Illya couldn't believe that she was in this situation. Her and Miyu were opening the lock to the roof of the high schoolーwhile they're both in (considerably) risqué cosplay outfitsーIllya seriously wonders to herself if she has unlocked the MIYU ROUTE in some visual novel continuum of space-time. Illya had rushed to school so quickly that Sella and Leysritt hadn't made her her usual bento, but Miyu holds two loaves of curry bread in her hands. She really is the perfect girl.
"Thank you," Illya grumbled bashfully, not able to be as open in actual conversation as she was in the notebook that they shared, "um, how did you know?"
"A student council president always has to come prepared." Miyu replied wryly, with a wink. Illya's face reddens, finding herself trapped in a cave of introversionーdespite usually being the more sociable one among her friends.
Illya sat against the chain-linked fence and began to unwrap her lunch. Miyu's figure awkwardly crumbles beside hers, not knowing how to sit down while adorned in pantyhose, a leotard, and a pair of stilettos! Their shoulders brush and Illya feels her face light upーMiyu was facing the other direction, so Illya couldn't see if she had a similar facial expressionーmost of the time, she can't fathom what Miyu is thinking at all.
"What are we going to do about sleep?" Miyu asks, her voiceーa faint whisperーcarried away by the wind.
"Do we stay awake?" Illya replies with another question, "if so, I can get Sella and Leysritt to buy us a TON of energy drinks!"
"Who are Sella and Leysritt?"
"My maids!"
"Ah," Miyu says with a gentle smile, "I appreciate the offer, but I don't think it's a good idea."
"But, what if we get stuck in different realms," Illya poises, "I mean, we're the only two pieces to this mystery that exist, right?"
"True," Miyu replies respectfully; thoughtfully, "but, there's no way we could humanly do thatーat least not forever. And with this newly discovered knowledge, we can see each other again in the Alice in Wonderland dream, right? Perhaps, we can conspire to figure out what it's all about through the dream."
"I don't even know where to find you there," Illya sighs softly, "I'm afraid of being alone and lost."
"Don't be scared, Illyasviel," Miyu whispers gingerly; Illya shudders at Miyu saying her name so delicately, "I'll consciously plant out a landmark for us to meet at and I'll wait for you there."
"A-And where will that be?"
"Hm," Miyu hums while tapping her bottom lip, "how about the Mad Hatter's Tea Party?"
"That works," Illya says with more vigor, but doubt lingers between her words, "but, are you sure that the Alice in Wonderland fractal won't collapse like our first reality?"
"That, I'm not sure of," Miyu sighs with a pout, "but, no matter where we areーI'll find you. Don't worry!"
Miyu entangles her pinky in Illya's with a coy smile. Illya's heart is palpitating like crazy; she's paralyzed by the beauty of the moment and feels pinned against the fence that they both lean against. The white barrettes in Miyu's hair gleam in the lucid daylight. Her smooth hair outlines the contours of her face. Her lips look like two petals melted into one another; like a cherry blossom that touches the surface of a pond and has a glimmering reflection on the other side. The reflective gleam in her hazel eyes is multifaceted like a fecund heliotrope.
Both of them share a secretーlike the depths of a Cappadocian hideaway. Illya's hormones are out of control in a fifteen-year-old body; she has the strong desire to kiss Miyuーlest she never see her again in any other reality.
BA-DUM-BA-DUM-BA-DUM
Her heartbeat is rattling in her eardrums, her breathing is heavy. Miyu seems completely unfazed by any of this and is gazing at her in a sweet, surrendering pose. Illya gets the overwhelming instinct to do itーdespite IT being wrong; despite not knowing what Miyu feels and wants and desires. Illya leans in closer; the tips of their noses are touchingー
The school bell blares out. Miyu hops up and quickly collects her things. Her bottom in the skimpy leotard is a perfect peach-shape. She glances behind her shoulder at Illya, "Sorry, I have to rush!"
Before she leaves, she jots something down on a small yellow notepad.
"Here's my number," Miyu blurts out fastidiously, "text me after school. My line is always open!"
Before Illya can fathom what just happenedーMiyu has vanishedーjust like the White Rabbit character in Alice in Wonderland. Ironic! Illya is stunned by everything that just transpired, even more than the inter-dimensional babble. She closes her eyes to calm her heart and then she hears it. A familiar sound of harp strings being plucked. Her eyes open, slowly, as if she's waking up to the fantasy realm again; but lo and behold, she's still on the top of the roof.
She follows the peculiar sound with her ears and finds a Aeolian harp rested against the cubic structure of the stairwell. She sees the outline of Aeolus, with his magnanimous red locks, but when she blinksーhis body has been spirited awayーlike it never existed in the first place; a singular harp remaining.
"Okay," Illya breathes in, "I'm gone from here!"
She nervously packs the harp into her powder-pink satchel and runs to class with the bag flopping behind her.
The whole day, she tries to entertain the illusory idea of Aeolus appearing in the present reality, but her mind is intruded by images of Miyu. Miyu's supple neck with the coiffed bowtie collar. Miyu's slender, milk-white arms. Miyu's erotically long legs, covered in sheer stockings. The whimsical sound of her sighs. Her saccharine aura that dispearses every frigid molecule. Miyu…
The last period in school ends and the only time Illya ever sees Miyu again is when she spots the back of her headー as she is surrounded by the student council committeeーlooking surreally studious in a bunny suit. Her back is as straight as a ruler and she has an air of authority. Illya decides to leave her alone until after hoursーwhen they can message each other.
As Illya leaves the gilded school gates, she spots Shirouーpatiently waiting for her, glancing at his wrist watch every now and then. Illya cracks open a smile and fervently waves at him, but something about the pensive expression on Shirou's faceーmade her feel as if she may not know this onii-san as well.
"Were you waiting long?" Illya asksーbeginning to feel her nerves rise.
"No," he replies, rubbing the back of his head, "I just got here. I bought donuts on the way to pick you up and I wanted us eat them while they were still fresh!"
Illya leans beside him and autumn leaves are circling them in spiralsーfalling in a stately manner. Illya admired the welcoming halations of fallーimmediately wishing that Miyu was thereーbeside her.
"Did you want to go back to your place and eat them?" Shirou continues their conversationーbreaking her out of her daydream.
"Um, actually I have plans for the rest of my afternoon," Illya mentions, shyly reciting the first texts that she's going to send to Miyu, "and shouldn't you be giving Arturia her French cruller fix?"
Shirou suddenly exposes a befuddled expression, "Who's Arturia?"
Illya was taken abackーshe stops walking and lets the falling leaves form a crown on her head. She could not imagine a world where Shirou and Arturia weren't in loveーnonetheless a world where they didn't even KNOW each other!
She doesn't want him to grow suspicious, so she huffs in a breath of air and says while sticking out her tongue playfully, "Oh, silly me! Arturia is a character that I made upーum, I guess I might still have a case of chuunibyou. Ehehehe~"
Shirou raises an eyebrow, "I don't remember you ever suffering from delusions?"
"I-I-I did," Illya stutters out, being the worst liar in existence, "I was just really low-key about it! NOBODY knew!"
"Okay, well, did you want to eat a couple of donuts in the park?" Shirou inquires, visibly having an exasperated sweat-drop on his face.
"Sure!"
The vibrant colors of a playground were effervescent in the warm color palette of autumn. The benches were made out of the bark of maple trees, so they gave off an exceptionally comforting scent. The top of the children's recreational center, a pyramid-shaped rooftop, had a nest of newly fallen leaves resting atop it. Illya grabbed a doughnut filled with raspberry preserves out of the paper bag sitting between them and began chomping into it with delight.
"Do you remember when we used to play here as children?" Shirou asks, not eating, holding the waxy wrapping between his fingers, "You might notーI was a grade-schooler then and you were just a tiny toddler."
Illya covers her mouthーtrying to be polite as she gulps down the piece of pastry heaven.
"I DO," Illya says with nostalgia filling her eyes, "I remember that Mama used to bring us. Kiritsugu was usually too busy with work. We would play from sunrise to sunsetーthough I always enjoyed reading books and gaming moreーyou were more of a nature-born spirit. I guess?"
Illya chuckles at the memory of Shirou pulling squirming earthworms out of the soil and chasing her with them. Or that one time they pretended to be married. Or when Shirou would push her down the slide, after the rainfall, and they would wrestle in the mud. The memories traversed timeーlike the skeletal trees shedding leaves that would then bear fresh foliage in the spring.
"The truth is," Shirou says abruptly, covering his face with one hand, "I'm in love with you Illyaーwill you be my wife after you graduate from high school?"
Illya's crimson eyes were blankーshe can not register this possibility. Onii-san is like my brother… there's no way this is real! Illya coughed out a laugh.
"Good one, oniiー"
Before she can finish, Shirou grips her shoulders and his lips are pressed against hers. Illya tries to push him away, crying with fresh tears welling up in her sockets, but he grabs her wrists forcefully and sticks his tongue in her mouthーher body is limp with fear. Her blood runs coldーicy shivers run up and down her spine. She feels his tongue swirl inside of her mouth but she can't move her wrists to bat him away. Tears are melting from either side of her faceーlike Dalí's clocksーhot and filled with rage. She is forced to sit there and endure the discomfort for a few minutes until he runs out of breath.
Warm steam is released from his mouth and his eyes are glassy with a smileーwhich slowly fade when he sees the tears in her eyes and the horrified expression that blankets her faceーlike a mask.
"Illyasー"
Before he could utter a work, Illya slaps him in the face. The clapping sound of her hand against his skin resonates and echoes throughout the park. Illya screams in a terrifyingly primal screech, "I HATE YOU, SHIROU!"
Not even the usual onii-san could run from her lips. This wasn't the same friend who had been a companion through her whole lifeーthe one who had dedicated his entire being to Arturia and justice! This was some perverted joke that the Gods were playing on her! It had to be!
Illya whimpered and ran off to her mansion. When Sella and Leysritt walked to greet her at the front gateーIllya charged past them. They both glanced at each otherーconcern painting their facesーbrows knitted.
Sella knocked softly on Illya's bedroom door, "Ojou-samaーwe have prepared a nice, warm meal for you!"
"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Illya screamed and then sobbed loudly into her pillow.
On the opposite side of Illya's king-sized bedーwhere she had thrown her cellphone before launching into a miscellaneous pillowーa red notification light blinked in the dark. Illya sniffled and crawled over to her mobile phone. She had already blocked the imposter Shirouーso, there wasn't much to worry about, in regards to that incident. Illya wiped her lips in disgust at the memory of it. That hellacious kiss.
An unknown number appeared on the screen.
UNKNOWN NUMBER: Hey, it's Miyu. I hope you don't mindーI didn't hear from you, so I asked around for your number.
Illya input her name into the phoneーdespite the cold feeling in the pit of her stomachーMiyu's words brought out a pure feeling in her. She felt butterflies rise up through her stomach but then the imaginary creatures fell away with the thought of her lips being tainted. She was ruinedーshe had to marry him now, or else a hermit locked away in her mansion for all eternity!
ILLYA: No, not at all.
MIYU: Anything new from your end?
Illya thought of mentioning Aeolus and the harp, but couldn't bring herself to explain the Grecian entity with heartache piercing her chest at every turn.
ILLYA: No… not really.
MIYU: Nothing new that I could find either.
ILLYA: Okayーso, Mad Hatter's Tea Party, right?
MIYU: Yeah. It's kind of late, so I'm going to head to bed. Will you be okay?
ILLYA: Yeah.
MIYU: Alright. Goodnight, Illyasviel!
The message reopened the wound and caused Illya to curl into a fetal ballーfeeling like she has been stabbed in the stomach.
ILLYA: 'Night, Miyu.
She began to sob again. The feeling of loss was tangible. Her feelings for Miyu were bleeding over the sheets.
That was my… first kiss.