Alternate Second


After months of wandering -and not a little sitting in silence- she found something. The world was still barren, growing ever more so. Humanity's last testament was the endurance of its creations. Buildings nearly collapsed and roads bulging with rot are still recognizable, but hardly shadows of their former selves under the ruin. And she, herself, is also such a creation. One that endures almost despite itself, except unlike these inanimate structures, she keeps walking these lonely and dark roads because a tiny hope blazes in her chest.

After months -of thinking humanity extinct and aliens killed- she found something, someone with venomous green eyes that glance down at her with disdain. The woman's features mark her as a demon, alien, enemy. Horns and spindly wings are not what she wanted to see, but Stella holds out her hand peacefully. She does not want to fight, and she is tired of being alone.

It is surprising how heavy disappointment weights her down when the green haired woman draws a scythe, skull sentries plummeting into the replica with the force of a meteor.

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Mato wakes with a jolt, half-memory details already fading in the glow of her alarm clock. She struggles to at once remember and forget the absolute terror her nightmare caused, jumping again when her pajamas brush her shoulder. For some reason, she thought it had been gone..

It does not bother her much except that she thinks she remembers being buried alive. The same feeling has been plaguing her ever since realizing how she felt for Yomi. It is too hard, too frightening to think of explaining her feelings to the older girl. But eventually there comes a point she has to say it. Selfishly, for her own sake, maybe. There is something about that sad, faraway look in those refined eyes Mato can't help detesting. She would give everything she had to make Yomi happy.

So too, apparently, would her fiance.

Mato never gets an answer. She never finds out if she had made a mistake, who Yomi would have chosen, or if she hurt the other girl. She assumes she had. There's no other reason for her to be missing school.

It doesn't matter. There is an especially horrible day of traffic. Four cars are entirely shredded when a transport truck slams on his brakes to avoid an idiot who had ignored the traffic light. No one on the train hears about it until after class, but it is all they talk about afterwards.

There is a group of girls that gossip for no reason, spreading dirty thoughts and twisting truth. Whether they do so carelessly or with malicious intent, it makes her blood boil.

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Rock thinks she's been here before. It's hard to tell. The world of boundaries and forsaken souls is barren, memorable only when stagnation begins to form and life's lost illusions try to cushion the fall. There was a sudden outbreak of that with the Black Stars broken or gone, but the slight young woman thinks it has gotten better now.

She's seen almost everyone off, even her former comrades - though none of them had fought together - and there is no presence coming from this terribly imposing Gate.

The black haired girl glances over black steel and wonders why she remembers it. "Ron?" Her companion is silent for once, usual chatter failing him. The thing is impressive, scraping heaven's door while it towers over them in wait. She thinks it wants to open and suddenly, it's not just a hulking piece of metal. There are stars and beautiful white feathers woven together, warmth and softness so precious and comforting they're almost painful. It's too hard not to cry, even though she's incredibly happy for reasons beyond her.

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Today is the first day of Middle School, but the opening ceremony threatens to draw away the excitement bounding in her chest. She wants to bounce and look, find all the places to explore rumors with Yuu later. Maybe even look at-

She trips. Some other girls run into her actually, while she's distracted with flowers. There's a delicate, almost white hand that bothers reaching out for her at least. "Are you okay?" Red string leaves her distracted, staring at the girl's wrist for a moment before Mato follows it up to the owner's face. "T-that's fine. I'm okay."

Kotori Asobi.. it's a nice name. But incorrect. Actually, that girl's name is Yomi.


En: Because sandbox. And while these kittens are all adorable, I can't take care of em. At this point, this is my way of putting them out on the street free to good home.