"They left nothing. Absolutely nothing behind." Umi's brow twitched, changing the scene. Wasn't she...just at school? Where was this place? There were buildings in ruins, water leaking into the streets. The cars were either charred, beat up, or over turned. Was this the end of the world? With it's skies greyed out by clouds that refused to let the sun through?
"Honoka!" The scream was so familiar, but who was it? Umi turned, but saw no one. Just Honoka, laying on the ground. Her clothes were torn, muddy, her back to Umi. She wasn't moving, was she ok?
"Honoka?" Her voice was strained, like she hadn't used it in so long. Was she afraid? Of what? Where she was? That she didn't know what was going on, what was happening? Or was it because she didn't know what was happening to her friend?
Bang!
Umi sat bolt upright in bed, tangling her feet in her sheets as she tried madly to throw them off her sweat drenched body. Just a nightmare. The same nightmare she'd been having for a while now. Where she finds herself somewhere she's never been, yet everything feels familiar. There's always someone who screams, always Honoka on the ground lifeless. But who? Who is it that she hears scream? What is happening in her dream? And why does she always wake up when she hears that gunshot? How long has she been dreaming these dreams? The gentle buzzing of her alarm pulled Umi from her thoughts. Right, she had to get ready for practice. Always first thing in the morning, they'd gather at Nozomi's shrine and start practising. That's who u's was, a group of idol girls in High School. Idol Girls. High School. Umi clenched her fist around her phone, still vibrating to alert her that it was time to wake up. Slowly she folded herself inwards. How she wished that was all they were. School Idols.
-
Today, the sun was coming up a little earlier than it had been. Usually by the time Umi got herself ready and left the house, you could just see the first rays of light struggling over the horizon. Today the sun itself was peeking over. Did this mean summer was finally upon them? That meant that the days would start getting warmer, longer. They might have to consider starting practises earlier, or switch to the evenings. Umi liked the idea of sleeping in a little, but figured it wouldn't matter much if the trade-off was having to stay up later in the evening. Practising during the day would be more difficult. She remembered last year when they'd first started, how hard it was to stay motivated in the heat. How one longed to get a break so they could rush to sit in the little shade they had available to them. Due to how the roof was, the only wall available to them created shade for about an hour during the day. Which meant almost everyone wanted to be in it during the hotter days. Perhaps she would invest in some umbrella's to help create artificial shade?
"Good Morning Umi!" Honoka called, pulling Umi from her usual slew of thoughts. Honoka was usually first to arrive, bright and early as usual, beaming up a storm that rivalled the sun. Being a School Idol was one of Honoka's fondest moments, the thing she cherished most in life. If Honoka wasn't at practise first, the rest of u's generally worried that she'd fallen ill again, or perhaps had gotten kidnapped. Sometimes Umi wished the latter would happen, then she wouldn't have to worry about being a School Idol anymore. Umi sighed at herself. Of course that was a lie, she'd never really want her friend to be kidnapped. Then she would have more to worry about. Tokyo was such a large place, she knew there was no way she'd ever find Honoka.
"Good Morning Honoka!" Umi smiled at her, running over so they could climb the stairs to Nozomi's shrine together. Talking kept her mind from racing these days. "Is anyone else here yet?"
"Nozomi and Eli are already waiting up at the shrine. Nico might be here, but I'm not sure about everyone else. Kotori and Hanayo might sleep in again." Honoka laughed at herself. Umi knew what that meant; they'd stayed out the night before until Kotori had convinced them it was time to go home. However, that didn't mean that Honoka and Hanayo had actually returned home. At least Honoka was dedicated to practice and her usual routine. It seemed nothing would keep her from arriving at her usual time for practise.
"Honoka, please make sure you get the proper amount of rest every night. We can't have you getting sick and passing out again, especially not with Love Live happening so soon. Please." Umi was trying to take on a begging tone, but she knew she came off more annoyed than she intended. But she was annoyed. Sometimes she felt more like a mother than a friend to Honoka. Always feeling the need to watch over and protect her. Mainly from herself, since Honoka teemed with abrupt tendencies that would catch anyone by surprise. Unfortunately, Umi had many years of experience with these tendencies.
Honoka stopped. They were almost at the top. From here, Umi could see the shrine, but not if anyone was waiting in front of it. "It wasn't intentional." Honoka's voice was low as she studied her shoes. They were scuffed up, something that normally happened when Honoka did lots of running with no time to properly clean and buff them before school. There had been many times where the members of u's arrived at school with tarnished footwear. Umi hated every moment of those days. They were supposed to be setting an example as School Idol's but instead- "There was a Witch." Umi's eyes widened, stopping her train of thought. Umi spun around, grabbing the railing to her right for balance.
"A witch?" She could feel her heart stop in her chest, the icy feeling of dread release into her veins. Witches meant failed Magical Girls. Witches meant someone had made a contract to enter Love Live. So often these Magical Girls were School Idols, but once in a while, normal girls. Who was it? Who would they no longer see? Would it be someone they'd grown to admire, like A-Rise? "Do you...?" Umi trailed off, not wanting to finish the sentence. Honoka shook her head hard. She was fighting back tears. Umi clenched her teeth, set her eyes towards the shrine. "We do what we can Honoka. We try to save each and every idol from that fate. And if we can't, then we save them from themselves. They're in a better place now." Umi gave Honoka a momentary glance, before twisting herself around in a full 180, and stomping up the last few steps. She couldn't stop herself from stomping. She was scared and angry. Scared that someone they knew wouldn't be with them anymore. Scared that it was a member of u's. Angry that this was the harsh truth of the School Idol world. That the only way out of this, was to win Love Live. If you made it into the finals, that was enough. They'd release you from the contract, and you never had to be a Magical Girl again. But to everyone who didn't, they continued or turned to Witches.
"I know." Honoka whispered. She'd never felt so useless in her entire life. So helpless. Who did she think she was? Calling herself a School Idol when she didn't even look up to herself? How could she fill the audience, their fans with happiness and hope when she felt hopeless? When she felt so sad.
"Honoka?" The soft voice of Hanayo floated up behind her. Honoka turned, a tear sliding down her cheek betraying her, to see Hanayo and Rin standing behind her. Rin looked concerned as she rubbed the stray tear away with her forearm. "Honoka, it's ok. As long as we have each other, we never have to worry. We'll save who ever we can." Honoka was shocked. This was the last thing she expected to hear from Hanayo. Rin, was a clear candidate for cheering up speeches, but not Hanayo.
"You're right!" Honoka smiled at her. "I'll always have everyone in u's! We're stronger together than by ourselves. Thanks Hanayo." Honoka turned and dashed up the shrine, suddenly full of energy again.
"What...happened?" Rin inquired, looking between Hanayo and the fading Honoka.
"There was a Witch last night. Kotori, Honoka and I were jogging by the river last night." Hanayo paused as she thought about it. They'd gone out for a jog, since Honoka and herself were starting to get a little pudgy. Kotori offered to come along, and suggested running by the river for a change of scenery. It was beautiful, Hanayo remembered. The way the moon glistened off the surface of the river, how quiet it was compared to in the morning. The feeling of the crisp air tingling on her skin. She wished it felt like that in the mornings too, it felt so good to run in the cool air. "As we were jogging, Kotori slipped and started sliding down the hill towards the river. We jumped after her and the three of us ended up in a Witches House." Hanayo turned to shrug apologetically at Rin. "The rest is history as I'm sure you know."
Rin furrowed her brows as she looked from Hanayo up to the shrine. "Is Kotori ok?"
"I think she twisted her ankle a little bit, but I'm sure she will be better in a couple days." Hanayo assured her.
"Good, I'm glad. It's probably better that we travel in groups instead of individually from now on too." Rin nodded at her own idea. If Witches were appearing randomly like this, travelling alone meant death as the worst possible outcome. "Come on, we'll be the last ones there at this rate."
This was the girls' fates. To walk a thin line between the reality that society created, and the reality that the world created. To understand the hidden world that society did not know or care to understand. To society, Magical Girls was something you'd only read in fairy tales, nothing that could possibly be lived out. So when a girl was found dead, or remained missing for decades, society made up stories about what happened to them, where they went, who killed them. Justice would be served as someone was convicted of murder, to keep the facade up and dismiss the second reality.
This was the reality that u's faced. If they couldn't release themselves from this curse, then they chose to become just another statistic. Just another girl who would never be found.