
Black Rock Shooter and Dead Master found themselves panting as they knelt forwards outside of the mouth of the cave. Neither one of them were aware that they could get exhausted in the Other World, let alone this exhausted as they looked back towards the cave. The sound of Chariot's chase had long since died out, and the duo had taken quite a few twists and turns during their getaway.
"I think…" Dead Master panted out as she straightens herself. "We lost her."
"Good." Black Rock Shooter panted out as she looked back at the restraints. Not even a scratch from Chariot's attack. It occurred to her that she could have easily sliced her or Dead Master's arm off to free them of each other, but something had told her not to when the bracers first formed; and with her Black Blade destroyed, she wouldn't have the chance to change her mind.
"Okay." Dead Master said as she began walking in a seemingly random direction. "Let's find Gold Saw."
The gauntlet's clanged as Black Rock Shooter began pulling against the restraints binding her to the green girl. "What does Mato say, 'snow cone's chance in hell?'"
Dead Master let out a sigh as she looked back towards the blue girl. "Whatever these things are, they can't simply be broken. I suggest we go to the expert on stuff like this."
Black Rock Shooter shot her eyes around in her sockets frantically as she tried to come up with something that wouldn't require she go into the territory of her nemesis. In an instant, her eyes shot wide open as she looked back towards Dead Master. "Then let's go find Strength."
"Strength?" Dead Master asked before she began pulling Black Rock in her direction again. "I don't trust her… What does Yomi say, 'As far as I can throw her?'"
"Well I don't trust Black Gold Saw 'as far as I can throw her.'" Black said as she began pulling Dead Master in the opposite direction.
"We're going to find Gold Saw."
"No, we're going to find Strength."
"Gold Saw."
"Strength."
"Gold Saw."
"Strength!"
The two continued to play their tug of war, attempting to yank the other in their direction, completely unaware of the figures that loomed over them.
Yomi dug through her pockets as best she could with her free hand, attempting to find her keys in her back-left pocket with her right hand as the duo stood in front of the green-haired girl's door. The two had agreed to stay at Yomi's house for the night, the girl's parents being out for the week on a business trip and her bed being big enough for the two of them to sleep comfortably.
Plus, Hiro would never let Mato hear the end of it if she came home chained to Yomi.
"I've almost…" Yomi muttered as she attempted to wiggle her fingers further into her pocket, tightening her twist as she narrowed her eyes.
"Kagari!" Mato shouted as she knocked on the door with her free hand. "We know you're in there! Open up already!"
Just like before, Mato got no response.
"Uh," Mato groaned before she looked back at Yomi. "Just use the cuffed hand, already. I promise I won't tough your butt."
"It's fine, really." Yomi said as she attempted to hook onto the key ring. "I've got this."
"That's what you said five minutes ago." Mato muttered as she pulled out her phone to attempt to text Kagari, before realizing she didn't have the blonde's number. Out of curiosity, she looked up to the clock tucked away in the corner of the screen.
3:17 PM.
"Screw it." Mato muttered before she stuck her hand into the pocket Yomi was attempting to dig through, causing the girl to blush, eyes widening in shock from the sudden action. "We've been out her for ten minutes now." Feeling her fingers trace the cold curve of Yomi's key ring, Mato let out a small smile before she attempted to grab onto it.
Yomi let out a small squeak as she jumped a few inches away from the girl, jerking Mato's arm along with her. "You-you just pinched my butt."
"S-sorry." Mato sputtered out, face glowing red along with the green-eyed girl as she quickly readjusted her grip and practically yanked the keys out. "C-come on, let's just get inside."
Nodding quickly, Mato and Yomi found themselves wrapping their fingers around the other's as they both put the key into the lock. After clicking the lock open, the door swung open, nearly pulling the two girls over with it, revealing a messy haired Kagari, a lazy grin across her face. "Welcome home."
"H-how long have you been there?" Mato asked, trying to get her blush under control.
"Just came down." Kagari said, gesturing to the stairs besides her. "I was listening to music, and then I heard Yomi squeak."
"But you didn't hear me yelling?" Mato asked as she and Yomi walked in, handcuffs jingling between them.
"I was listening to really loud music." Kagari said while waving her hand. "I caught you between songs."
The duo simply eyed the blonde with doubtful eyes.
"So how was your day?" Kagari asked as she started walking back upstairs, ignoring the look they gave her.
"Embarrassing." Yomi stated.
"Awkward." Mato said along with her.
"Good to hear." Kagari said before leaning back on a step, gripping the rail. "By the way, what are you guys making for dinner?"
"You can't expect us to cook like this." Yomi remarked as she presented the duo's handcuffed arms to the blonde, rattling the chain for extra emphasis.
"Well I can't cook." Kagari said as she continued to her room. "Remember what happened last time."
A shudder ran down Yomi's spine as she continued up the stairs, bringing Mato along with her. "What happened last time?" The raven-haired girl asked.
"You don't want to know." Yomi said with dead eyes.
"Will you just swallow you pride and come with me already?" Dead Master grunted as she dug her feet into the ground, nearly tearing her arm out of its socket as she and Black Rock Shooter continued their tug of war.
"It's not a matter of pride." Rock Shooter said as she did the same. "It's a matter of she hates me and I hate her more."
"Then swallow that."
As the duo continued their argument, they were oblivious to the group positioned above them as one figure aimed her weapon at them. Her cat ears twitched as she made note of the wind dying, her long tail going limp. She focused her eyes through her black glasses before she began to squeeze the trigger.
"I said Black Gold-" Dead Master growled before placing her heel on a small rock. The stone slid out of its grove easily and Dead Master found herself tumbling backwards, or at least she would have had Black Rock not have yanked her towards the blue girl. As the duo bashed their heads against each other, throwing the blue-haired girl back, a large, dark green energy shot dug into the ground and released a large explosion.
The duo was thrown away from the crater by the sudden force, rolling against the ground and collecting quite a bit of dirt. Looking at the trail of dark green smote rising from the hole where Dead Master once stood, the duo quickly looked in the direction of the shot's origin. Against the white sky, they made out the silhouettes of three individuals. The sniper appeared to have a cat like tail and ears, glowing green eyes, and a long gun like staff taller than herself. The second figure looked almost normal, save for the dark red eyes and the three long, skeletal arms coming out of her right sleeve. The third figure had dark blue eyes, and appeared to have been riding on top of a man dressed in full armor, a long sword weighed on its shoulder with glowing blue markings.
Black Rock Shooter and Dead Master quickly jumped to their feet, clanging their restraints as they got ready for battle. Black Rock Shooter lifted her free arm into the air as Dead Master opened her free hand, both attempting to summon their signature weapons.
Both failed.
The duo looked at their free hands as the red and blue figures launched off of the cliff, the third once again began aiming her weapon at the two as they shook their hands, trying to get the energy to flow through them again.
Quickly jumping back, the duo avoided a heavy attack from the large suit of armor, nearly getting sliced in half by its sword as it berried its blade into the ground, creating a large dust cloud out of the golden sand. As the duo turned to run, Black Rock's free had was grabbed by one of the long talons of the red-eyed girl's bone sprouts. The dark red uniform clad girl yanked Black Rock Shooter back, dragging Dead Master with her as she threw the blue-haired girl into the air. As the duo flew above the ground, a dark green shot struck their gauntlets, creating another explosion that threw the duo away from their attackers.
A series of chains flew into the ground, allowing Dead Master to catch the duo and put them back on their feet, bright blue and green spraying out of the two. The two looked back up at their opponents, the black kimono clad sniper having jumped down from the cliff to get a better shot at the two. The suit of armor once again began charging at them, producing a cloud of dark blue smoke from its helmet that almost hid the hooded girl riding it.
Dead Master swung her arm again, throwing as many chains as she could at the armor. With a quick swing from its left arm, the suit branded a dagger as it broke the chains apart. The duo attempted to jump away from their attacker, but were stopped as the gauntlets clanged against each other again. The armor brought its sword down against their gauntlets, once again creating a large cloud of golden dust.
"Easy… Easy…" Yomi muttered as slowly manipulated the edge of the syrup of beaten eggs with a shaky spatula. The soft sound of cracking was dwarfed by the ringing coming from the bowl as Mato carefully cracked an egg on its side. The actions of the duo made even more complicated by the restraints binding their dominate hands together.
Attempting to fold the in-progress omelet, Yomi found the edge breaking away from the rest of it. Mato, meanwhile, caused the rest of the egg shell to crack and dropped several flakes into the bowl along with the yoke.
The two let out an annoyed sigh as Mato looked over to the green-eyed girl. "We could still order take out." She commented as she set the remains of the egg shell aside.
"We've already started the second omelet." Yomi stated as she pointed towards the bowl.
Mato let out another sigh as she began picking out the pieces of the shell left in the mix before her eyes lit up. "Let's give the worst one to Kagari." Mato whispered to her wrist companion.
"That's the plan."
By the time dinner had rolled around, Kagari found herself staring wide eyed at the mess of yellow and green on her plate. Several pieced of the omelet had been torn off and she made out several hard-white patches before she looked up at the duo across the table. Theirs appeared to be in better shape and vaguely resembled omelets.
"Did you say you were making omelets or scrambled eggs?" The blonde asked as the duo attempted to manipulate their forks with their non-dominate hands.
"Eh, either one's a meal." Mato commented as the mess of eggs slipped off her fork. Yomi pushed her scoop as far up the tongs as she could before lifting it up to her mouth rather shakily. Mato looked across the table to find Kagari staring at the duo, an amused smirk across her face. "You try eating like this," Mato said as she pulled on the handcuffs. "Tell us how easy it is."
"You could always feed each other." Kagari commented as she scooped up a piece of what she would vaguely call scrambled eggs.
Yomi went into a fit of silent coughing as Mato's fork clanged against her plate, a blush burning across their cheeks. "What?" Kagari asked as she pushed her food into her cheek. "Wouldn't that make things easier? You wouldn't need to pull against each other to use your forks."
"Y-yeah, but-" Mato began as she started scratching her head, trying to come up with some excuse to avoid the situation. Her thoughts were interrupted as Yomi tapped on her shoulder. Looking towards the green-haired girl, Mato found her holding up a piece of her meal, looking away from the blue-eyed girl with a blush on her cheeks.
"N-no harm in trying it, right?" Yomi asked through burning cheeks, trying to avoid eye contact with just about anything.
Swallowing nervously as her blush seemed to grow even stronger, Mato slowly leaned forward and carefully bit onto the fork. As she started chewing her food, she tried to look away from Yomi as well, hoping that the fires in her cheeks would eventually cool down.
"See, wasn't that easier?" Kagari asked as she pushed another piece of her meal into her mouth. "Now do the same for Yomi."
Swallowing the piece suddenly, Mato quickly cut off a piece of her meal, her burning cheeks only growing worse as she stuck her fork into the food and held it up to Yomi. Looking across the table, Mato found Kagari cocking an eyebrow as she gripped her chin. "Wh-what?" Mato asked, reaching for her drink as Yomi slipped the food into her mouth. "Isn't this what you told us to do?"
"Yeah, it's just…" Kagari began as she placed a hand on her temple, rolling her eyes back as she tried to remember the details. "Did you and Yomi ever trade forks?"
Yomi swallowed suddenly as Mato quickly spat her drink out, their faces turning nearly completely red as they realized what Kagari was implying. The blonde covered her mouth in an attempt to hid a soft chuckle as the chained duo slammed their hands on the table and leaned towards her. "You're doing this on purpose!" They yelled.
"That I am." Kagari chuckled as she scooped up another piece of her scrambled eggs, cracking an eye open to meet the duo's. "And that's why it's funny."
Loud clangs echoed through the battle field as three Other Selves tried to fight past Dead Master's defenses, a fight they were slowly winning as Geshumaru's armor broke yet another set of chains with a swing of his great sword. Demon Cannon User held back as she attempted to aim her rifle through the chains, using whatever bits of the duo she could see as a general idea of where to aim.
Black Rock Shooter, meanwhile, violently shook her free arm with narrowed eyes as she attempted in vain to summon her cannon. "Why isn't this working!?" She shouted.
"Whatever your problem is, solve it fast." Dead Master said as another furry of chains was destroyed. "I'm not sure how much longer I can keep this up."
Black Rock Shooter scrunched her eyes shut as she focused as hard as she could on the shape, the weight, the power of her weapon. Yet no matter how hard she tried it refused to come to her. When she opened her eyes again, she saw Bone Sprout rushing towards them, three arms readied to strike.
Black Rock Shooter quickly pushed Dead Master to the ground, allowing the claws to fly over them. Dead Master quickly pushed back up against Rock, causing the two to roll out of the way of three elbow jabs. With a quick swing of her arm, Dead Master sent another fury of chains towards the red-eyed girl. Bone Sprout put up her biggest arm and allowed the chains to break apart as they bashed against the black bones, gripping the ground with the other two. Black Rock looked over Dead Master's head to see Geshumaru charging at them, sword held high over the armor's head. As Bone Sprout launched towards the duo, Black Rock grabbed Dead Master's waist as the duo jumped back, allowing the two to strike each other.
A dark green energy shot ran by them as Demon Cannon began closing the distance between them. In an instant, Bone Sprout was where the duo was going to land and grabbed on to the duo's legs and restraints, slamming them into the ground as Geshumaru lumbered towards them. Through the pain in her head, Black Rock Shooter and Dead Master found themselves making one last attempt to summon their weapons, their free arms limp at their sides.
Bone Sprout lifted her clawed hands high above her head, Geshumaru lifted its sword, and Demon Cannon User quickly began closing the distance between her and the group, all three of them wanting the final blow. With what strength they had left, Black Rock Shooter and Dead Master lifted their restrained arms to block the attack as they called out their weapons' names.
"DEAD-" "ROCK-" "-SCYTHE!" "-CANNON!"
In an instant, their restraints began letting off a mixture of green and blue energy before bursting apart, revealing the duo's arms at the center of the energy. As they trio brought down their weapons, their attack was negated as a bullet chain began to wrap around the duo's wrists. The energy let off a harsh burst, throwing the trio away from their opponents as the pieces of the gauntlet began to reform around the energy.
The clanging of metal echoed through the field as the gauntlets reconstructed themselves. In a flash of aquamarine light, Black Rock Shooter and Dead Master found their arms falling to the ground, a loud metal *Clang!* roared through the field once more as the duo lifted themselves to their feet and look at their restraints.
It vaguely resembled what it once was. Both of their hands were now trapped in once larger bulb, with several spikes protruding from it. Attached to this was the familiar cylinder of the Rock Cannon, glowing with aquamarine energy, leading in to an extended, thin barrel with a large, sharp mussel.
The duo looked at their new weapon and then back at the trio with a new fire in their eyes, in Black Rock's case, a literal fire as her left eye burst to life once more.
The duo quickly lifted up their weapon and pulled the triggers. A loud *BLAM!* echoed through the field as a large burst of aquamarine energy raced towards them. Demon Cannon quickly attempted to shoot the projectile out of the air as her comrades jumped to the side. A large explosion coated the field in a large cloud of dust as Bone Sprout and Geshumaru attempted to attack the duo from the side.
Black Rock Shooter made out the familiar arms of Bone Sprout and quickly pulled the weapon towards her, unleashing as many bursts as she could at the red-eyed girl while Dead Master prepared her chains. While Black Rock launched Bone Sprout into the air, Dead Master swung her chains upwards into Geshumaru's chest, throwing the suit of armor over her before slamming it down on top of Bone Sprout. The duo then closed the distance between them and their opponents and slammed the cannon on top of them.
Summoning another set of chains, Dead Master wrapped the metal cables around the ankles of the two Other Selves and threw them towards Demon Cannon User just as the cat girl fired. The two Other Selves were thrown back by the blast as Dead Master and Black Rock Shooter ducked under them, racing towards the sniper. The chamber of their weapon began spinning at a break neck speed, coating the entire barrel in its energy. With a cross between a clang and a bang, the weapon shifted a form resembling the Rock Cannon to a more Dead Scythe mode, still retaining several aspects of the cannon.
Quickly spinning her weapon like a bow staff, Demon Cannon attempted to block their attack, only for her weapon to get sliced in half by the duo. Bringing her foot down onto the ground, Black Rock quickly yanked the weapon back and smashed its blunt edge against the Other Self. As Bone Sprout charged the duo from behind, Dead Master summoned another furry of chains and caught each of the girl's bony wrists with them. She then jumped up as Black Rock spun around and sliced throw the bones, unhanding each of the girl's bone arms.
Geshumaru jumped over Bone Sprout, ready to strike the duo once more before the duo shifted their weapon back into cannon form and blasted the suit of armor out of the air. The girl ridding the armor lost her grip as the suit bashed her against the ground, the armor flew over her as her eyes widened. Quickly getting to her feet, Geshumaru attempted to run to her armor, only for Dead Master's chains to wrap around her and drag her back towards the duo.
The chains around Bone Sprout's wrist quickly wrapped themselves around her arms, both bone and flesh, and held her up off the ground, presenting the two girls to Black Rock Shooter and Dead Master. Black Rock Shooter raised the cannon and began charging a shot, the fire in her eyes growing ever more violent.
Immediately, the ground beneath the duo opened up, leading them to falling down a dark pit. As they disappeared into the abyss, the hole above them closed, leaving the duo in darkness, illuminated only by their cannon.
Mato's arm was pulled back and forth, filling the bathroom with the sound of the handcuff chains rattling as Yomi brushed her teeth. The blue-eyed girl was left to stand next to her companion, eyes darting around the room as she tried to find a way to occupy herself. She had left her toothbrush at home, and it was much too late to get it now. Mato adjusted the edged of her hoodie, beginning to feel warm as she slid it off her left arm, cheeks still glowing red as she thought of where they were going once the green-haired girl was done.
Yomi finally stopped jerking her wrist companion's arm back and forth as she reached for the faucet much more gingerly, bringing a paper cup up to her mouth with her free hand. The room was filled with the sound of running water and gargling as Yomi rinsed off her tooth brush before spitting into the sink.
"We done yet?" Mato asked.
"Just about."
"It's been like fifteen minutes, who much do you need to do before you go to sleep?" Mato asked as Yomi whipped her mouth.
Yomi let out a sigh as she began to pull her free hand into her sweater. "We're a little overdressed to simply sleep, wouldn't you agree."
Mato let out a sigh as she began pulling her right arm up the hoodie's sleeve. "Not much we can do about that, really." Mato commented as the bundle of dark blue fabric hung from her arm.
"How does Yuu expect us to get dressed for school tomorrow?" Yomi questioned as she allowed her own sweater to hang between their arms.
"Eh, let's just bring our uniforms and change there." Mato said as she and Yomi began moving towards the door. Mato's eyes then widened as she slapped herself on the forehead, dragging Yomi's arm with her and causing the fabrics to attempt to fly away from them. "Shit, I left my uniform at home."
"Of course." Yomi muttered to herself as the duo pushed through the door. "You can barrow one of mine, it might feel a bit baggy, though."
"Thanks!" Mato response as she started hugging the green-eyed girl's arm.
"Not a problem." Yomi said before looking up towards a door at the end of the hallway. "Night, Kagari!"
"Night you two!" Kagari called out from behind the wood. "Try to actually get some sleep! I know you two might be tempted but-!"
"Oh, shut up!" Mato and Yomi called as their cheeks began glowing red, or in Mato's case redder. The two made out the faint sound of Kagari giggling from her room as the duo quickly pulled Yomi's door opened and disappeared into the green-haired girl's room.
The two let out a breath they hadn't realized they were holding as they leaned against the door, looking over towards Yomi's bed with nervous eyes. "This has been quite a day." Yomi muttered as Mato pulled her towards her bed.
"Come on, the sooner we get to sleep, the sooner this damn challenge can end." Mato said as she started to slide under Yomi's covers.
The duo laid on their backs side by side, staring up at the ceiling with a faint blush on their faces. They felt exhausted, yet sleep didn't come to them. They were too busy thinking of everything they've had to do that day to fall asleep, and in spite of how soft the pillows and mattress were, neither one of them felt comfortable. Looking over at her green-eyed wrist companion, Mato found herself sliding her hand onto the back of Yomi's knuckle, wrapping her fingers around the delicate and soft hand as she rolled over.
"Hey," Mato whispered as she draped her arm around Yomi's shoulder, pulling her head on top of Yomi's chest with a harsh blush on her face. "You wouldn't mind if I do this, would you?"
"N-not at all." Yomi stuttered as she found herself wrapping her free arm around the blue-eyed girl's waist. "A-as long as you don't mind this."
"Go ahead." Mato smiled as she began nuzzling against the green haired girl.
Black Rock Shooter and Dead Master once again found themselves fighting against their restraints, the colossal cannon pinned upwards by several rock pillars and trapped in place quite effectively. The duo could still feel the adrenaline from the previous battle coursing through them as they attempted to yank themselves out of the base of the weapon, which proved just as ineffective as it had previously. As they yanked and tugged, Dead Master quickly began scanning the area for any threats. A task that proved difficult with how dark the cave around them had become once the pit closed.
As if sensing her panic, crystals along the cave walls began to glow to life, filling the tunnel with bright red lights, and illuminating a familiar, horned figure.
Dead Master found her struggles ceasing as Black Gold Saw slowly approached them, Black Rock Shooter's spasms growing harsher and harsher as those red, cold, calculated eyes approached the duo. As Dead Master calmed, a faint, aquamarine aura covered their weapon, faintly tinting the black metal.
Black Rock Shooter looked up at this and got an idea. "Gold Saw," Dead Master said as Black Rock calmed her breathing and focused on the gauntlet's base form. "We were just about to come looking for you."
Dead Master and Black Rock found their arms rushing down as the weapon shrunk back to its original size and shape, sliding out of the rock formation with a slight popping sound. "We need your help." Dead Master continued as Black Rock Shooter began staring daggers at the red-eyed girl. She wanted to attack her, she wanted to kill her, to no longer have to put up with that pain in her side, but she had more pressing matters to attend to.
"These formed on us when we were fighting and we can't get them off." Black Rock said as she presented the gauntlets to the red girl, who's expression didn't change as she began observing the black metal. "What do we do?"
Gold Saw brought a claw up to her chin as she began stroking it, staring intently at the curves of the dark metal encasing the two Other Selves together. She then looked back up at the bound duo, before straightening herself and bringing her hands together.
"Why, congratulations you two." She said with an uncharacteristically warm smile as she rested her cheek against her red claws.
Dead Master and Black Rock Shooter cocked their eyebrows, tilting their heads as if to give way for nonexistent question marks. "For what?"
Gold Saw chuckled softly as she brought her hands behind her back. "I guess you two wouldn't know." She raised a finger and peered back into the duo's eyes. "Think back; What happened when the gauntlets formed?"
"Well, me and Dead Master were fighting and-" Black Rock began before Gold Saw placed her finger over her mouth.
"No, not here." Gold Saw said. "There, in the other world." Once again, the duo cocked an eyebrow, causing Gold Saw to roll her eyes. "Think, what did Mato and Yomi do when the gauntlets formed?"
'Just say it already!' Mato found herself yelling in her head as she looked up at Yomi's chin. Swallowing her nervousness, Mato decided it was now or never and opened her mouth to speak.
"Y-Yomi…" Mato began, her voice was shaky and horsey as she realized that once she said this, there was no going back.
"Yes?" Yomi asked, tilting her head to look down at the raven-haired girl.
"I-I…" Mato stuttered before she swallowed once more. "-I like you."
"Hm?" Yomi hummed. "I like you too, Ma-"
"N-no." Mato began as she pushed herself up, looking directly into the pools of green as she felt her throat attempt to tie itself into knots, the butterflies in her stomach growing ever more aggressive. "I-I mean I like-like you, like, like you like you."
Yomi cocked an eyebrow as she made out the glow of Mato's cheeks through the darkness of her room, the only illumination she had to see the girl's face was the faint trickles of moonlight through her window.
"Yomi," Mato muttered as she realized how confusing she was being. "Yomi, I… I've had a crush on you since we met!"
Yomi found her eyes shooting opened as Mato hung her head over her face. "Wh-what?" She breathed out.
"I have a crush on you." Mato cried out again. "I feel my heart start racing every time I see you and every day is just made so amazing just by having you in it and I keep getting lost in your eyes and I want to hold your hair and I-" Mato caught herself as she rambled on, and took in another breath to steady her nerves. "I… I love you, Yomi."
"I-is that why you didn't want to go through with this?" Yomi asked, eyeing the cuffs around their wrists.
"I would love to spend a day handcuffed to you." Mato said. "I loved spending a day handcuffed to you. But I didn't want to do something like that with someone I wasn't-wh-who didn't-"
"Mato…"
"I didn't think you'd want to do something so intimate with me and I didn't want to force you." Mato said. "But we did so much together today and I-"
Mato's words were cut off as she felt a soft, delicate hand place itself against the back of her head before pulling her down towards Yomi.
"They kissed." Dead Master and Black Rock Shooter said in perfect unison.
Bliss did not begin to describe what Mato felt as Yomi brought her lips against hers. Her blue-eyes completely froze for a moment before she had finally finished processing what was happening and let her eyes slip shut, returning the kiss. Yomi's lips tasted so sweet, like peaches, yet they had a soft tang to them, and Mato's tasted like sugar and chocolates. They savored the flavor of the other as their lips danced across each other, all tiredness from the day was forgotten as they focused solely on the other's lips.
It was much too short, the two thought as Mato pulled away from Yomi for a breath. The two pulled in deep, slow breaths as they stared into each other's eyes.
"I've," Yomi began as she rolled her eyes away from Mato before darting them back to stare into the sapphire pools. "I've felt the same way about you."
"You-you have?" Mato asked, a smirk forming across her face. The only reply she got was the slight nod from Yomi before she brought her free hand onto Yomi's cheek, cupping it quickly. "Well why didn't you say anything!?"
"Why didn't you!?"
"We-well." Mato muttered as she looked towards the window before staring back into Yomi's eyes. "Eh, no good dwelling on the past. What do you say we make up for lost time?"
In response, Yomi once again pulled Mato into a kiss, pulling up their handcuffed hands and interlacing their fingers as the two began to deepen the display of affection.
"Yes, they shared their first kiss with their soulmate." Black Gold Saw said. "Surely you two felt the bond they had."
"Well, what does that have to do with these?" Black Rock Shooter asked as she rattled the restraints.
"Well." Gold Saw began, placing a finger on her chin as she contemplated how to word it. "You see, being soulmates is about more than just loving each other. As soulmates, Mato and Yomi need to be there for each other, to support each other and care for each other. Sound familiar?"
Dead Master and Black Rock Shooter looked between each other as they tried to figure out where this was going. "And if they need to bare each other's pain," Gold Saw continued. "Then you two need to help them do so. These," Gold Saw tapped the restrains to emphasize the point. "Are the bond they now share. We can't have either of you kill each other now that they're an item, now can we?"
Black Rock Shooter and Dead Master found themselves staring at the restraints in awe, rolling their fingers along the grips inside them as they absorbed the information.
"But… But how are we supposed to fight like this?" Black Rock asked as she held up the gauntlets.
"Like you did outside." Gold Saw commented. "Haven't you noticed that you two have been in much better sync since those restraints have formed?"
Dead Master and Black Rock Shooter looked back between each other as they thought back on it, they're fight with Chariot, their fight with the trio, they had become more coordinated each time.
They didn't even share a word.
"Eventually, you two will be masters with these." Gold Saw said as she tapped the restraints one last time.
"… So we can't take them off?" Black Rock Shooter asked.
"Do you want to?"
The duo looked between each other one last time before they turned back to Gold Saw. "If this represents her happiness," They both said. "Then not anymore."
"Good." Gold Saw said as she turned away from the duo. "Now get out of my cave." She said as she pointed her thumb over her shoulder. "Exit's that way." With that, the cave let out a roar as the rocks moved to close her path.
The duo stood there in silence for a moment before they turned around, crossing their restrained arms over their stomachs and pressing their free shoulders together. Their footsteps echoed through the cave as they walked down it towards a faint light source. "So, soulmates, huh?" Dead Master found herself asking her new partner.
"Yeah." Rock Shooter said as she looked down at the restraints between them, looked down at Mato and Yomi's love for each other. "What does that make us then?"
Dead Master thought on that for a moment. "Dead… Rock… Blaster?"
Rock Shooter looked towards her partner, a stern look on her face. "Absolutely not."
Dead Master rolled her eyes as the duo continued. "Right, whatever was I thinking, 'Dark-color Stone Gun-user.'"
"Don't patronize me, Lord of Those Not Living."
Another moment of silence passed between the duo as they kept walking before they looked back at each other and smiled. This was the beginning of a beautiful relationship.
'This is the beginning of a beautiful relationship.' Kagari thought as the pressed her ear against Yomi's door, listening to the moaning exchanged between the two as they deepened their kiss. She let her weight off the piece of wood with a smile as she walked back to her room. She quickly turned towards the table next to her bed and pulled out her phone, dialing the number Yuu had given her.
Within a moment, the buzzing had stopped with a click. "H-hello?"
"Wow, surprised your up this late, Yuu." Kagari commented as she looked at her alarm clock, noting the time. "Just calling to let you know Operation Teal was a success."
"O-oh, really!? Great! I thought we agreed we were calling it Operation Aquamarine?"
"That sounds terrible still." Kagari said, noting how quickly Yuu seemed to be talking.
"Well, whatever. Good to know this all payed off!"
"Yeah, who knows how mad they would have been if we had to put this plan into overtime." Kagari laughed.
"Hahaha, yeah, that'd be terrible! Question, how mad do you think they'll be now?"
"Hm," Kagari hummed as she tried her best to eye her phone, cocking an eyebrow. "What do you mean."
"I mean, do you think they'd want to kill me, or do you think they wouldn't mind getting to spend another full day with their girlfriend? Because if I got cuffed to Saya for a week, I think I'd enjoy it a lot and thank the person who did it and-"
"Yuu, what's wrong." Kagari asked.
"I… I lost the key…"
"Didn't you hear me?" Kagari asked. "They're making out right now, we don't need to break out the back-up-"
"No, I mean I've actually lost it." Yuu said. "I can't find it anywhere."
Dead air was exchanged between the two as they realized what this meant for the group tomorrow.
And that brings this very exuberant project to a close. I truly have no idea how this became so long, it just sort of happened. Anyway, let's get to the idea for the Other Selves I had:
Pretty much, it's a physical form of soulmate's bond with each other that 1. Makes it so that the Other Selves need to help bear both parties emotional distress, and 2. Ensure that the two can't kill each other, thus breaking their Other Self's heart. The restraints are capable of shape shifting into a combination of the duo's weapons, completely dependent on how compatible the weapon designs are. For example, Dead Master's Dead Scythe is very compatible with Black Rock Shoorter's Rock Cannon, and Strength's Ogre Arms are very compatible with Black Gold Saw's King Saw. If the weapons are incompatible, like say, Black Gold Saw's sword and a blunt weapon, then the gauntlets will take the form of one or the other. The formation of the gauntlet's is also completely depended on which arms between the two Other Selves are closest to each other. They're also completely indestructible and allow the two Other Selves to act in perfect sync, though that takes time. It also subverts the Other Self's intent to do harm to the one they are bound to.
And if anyone's not in the know: No, the trio that Black Rock Shooter and Dead Master fought aren't original characters, they are actual characters that Huke has designed.
And that's about it. I'll see you all next time.
GoodBYYYYYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEE READERS!