Moments Between
Story 1: Late Night Gaming
Thud!
Crack!
Thud!
Thud!
The blows rained heavy and never seemed to stop
Thud!
"You horrible little monster!" a yell came out
"I'll never forgive you!" one voice joined
"What type of person would do something so terrible for such petty reasons!" another followed
Smack!
Crack!
"I thought I was going to die!" came a heavenly voice tainted by rage
"Burn her! Chop off every finger and burn her alive!" uttered a squeaky voice
"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" begged a female voice that grunted with each hit
The owner of the voice was a small green haired girl who was surrounded by a ring of her furious victims who proceeded to kick and stomp on her as she laid on the ground and took the hits
"Sorry? You think sorry almost makes up for almost killing a bunch of innocent people because you're ugly!?" yelled the only male voice
"You stole all of us in our sleep and tormented those who you stole while awake and you think we'll just forgive that?!"
Thud!
"You're terrible!"
Smack!
"I cried for my sister!"
"I'm sorry please stop!" begged the green haired girl taking several kicks to the head from the one whose sister she had stolen
The blows relented only to be replaced by the sensation of being lifted off the ground by her collar and into the loathing face of a normally unemotional girl
"Response. You never even gave me the chance to beg for you to stop" said her first victim coldly
Still holding her up the orange haired girl proceeded to punch her in the face as hard as she could drawing blood and sending several teeth flying out of her mouth
"Stop I'll die" pleaded the beaten girl weakly feeling her head going numb
"Revelation. That's the point" " replied the first victim suddenly drawing a huge lance from nowhere
The green haired girl was tossed to the ground were her broken body laid unmoving as the lance was readied for the killing blow over her
"Stop...just...stop"
"Rejection. NO"
All went dark as the weapon dropped directly down on her chest…
BOOOM!
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Natsumi bolted upright in bed as a bolt of lightning struck right outside her window bringing with it a great boom that seemed to rock the house.
Throwing off the covers the young spirit frantically checked her body for a gaping hole where she had been impaled only to find none.
"A dream...It...It was only a dream" she spoke feeling breathless after her scream
For a minute Natsumi caught her breath and listened to the pounding rainstorm outside that was clattering against her window.
All was dark in the room aside from the occasional flashes coming through the window from lightning strikes nearby.
The news had mentioned a bad storm was going to be going through the area overnight and for once the weather report had been spot on.
"What time is it?" wondered Natsumi to herself glancing over towards the clock
2:53 A.M.
Seeing how late it still was Natsumi gave a frustrated sigh and flopped back down into bed and got back under the covers
Normally after having a nightmare like that she'd be tempted to just wait till dawn but with it still being so early that wasn't an option.
'I still have those nightmares' she thought laying in bed trying to go back to sleep
'Did they ever really forgive me?' she wondered reflecting on her dream
In a moment of blind rage and petty vengeance Natsumi had pulled a very unfunny prank on those who she now called friends by almost trapping them in a mirror forever. Even her current best friend had been a victim of her psychotic joke and she never could quite forgive herself for what she had done to everyone.
Officially everyone had forgiven her when she apologized but the doubts still clouded her mind on whether everyone had really accepted her apology.
'How do you forgive someone who torments and almost kills you and all your friends?'
It just made no sense to her still how someone could forgive a crime as terrible as her's.
'Why did I ever do that? Just what kind of monster am I? Do I even deserve friends?'
This was not the first time Natsumi had such a nightmare and was left feeling disgusted by her past actions.
Usually she'd just lay in bed until she fell back asleep all the while praying for the dreams not come back however this time something else happened instead.
Knock! Knock!
"Huh?"
Natsumi sat back up in bed upon hearing the knocking coming from her door.
Why on earth was someone knocking on her door at 3 in the morning when everyone in the house should be fast asleep?
Knock! Knock!
Upon hearing the second set Natsumi finally responded with a simple "Who's there?"
"Identification. Yuzuru" came the muffled response from the other side of the door
Instantly Natsumi's heart sunk, why was Yuzuru of all people knocking on her door so late at night?
'Oh god! What if she's here to extract her vengeance at long last like my dream?!' worried Natsumi finding the timing of her dream and Yuzuru's knocking too close for her comfort
What if it was like one of those incidents where people have a dream and it turns out to predict the future? What if tonight was the night Yuzuru decided to get her revenge for erasing her first during her sick game of hide and seek!?
'Is she going to impale me on her lance!? What if the rest of the dream is true and everyone else is outside ready to beat me to a bloody pulp!'
Natsumi knew in her heart she deserved whatever she had coming to her but nonetheless she was scared and hid under her covers like a child hiding from the boogyman.
'I'm gonna die! I'm gonna die! She's going to kill me and I'm gonna die!' thought Natsumi as she panicked under her blanket
"Curious. Are you still there?" came Yuzuru's voice from the other side of the door
Finding herself too polite to ignore her Natsumi responded.
"Y-yes! What do you want?!"
"Answer. I heard on a scream coming from this room as I was on the way to the bathroom. I wish to confirm you are ok"
'Natsumi you moron!'
Natsumi let out a sigh at her own foolishness as the panic instantly went away only to be replaced by shame.
How could she let herself get so worked up?! Yuzuru was a good (albeit odd) girl not some slasher movie villain out for revenge in the middle of a stormy night!
Getting up Natsumi walked toward the door and opened it to see Yuzuru standing there in her pajamas.
For a brief moment Natsumi dwelled on the fact that Yuzuru had been wearing something similar when she was erased but quickly got the thought out of her head.
"Sorry about that" apologized Natsumi for taking so long to answer the door
"Negligible Hassle. Not a problem" replied Yuzuru not being bothered
"Concern. Are you ok Natsumi?" she continued looking as worried as she could be with her limited expressions
Natsumi felt embarrassed about screaming earlier and quickly tried to brush the whole issue off.
"I'm fine, nothing's wrong" she lied
Yuzuru didn't buy that for a second and asked again.
"Perception. A lie. I heard screaming from this room moments ago and you appear shaken. Are you really ok?"
Turns out for a shapeshifter with the power to change into anyone Natsumi was a terrible liar in her true form.
"It was just a nightmare and the storm!" Natsumi admitted in a panic after being so flawlessly called out
Yuzuru looked worried (again as much as she could) and politely asked "Offer. Do you need assistance?"
"Huh?"
"Repeat. Do you need any help? You appear frightened"
Natsumi didn't know what to say to that. She had just been imagining this girl coming to murder her late at night and here she was trying to make her feel better!
'I don't deserve any kindness from someone I treated so badly!' thought Natsumi in disgust
"I'll be fine, I'm just going to try and fall back asleep"
Boom!
Thanks to her frayed nerves Natsumi jumped after the next bolt of lightning struck outside sending a terrible booming sound throughout the house. She came to rest hugging Yuzuru who could feel Natsumi shake uncontrollably after her shock.
"Exposed. You are not ok" commented Yuzuru returning the hug in an effort to calm her down
Natsumi broke the hug while blushing surprised by her sudden outburst of affection.
"S-sorry!"
"Question. Do you not like storms?"
"No! That's not it! My nightmare just left me a little spooked!"
Natsumi only realized that didn't sound much better until after she had said it.
What kind of person was afraid of nightmares?!
"Agh! That's not what I meant either!"
"Denial. Too late you said it"
"I'm going back to bed now. Good night Yuzuru!"
"Order. Follow!"
Before Natsumi could retreat Yuzuru grabbed her hand and dragged her out of her room.
"What are you doing?!" asked Natsumi being dragged along like she was be carried off by Miku to go try on new outfits again.
"Rendering Aid. I wish to help you calm down" explained Yuzuru in her own special way dragging Natsumi down the hallway
Yuzuru's Room
At the end of their brief journey was Yuzuru's room which was still mostly lit despite being well into the early morning by this point.
Natsumi had only been in here one time before and sadly that time had been to erase her. Everything seemed to be the same as before except for the fact that it appeared as though Yuzuru had never gotten into bed!
Looking around Natsumi could see the TV was on, a pile of snack & drinks was gathered near a beanbag chair next to a gaming system, and Yuzuru's bed was still made and untouched!
Had Yuzuru been up this entire time playing games!?
"You never went to bed?!" asked Natsumi shocked
"Explanation. Tomorrow is Saturday and my sister had scheduled a contest in this game in the afternoon. Preparations must be made" answered Yuzuru shutting the door behind the two
Natsumi knew the sisters took their competitions seriously but this seemed nuts! What kind of person stayed up till 3 in the morning playing games instead of sleeping?!
'You stayed up just as late to erase everyone in their beds' came a little voice from the back of her mind accusing her.
Yuzuru lead Natsumi over to the beanbag chair set up in front of the console and had her sit down before silently grabbing another from nearby for herself.
With the two of them sitting down Yuzuru offered Natsumi a snack from the pile gathered around the chairs.
"Offer. Provisions?" she asked holding out a red can of chips with the smiling mustache man on the side
"Um sure?" responded Natsumi somewhat confused by the gesture but feeling it would be rude to turn down the offer
She took the can and ate a few politely while Yuzuru grabbed a bottle of neon green soda with some video game character on the label and took a long drink.
"(Ahhh!) Refreshing. That's better" said Yuzuru with a sigh
"Hey isn't that the soda with tons of caffeine in it?" asked Natsumi recognizing the bottle
"Acknowledgement. More fuel for the fire" replied Yuzuru
"Energy is required for prolonged operations" she added
So Yuzuru had never gone to bed and had in fact spent the last couple of hours guzzling highly caffeinated sodas while playing video games. This explained why she was awake at this time of night when she could hear Natsumi scream, what it didn't explain though was shy she had dragged her to her room for.
"Thanks for the snacks but why did you bring me here?" asked Natsumi feeling confused
For a slight moment the paranoid part of her brain brought up the theory that Yuzuru was still actually out for revenge and had poisoned the chips or at least coated them in laxatives.
"Invitation. Play?" asked Yuzuru picking up a controller and handing it to her
"Huh?" was Natsumi's only response
'She wants me to play video games with her? Why?' she pondered before coming up with a terrible theory
'Does she want to embarrass me by utterly destroying me at her games then mocking me?! Is that her angle?!'
"Mockery. Such a pathetic and ugly girl. You truly have no skills or redeeming qualities" said an imaginary Yuzuru inside Natsumi's head
Before her imagination could get the better of her Yuzuru spoke to Natsumi once again.
"Explanation. How about we play until you calm down and feel tired again. Entertainment may distract you from the storm and your nightmares"
'Why do I keep letting my brain do this to me!?' Natsumi mentally yelled in frustration as her most recent panic attack passed
"Oh so that's why you brought me here" she said aloud in a much calmer tone
Yuzuru only wanted to play some video games with her in order to help her feel better not as part of some plan to get revenge!
"I don't really know too much about games Yuzuru"
'Besides hide and seek of course. You love that game' came the dark voice in her head again
"Irelavent. This game is easy to learn"
"Then why are you practicing it all the way till three in the morning?"
"Amendment. This game is easy to learn hard to master. Many tactics must be considered to achieve victory against my foes"
"You mean Kaguya?"
"Correct"
Seeing that she didn't have much else to do besides go back to her room and feel terrible until she fell asleep again Natsumi accepted the controller and faced towards the screen.
"I guess I can try" she said uncertainly looking over the controller to see where the buttons were.
After a brief scan of the controller Yuzuru took her own and selected the game from the system menu.
An hour later Natsumi and Yuzuru were still playing the game together. The distant rumbling of thunder outside was covered by the constant barrage of rocket launchers being fired at giant robots and the pitter patter of the rain against the window muted by the unending sound of assault rifle fire.
Natsumi didn't know the name of the game but it seemed to be about soldiers fighting giant alien robots and spaceships...also giant alien spiders...and ants...and bees...and even bigger giant spiders...and more robots...and even more spiders bigger than the last ones…and more ants...then some silver spiders...and dragons...and somehow yet more spiders.
How many spiders did a video game need?!
As they played Natsumi really did have fun but she never quite forgot about the nightmare she had earlier. After her dream it just felt so bizarre to be trying to have fun with someone who had every right to hate her for almost killing her.
She tried not to let it bother her as they talked but it just always stuck around the back of her mind haunting her.
"So what should I bring for this level?"
"Selection. Tactical analysis states that close quarters combat should be effective here. Bring the shotgun and high fire rate assualt rifle"
"Which shotgun? There's 30 of them"
"Uncertain. Try the one with rapid fire and expanded ammo capacity"
"Ok, what are you bringing?"
"Response. Heavy armor assets bolstered by defensive shields and armor regeneration"
"A tank? Won't that leave you with no weapons if it gets destroyed?"
"Testing. I wish to gauge the viability of this strategy. It's high risk but high reward and that may get me through the battle tomorrow"
"Alright I guess"
Starting up the level Yuzuru's plan fell apart as soon as the second wave of enemies came in and within three minutes both were looking at a game over screen.
"Conclusion. Tanks don't work well against flying melee enemies no matter how much they group up on their charge attack"
"Maybe those mines that shoot upward? Can't you place 20 of those before needing to reload?"
"Interesting concept. Perhaps that could work"
Starting again the two worked together and sure enough as the aliens divebombed them from the air they ran into a gauntlet of anti-air mines and were shredded to pieces.
"Compliment. Nice idea Natsumi that tactic was the superior one" said Yuzuru looking pleased with herself
Natsumi blushed from the unfamiliar sensation of being complimented before nervously uttering a reply.
"I just thought it would work that's all"
"Continue. On to the next level" said Yuzuru playing with the menu screen to find the one she was looking for
"Maybe we should go to back to bed? It's nearly four now" asked Natsumi checking the clock with now read 3:59 A.M.
"Question. Are you feeling better or tired yet?" responded Yuzuru selecting the next level anyway
"Not really…" Nasumi revealed sounding depressed by the fact she still couldn't get her nightmare out of her head
"Conclusion. We play more then. No point in tossing and turning in bed when you can't sleep yet" replied Yuzuru plainly
Natsumi gave into Yuzuru's logic and gave a simple "Ok" in response as the two started up the next level by choosing their character loadouts.
Yuzuru deployed with a two person tank so both girls got inside and were quickly driving around the level destroying half the city before the aliens even got a chance too.
Aside from the occasional warning of attacks or pointing out of targets the two didn't talk much while playing the game until Yuzuru noticed Natsumi seemed to be missing a lot of shots with her turret.
"Question. Are you distracted Natsumi?" asked Yuzuru as she blasted a robot in the face with the tanks railgun
Natsumi realized she had been shooting at the same dead alien with her turret gun for the last 20 seconds and quickly apologized out of embarrassment.
"Ah sorry! I'll try and focus!"
For a few moments things went back to being quite until Yuzuru asked a question she had been holding for some time.
"Inquiry. What was your nightmare about anyway if I may ask?"
"It...it was nothing" Natsumi said doing her best to deny the fact the nightmare had shaken her that much
"Offer. If you need to talk to me about it I will listen"
"How could you?..." muttered Natsumi under her breath "After what I…"
Boom!
During her moment of distraction Natsumi accidently let an gaint spider get through from the right and on the screen the duo's tank exploded into flames.
"Ack! Darn it!" cursed Natsumi regretting her incompetence as the screen flashed Game Over
"Sorry Yuzuru I won't do that again!"
The older girl didn't respond to the apology or restart the level. Instead she asked about what Natsumi had meant by her earlier comment.
"Clarification Required. What did you mean by how could I?"
'Oh no she heard me!' panicked Natsumi who thought she had been speaking too quietly to be understood.
"It's nothing really! Just me being silly that's all!"
"Repeat. What did you mean? Do you think I can't listen to your problems? Do you not trust me?"
"It's not that!" Natsumi exclaimed before Yuzuru could get the wrong idea
"Question. Then what did you mean?"
Natsumi let out a depressed sigh and decided to explain to Yuzuru what she had meant since it didn't look like Yuzuru would be deceived by any lies or excuses. In a way a part of her wanted to have this talk if only to confirm the fact that Yuzuru still did hate her for erasing her and her sister with so little regards for their lives.
"I meant YOU shouldn't trust ME" she explained prompting a puzzled look from Yuzuru
"I don't deserve any kindness you can give me after what I did to you, Kaguya, and everyone else" she continued
"Confusion. What brought this on?" asked Yuzuru genuinely puzzled on why Natsumi was bringing up past events now.
Suddenly it hit her as another bolt of lightning screeched past the window.
"Realization. Nightmare?" she asked now having a good idea on what had made Natsumi scream earlier
"Yes. I had a dream where everyone got out of my mirror and hated me for almost trapping them forever. They all kicked me and screamed at me and it never seemed to stop! Shido said I was a horrible person for doing something so terrible because I was ugly and you punched me in the face before stabbing me with your lance!" admitted Natsumi dropping her controler and curling up into the fetal position on the chair
"And what's worse is that the entire time I've been here I've been remembering what I did to everyone especially you and Kaguya! I did something horrible and enjoyed it! I watched your sister cry with Shido and beg him to bring you back and thought it was funny! When she desperately tried to save you and attacked me when she had no chance I was annoyed and sealed her next to shut her up! Miku was supposed to be next! I watched your date with Shido and decided you had to be the first because I hated how happy you were and how big your boobs were!" continued Natsumi on the verge of tears finally venting all the regrets she was holding to her chest
"I nearly doomed everyone to eternity asleep in my angel and…"
"Order. Stop" interrupted Yuzuru who was now standing over Natsumi's teary form with a most serious expression on her face
"But!"
"Repeat. No more."
Yuzuru moved her hand towards Natsumi's head and proceeded to gently pat her head a few times affectionately.
"What are you doing?!" Natsumi asked utterly confused by the gesture
"Rendering Aid. I want you to calm down" Yuzuru replied giving her a soft smile
"Why?! Why do you not care?! I was jealous of you and played with your life like it was a just a part of a game! I treated you with less dignity than our little soldier guys on the screen!" yelled Natsumi pointing towards the TV were the two soldiers stood waiting to deploy
What Yuzuru revealed next shocked Natsumi in a way she could have never imagined.
"Memory. I too once played a game with lives on the line and came close to committing a most fatal crime against another"
Natsumi almost fell out of her chair in shock!
"Impossible! You're a great person, have a sexy body, treat everyone nice, and everyone loves you! How could you ever do something like that?! It can't be! You have to be making it up!" said Natsumi refusing to believe someone as great as Yuzuru could ever play with another's life
Yuzuru actually looked pleased at Natsumi's description of her.
"Pride. A most generous appraisal of my looks and everyone's views of me"
Quickly she dropped into a darker tone looking significantly less smug.
"Regret. However you are not fully correct. Like you I was mere moments away from taking the life of another in a foolish game. Only Shido managed to stop me from doing something I could never forgive myself for" revealed Yuzuru
'Impossible! That's just like me!'
"Shido stopped you too? What happened?" asked Natsumi now eager to hear the story
Yuzuru looked pained as she recounted the story of the contest she and her sister had partaken in.
"Terror. Me and my sister were once one spirit before we became two. We decided that we would compete to determine who had the right to be the new spirit of the wind. A game was held were the winner got to exist...and the loser was erased from this world"
"Th-that's…"Natsumi was so shocked she couldn't force out the words
"Finish. Yes that's just like what you did with your game of hide and seek" Yuzuru said filling in the gap "Lament. Two games. Both played in error and whose consequences would have been most dire if they had been finished"
The younger spirit didn't know what to say. She had always assumed that no one could understand her pain and yet here was the first of her victims telling her she had almost done the same thing!
"I never knew" Natsumi said looking dazed and shocked
"Response. That is because me and my sister try not to reflect on it" Yuzuru replied "Warning. I figured out long ago if I kept dwelling on how close I came to making a mistake like that it would drive me insane. Natsumi you must not make that mistake either"
"I don't think I can" admitted Natsumi with pain
"Advice. Focus on the games of fun you play now. Not the games of despair you used to play" Yuzuru said offering Natsumi back her controller that had dropped to the ground
The wave of emotions washing over Natsumi as she stared at the game controller in Yuzuru's outstretched hands were intense. From Natsumi's reaction Yuzuru might as well have been offering her a wedding ring as her eyes teared up from the joy of having someone so great as her friend.
"Yuzuru" began Natsumi doing her best to fight back her tears for the shake of her pride "Thank you"
Yuzuru gave the girl a usually large smile and replied "Statement. No problem"
Clearing her eyes of tears Natsumi accepted the controller and the two girls went back to their game both feeling a strange warmth throughout their bodies like a chill in the air had finally subsided.
"So then...tank?"
"Response. Tank"
"I'll get the turret"
"Addition. One other thing Natsumi" said Yuzuru suddenly
"What?" asked Natsumi wondering what she could want
"Question. You stated that I impaled you with the lance El Re'em in your nightmare?"
Natsumi was more than a little embarrassed to be talking about how Yuzuru murdered her in her dream after the moment they had just shared but answered anyway.
"Yeah..." she answered hestitantly "That's your big lance you use as an angel right?"
"Correction. I use the rope dart El Na'ash. El Re'em is Kaguya's weapon"
...
'ACK! I got the two confused!' thought Natsumi in a panic 'How could I get the two mixed up!?'
"AHHH! I'm sorry! I got the two switched up in my head!" Natsumi apologized overcome with embarrassment at the error.
"Statement. No problem, I merely wished to inform you that I would have sliced you to small bloody pieces rather than impale you"
If Yuzuru had bothered to look over towards Natsumi she would have seen the green haired girl sink in her seat looking absolutely terrified.
"O-oh? R-really?" she shuttered in fear
"Confirm. My way of murdering you would have been far more elegant than just poking you with a sharp stick like my sister. With a flick of my agile chain your limbs would all be separated from your body long before you even hit the ground. It would be a vastly superior display of blood and death than anything my sister could manage"
Natsumi was now cowering behind her beanbag chair as Yuzuru casually talked about violently murdering her like it was nothing more than a simple contest with her sister.
"(Nervous laugh) Yeah ha ha I bet your way would be better" replied Natsumi preparing to run of the room as fast as she could.
Before she could start to sprint Yuzuru turned to look at her with her usual neutral expression.
"Humor. That was a joke. LOL"
"What?!" yelled Natsumi not believing what she was hearing "You were joking?!"
"Reaffirm. Yes. I thought a joke would lighten the mood"
'And people tell me I have a dark sense of humor!' thought Natsumi
Truly at that moment Natsumi realized she and Yuzuru had more in common than either girl ever imagined...
Over an hour later even Yuzuru was feeling the long claws of sleep grasping at her mind and put her controller down while giving a great yawn.
The clock read 5:12 A.M. and at long last Natsumi had fallen asleep in her beanbag chair fallway through the last level causing their helicopter to crash right into a alien walking fortress. Yuzuru had finished the level herself before turning off the system and finally getting up to go to bed.
Her body felt weak and her senses were dulled but she could clearly see that Natsumi was out cold with the controller still grasped in her hands. Feeling that waking her up so she could walk back her own room was counter productive Yuzuru gently removed the controller and picked up the sleeping girl before laying her down on the bed nearby.
"Affection. Sleep well my comrade" said Yuzuru quietly as she got into the bed as well and pulled the covers up over the both of them.
With that she fell into a deep sleep next to Natsumi whose dreams were now filled with the sounds of aliens dying to her and Yuzuru's might and no long filled with the sounds of yelling and regrets…
Author Note: So yeah this is basically a series of random oneshots I'm using to practice writing. Some may be funny and others sad. Basically anything I feel like writing.
Edit 1: Decided to make a few amusing adjustments to correct a small mistake. Thanks for the reviewer who pointed it out.