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'...I can't believe that. I just can't.'
Over the course of the day, Noel had debated with herself as to whether or not Nu's statement regarding her was true; they were friends, yes, and they got along well enough, but Nu's proclamation that they were long-lost sisters was too farfetched to believe. Though it was true that Noel didn't remember anything from more than around five years ago, she attributed that to trauma-related amnesia... not a difficult claim, considering where her parents had found her.
On the burning fields of Ikaruga, the rebel nation that had been reduced to ashes in what seemed like an instant by the acclaimed hero, Jin Kisaragi.
Noel was Jin's direct subordinate in the Librarium; she knew him well, but there was one question she had about him that was never answered. Whenever he so much as caught sight of her, he'd turn a look of disgust on her, and he always treated her like she wasn't even human. She never could figure out what the source of Jin's hatred was.
"...Noel?"
Nu stepped up behind Noel and placed a hand on her shoulder. Noel glanced back, tearing her eyes off of the window, and put on a difficult smile.
"Good evening, Nu. Did you enjoy your time out?"
"Yep!" Nu nodded in response, as enthusiastic as always. "It was so much fun! Nu got to see all sorts of people... there was a woman who worked at the local clinic, and a strange girl with a tail that called me silly names..."
Noel's tension eased, and her smile broadened. "That's good... to be honest, I was kind of worried when you said you wanted to go out on your own, but... I'm glad you didn't get hurt..." She paused, raising an eyebrow. "...Wait, did you say... a woman that worked at the clinic, and a girl with a tail that called you names?"
"Huh?" Nu tilted her head, inquisitive. "Do you know those people, Noel?"
"I... I think I do..." Noel looked down at her chest, then wrapped her arms around herself. "...They make me feel... inadequate..."
Nu blinked, taken aback. "Inadequate? How is Noel inadequate? Nu doesn't get it..."
"...She called me 'lacking lady'," Noel murmured, whimpering. "And... and the doctor's... so much... bigger..."
"What's wrong, Noel?" Nu gave Noel's shoulder a gentle rub, hoping to ease her new friend's sudden frustration. "Is something bothering you? Um... can Nu help you any?"
Noel waved her hand and shook her head. "...No, I'm okay... it's just... um... those two..."
"...Okay." Nu stepped away and nodded once; the subject was obviously a sensitive one for Noel, and she didn't want to press the issue. "So... you said that you're not really good at cooking, right? Have you ever tried learning?"
"Cooking..." Noel breathed a long sigh. "...Well, I've always liked it, but whenever I try it, someone gets hurt... I wish I could learn, but I don't have anyone to teach me..."
"Nu would like to try Noel's cooking," Nu insisted. "It's probably not as bad as you say it is... can Nu try it? Please?"
Noel stood up. "Well, I guess I could try... I can't really guarantee anything, though..."
-0-
A half an hour later, Nu had shut herself in the bathroom, and was sobbing in between fits of vomiting. Noel stood over what was supposed to be dinner, a distinct frown on her face; she was just glad she hadn't tried to eat any herself. An idea came to mind, and she sorted through her head for an ars that might be able to treat the issue at hand... she stepped up to the bathroom door and knocked twice, but all she got was a strangled groan in response.
"Nu, I think I found an antidote ars..."
Nu emitted another indecipherable noise; Noel opened the door and stepped into the bathroom, bearing the smell. She murmured a few words, creating a circle around Nu; in a matter of seconds, the albino felt much better.
"...Thanks, Noel!"
Without further ado, Nu turned and hugged Noel, tackling her to the floor of the bathroom. Noel struggled to push herself out from beneath Nu, to no avail; she'd never expected someone with such a fragile-looking build to be so strong. After a short time, though, Nu let go on her own, and then bowed to Noel with a smile on her face.
"Huh?" Noel tilted her head, confused by Nu's behavior.
"Nu will clean up the bathroom." And with that, Nu waved her hand at Noel and went about cleaning up the mess she'd made.
Noel sighed and shook her head as she stepped out of the bathroom; she wondered if there was someone, anyone, that could teach her how to cook properly.
-0-
All around her, empty blue stretched out in all directions. The light that shone within the heart of the Azure caught her eye, and she turned to face it; she felt a strange sensation running through her nerves, something unlike anything she'd ever felt before, and she couldn't even decide if it was pleasant or unpleasant.
'A new course has been decided for the future. However, the threat has not been eradicated... he has escaped, and they are using him as their puppet. You must not falter... the fate of this world, this timeline, rests in your hands. You are the twelfth... the greatest of those children. You must remain steadfast... and accept your fate.'
A single, fleeting thought crossed her mind; this thing that talked to her never seemed to refer to itself. She wondered what it was... the soul of a person who was unfortunate enough to be trapped in this dream, or the mastermind behind the madness that seemed to envelop the world as of late? However, before she could get too far with her thoughts, the light began to dim.
'Now, chosen one... awaken.'
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Noel bolted upright in bed, sweat clinging to her skin; she rubbed her forehead, looked around the room, and then settled back down into the bed.
'That was just a dream,' she told herself, eyes squinted shut. 'It was just a dream... nothing to worry about... but...'
Something troubled her. It was as if she'd been there before; she didn't remember ever visiting a place like that, and she'd never had a dream quite like that before, as far as she knew. A feeling of nostalgia swept over her when she recalled the mysterious voice in the dream... and then, without even the slightest forewarning, nausea.
She'd definitely felt this before. She couldn't deny it.
Shaking, she pulled herself out of bed and walked to the bathroom; as soon as she stepped in, the unpleasant feeling in the pit of her stomach subsided. She glanced back, through the door, at the sleeping figure on the other bed in her room, and shook her head as she left the bathroom and returned to her own bed.
'...What was that? What was that dream? And that... that feeling...?'
Her thoughts ablaze, Noel sank into the bedsheets; she was no longer tired enough to sleep.
-0-
When Nu awoke, the first thing she noticed was that Noel had moved from her bed to the table; curious, the silver-haired girl climbed out of bed and walked over, taking a seat opposite her friend. Noel's expression was distant, and it was obvious that something was on her mind.
"...What's wrong, Noel?" Nu asked, her head tilted. "Did you have trouble sleeping last night?"
Noel's eyes wandered up to meet Nu's gaze. "I woke up in the middle of the night... after I had this strange dream... and then I felt sick, and... then everything went back to normal. But that's not the strangest part... the dream felt... nostalgic. It was like I'd had that same dream before... but I don't remember having a dream like that."
"You don't remember...?" Nu perked up at this; something in her memory rose up, knowledge that even she wasn't aware she had. "...Maybe you had that dream before, and you forgot about it before you woke up. That happens sometimes, I think."
"...Now that you mention it..." Noel tapped the side of her face a few times, then dropped her hand back to the table. "...On the night that you first contacted me, I woke up for no apparent reason, and I felt really sick... that's why I was in the bathroom in the first place. I thought I was going to throw up..." She shivered at the memory. "...I wonder why this is happening to me? I don't understand..."
Nu frowned. "It's probably not a good thing if you're having weird recurring dreams that you don't remember that make you sick."
"That's why I want to find out what's causing them," Noel said, her gaze lowering to the table. "Well, maybe you might be able to help... in the dream, I was in this blue void, and there was a light in the middle of it that spoke to me... it told me some really mysterious things, and... I don't remember exactly what it said, but... it was kind of scary."
"A blue void..." Nu processed this information for a few seconds, then stood up. "...Nu has been there before. That's the Azure. That's the place where this world comes together... or something like that. Nu doesn't really know the details." She paused to rub her nose. "But if you were in the Azure, and the light was talking to you..."
Noel blinked. "The Azure...? The place where the world comes together...? Why would I dream of a place like that?"
"...Well, if you were dreaming of the Azure, that means you really are my sister." Nu walked to the bed and sat down, swinging her legs back and forth. "To be honest... Nu wasn't really sure when she first met you, but... this just confirms it. You're a Murakumo unit like me... but..."
"But?" Though Nu's story still seemed a bit ridiculous, the memory of that dream convinced Noel enough that she was willing to listen; she folded her arms atop the table and rested her head down, watching Nu from the corner of her eye.
"You're not tempered yet," Nu stated. "And you're the most powerful of the Murakumo units... Nu can tell. You have the true Azure in you... that's something Nu could never hope to aspire to. But... since you're not tempered yet... you can't use it while you're awake."
Noel sighed. "...None of this makes any sense to me... all I know is that... you're my sister, right? And, um... I'm dreaming of the Azure because I can use it... but not while I'm awake... so you're saying I'm using it subconsciously?"
"...Something like that." Nu nodded once, then stood up again. "Anyway, Nu is going to go get cleaned up. And after that, can Noel please take Nu out for breakfast?"
"Breakfast?" Noel picked her head up, surprised, but Nu was already in the bathroom. She shook her head and sighed. "...I guess that ars worked like a charm after all..."
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Author's Notes: This chapter doesn't have as much meat to it as I wanted, but I really couldn't think of anything else to add that wouldn't have made it too long. Apologies. XD