Sugar and spice and everything nice, that is what little girls are made of.
Snakes and snails and puppy-dog tails, that is what little boys are made of.
Foreign tea, expensive shoes, and hair ribbons, that is what this little girl is made of.
Keyboards, late-night snacks, and computer programs, that is what this little boy is made of.
############
After a year of awaiting her application, Celestia had woken up to the news she had been accepted into Hope's Peak Academy. Her family were thrilled for her, but nobody was more thrilled than Celestia herself. It was a boarding school in a more quiet part of the city, which seemed like a perfect chance to reinvent herself. She needed that. She packed up everything and took a bus, not wanting to see her family anymore. She left a heaping spoonful of gyoza in her cat's dish and then left. Her parents didn't even get to see her as she raced out of the house.
She stood in front of the massive school, feeling its shadow looming over her. She tightened her grip on her suitcase and smiled proudly. Once she went inside, she would leave all traces of her old life behind. She would be Celestia Ludenberg for the rest of her life. She took a step, then another, then another, and then everything went dark.
############
Celestia was glad she intimidated people. The previous day she had made a new rule that strictly suggested the students all stay inside their room after dark, preventing any nighttime murders. Much to her surprise, everyone had agreed and the next morning at breakfast, everyone seemed to have calmed down slightly, chatting with each other as they ate.
Nobody had bothered to sit next to her though, and that made her glad. She wasn't in the mood to socialize with any of these commoners. Their talents were unimpressive, most of them had terrible fashion sense, and their personalities left too much to be desired. All of them could die and she wouldn't care, as long as she survived. And she intended to stay in this Killing Game for as long as possible. She had gotten her breakfast earlier, which were simple egg whites on toast with tea. A complex meal for a complex girl, one of her old boyfriends used to say. She started to sip her tea when someone loudly slammed their tray down on her table, making her stare at them slightly.
"You're sitting all by yourself!" The tray owner gasped, looking worried. Celestia took in their entire figure and recognized them as Chihiro Fujisaki, the Ultimate Programmer. She subtly rolled her eyes. The girl bored her more than most, and to top it off, she had no sense of style. She even reeked of a strong body spray, one that seemed like it would be more fitting on a muscular sports star.
"Yes, I am indeed. That is because I do not really like people." Celestia replied calmly, setting down her tea cup. She hoped Chihiro would leave after that, but to much to her horror, the girl sat down across from her, still smiling.
"You're really pretty." Chihiro insisted, taking in her clothes. Celestia smiled a bit, playing with her hair.
"You reek of body spray." She replied in a sugary-sweet tone, hoping that would cause the girl to run off in embarrassment, leaving her alone.
"I-I'm sorry..." Chihiro blushed heavily in embarrassment. "I-I grew up with a bunch of older brothers, so I got used to using mens' beauty products, like body spray...is it really that strong? I'm sorry!" She apologized profusely, waving her hands around. Celestia stared at her in interest. She was obviously lying.
"Why did you want to sit with me?" Celestia asked curiously, still playing with her hair.
"Because...you were sitting all by yourself. I-I thought you might've been lonely," She continued to blush, speaking shyly. She started to eat her food, which was a fruit salad, strawberry milk, and O-shaped cereal bits that were colourful. She nearly turned her nose up at it. So bland and common. Not to mention childish, in terms of the cereal.
"I can happily assure you, I am not." Celestia smiled politely and started to eat her food daintily, chewing slowly and not leaving any crumbs behind. Chihiro stared at her in interest, making her glare back at the programmer girl. Chihiro responded by keeping her head down, eating her food quietly.
"Do you two want to explore the school with us?" Sayaka asked nicely, bouncing over to Celestia. "It's going to be one big girls' thing, so I thought I'd ask you two!"
"I have already explored the school." Celestia responded, not looking up. Sayaka pouted childishly. "It is the truth. There is not much to explore aside from this room, our dorms, the gymnasium, and the swimming pool,"
"Would you like to come?" Sayaka asked Chihiro instead, who looked uncomfortable by the suggestion.
"Celestia-san is likely right...but I still want to look," She finally spoke up, drinking her milk. Sayaka gasped happily at her answer.
"Perfect! We'll all meet up in the hallway after breakfast!" She smiled widely, then walked away to be at the main table with everyone else. Chihiro managed to smile back nervously and continued to eat.
"I think I will go back to my dorm after breakfast," Celestia informed her, glancing at her.
"W-Why would you tell me that?" She asked nervously. Celestia gave her a polite smile.
"I thought that information might become useful to you some day. Maybe I am accused of a crime, or you are.." She finally finished her food and left her tray on the table, not about to clean up after herself.
"Do you really think I could be capable of killing someone?!" Chihiro asked in disbelief, getting flustered. Celestia continued to smile her usual polite smile.
"In a situation like this, people become desperate. They do things they normally would never be capable of, or even picture themselves doing. Even if you yourself believe you would never be capable of killing, you might find that ideology changed. Perhaps to protect someone, to protect a secret, or perhaps for a greedy reason such as money. What will your reason be, I wonder?" She got a thoughtful expression on her face. "I wonder what my reason shall be. That is assuming we become the murderers and not the murdered." She glanced back at the main table where everyone was still eating. "Who will be the first to succumb to their savage desires and end another's life? Who will be the first to be put into the ground? I wonder..." She then gave Chihiro another smile. "Goodbye then, Chihiro-san." She then left the cafeteria, not paying any attention to the boring girl. She didn't even look back.
##########
True to her word, Celestia returned to her dorm and quietly closed the door, looking over everything. She had already unpacked a lot of her things and decorated, but she still had a few things here and there to finish up. She pulled the bright pink sheets off her bed and threw them on the floor, instead replacing them with black silken sheets. She then kicked the sheets into the bathroom, expecting them to be taken of by somebody. She then pulled out a few of her current sewing projects, all new dresses she was excited to wear.
She carefully placed them on some mannequins, straightening out the skirt on one of the more finished ones. She then looked at her work, smiling. She always told herself if the gambling bit didn't work out for her, she would just become a fashion designer. Her dresses would be extremely expensive but worth it, she thought. And if she ever got married, she would make matching suits for her husband to wear.
She took the sewing kit out of her desk drawer and got on her knees, starting to hem up one of the skirts that looked too lopsided to her. She'd also have to add an extra row of lace to it later, she noticed. She worked in silence for the next few hours, puffing out the skirt and making it fit her figure better as well as adding that extra row of lace.
"Time for lunch, you wastes of oxygen!" Monokuma's voice came over the loudspeaker as Celestia was putting away her sewing tools. She briefly glanced up at the camera in her room.
"I do not really feel like eating," She told it, putting the sewing kit away in her desk. And it was true, she still felt full from her breakfast. However, she knew showing up to lunch would be seen as suspicious, so she toyed with her hair slightly as she left her dorm, going to the cafeteria with everyone else.
"Did you discover anything exciting from your tour?" She asked sweetly to Sayaka, who was waiting in line with Makoto to get her food. Sayaka shook her head.
"No...we didn't have enough time to," She explained, looking defeated. She then quickly perked back up. "But I'm going to go swimming after lunch to make up for it! Would you like to come with?"
"No thank you. I am not very keen on swimming. It ruins my hair." Celestia declined, holding her hands in front of her.
"She is like a witch. If she gets into water, she will melt," Byakuya announced, walking into the room and adjusting his glasses. Sayaka gasped.
"That's not very nice! Some people just don't like swimming," She scolded. It was then her turn to get some food, so she eagerly walked ahead in line. "What are you getting to eat, Makoto-kun?" She asked happily.
Celestia walked away from the two and sat in an empty seat at the main table, folding her hands in her lap and closed her eyes as she listened to everyone around her talk.
Pointless subjects were the only topic anyone brought up. Nobody talked about the weather, but they all talked about their hobbies, families, and preferences. She also considered it to be foolish to open one up to someone so easily. Knowing someone's secret was a death wish. Her herself had many secrets she would much rather kill herself to preserve than have them come out in the open.
"Did you have fun exploring?" Chihiro asked nicely, sitting next to Celestia again with her own tray. It was another fruit salad with strawberry milk and a sandwich. This girl was shaping up continuously to be the most boring and bland student in all of Hope's Peak, easily.
"We ran out of time," Aoi huffed. "But Sayaka-chan and I are going swimming after lunch!"
"Sounds like fun!" Chihiro nodded in approval, drinking her milk.
"Why aren't you eating anything?" Makoto asked Celestia in a kind tone, making her play with her hair again.
"I am not hungry. I did not want to be left out of the loop so I came here in spite of that." She explained.
"Honestly, I'm surprised anyone has much of an appetite in this place!" He continued, laughing awkwardly. She frowned at him.
"Did you not recall what I told everyone earlier? We must adapt to our new surroundings. Those who do not adapt, die. Simple as that. The fact that everyone is eating calmly and able to get along means they took my advice to heart." She then stood up, pushing her chair out from under the table loudly. "I am going into the library." She huffed and walked off, ignoring some of the girls and Makoto calling after her.
She was tired of dealing with everyone.
She walked into the library and was pleased to discover she was the only one in there. She walked over to the section of the library that housed all of the classic books, running her hands down the shelves. Many of the books felt heavy, worn, and dusty, which were her favourites. It meant they had come from an actual time period, had been read over and over again, possibly even enjoyed, by a well-educated man or woman. Perhaps they had even been nobility or royalty. She had hoped every book she had ever read would be preserved for future generations and people who were obsessed with her legacy would read those same books. Perhaps they would run their hands along the cover, feeling all of the grooves and pages she herself had read over and over again. They would flip through the book and would probably even smell it, taking in both the old dusty smell and the very faint smell of expensive perfume, her perfume, so thick it would linger in a room for hours.
"Whoops! I'm sorry!" A voice squeaked out, followed by a heap of books being dropped at her feet. Celestia glanced over at the voice's owner, finding Chihiro anxiously on her knees and picking up all of the books in a hurry. "I-I just tripped on a groove in the carpet, I'm sorry!"
"Why are you here? You finished taking your meal that quickly?" Celestia asked instead, finding the girl's constant apologies annoying. Chihiro nodded.
"I-I wanted to come in here for some peace and quiet...and to...get away from the other girls..." This part she said very quietly, almost under her breath. Celestia perked up in interest.
"What is wrong with the other girls? You may be tomboyish, but surely they will not harm you. If anything, you might benefit from spending time with them. Learn how to do your hair and things like that." She said sweetly, smiling. Chihiro looked even more uncomfortable by that idea, making her raise an eyebrow daintily.
"I-I'm not really into girly things...they keep trying to get me to have slumber parties in their rooms and stuff like that and I'm not into it..." Chihiro laughed awkwardly, picking up the last of her books and holding them in her arms. The top book was a computer manual.
"Even the most boyish girls I know cannot turn down a sleepover. Even if they do not like makeup or dresses, they like spending time with their friends. They like watching movies, eating snacks, and discussing crushes and friends,"
"I-I really gotta go, Celestia-san," She trembled slightly, both from nerves and her book stack. Celestia resumed smiling.
"How about you come to my dorm tonight, an hour before curfew? I will give you some hair-styling advice. It will help you pass off as a girl better," Despite her innocent tone, Chihiro balked and looked even more nervous than she did before, almost afraid. She ran away from Celestia, almost dropping her stack of books as she did so. A creepy smile formed on Celestia's face.
It seemed the boring geek had something to hide; something that couldn't be anything other than scandalous. She found her new past-time at Hope's Peak. And hopefully, the two of them would live long enough to become acquainted.
###########
After dinner, Celestia returned to her dorm and pushed her mannequins to the side, not wanting them in her way constantly. She set the books she got from the library on her desk, getting ready to turn in for the night. Her bedtime routine took nearly an hour to complete in its entirety, so she wanted to get started on it. She started to run a hand through her hair when there was a knock on her door, startling her.
"Please come in!" She invited, gently taking off her earrings. Chihiro slowly opened the door, peeking inside her room. She placed her earrings in her jewelry box and gave the small girl a warm smile, wanting her to feel welcome. Chihiro nearly closed the door, but finally walked in and gently shut the door, standing in the middle of the room.
She was already dressed in her pajamas; an extremely boring plain white shirt and grey sweatpants. Celestia then realized this girl had no sense of fashion, she only looked so good normally because of her school uniform.
"Did you come in here to let me brush your hair? Well, sit down then and I would be delighted to start!" Celestia smiled, standing up and ushering Chihiro into her seat. She nervously sat and looked worried as Celestia pulled out a soft-bristled hair brush with a silver back. "Why do you look so terrified? It is just a hair brushing session, relax. Please. It is actually quite difficult to brush the hair of someone who is tense,"
Chihiro nodded and swallowed as Celestia gently started to brush her hair, gasping when almost instantly the brush got caught on a tangle. She brushed even harder, yanking the brush through the tangle and making Chihiro gasp loudly.
"C-Celestia-san! Be careful!" She breathed, wincing. Celestia ignored her and continued to tug at various tangles she found, making Chihiro gasp in pain continuously.
"Such short hair, yet it is so tangly! Is that even possible?" She tittered as she worked, making Chihiro blush.
"Y-You're being too rough on me," Chihiro pointed out instead, looking uncomfortable.
"Then perhaps you should take a lesson from this on how to brush your hair properly. Goodness." She tittered again, brushing for a few more minutes before putting away her brush. "That will have to do for now." She then ushered Chihiro off her chair, smiling in approval at her work. "You look presentable now! I am very happy."
She then gathered up her own pajamas and motioned to the door, making Chihiro blush.
"R-Right...good night!" She hurried from Celestia's room, waving slightly as she ran off. Celestia waved back slightly, sighing as she walked into her bathroom and set down her pajamas. She pulled out her facial kit from the bathroom cabinet and gently rubbed it on her face with a brush, making her face turn dark green. She took out her fake pigtails and placed them in her dresser, then pulled off her dress, accessory by accessory, placing them all in their own appropriate places. She then slipped on her pajamas, a long white nightgown that looked like it came out of a Victorian painting, complete with white silk stockings, flats, and a white bonnet that she tied under her chin.
"Good night," She said to her reflection, making sure her mask was still on before turning off the bathroom light and crawling into her bed, reading for a few minutes before the bedroom light shut off by itself, likely by Monokuma. She put her book away and laid under the covers, curling up and trying to fall asleep.
##############
So many bills on the table. Taeko knew where they were all from, what they were all for. Since her parents weren't around, she started looking through them, pouting the further she went along. It seemed so unfair. Why did she have to be the only kid in her class who had to rely on the government for assistance? Why couldn't her parents just work harder? Why couldn't everything just be cheaper? She finally cried out in frustration and slammed the cable bill on the table, storming out of the room. If they paid all of their bills on time, there would be no money left for the most important thing-her. She saw a gorgeous hat at the mall the other day that she wanted-no, needed. But it was well out of their price range and she knew it.
"Darling! Sorry I'm late, but I just came back from the store!" Her mother apologized, walking into the house with a few bags.
"What did you get?" Taeko asked in annoyance, already not liking the amount of bags she had gotten.
"I wanted to save money, so I just got a few things. I got a large box of ramen for you. It has several packets in it and should last you for weeks! I also got some ingredients to make simple sandwiches," She explained, already putting things away.
"I don't want ramen." Taeko said quietly, staring down at the floor. Her pink sneakers had dark blue laces which she added herself to distract her classmates from the shabbiness of the rest of the shoe. "I don't like ramen," She emphasized, finally looking up.
"Oh sweetie, I'm sorry. But you know I need to save money. I can't give you what you want anymore. Ramen is cheap and filling and you can buy it by the bulk." Her mother didn't even look at her and instead continued putting things away. "Your father will be home later for dinner,"
Taeko ignored her and started to leave the kitchen, starting to feel angry. If her mother truly loved her, she would find a way to give her what she wanted while still saving money. Buying fattening food just because it was 'cheap' seemed unloving instead of loving.
"Won't you help me put the groceries away?" Her mother called after her, but she ignored her, starting to open the front door. "Taeko? Did you hear me?"
"It's Celestia." She tightened her grip on the doorknob.
"What, honey?"
"My name is Celestia! Not fucking Taeko!" She yelled at her mother, opening the door and running outside, slamming the front door with all of her strength. Tears welled up in her eyes and she dashed off, running down her porch stairs and down the street, gaining speed. Her tears clouded her vision and she eventually rubbed them away, her chest heaving.
Screw her mother for getting her ramen. And screw both of them for lying, saying they had her best interests in their mind.
One day, they would both be sorry. And so would anyone who ever made fun of her. She would be rich. She would be beautiful. She would be royalty.
And never again would she have to answer to low-lives like them. Never again would she even answer to her own name.
#######
Celestia woke up fairly early the next morning, going into the bathroom and peeling off her mask, running her hands along how smooth her skin felt. She untied her bonnet and placed it in her dresser, starting to untie the ribbon at her throat when someone burst into the room.
"Celestia-chan! Come quick! It's Sayaka-chan!" Aoi explained, somehow out-of-breath. Celestia covered her mouth with her hand, feigning surprise.
"What happened? Oh, perhaps this could wait until I change? I do not want to attend a murder trial in my pajamas, after all." She tittered, making Aoi nod.
"Hurry though! I think the trial is going to start after breakfast!" She shut the door and ran off, and Celestia mused to herself as she got dressed.
So, the first person to be murdered was Sayaka. There was something ironic about that, and yet not: of course the happiest and friendliest person among them would be the first to go. She wondered who did the deed-a friend, a lover, or just someone who found her annoying? She went over all of the possibilities in her head, but was unable to find a likely candidate. She figured she would learn who they were at the trial.
After getting dressed, she walked out of her dorm, only to bump into Chihiro, who seemed extremely on-edge. She raised an eyebrow at that fact.
"Celestia-san! D-Did you hear the news too? I-I'm assuming you did..." She laughed awkwardly, shaking.
"Are you going to hurl from your nerves? If you are, please do not do it on my shoes." She tilted her head, making Chihiro blush. "And yes, I am well aware. Sayaka is dead, how sad. Who do you think did it? It was not you, was it?" That made Chihiro shake even more.
"O-Of course not! I liked Sayaka-chan! I would never wish ill-will towards her, ever!"
"Hm." She blinked, making her way to the cafeteria with everyone else. Everyone else seemed to nervous to eat, but she got her usual meal and sat by herself, eating calmly. She wondered how many people suspected her as the killer with how calm she was being. She also wondered how many stopped suspecting her with how calm she was.
After breakfast, everyone went to the gymnasium where the class trials were explained in greater detail. She played with her hair boredly through most of the explanation.
"I am, like, totally not going to do this! You're crazy!" Junko's yells got everyone's attention. She was near the front, glaring at Monokuma. "You can't control me. I'm not going to participate in your class trials!" She lifted up her foot and brought it down, stomping right on Monokuma. Celestia's eyes widened, wondering how exactly this would play out.
"You can't lay a hand on your Headmaster! That is against the rules!" Monokuma squeaked out from under Junko's boot. "And that will be punished!"
Before anyone could react, giant spears grew out of the gym floor, stabbing Junko in several parts of her body. Her eyes widened and she twitched. "W-What...? I wasn't...supposed to die..." She managed, coughing up blood. The spears retracted and her dead body fell to the floor.
Chaos broke out as several people screamed in horror. Chihiro fell to the ground, her mouth covered. Celestia huffed.
"She broke the rules. She could not adapt. Therefore, she got punished, and rightfully so. Do you expect me to feel sorry for her? Because I do not," She said coldly, playing with her hair again.
"You are a horrible person." Aoi accused, glaring at her.
"S-She's dead...she barely had a chance to react..." Chihiro gasped inbetween her sobs, rubbing her eyes.
"Sad as it might be, we have a class trial to attend," Byakuya reminded everyone, leaving the room first. Makoto helped Chihiro up to her feet and everyone followed after him, entering the trial room.
None of the stands were occupied, nor did they have names assigned to them, so Celestia walked up to one randomly and tapped it, indicating that was hers. Everyone else filed in shortly afterwards, taking their own stand and looking nervously at each other, noticing Sayaka and Junko already had pictures set up with a giant red 'X' through them.
"What's up with that?" Someone asked. Celestia crossed her arms under her chest.
"I didn't think it was very fair to keep them out of this just because they're dead, so I put these up instead!" Monokuma announced, settling down in a giant throne. "Now, let's let the trial begin!"
The actual trial passed like a blur for Celestia. She mainly played with her hair throughout the entire thing, feigning her disinterest. She offered her own opinions several times, quickly figuring out who the murderer was but keeping it to herself. Something about Leon seemed very shifty to her, and that instantly made her guess he was the true killer. What likely started out as simple self-defense escalated into a clear murder case, in cold blood nonetheless. Needless to say, it fascinated her. In her original analysis of the student body, she never pegged Leon as being a potential murderer and placed him really low on her list.
Clearly, she would have to rethink that list.
"Time for his punishment!" Monokuma announced happily once Leon finished his plead.
"Punishment?" Makoto asked in shock. "What exactly are you going to do?"
Celestia could tell by her classmates' faces they all wondered the same thing, but before anyone could ask again, a giant metal crane appeared and grabbed Leon by the neck, tightly securing around the area. He looked desperate and tried to pull the collar off, only to get dragged out of the room and down the hallway.
"Let's go follow him, shall we?" Monokuma had already jumped out of his seat and walked down the hallway, and everyone hurried after him, running into a giant room that had half of it blocked off due to a chain-link fence. A gate closed and automatically locked, making the class stand behind the fence, looking inside.
Leon was pulled onto a pole and chained up, rendering him completely immobile. The room took on the shape of a baseball dugout, a pitching machine appearing from a hole in the floor. Monokuma pointed at Leon, turning the machine on and pelting him unrelentingly with baseballs, the speed getting faster and faster.
Celestia smiled slightly as she watched the sight. It felt good to her to see a rule-breaker get what he deserved. He tried to get away with murder, literally, and now he was being punished for failing. And what an ironic way to go, being stoned by baseballs. It made her wonder what her own execution would be like, if she ever had one. She hoped it would be beautiful and tragic, the way she deserved to go.
The pitching machine eventually turned off, vanishing as a pool of blood flowed towards it. The lights were turned up brighter so everyone could get a good look at the body, which many gasped at. Celestia faked shock too, a hand on her mouth.
"I can't take this anymore!" Chihiro cried, sinking to the floor again. She burst into tears. "We all voted for him, saying he was guilty. In a way, we killed him ourselves! We're no better than he is! W-We're murderers ourselves!" She continued to cry, hiding her face. Everyone stared at her, some having obvious sympathy or concern on their faces. Celestia turned on her heel and left the room, her heels announcing that fact.
For once, nobody called after her, and she was happy.
#########
That night, after she got ready for bed, she got startled by a sudden knock on her door, one that made her jump. She then scolded herself for being so silly as she opened the door, a polite smile on her face.
"Chihiro-san! What a pleasant surprise! What brings you here?" She asked nicely, trying not to make a face. Chihiro was one of the last people she wanted to see after her outburst earlier, but turning her away would likely seem suspicious.
"I-I...I can't sleep in my room tonight," She admitted softly. "And our rooms are close to each other...I-I thought you wouldn't mind..."
Celestia figured the girl was having nightmares over Junko and Leon dying. What a fragile thing. She wouldn't last very long in this Killing Game if she kept showing that softness.
"If you insist. However, you shall be sleeping on my floor. There is not enough room in my bed for two of us," Celestia continued to smile, motioning Chihiro into the room.
Her bed was big enough for both of them, and likely even more, she just didn't want to share with her.
Chihiro nodded in understanding and laid down next to Celestia's bed, taking in her room. "Your room is really pretty. Just like you are. I-I mean, it fits you," She blushed heavily.
"Thank you! It took me quite a long time to set everything up, if you can believe it. See those dresses? I sewed them myself." She bragged. "I make all of my own clothes,"
"That's really impressive! All by yourself? I could never have that much patience..." Chihiro seemed lost in thought.
"They would look darling on your figure, I think. You may not have much of one, but you do have the doll-like lithe that dresses like that require. If you would like, I could make one for you,"
"O-oh, no thank you. You already seem busy enough."
Celestia climbed into bed, lying down so her back was to Chihiro. A few minutes later, the lights turned off, making the girl gasp.
"I-I'm still not used to them doing that..." She admitted shyly. She shifted around uncomfortably on the floor, not having a pillow or anything. Celestia closed her eyes and tried to relax so she could fall asleep faster. "A-Are you worried?" Chihiro asked quietly, making Celestia open her eyes again.
"Worried about what? About being murdered? I am not. And even if I was, I would never admit it. I would never show such fear. Showing fear is one of the easiest ways to manipulate someone. I would never set myself up to be a target." She explained coolly. She rolled over in bed, glancing down at the other girl.
"I-I am...I know someone would try and finish me off because I'm easy. A-And I wouldn't even fight it. I'd just let it happen. In fact, I probably wouldn't even see it coming.." She continued to explain, shaky.
"A blow to the back of the head. Barbaric, but it gets the job done." Celestia nodded in agreement. "If you are to be murdered, pray it will be like that. That way, you will die instantly and never feel any pain,"
Chihiro squeaked in fear, likely already picturing it. Celestia started to close her eyes again. "C-Can we form some kind of pact? L-Like, a friendship pact. Where we don't murder each other..." She suggested.
Celestia tittered. "You believe I would honor such a pact? I hardly know you. How do I know you won't violate the pact the very next night and murder me in my sleep?"
"I could ask you the same thing!" Chihiro snapped back. Celestia was surprised that she never noticed how deep her voice was. It was not deep in the way an older woman's often was, velvety and husky-it was the deep voice of a teenage boy who had just finished going through puberty.
She finally sat up in bed and got out, walking over to her closet and pulling out a dark purple teddy bear. She threw it at Chihiro, hitting the girl in the face.
"Snuggle with that. It will make you feel better." She ordered, getting back into bed.
Chihiro nodded quickly and placed it under her head, using it for a pillow instead. "S-so are you going to decline the friendship pact?"
"We hardly know each other. And besides, I do not think I want to be seen with such an unfashionable girl. It would ruin my reputation." Celestia laughed, pulling the blankets up to her chest.
"Then let's get to know each other! I'm Chihiro Fujisaki, the Ultimate Programmer! I am seventeen-years-old, my favourite colour is yellow, I really love soft and fluffy things, my favourite foods are chocolate cupcakes and fruit salads, and my favourite thing to drink is lemon-lime soda! I'm pretty socially awkward...and not very girly at all...which is probably why I don't fit in well with others.."
"Did I ask for your life story?" Celestia snapped slightly. "I am Celestia Ludenberg, the Ultimate Gambler. I too am seventeen, I love black and red, as well as anything aesthetically pleasing or elegant. My favourite foods are egg whites and lobster, and my favourite thing to drink is milk tea. I pride myself on my impeccable manners and do not like to associate with most people. People tend to bore me and I lack a lot of friends, not due to a lack of social skills, but because I choose to not have any."
"You sound like a princess, Celestia-san," Chihiro giggled. "But I like it. I-It suits you,"
"I prefer to be compared to a Victorian maiden. It fits my family better, as well as myself. I am far more Victorian than I am anything resembling a princess," Princesses existed in the Victorian Era, but as far as she was concerned, she was only after the wealthy lifestyle, not anything resembling a title.
"You know, Leon-san opened the cafeteria door for me on our first day," Chihiro said shyly. "I was so embarrassed, but...I-I couldn't tell him properly. So I just awkwardly thanked him and hurried away,"
Celestia's eyes widened at that fact. Something became crystal-clear to her in that moment, something she only had a vague idea of prior. She moved over in her bed slightly.
"Chihiro-san, why don't you sleep on this side of the bed? It must be awfully cold on that floor, and if you got sick, well I would just be so sad," She lied, playing with her hair. Chihiro perked up, then pouted slightly as she stood up.
"I-I don't know...I might accidentally kick you or something in my sleep," She declined.
"Do you kick?" Celestia questioned, smiling when Chihiro shook her head. She smiled more and patted the empty side of the bed. "We are both girls. What shame is there in sharing a bed with your female best friend?" She emphasized the word, her tone practically dripping with sweetness. Chihiro looked incredibly nervous, but eventually nodded, crawling into bed next to her.
Once she settled in next to Celestia, the black-haired girl scooted in closer to Chihiro and ran her hands down her body slowly, finally stopping at her crotch and pressing against it, making the two of them gasp and move away from each other. Chihiro nearly fell out of the bed, sitting up in shock.
"Celestia-san! I-I can explain!" He blushed heavily, looking embarrassed. Celestia chuckled.
"Such an unfamiliar honorific for someone you know a lot about, hm?" She ran her hand down his face. "I think so. Especially considering I know your little secret. I had my suspicions when I first met you, but I am positive now. You aren't female at all, but male." She smiled.
"P-Please don't tell anyone else! I would be ruined if I was revealed!" He panicked, waving his hands around in a panic. Celestia sighed and laid back down, covering herself up with the blankets. "Celestia-chan!"
"I promise. I will not tell a soul. Nobody would believe me if I did, and most importantly, me spilling your secret does not benefit me. Therefore, I will keep it." She closed her eyes, wanting to sleep. She could feel Chihiro's eyes on her, but eventually he too laid down and got under the covers.
"I-I hope I don't have nightmares tonight...of watching them die...like L-Leon-san..." He said quietly under his breath.
Celestia didn't say anything and had soon fallen asleep, remaining awake long enough to feel Chihiro wrap his arms around her waist for comfort.
###########
"Celestia Ludenberg. Celestia Ludenberg. Celestia Ludenberg!" Taeko recited to herself several times in the mirror. She had gone through several different last names, but eventually settled on Ludenberg. It sounded exotic and different, and most importantly, rich. That was the most important to her. She would be entering high school soon and would convince all of her classmates that was her true name. Not her hideous, poor name. She learned how to sew and started making clothes for herself, fashionable clothes that resembled the true her, the one that had been hidden inside all of this time. She had been saving up for hair extensions as well as a pair of real Red Bottoms.
Her first day of school, there would be no question that the person who walked in was Celestia Ludenberg, a rich foreign exchange student from Germany.
There, her legacy would begin as Celestia Ludenberg, and end as Taeko Yasuhiro.
##########
The next morning, Celestia woke up early as usual and found no trace of Chihiro aside from his lingering smell on her sheets; the very strong body spray he always wore. She got dressed in her usual outfit and headed to the cafeteria for breakfast, where most of the students had already gathered. They looked at her when she entered, making her smile politely. She sat down at the main table and waited for the usual late-comers to arrive.
"What should our next plan of action be?" Makoto asked in a determined voice, looking around at everyone.
"Why don't we try to defeat Monokuma?" Aoi suggested.
"I would not recommend that. After all, look at what happened to Junko-san when she defied the rules. If you want that to happen to you though, then be my guest." Celestia explained calmly. "Obviously, there is some sort of Mastermind behind the scenes, running everything. They are extremely intelligent if they can lock down an elite school like Hope's Peak and make Monokuma. Defying them would not end well,"
"Chihiro-chan! We found this in an old locker!" Aoi announced happily to Chihiro, seemingly done with that topic. She pulled an old green laptop out of her bag. "I heard it was broken...but maybe you could work on it? Spiff it up and make something of it!"
"I can try!" Chihiro gasped, his eyes lighting up in wonder as he took the laptop from her. "I'll start working on it this very afternoon!"
Celestia hated to admit it, but the look in his eyes was...cute. She liked seeing how easily they lit up for something as stupid as a broken laptop. She wondered if she could ever find it in her to become that excited for anything ever again in her life. If she could, she hadn't found it yet.
##########
A new level of the school had been unlocked, and despite not finding any way of exiting, Celestia found herself excited by the idea anyway. It truly was just like a game; they had just unlocked a new level. She wouldn't mind such trials happening daily if they kept giving them such goodies, and said so. She then left the group alone, having had enough of socializing.
#############
She was woken up in the middle of the night by her panicked father, who was throwing clothes at her in a rush. "Get up. We have to travel to the hospital," He was saying. Taeko sat up in her bed, confused. She rubbed her eyes.
"We cannot afford that." She said simply, not moving.
"That isn't important right now. Your mother..I think she's miscarrying the twins. We have to hurry," He threw a shirt at her and left the room. Taeko pulled the shirt off her lap and held it up, her face turning up.
It was a hideous shade of dark blue she had had ever since sixth grade. It was oversized back then, now it was small and tight and filled with holes. She hated it the moment she laid eyes on it.
"Taeko!" Her dad screamed again, but she slowly got out of bed and got dressed, putting on the fanciest outfit she owned with her usual red heels. She ran a hand through her short black hair and went into the living room, finding her father helping her mother off the couch. "That is why you took so long? We're going to the hospital. Put on something practical."
"No." Taeko blinked, holding her hands in front of herself. She put on a simple pink dress with black stripes with a white lacy cardigan on top. Her cat rubbed against her legs, purring happily.
"We're going to the hospital," He finally helped her mother off the couch, letting her lean against his shoulder. A hand was on her stomach.
"I want to look nice." Taeko elaborated, going outside and sitting inside their dark blue car, buckling herself in the passenger's seat. Her father came out a few minutes later and helped her mother lay down in the backseat, then got into the driver's seat, making the car move. "We cannot afford an ambulance. That is why you are driving her yourself," The fifteen-year-old said calmly, blinking. She then leaned back in her seat and watched the lazy city pass by, all muted or washed-out from the hour; two in the morning. She remained quiet, so did her father. The only noise came from her mother moaning in pain.
About half an hour later, they reached the hospital and Taeko was made to go inside and ask for a nurse to carry her mother inside. She did so, taking her time since she loved the sound her heels made on the tiles. A loud and pleasant clacking that she could listen to forever.
Eventually, eventually, she made her way to the receptionist. Everything was organized and a few nurses arrived to tend to her mother, her father following. She was made to wait in the waiting room. There she sat, swinging her legs back and forth in the seat.
"Who are you here for?" A female voice asked her, and she looked up to see the face of a girl around her age with dark purple hair pulled into two braids.
"My mother. She...has a weak heart and might not make it through the night. Oh, the poor thing! I informed my dear Father she would not make it if she was taken out of her native Germany, but he wanted her to see how beautiful Japan was! But she is all I have and I do not want her to pass on!" Taeko explained, tearing up at her fake story. It was something she read in one of her books and it stuck with her. She wondered what it would be like to die because she was taken from her own country. It sounded romantic, macabre, wonderful.
The girl raised an eyebrow. "That sounds like something from a fairy-tale," She accused, but sat down next to Taeko. "I'm here because of my father. He was jumping on a trampoline when he fell off and broke his leg,"
"What kind of silly antics was your father getting into with such an activity?" She wiped away her fake tears.
"A student made him. Despite appearances, he cares for every single one of his students and likely just wanted to make them happy," The girl speculated just as a nurse came into the room.
"Miss Kirigiri? Your father wishes to see you," She announced, and the girl stood up with a nod and then gave a brief wave to Taeko before she left. The same nurse tapped on her clipboard and glanced back at her. "And Miss Yasuhiro, your mother is finally starting to become conscious. She wants to speak with you,"
Taeko stood up gracefully, walking over to the nurse. "My last name is Ludenberg. A common mistake for foreigners, I understand, but please make sure it does not happen again." She smiled very sweetly and walked into her mother's room.
The image of all that blood was something that would follow her for the rest of her days, as well as the non-nonchalant attitude of that purple-haired Kirigiri girl in the waiting room.
###############
After a few days had passed, Celestia found herself feeling antsy. She wanted to know what Chihiro was working on concerning the old laptop, but she had been unable to get him to speak of it. The only thing he told her was that it was a secret. She felt like he was worried about it falling into the wrong hands. Little did he know, she had her ways of getting what she wanted.
Despite his appearance, Chihiro was still a man, and she knew what men wanted more than anything else.
After lunch, she headed to the library and found Chihiro kneeling on the floor in front of a large shelf, putting some books back. She smiled to herself and walked over to him, pulling out a book near him and loudly slamming it back into its location, making him jump up in surprise.
"Celestia-chan! You startled me..." He smiled awkwardly. "I was putting away some books I finished reading. Did you need something?" He asked nicely. Celestia took a few steps closer to him, making him step back nervously. She ran her hand down his face again, a deep blush appearing on his face. "Celestia-chan...?"
"You remember that old laptop Aoi-san gave you? What are you doing on it? You can tell me, right?" She asked sweetly, running her fingers along Chihiro's lips. He shivered slightly, trying to look away from her.
"I-I can't tell you, i-it's a-a secret," He stammered.
"You can't even tell your best friend?" She then planted a kiss on his lips, sticking her tongue in his mouth and moving it around, kissing-tongue with him. She was experienced, but he was not-his tongue awkwardly tried to match the movement of her own. She had bent down and glanced into his eyes, finding mainly confusion as well as a hint of lust.
Perfect. She knew he admired her, liked her, found her pretty, he may even have a crush on her. That was what she wanted to take advantage of.
She eventually pulled away from their kiss, leaving a long trail of saliva. Chihiro gave her a confused expression, blinking. His eyes had clouded-over and she smiled as she ran her fingers along his lips again.
"How about the two of us return to my bedroom? We can discuss everything there in private," She suggested, giving him a polite smile and grabbing his wrist, walking with him back to her bedroom. She had him right where she wanted him, but she was going to take it further. After all, he might snap out of it once they returned to her room and refuse to tell her anything, which would ruin her plans.
They returned to her bedroom and she carefully shut the door, pushing Chihiro on top of her bed. He still mainly looked confused, but she still saw the small hint of lust in his eyes. As long as that remained, her plan would be successful.
She started to undress, leaving her bra on. She flipped her hair and got on top of Chihiro , not bothering to undress him and simply pulling up his skirt, getting out his member. After she stroked it a few times, she slowly lowered herself onto it, giggling at Chihiro's gasp once it was fully in. She tightly gripped his hands as she got to work, moving her hips around and gyrating. He was a virgin and she figured he wouldn't be long for it. He bit his lip to keep himself quiet, which made her giggle more.
"The walls are sound-proof. If you need to scream and let everything out, then please do. I promise I would not be offended," She explained, making Chihiro blush heavily and swallow.
A few minutes later, she felt her climax coming and tightened her grip on Chihiro's hands, gasping when it came around the same time his own happened; she felt his warm seed filling up inside of her. She almost made a disgusted expression at the thought but managed to catch herself in time, breathing heavily. She then smiled politely and leaned in to Chihiro, whispering to him: "I just took your virginity," Before climbing off him and heading into the bathroom. She smiled sweetly at his horrified expression.
########
"I think I'm going to call it Alter-Ego because at first, it'll take the appearance and mannerisms of me, its creator. I plan on making it be fully interactive and able to communicate with people so fluidly it is like talking to a human being," Chihiro explained softly, sitting up in bed and running his hand through his hair. "Right now I'm still sorting the kinks out of it, but it should be done soon,"
Celestia listened to him talk as she fixed up her makeup in the mirror after her shower. "What exactly do you plan to do with it? Why must it be kept so secret?" She asked sweetly.
"I-I don't want it to fall into the wrong hands. I feel like...people might kill each other for it. What if Alter-Ego discovers a way out of the school? I don't want anyone to hurt it...or me," He gave her an awkward expression. "P-Please don't tell anyone about it though. It's bad enough that you know..."
She smiled sweetly at him, looking over at him. "Chihiro-kun, you don't have to worry about me at all. I would never let any of this leave my room. You have my word. I will take my secret to the grave." She put her hands on her heart. Chihiro laughed awkwardly. "How about you remain here for tonight? It might seem very suspicious if you were spotted coming out of my room,"
He nodded in agreement, already getting settled into her bed. As she finished putting on her makeup, she put her usual nightgown on and got in bed next to him, stiffening when she felt him wrap his arms around her.
Why did he trust her? Why did he like her? Such emotions were foreign to her. She had done nothing to earn any of that trust; she felt like she destroyed it more than nurtured it. Perhaps Chihiro was really that desperate for companionship that he would go along with anything. It was a depressing thought, but one she knew all-too-well. She didn't even hate Chihiro, just found him whiny and unfashionable. If push came to shove, she would dispose of him.
And she wouldn't even flinch.
############
This girl, Celestia Ludenberg, is actually dirt-poor! She bought her way to her status using gambling money, but in reality, she survived on a diet of ramen and peanut-butter sandwiches! Her real name? Taeko Yasuhiro!
Celestia glared angrily at the piece of paper, hating its mocking tone and attitude. She hated how they knew such a personal, private thing about her life. She bunched up the paper and looked around her, noticing her bad vibes prevented the other students from going near her. She wondered what their secrets were and wondered if she had enough time to manipulate them into spilling.
She noticed Chihiro reading his own secret with a determined expression on his face, which interested her. She ripped up her own paper and placed the remains in her blouse pocket, walking over to Chihiro. She gave him a wave, and he quickly pocketed his own paper and gave her a shy wave back. She invited him to eat lunch with her and he obliged, though she knew he would. Much like that fool Hifumi, she had him wrapped around her finger. She figured he would jump off a bridge if she asked him to at this point.
She wondered what his secret was that made him react in that sort of way. She then wondered who would be fool enough to kill, just to keep their secret safe.
She was upset and humiliated, but it wasn't enough to phase her. She wasn't going to kill just to keep a stupid secret safe, no matter what. And she secretly hoped Chihiro felt the same way.
#########
Two days later, Chihiro was found dead in the girls' locker room. Unlike her classmates, she didn't go to see the body and barely participated in the following investigation. Her only contribution to the debate was pointing out Chihiro had a blue tracksuit, which she had seen earlier. She knew where he was heading and didn't understand why he seemed to anxious around her. Perhaps she should've followed after him to make sure he wasn't planning anything horrific.
But at the end of the day, it didn't matter. He was out after curfew and broke a rule. He deserved what happened to him. And his murderer deserved everything that came to him. Everyone seemed shocked when his secret was revealed, but Celestia fought the urge to yawn. She wondered what the butter tasted like. At the very least, Chihiro didn't die a virgin. And she had the information she needed concerning Alter-Ego. That part of her plan was complete.
#############
Her breakfast, now taking the form of barely-digested chunks and stomach acid, sat in the middle of the toilet bowl, a few chunks sprayed on the seat from the force. She stared at it, blinking in disgust. She had been feeling sick and sore and knew from observing her mother that she was pregnant. Pregnant with that unfashionable wimp's child. Pregnant with a child she didn't even want, who shouldn't even exist, who came about because she craved forbidden information. She turned her face up in disgust as she flushed the toilet and carefully scrubbed the seat, trying to erase all evidence of her ever being sick.
As she rinsed out her mouth and brushed her teeth, she found herself musing about this new discovery. Would the school force her to get an abortion? Would they force her to carry it to term and then take it away from her? Or would they let her keep it and give her everything she needed to care for it? Either way, she knew she had to keep this a secret from everyone else. It would raise too many questions, questions she didn't want answered.
She finished brushing her teeth and turned off the bathroom light, putting on her usual polite smile as she rejoined her classmates, who were all gushing over Alter-Ego they had recently discovered in an abandoned locker.
###########
That night, Celestia snuck out of her dorm and waked downstairs into the bathhouse, unlocking the locker she knew Alter-Ego was kept in. She pulled the laptop out and quietly closed the locker, looking around for a new hiding spot for it. She walked around as she looked, which eventually roused Alter-Ego and made him stare at her in confusion.
"Celestia-chan? What are you doing?" It asked curiously, looking at her. She gave it a dirty look, not wanting it to alert somebody.
"I am simply finding you a new locker. After all, was your old one not cramped and dirty? Surely you longed for a new one?" She smiled at it politely, not wanting to look into its eyes. Those eyes reminded her too much of Chihiro.
"It felt fine to me, but I trust you! So give me a really nice, big locker, alright?" It smiled eagerly and she nodded, feeling a short but sudden pang in her heart about lying to an A.I. She silently told herself to forget about it, after all, it was just an A.I. A stupid, hopeful A.I. that he programmed.
"How about this one?" She bent down and unlocked one of the lockers near the bottom of the stack, shoving Alter-Ego into it.
"It seems to be smaller than my old one," It stated, getting a thoughtful expression on its face. She ignored it and silently shut the locker, locking it up and pocketing the key.
She then hurried back to her room, already putting the next part of her plan into action.
#############
She had to make it seem like she had gotten attacked by the robot. What was its stupid name again? Didn't matter. Once all of the suspicion was off her, she could enact the final part of her plan and get rid of Hifumi for good. It was so easy to seduce her on her side, but she never had any doubts about that part of the plan working. He was weirdly obsessed with her in a way she despised. She found herself suddenly being thankful for all of Chihiro's faults; that him being creepy and weird to her wasn't one of them. She tightly held the hammer in her hands, turning it over several times as she decided on what part of her body to hit.
She briefly wondered if she should hit her stomach, but something inside her mind, very far away, told her it was a bad idea. Chihiro would've been traumatized if she caused his child to miscarry, whether on accident of purpose. She shook her head to clear the thought and slammed the hammer right into her face, hitting herself there several times for good measure. She then dropped the hammer and stumbled around the hallway, spotting Byakuya about to open a door and gasped, swaying.
"Oh, Byakuya-san!" She tittered, purposefully losing her balance and nearly falling into him. "I-I was attacked by that s-same robot...p-please gather the others and come quickly! Make haste!" She hoped she sounded out-of-breath. She noticed a flicker of something in Byakuya's eyes, tensing up slightly when she realized he had already seen through her lie. She closed one of her eyes, wincing as the others arrived.
"What happened?" Makoto asked her in concern, and she smiled inwardly at how easy he would be to manipulate. She hurried over to him and spilled her story, watching his expressions. He believed her, and so did the rest of the class. Perfect. The final part of her plan would succeed. After all the other successes, she felt confident. She would pin the murder on someone else and get away with her money.
She would move away to Europe, likely Scotland or France or Germany, probably change her name again, and stop accepting visitors. And with that much money, her child would have a good life, unlike her own. She was smiling just thinking about it. Everything she had ever wanted was literally within reach. All she needed to do was lead them to the wrong answer and she would finally be free.
It would feel so good.
###########
Damn that Makoto. Damn that boy, who was too smart for his own good with his stupid hairstyle and unfashionable jacket. With his bogus name. And fuck him for revealing to everyone her true name. The name she had long since buried, for it gave her memories of daily ramen meals for two meals, of holey outfits, of cold showers and parents who didn't understand her. The name that reminded her of everything she despised about her life and tried to erase. Fuck him. Fuck him, fuck him, fuck him. She despised him.
Yet a part of her didn't regret what she had done to get to that point. She didn't regret who she killed, who she lied to, who she cheated, who she slept with. It wasn't fruitless in the end. There was still information that only she knew that she would carry with her until the very end. She gave Kyoko the locker she hid Alter-Ego in. She lied to Makoto, not wanting him to see her as her true self-a worthless, terrified little girl who wanted friends and good clothes and actual edible food and a family who actually loved her and respected her dreams. That little girl was someone she knew personally, and only her.
Now she was being led to a stake, about to be burned for her crimes. She stood there calmly, folding her hands in a praying position. Outwardly, she would not show fear. She smiled sweetly at her classmates who were watching from just beyond the fence, wondering what was going through their minds. The fire loudly crackled around her, sending sparks and embers everywhere. It was deafening to her ears. Her feet felt incredibly warm, and then the fire caught onto her skirt and started to spread rapidly.
Still, she remained calm. She showed no fear. That was how she wanted to go out, how she wished to be remembered. Any anger she would've had for the firetruck about to ram into her was gone. She didn't care about anything anymore. If she felt anything, it was just more nausea from her unborn child.
The firetruck finally crashed into her, and her entire world went dark.
Everything turned silent. She knew she was dead. She wondered where she would go and who would meet with her to lead her there. A bright light appeared at the end of her path and she walked over to it, feeling sore on her limbs. Most of her skirt had been burned off.
As she got closer to the light, she noticed someone reaching their hand out for her, and she took it, for once not questioning who it was. The person pulled her closer to the light and for a moment, it was blinding and searing hot, but it only lasted for a few seconds and then she was floating in an entirely white room, pale blue visible at the edges.
"Celestia-chan!" Chihiro's eager voice reached her ears, and she finally glanced at him, watching his happy smile melt into terror. "Y-Your face..."
She brought a hand to her face and felt half of the flesh gone, realizing it had been burned off. She simply smiled at him. Blood was dripping down his legs and a large amount of blood was on his face.
"This must be Heaven, hm? I never believed for a moment I was worthy of such a place. I wasn't even sure such a place existed in the first place," She laughed, looking around. She saw a bloody Sayaka playing cards at a table with Leon who had goose-eggs all over his face. The two smiled at her and she noticed most of his teeth got knocked out.
"T-That's what everyone else thought too...come on! I'll re-introduce you to everyone, Celestia-chan!" Chihiro explained eagerly, pulling on her arm. She took a few steps forward.
"Taeko." She said quietly under her breath. Chihiro stopped walking and glanced back at her.
"Huh?"
"Taeko. Call me Taeko-chan. Since we are both dead, there should be no more secrets between us," She said, wincing. Chihiro nodded.
"Alright...Taeko-chan!" He gave her a wide smile of happiness, one that made her heart hurt. She had hurt so many people in the Killing Game. Now that they were all in Heaven together, could she ask for their forgiveness? Would they give her such a thing? Was it possible she could feel remorse? Would she even...make friends with them?
She finally allowed a smile to grace her features, a real, genuine smile, so different from her usual polite yet cold smiles. She took Chihiro's hand and allowed him to lead her around the small room.
"If you had a child, what would you name them?" She asked curiously, placing her other hand on her stomach. "Just curious. After all, we have eternity here together. Let us spend it getting to know each other." She suggested, still smiling. Chihiro gave her a smile back.
"Kiyomi. I have always wanted to name my daughter that." He took her hands and looked into her eyes. "A-And...I think I'd like you to be the mother of that daughter..."
"Do not push your luck. What makes you think I want to make love to you a second time?" Celestia snapped, but smiled back to show she was teasing. She bent down and gave Chihiro a kiss on the lips, one that he returned. The pale blue sky changed into a warm yellow above their heads. After their kiss, they tightly embraced and stood there for a while, just getting acquainted with each other's touch and smell and taste once again.