Chaleur

~Warmth~

Oh no, I've done it again...

Erica Fontaine looked at the sight before her. Hundreds of shards were strewn about in front of her.. She hadn't been paying attention while running through the halls of Chattes Noire, causing her to crash into a priceless vase, shattering it to pieces.

What am I going to do? The novitiate nun thought to herself. Surely if Grand Mere or even Mell and Ci saw this, they would be able to know that it was her and punish her accordingly.

"Erica!"

She looked at the source of the voice. It was Glycine, and she didn't look pleased at all.

"Did you do this?!" She demanded, pointing her finger at Erica.

"Y-Yes..." Erica bowed her head in shame.

"I can't believe this!" She shouted in frustration, throwing her hands up in the air. "Of all of the people the Paris Floral Assault Force had to recruit, it had to be you!"

"Well, I-"

"She's right, you know!"

Erica recognized the source of that voice instantly. She saw Coquelicot walking up towards her followed by Lobelia and Hanabi. All three of them had nasty expressions on their faces.

"If you hadn't been such a worthless klutz, this never would have happened!" She seemed to sneer to Erica.

"Coquelicot, please! I-"

"Even I wouldn't just accidentally do something so heinous!" Added Lobelia as she stood over Erica.

"I thought you had a heart of good, Lobelia..." Erica muttered, now tearing up. She looked up at Hanabi. She was the most soft spoken member of the Paris Floral Assault Force! Surely she would defend Erica!

"...Oaf." She simply said to Erica.

She cringed as the four now gathered around her. They seemed to be growing taller and taller by the second. Their forms darkening more and more and their voices distorting into something inhumane.

"You're just baggage."

"You don't deserve us."

"You should rot on the streets."

"Nobody loves you."

"No, that's not true," Erica mumbled, curling up into a fetal position. "I...I...!"

Erica lowered her head and covered her ears with her hands, desperate to block out these peoples' insults. Despite this, they still rang in her ears, or rather, they got louder and louder, and nastier and nastier.

"Mr. Ogami, help me..."

"Mr. Ogami!"

Erica jolted up from her sleep. Heart rapidly pounding, she looked around the room. She realized that she wasn't in her room at the convent. She was in Ogami's apartment after he found her in the rain when...

Erica blocked that memory out of her mind. Father Leno talking to Ogami about her many failures still hurt more than any attack from the Kaijins. Despite that, though, the memory of Ogami made her feel warm inside. His kindness to her even after her mistakes, which ranged from making a mess at the cafe to breaking things, never failed to brighten up her spirits.

Erica looked down the right side of the bed. There, she saw Ogami sleeping on the tatami mat, softly snoring. Erica remembered how insistent he was about letting Erica use his bed, despite his suggestion of both of them sleeping in it together.

Sleeping together...

Erica blushed at the thought of having Ogami so close to her. Something like that happening was beyond her wildest dreams, and yet, the opportunity to snuggle up next to the one she loves is right next to her!

Her mind made up, Erica started nudging to the front of the bed to get up from it. Once she made it to the front, she stood up and gently crept towards the captain's sleeping figure (While keeping her arms on the revealing pajamas Ogami had given her in the process). When she eventually made it, she knelt down and lifted up the cover of the tatami mat and nuzzled up beside Ogami.

She smiled as she watched his sleeping face. Ogami always looked so serious when awake, so it was quite a change of pace for Erica to see him so...Relaxed.

Erica yawned as sleep started enveloping her once more. She hadn't realized how warm Ogami was up close, and yet here he was, making her fall back asleep in the span of 5 minutes.

Wrapped up in this heavenly warmth, Erica closed her eyes as she rested her face on Ogami's chest.

"I love you...Mr. Ogami."

Erica immediately realized where she was when she opened her eyes once more. This nightmare had decided to continue as a quartet of shadows stood over her menacingly.

"You don't belong anywhere."

"No one needs you."

Again, Erica felt pain from these words. Tears forming in her eyes, she buried her face into her arms in an attempt to shield herself from their harsh words. However, this time, a familiar voice, Mr. Ogami's voice, appeared in her mind.

Of course! Of course I also love you, Erica!

As Erica remembered what Mr. Ogami said to her, all of the pain inside of her from the insults had disappeared. She started gaining more and more confidence in herself as she stood up.

"No...you're wrong."

As Erica stood, the people making fun of her didn't seem so threatening anymore. They started fading away as Erica continued.

"I am loved, I am needed! And it's all because of..."

They disappeared completely as white feathers floated by. From these feathers, Ogami himself walked towards Erica, his all-too-familiar smile warming her heart. She was unable to restrain herself as she ran towards him and hugged him as tightly as she could, her angel wings wrapping around the captain.

"It's all because of Mr. Ogami."

Erica tilted her head up from his chest and looked at him right in his eyes. His smile brightening up her heart by the second, Erica stood up on her toes as she went in to kiss him.

Erica slowly opened her eyes as the shining morning sun roused her from her sleep. Looking to her left, she slightly blushed as Ogami still slept next to her.

It was so kind of Mr. Ogami to let me stay here last night. Erica thought to herself as she gazed at his sleeping face. However, much to her confusion, Ogami's face seemed more tense than it was the previous night. Was he currently going through a nightmare just like Erica before?

I know! Erica thought to herself as she stretched her arms above her, I should do something for Mr. Ogami to cheer him up when he wakes up!

But what, though?

Erica remembered Father Leno telling her about the dance people do with each other in the morning to show their love. If she did that for Ogami, then he's bound to enjoy it!

Erica heard her stomach growl. Realizing that she's barely had anything to eat for the last couple of days, her mind wandered to breakfast.

Breakfast...that's it! She should make breakfast for Ogami as well! Surely he'll enjoy waking up to a dance followed by breakfast!

With her mind made up, Erica stood up from the tatami mat and went towards where she left her red habit to dry.

Thank you, God, Erica silently prayed to herself as she tried to cook the best breakfast she could, For letting me meet Mr. Ogami...

~Fin~