Date A Live: Broken Ice
Chapter 10: Broken but still Breathing
Author Note: Well I hope you're ready for a long one since this is a doozy. Sorry this took so long, I rewrote it several times and have been distracted as of late by a new game series I'm into (See below for reference as to which one). Thanks to everyone who has reviewed and talked to me about the story; it's been a huge help.
A nearby park
With a light moan Yoshino felt herself awaken feeling groggy and confused. Waking up was always slightly disorienting but when you had no idea where you were or when you had fallen asleep it was much much worse.
She let loose a small whimper and delicately opened her eyes to see the visage of a wild orange haired girl staring down upon her; looking thrilled that she had finally awoken.
"I see you're back from the outworld. I hope your soul wasn't stolen by the crystal golems that guard the river of dreams" Kaguya teased with a fanged grin
Her tone was that of both playfulness and relief; obviously she had been worried and cracked a joke to help break the tension within herself now that things appeared ok.
"Wha…?"
Yoshino had been sleeping so deeply it felt more like someone had bashed her on the head instead of her just taking a normal nap; she needed a moment to collect herself before she could respond.
Taking stock of her present situation she found herself lying on a park bench with her head laying in Kaguya's lap and Miku's jacket draped over the top of her like a blanket.
The sun was positioned high in the sky signaling it was probably around lunch time; this meant she couldn't have been out for too, too long although at the moment it was impossible to recall when she had passed out or even what she had been doing.
'Just like that time….'
In her head the memory of awakening on the back of Yoshinon during a warm September night jostled her, it wasn't a good memory at all and was quickly forced it away in the face of more pressing matters.
"Uh...What happened?" she moaned
"Ummm..." Kaguya's eyes shifted around nervously before she asked a question that would sound insane to anyone just passing by "Yoshino am I….dressed as a maid to you?"
'...not again' thought Yoshino in frustration once she put two and two together
In a moment of disgust with herself she didn't even answer the question but instead asked about something more important.
"Did anyone get hurt? Please tell me no one got hurt!" Yoshino begged.
She had to know first and foremost just what type of damage she caused this time, after seeing what had almost been done to Miku yesterday she needed to know if her friend was safe and the fact that Miku wasn't the one to greet her when she awoke frightened her.
"You may have attempted to strike Miku down with a furious vengeance" Kaguya admitted while rubbing the back of her head; a gesture that always indicated a character was speaking about something they didn't want to in all of Yoshino's dramas
"She's ok right?!" Yoshino asked in a slight panic and sincerely hoping they hadn't wrapped her in Miku's jacket because the busty idol was too dead to need it anymore.
Kaguya dismissed her concern with a wave and a gentle assurance "Be at ease my young kinsman; she was never hurt by you frozen hell barrage. Me and my sister were fine as well"
The way she reported a near life or death experience so casually highlighted just how used to such danger Kaguya and her sister was, this honestly inspired more than a few feelings of envy and admiration from Yoshino who dearly wished she could brush things off so well.
"Yuzuru was there too?"
"Yeah, we both joined the chase after you fled the marketplace of golden robes run by those highwaymen who demanded such outrageous prices"
"What were you two doing there? I thought only Miku and me were in that store""
"We came to gather intel on what Miku was doing with you since our travels brought us to this bazaar as well. Me and My sister wanted to make sure she wasn't doing vile things to you behind everyone's back"
After saying that Kaguya could not help but think 'If only this was as simple as Miku doing unclean things to you….'
Kaguya knew she and her sister had stepped in something big when they snuck into that store and was fully aware this wasn't going to be an easy fix unlike the simple procedure of swatting Miku on the head till she stopped acting so perverted around Yoshino would have been.
Fearing that the twins weren't alone Yoshino asked "Where you out shopping with everyone? Did anyone else see what happened? Did...did Shido see what happened?"
Considering how often Tohka cleaned out Shido's refrigerator he often made trips to the store with the girls, if Kaguya and Yuzuru had been with him and run into Yoshino when she was out of her mind like that the odds were good they weren't the only ones around to see it.
"No it was just me, Yuzuru, and Miku who bore witness to your addled state. Everyone else is still back at Shido's house battling for his affections" Kaguya explained knowing the term "battle" was highly appropriate considering these last few weeks at the Itstiku household
"That's good I suppose" Yoshino said feeling slightly relieved that at least only the twins had been around to see her "condition" act up.
There was a pregnant silence between the two as Yoshino didn't want to talk any more about what had happened and Kaguya wasn't sure how to go about continuing the discussion.
This didn't last too long as a new revelation restarted their conversation when Yoshino finally decided to get up and lift the jacket off of herself in order to let Yoshinon come up for air. He never liked getting covered and got mad at her whenever Yoshino left the little puppet hidden away for too long.
"Huh?" asked Yoshino who for the first time noticed she had a hard time moving her body when she attempted to get up from Kaguya's lap
"Oh sorry about that! I meant to take those off when I was sure you weren't still in an altered frame of mind!"
Kaguya's apology was followed by her lifting up Miku's jacket to reveal Yoshino's torso had been bound together with rope pinning her arms to her body and locking Yoshinon away beneath the thick coils.
It turned out the jacket hadn't been to keep Yoshino warm at all, it was there to keep any passerbys from seeing a worried looking Kaguya keeping watch over a restrained young girl. With the jacket on Kaguya looked like a older girl keeping watch over a sleeping little sister; without it Kaguya looked like she was watching over an unconscious kidnapping victim.
The Yamai sister sat Yoshino up and appeared ready to unbind her before she thought of something and asked "You are completely back with us right? No maid outfits or astral dresses?"
Yoshino told her no and even described in detail what she was currently wearing as proof she wasn't seeing things anymore.
Satisfied with the answer Kaguya replied "Ok I shall free you from these chains then!" feeling happy to know Yoshino's vision truly had returned to her
She bent down and began to untie the complex knots only to find find it much harder than she first believed it would be.
'What sort of sealing spell did you cast on these my sister?!' Kaguya wondered when she noticed she didn't recognize the pattern of knot Yuzuru had used at all.
The bustier Yamai had insisted on tying the knots on the bindings herself since she claimed master Origami recently taught her how to properly restrain someone in the case they ever needed to take POWs. Needless to say such a thing was unlikely considering who they worked for but to a former soldier like Origami it didn't hurt to pass on her skills to comrades when asked.
'I suspect sister may have had a slightly different motive for wanting to learn such techniques' thought Kaguya who had located Yuzuru's stash of "dark Icons" while sneaking through her room a few months back which included pictures of bound women, high quality ropes, a book called Shibari for beginners, and an actual straightjacket procured by some unknown means.
"Sorry Yoshino but this shall take a moment" Kaguya sounded uncertain and gave the unyielding ropes a few experimental tugs as she apologized.
Fazed but not deterred she went to work anyway on the binds but didn't get too far before Yoshino asked a difficult question.
"Why did you tie me up anyway?" Yoshino asked triggering a sudden pause in Kaguya's movements that gave a very clear answer
"Um…." was all Kaguya managed to say with her eyes shifting back and forth and her brain going into overdrive.
Seeing the hesitation to answer Yoshino knew that even if no one had died or been hurt it must not have been a pretty sight to sit through.
"I was really that bad this time?" Yoshino asked in both disbelief and shame
Kaguya did her best to somehow put her at ease while simultaneously uttering curses under her breath at the ropes she continued to work on.
"We just needed to keep you safe that's all. Considering (Blasted retaining wards!) we were out in public we judged it would be better to bind you until we knew your state of mind, lest more frozen havoc be unleashed unto these lands. It was little more than a miracle no one noticed you turn those alleyways back there into the frozen homeland of the nords with your rebellious powers!"
"I understand I guess…." agreed Yoshino who could find no fault in her logic "Miku said I was really bad yesterday too. I wouldn't want anyone to get hurt because of me"
'Because of me….'
In her mind she repeated those words while a pair of hostile blue eyes glared down upon someone in her memory
"I want you to die" they seemed to say
With a quick shake of her head Yoshino purged the memory before it could take root again, that was an issue for later.
"Ah yes, She told us as much earlier during your slumber" replied Kaguya whose hands kept slipping upon the rope "(Grrr! I'll tear your life fibers apart!)"
"H-How much did she tell you two?"
"Everything from your secret communication to the pact you two made in her temple of skin(Darn it! Darn it! Darn it!)"
After finding a quiet place to hide in the abandoned park (Everyone seemed to have fled the area after the vigilante scare) Miku had sat the twins down and told them everything she could while cradling Yoshino in her arms.
It had been a rough story to tell and Miku knew Yoshino wouldn't like her secrets being shared but she had promised the twins their answers back in that alleyway so she had no choice but to follow through on that vow.
'So they know….I didn't want them to know' lamented Yoshino who took on a look of sickness once she heard the news
"Are you mad at her for pulling back the veil of secrets?" Kaguya asked when she saw Yoshino turn a little green
Fearing that Kaguya might think she was mad at either Miku or the twins Yoshino softened her look "No I'm-I'm sure she had a good reason. I can't get mad at her for doing the right thing or else that would mean I'd be doing the wrong thing"
"Well that's good! (Ow! My finger! Errrr!) Ummm...Sorry this is taking so long! These coils are truly a worthy foe!"
"Where did you get this rope anyway? Do you three find it somewhere?" asked Yoshino who knew a giant bundle of rope wasn't the type of thing someone just happened to have on them in this day and age.
"Not quite, for some reason Miku kept it in her bag of holding...That scares me a little to be honest" Kaguya replied feeling very unsettled by the fact Miku had kidnapper-levels of rope on her for whatever reason that day.
In her mind she could only imagine why the Idol would need something like that in the first place.
"I have you now!" teased Miku playfully as Kaguya, Yuzuru, and Yoshino's bodies hit the ground; each wrapped in perverted bondage knots around their breasts (well Yuzuru's anyway) and in between their legs
"Hhhmmmm!" they all cried against their gagged mouths while struggling, including a blushing Yuzuru who appeared oddly pleased at this situation
"Now then…" Miku licked her lips while staring down at them like a hungry predator "...Who wants to know the touch of a woman first?
Selecting her first victim she leaned down and stared into Kaguya's eye before pulling her crotch rope tight to elicit a muffled squeal and flushed cheeks.
"I think I want to try riding the the storm , doesn't that sound lovely Kaguya-san?"
"MMMMHHHH!"
"Now then, try not to scream too much!"
Miku descended upon her; ripping off Kaguya's shorts before….
'What in the most unholy hells is my mind coming up with?!' Kaguya recoiled as she snapped out of her daydream 'Ugh! Kotori has to lift that date ban with Shido soon! Going so long without any passion between us is scrambling my brain!'
Just when she wanted to never think about the idol again Yoshino asked a question that made that rather impossible.
"Where is Miku now?" she asked while glancing around
Coming out of her daze with a pair of slightly rosey cheeks Kaguya answered "Ah, you see, I was left as your sacred keeper until she and Yuzuru could return with the sage's robes acquired in the marketplace. The loot gained from your raid was abandoned when you fled in madness before; when Miku mentioned to my sister you had no clothes at her palace Yuzuru had the foresight to insist they return to retrieve them. The last thing she wanted was for you to have to spend the remainder of your stay there dressed as a cat spirit"
"Um...Cat spirit?" Yoshino asked; daydreaming about what that might look like
"Go go! Kitty Kitty Barrage!" yelled Yoshino in triumph as she flew on top of a giant cat-eared Yoshinon and threw handfuls of live felines from out of bag at attacking AST girls instead of her usual ice blasts.
While Yoshino thought about that ridiculous scene Kaguya had managed to finally get the rope harness untied at the small cost of a few burns across her palms "And at last...victory!" she cheered as she tossed the battered rope away from the now freed Yoshino
Once she was up Kaguya handed the ice spirit a small mirror the yamai kept on her person in order to spy around corners or decode any hidden messages written backwards (The two sister may have watched a few too many espionage movies as of late) so she could see for herself what had been meant by the term "cat spirit"
Inside the mirror's reflection Yoshino saw she was still wearing the Nekomi gear Miku had stuffed her into back in the store; upon further reflection (When she didn't have another girl's head under her dress) Yoshino actually quite liked how it looked "This is...k-kind of cute" she admitted touching one of the ears
"If only her method of dressing was slightly more consensual" lamented Kaguya who could still picture Miku's actions
"S-She can be a l-l-little rough I suppose" replied Yoshino; thinking of the same thing
"Attempting to shove her face under your dress is a bit more than rough! Me and my sister charged her blades drawn because we thought she meant to do unclean things in that store!"
"I think I heard you two yelling before I...went away"
"You think that may have been what set you off?" Kaguya asked with a slight touch of guilt
"I really don't know what exactly causes it to happen. It can be a word, it can be a sound, pretty much anything can cause it to happen to me…"
"(Sigh) At least you're ok now, that's all that matters" assured Kaguya before thinking 'At least for now but if Miku's plan doesn't work this is going to be a major problem for us'
How on earth could she storm onto the battlefield with Yuzuru if the two of them couldn't shout out mighty battle cries without risking Yoshino's sanity?! What was the point of engaging in epic combat on the open battlefield if you couldn't taunt your opponent like a true champion?!
"I strike with the wrath of the righteous!"
"Show me what counts for fury among your misbegotten kind!"
"Comrades! Follow me to glory!"
"Ha Ha! More enemies to fight! More chances to prove my skill!
She wouldn't be able to say any of these! She really wanted to use that fury line too!
'That's something to be considered later I suppose, for now I must attend to my charge' Kaguya decided to put such worries aside for the moment in order to properly care for Yoshino who was still looking a bit down after the last question.
In an effort to cheer her up Kaguya flashed Yoshino a big smile, Yuzuru often called her sister's smirk contagiously cute and about now she was hoping that was true. Just in case her grin failed to spread to Yoshino Kaguya gave the girl a few quick pats on the head, from what she had gathered and personally experienced the simple gesture of being pat on the head a few times could do wonders for a spirit's mood.
While she wasn't dancing with joy yet Yoshino did seem to lighten up a bit when Kaguya's hand brushed through her soft blue hair. She blushed slightly and a small smile formed on her lips so Kaguya knew she was on the right path. To top things off and really get Yoshino feeling good again the energetic twin pulled out something from her hoodie pocket Yoshino hadn't realized she was missing after the two had been sidetracked talking.
Like a parent presenting a child with a surprise present she teased"Oh it looks like Yoshino is smiling again! There's someone else who'd be happy to see Yoshino smile too you know…."
From out of Kaguya's hoodie pocket came a very familiar rabbit puppet with an eyepatch and button eye.
The look on Yoshino's face as she stared at the puppet in Kaguya's hands was priceless. It was the look Kaguya had seen on the faces of her (less reputable) classmates the morning a test they had forgotten to study for was shoved in their faces, it was the look of someone who had just realized they had forgotten something very important.
When the shock wore off Yoshino charged forward, shouted "Yoshinon!" and picked up the toy
Once in her hands she returned the puppet to it's rightful place where it came back to life as it always did.
"Brainsss….Um, I mean….Carrots…. I need Carrottsss…." the puppet moaned while imitating a zombie rising from the grave
"Yoshinon! You're ok too!" Yoshino cheered "Where did you go?!"
In response Kaguya whipped out a rag that had the leftover remains of dirt and mud on it "Your sacred idol got desecrated during the time of madness so we enacted the proper purification rites. It gave me something to do while you sleep"
"Hmmm…. not bad, a few grimy parts here and there still…. it's better than a trip through the washing machine I suppose…." the puppet inspected the cleaning job she had done and found it was at least "satisfactory" if not ideal
Yoshino ignored the critique and happily hugged Yoshinon to her chest while uttering confessions of joy at their return.
"I'm so glad you're ok! I'd never forgive myself if I hurt you while I was like that!" Yoshino began performing a joyful twirl that looked like she was dancing with her hero pressed to her chest in an absolutely adorable sight that evoked images of an ecstatic child receiving a new toy on Christmas morning.
While looking on even Kaguya couldn't help but think 'Aww! She's so cute like this!' but kept such emotions to herself out of fear of appearing too girly in public….even if no one was around.
"You'd never forgive yourself if you hurt anyone like that" Yoshinon pointed out while Yoshino continued to dance around and even took him off to toss him in the air a few times
"I know but I'm just so glad you're ok! I love Yoshinon so much!"
Once they were back on Yoshino's hand the puppet suddenly changed his tone "Eh, never mind me! I'm just happy you don't think Kaguya is trying to hold you down and force your ears open so Miku can brainwash you anymore! This hallucination business is scary stuff!"
"You really thought I was going to capture you like a pokemon for Miku?" Kaguya asked
Miku had explained Yoshino probably thought she and her sister were brainwashed again but it still felt odd to have it confirmed, she guessed a part of her was really just hoping something else had been wrong here.
"Yup! Yoshino was convinced the two of you were dressed as Miku's maid minions again and kept vowing to bring your "favorite big sister" the new toy she wanted!"
"I gathered as much from your fearful ravings but I must admit it's hard to hear you suffered such visions"
Yoshino turned to Kaguya and dropped into an apologetic bow "I'm sorry for thinking stuff like that about you and for putting you through whatever happened back there!"
This was met with a gentle dismissal from Kaguya who didn't want to put the poor girl through any guilt after what she had gone through today already.
With a dismissive wave she replied "Don't think like that, you saw an enemy and reacted as you should. I'm just glad you're safe"
"But-but what if I hurt you? I could have-"
Stopping her before she could continue further and possibly upset herself more Kaguya explained "I could never hold it against you no matter what you did, you know that Yoshino" giving her a few more pats to the head she added "It's just like with Miku's actual brainwashing or Tohka's inversion; we couldn't help ourselves so we can't be to blame for our actions"
Something painful shot through Yoshino's mind again.
A pair of angry blue eyes glaring down at her "I hate you! Die!"
'No, no, no! I don't want to think about that anymore!' resisted Yoshino
She knew what thinking about that memory brought out in her and did what she could to force it out.
Thankfully for Yoshino when Kaguya saw her rub her forehead she only thought the blue haired spirit was suffering from a small headache, she never realized something much more painful was tormenting her.
While Yoshino was busy dealing with her thoughts Yoshinon saw an opening "If only Yoshino would finally figure out what Kaguya-san is saying is right..."
Kaguya tilted her head in confusion "Pardon?"
Snapping out of her thoughts Yoshino's hand flew to the puppet's mouth before anything else could be said "It's nothing!"
The Yamai sister wanted to investigate further, finding the sudden defensiveness odd, but before more questions could be asked a cheerful yell came singing through the air "Yoshino-san!"
Like a radar operator Yoshinon called out "I am detecting four round, soft, large objects approaching from sector 2! Prepare for contact with busty girls! Miku class and Yuzuru class!"
Glancing over the two girls and puppet could see the happy shout came from Miku who charged over towards them ladened with shopping bags, accompanied by the more sober Yamai sister carrying the rest behind her.
"I see our wagon train has returned with the trade goods" said Kaguya who then gave the two a wave "Oi! Miku! Yuzuru!"
Miku paid the thinner Yamai little attention as she ran past her, dropped the shopping bags, and basically tackled Yoshino before locking her in a tight bearhug. What would have normally been a friendly gesture was made much more awkward thanks to the height difference between the two girls which resulted in Miku crushing Yoshino's face against her ample bosom.
"Huh? Oh! Oaffff!"
"Oh Yoshino-san! I'm so glad you're awake!"
"Mpphhh! Mppphh!" The ice spirit never had a chance to resist as her vision filled with silken skin and cleavage before fading to black, her cries for help muffled as the two pillowy breasts smothered her.
"I was so worried about you! I didn't want to leave you for even a second but Yuzuru said we couldn't just leave all these clothes behind!"
"Weekwo! Wet Wo!" (Miku let go!)
"We had to sneak by all these crowds and it took so long to get back to the store! But I never stopped thinking about you the whole time!"
"Woo wig!" (Too Big!)
"It was horrible! I was separated from you for so long because that terrible man behind the counter insisted on seeing receipts for everything before he would let us leave with the bags!"
"Wair!" (Air!)
Yoshino began to flail around as she struggled to remove herself from Miku's prodigious bust, in a way it felt oddly comforting inside the two large objects but that didn't make the suffocation any less dangerous.
"Then we had to go through the whole district with police and seedy looking men with cameras everywhere since there's some dangerous psychopath running around out there!"
Miku was completely unaware that by this point Yoshino's head was going blank due to a lack of oxygen but thankfully she received some help from Kaguya and Yuzuru help before she could faint again.
"Marshmallow hell. Miku you are smothering her!"
"Yoshino is trapped in the valley of fascination!"
As if she were a child who had just been told they were playing with the family pet too roughly Miku innocently uttered "Huh?"before she looked down just in time to see Yoshino's body go limp in her arms.
With a terrified squeak the idol unlocked her arms and allowed Yoshino to fall from her boobs.
From the way she was blushing and moaning between breaths it was clear the little spirit was caught between some conflicting emotions about the whole ordeal as she fell to her knees.
"So big….so squishy…." Yoshino moaned while Miku was forced to hold her up
"Um, You two still on this mortal plane?" Kaguya asked
A swaying and discombobulated Yoshinon looked at Kaguya and her sister as if he just noticed they were there "Oh Hi! Ram! Rom! You came here to hug Lady Vert today too!?"
Rife with guilt Miku hugged Yoshino to her chest (more carefully this time) and apologized "I'm so sorry!"
"It's(Pant) (Pant) (Pant) ok..." Yoshino assured her as strength finally came back to her legs
"There are many ways Yoshino thinks she could die one day, arguably this was the best way outside of drowning in a giant pool of chocolate"
"I suppose such a fate is not an unpleasant way to perish…" Kaguya commented
"..."
"...What?" she asked when she noticed her sister giving her weird looks
"Denial. Nothing of note" Yuzuru replied with yet more strange stares
"Are you ok dear?" Miku asked
"I'm ok... (Heavy breathing)"
"Minus the fact she just realized how tiny her breasts are!"
With no energy left to even feel embarrassed Yoshino took a seat back down on the bench to try and recover. Fearing for her health Kaguya and Yuzuru moved the bags to the side for safekeeping before sitting down next to their breathless friend.
When Miku asked again if she was ok Yoshino told her she was a little thirsty (Miku's jacket had gotten into her mouth drying it out).
"There's a vending machine over there. What would you like Yoshino-san?"
"Anything other than Milk!" shouted Yoshinon forcing Yoshino to muzzle him again
"J-Just a soda p-please"
When asked the same question the twins responded with their orders and a minute later Miku came back with her arms full of bottles and cans which she disrupted between the four of them.
"Ok a cola for Yoshino-san, One coffee black for Kaguya-san, One coffee blended for Yuzuru-san, and one tea for me!" Miku handed the last girl their beverage and plopped herself down next to Yuzuru
The girls thanked her and took a moment to enjoy their drinks. After warning Kaguya to go easy with her coffee intake Yuzuru and her sister started talking amongst themselves; naturally this lead to yet another tale from the twin's long library of crazy contest stories being told to the group.
Today's feature was a cautionary tale about why drinking twenty cans of strong coffee in one sitting was a terrible idea for a competition.
"Turns out the black potion of vitality is much like Spirit drain cleaner" Kaguya gestured to her drink
"Clarify. At least when it's ingested at the rate of two cans a minute for five minutes straight" added Yuzuru recalling the bladder mangling effects the drinks had on the two spirits "Eyewitness reports claimed we leveled several trees and sent debris flying as we made great haste towards the nearest lavatory"
"Neither of us could sleep for three days after that" Kaguya admitted "We were both left shaking like a phone someone refused to pick up"
Yuzuru gave a slight shrug "Consolation. At least we got to see who was the superior sister when it came to functioning after 68 hours of no sleep. I was merely left feeling as though I wanted to die while Kaguya was busy screaming at the walls"
"Those wizards next door kept me awake by chanting blood oaths spoken in the stolen words of a thousand dying suns and I was getting annoyed" explained Kaguya in an attempt to defend her actions
"Silent. There was no one in the living unit next to us. You were verbally accosting empty air"
Yoshino, Yoshinon, and Miku listened to the rest of the tale with amusement. There were a few times Yoshino cracked a smile at the silly story but for the most part she silently sat and took large gulps of her beverage.
As soon as the twins stopped talking it didn't take long for Yoshino's sour mood to return, she was frowning and looking off into the distance when she handed her empty can to Yoshinon who tossed it cleanly into a nearby garbage can.
"Two points for the rabbit!" he lifted up his fabric arms and cheered while Miku struck up a conversation with a downtrodden Yoshino
"Do you want another Yoshino-san?"
"I'm ok..."
"Are you sure? You seem really thirsty"
"It's fine..."
"Anything else you need?"
"Um n-no?"
"You sure?"
Miku continued to question Yoshino about her welfare and was joined by Kaguya and Yuzuru who also seemed oddly attentive to her. They asked about everything from any pains she still had, if she ripped her clothes anywhere, if she was hungry, or even if she was warm enough.
"Want to use my jacket again or try on some of the heavier clothes I bought you?" Miku held up the shopping bag containing the adorable green coat she had picked out for her
"It's ok, I feel fine"
"Just tell me if you want snuggle up to me for warmth!" said Miku who pretended to hug an imaginary Yoshino in her arms
Kaguya threw the daydreaming Idol a few cautious glances before offering "If that's a little too creepy for you me and Kaguya can do the same without threatening your sacred virginity or suffocating you while giving you a view of the valley"
"Rebuff. Speak for yourself" Yuzuru teased while hugging and pushing up her own significant bust drawing a jealous scowl from her sister "Addition. Although Yoshino still does not need to worry, I may possess the territory required for oxygen deprivation but I assure her that will not happen"
"That was an accident!" replied Miku who felt insulted by the twins' suggestions that her cleavage was some sort of suffocation hazard!
The anger was short lived though as a unnerving smile crossed Miku's face as she appeared to think of something.
Seeing an opening for some flirting Miku leaned in on Yuzuru and offered "Perhaps Yuzuru-san or Kaguya-san would like to hug Miku-san next? I can prove just how gentle I can be with a pair of beautiful young girls if you say yes"
The irony of that statement about the pairs was not lost on Yuzuru as Miku's breasts pressed down and squished into her own causing the normally cool headed girl to blush at the sensation before recovering just enough to push her off.
"Shiver. Yuzuru-san will deny the offer; although if Kaguya-san's comments are to be believed she may enjoy her face in your bosoms" replied Yuzuru partially mocking Miku's manner of speech and hoping to delect Miku's advances onto another victim before she could notice just how red faced Yuzuru was
"What?!" asked Kaguya who was unaware she had just been thrown under the bus by her sister.
"Statement. You seemed to indicate a fondness for the idea before"
"Oh really?!" asked a drooling Miku
"Careful! Miku's bust size is D: for death!"
Kaguya managed to get Miku to heel by changing the subject back to Yoshino and if she wanted or needed anything which the other two girls quickly picked up on as well.
For the next few minutes they continued to attend to Yoshino who could finally tell what was going on and politely told the three "I'm ok everyone. You all don't have to treat me so nice just to make me feel better" once she realized what they had been up to.
Their initial attempts to lift Yoshino's spirits had the complete opposite effect of making her feel more depressed. This was because now she felt that everyone had to deal with her and her problems which made her into nothing more than a burden for them; the last thing she wanted to be.
Miku's cheerful smile faded "We're just worried about you Yoshino, you gave us all quite the scare before" she softly explained
"Indeed. We merely want to ensure you're ok" added Yuzuru giving the girl a concerned look
"I-I ca-can understand that you're worried but-but I st-st-still don't like it..."
"Can you blame us? That was quite the display of terror and fury before! You were like a hurricane of madness! Mercilessly lashing out at everything your great northern winds could reach!" argued Kaguya
Yoshino bowed her head deeply in shame "So you're worried that if I get upset again I'll start hurting people? You don't have a choice but to make me feel better then?"
The pushback forced Kaguya to rapidly shift her tone "...Ack! Do not take that to mean I suggest you did anything wrong! All the great and benevolent Yamai sisters want is to ensure the keeper of the polar winds is safe! This is love, not duty!"
Yuzuru sighed at her sister's' near disaster and decided to chip in "Statement. We understand that you've been dealing with some issues and we wish to render aid"
"That's right!" said Miku with her eyes sparkling hopefully "I told Kaguya-san and Yuzuru-san about all your problems and they want to help too! More of your friends want to help you Yoshino!"
"Promise. We understand that you don't want Shido or Rataoskr to find out about this development so we promise this operation shall be kept clandestine in accordance with your wishes" assued Yuzuru
Between the two of them Kaguya and Yuzuru had no idea how on earth Rataoskr or Kotori had missed Yoshino's drop in mood (although Kaguya was almost certain it was the work of wizards that came from the moon) but Miku somehow had managed to get them to honor her request for silence for the time being.
It actually seemed far too easy to get them to agree in Miku's mind; she didn't know why but a part of her suspected there were other forces at work behind the twins almost eagerness to keep things hidden. Whether it was their natural affinity for mischief or the two of them were just fantasizing over the idea of completing a top secret stealth mission; in the end it didn't matter. They agreed to keep this secret hidden from everyone else….within reason anyway.
"Please don't keep this from Kotori. I'd feel bad if you two got in trouble to just to help me" Yoshino said viewing herself as not worth the hassle and risk
With a staunch conviction both Kaguya and Yuzuru shot her pleas down.
"Refuse. Yoshino we are fully committed to helping you through this regardless of the possible repercussions"
"Ha! The nobel Yamai sisters do not leave behind their friends! Let the commander torture us with whatever black instruments she chooses! We will not waver here!"
While this was an impressive claim it in all honesty it was more for show than anything else.
Sure Kotori, Shido, and Rataoskr would not be happy if they ever found out the spirits were keeping secrets and lying to them (especially about things of this nature) but the odds of facing severe punishment was slim to none. The girls were all fairly well behaved and so far they never really faced anything more than a stern look and scolding from Shido or Kotori.
When she thought about it Yoshino figured it would actually be dangerous to try and discipline them further due to the risk of their powers coming out whenever they were frustrated.
"Looks like they're involved in this now too, I told you your friends would help you if you asked!"
"I know, and telling everyone was probably the right thing to do but…." Yoshino paused to take a deep breath and shamefully exclaimed "...I didn't want anyone else to know I'm such a crybaby!"
"Statement. Yoshino we could never look down upon you for having such feelings"
"It would bring us Yamais great shame to decry a friend like you!"
"...You don't think I'm selfish or stupid then?"
"..." All three girls stared at Yoshino
"What?!" they all screamed
"Shido went through all the trouble of sealing me, taking care of me, and even loving me and now I'm thinking about throwing that all away because of a few bad dreams and some scary mirages"
"Basically she's worried she doesn't love Shido anymore. Yoshino has been thinking about him less and less since the hallucinations showed up"
'It's probably really hard to focus on love when you nightmares walk the same world as you' thought kaguya
"If I really loved Shido I'd never think the seal was a mistake! I'm a terrible person who doesn't deserve him!" Yoshino argued
"That's nonsense Yoshino-san! You told me earlier you still love darling as much as me! Just because you're scared doesn't mean you don't love him anymore!" shouted Miku who couldn't believe Yoshino could ever imagine such a thing to begin with!
Even if she was technically a rival in love Kaguya couldn't stand to hear the kind Yoshino question herself and rushed to her defense "You are just confused about your feelings after being tormented by that she-devil of illusion from earlier! Do not doubt the strength of your love! Any doubts are just fear clouding your mind like the dark mists of the millennium labyrinth!"
Such reassurances only fell on deaf ears; Yoshino refused to believe she wasn't at fault here.
"Then how can I think it'd be better if I never fell in love with him and just kept running from those mean AST girls for the rest of my life? Living like that scared me so much! How could anyone say living in fear is better than living with someone you love?"
"I think the problem isn't your lack of love Yoshino, its that you have too much love" critiqued Miku who had a different view on things
"T-Too much love?"
Miku clapped her hands together explained "Yes! You have so much love inside you for darling you think suffering through anything in world would be better than losing him! Even never falling in love with him to begin with would be better than having him taken away from you!"
Yuzuru tried her hardest to hide the subtle and knowing glance she gave her sister before saying "Statement. Loss of a loved one is a most unpleasant feeling. Those confronted with the prospect of it would seek any alternative solution to avoid it"
Upon hearing those words Kaguya noticed Yuzuru peeking at her and adopted a most colorful expression. She knew what her sister had meant by that and looked caught between both painful and happy memories.
'Sister you have no idea….' she thought as an embarrassing moment at a bowling alley came to mind; a moment which she prayed no one ever found out about.
Unaware of the sister's interaction Miku continued to press her argument "Yoshino-san do you still want darling to kiss you lots and lots?" she asked drawing a blush from Yoshino
"Huh?! I-I-I m-mean….y-y-y-ess!"
"You wouldn't accept a kiss from a complete stranger correct?"
"N-n-no!"
"Then that means you still love darling! Kisses are shared between those who you love and trust! If you want darling to kiss you still that means he's still the only one who has your heart!"
"A simple logic for a simple woman I suppose" commented Kaguya
"Well kisses are important to love! I love darling and all the spirits and would be more than happy to kiss all of them!" Miku argued
"-At the same time! While naked!"
"Well now that does sound fun..." admitted Miku, her head awash with dirty fantasies
"Big sis Miku! Please lift the curse on my heart with your noble lips!" pleaded a fake Kaguya who laid upon Miku's bed with her sister
The two of them wore half-removed blue and pink princess cosplay outfits and were red-faced with lust as they pined for Miku to lock lips with them.
"Longing. Miku please grant us the mercy of your kiss so we truly feel your everlasting love and be one day free from the agony of virginity" begged a red and flustered Yuzuru who was acting just as unrealistically as her sister
"Oh! Ohhhhh! Kaguya! Yuzuru! There's no need to beg! There's plenty of kisses to go around!" gushed Miku who responded to her flawed fantasy in the real world by mistake
"Dread. I feel unsafe my sister…"
"Indeed…" replied Kaguya who felt the need to bathe suddenly
"Would Yoshino-san like a kiss from Miku-san? I would like to prove I love and trust her very much!"
"Kheaaaa!" squeaked Yoshino flushing crimson at Miku's proposition
"Do it!"
"?!" Yoshino looked towards her hero in utter confusion
"A kiss between girls isn't a big deal Yoshino! Do it!" encouraged a oddly excited Yoshinon
"Y-Yoshinon! You too!?" the puppet's owner asked; becoming alarmed by his tone
"Do it! Do it! Do it! Do it!"
"Listen to your hero and come here!" said Miku reaching out towards Yoshino with her lips puckered only to be stopped by Yuzuru putting her hand on her face and pushing her back down into the bench.
"Access Denied. Miku lacks the proper authorization for any and all kissing activities in regards to Yoshino's lips. Such permission must be granted through the proper decency and conduct departments"
"Oh poo! I just wanted fun!" groaned Miku deflated
"Rest assured Miku, Yoshino cares for you deeply even if you are a walking obscenity"
"Yoshino-san cares deeply for Miku-san? Truly!?" asked a touched Miku who chose to ignore the last part
"I care about everyone Miku. What scares me more than anything is the idea of losing any of you. I love you, Kaguya, Yuzuru, Renie, Shido, Tohka, Natsumi, Kotori, even Origami is precious to me"
This statement struck a chord with Yuzuru who asked "Question. Yoshino truly fears me and my sister coming to harm so deeply?"
The question appeared to light a fire under Yoshino who passionately explained her feelings towards them
"Of course! I was really scared when I saw just how bad Origami hurt you two! It was terrible to see Kaguya try to act strong when I was doing my best to patch her up! Having to bandage everyone when they were hurt and bloody was the worst feeling in the world!..."
'Drat! She saw right through my bluff' thought Kaguya who remembered trying to act smooth while Yoshino and Natsumi were doing their best to nurse everyone back to health with no medical training and only a school first aid kit
"...Yuzuru I was worried about you too when you disappeared that morning Natsumi erased you! In my heart I knew something bad had happened even though Kotori said you had just been sent to a doctor for a few days! I wanted to see you, to make sure you were ok! Whether you were sick or kidnapped didn't matter to me since someone I cared about needed help!"
'Warmth. You can detect the love in her words.' thought a flushed Yuzuru
"Yoshino is still a little scared of someone coming to kidnap her in her sleep again because of that. She doesn't even feel safe in her own bed anymore" added Yoshinon
"Yoshinon you don't have to tell them t-Huh? Whaaa?!" This statement set off the twins who, touched by Yoshino's concern for their safety, both wrapped her in a gentle embrace much to her surprise.
Kaguya struck from below grappling Yoshino in a tight hug around her waist as Yuzuru proceed to wrap her arms around Yoshino's shoulders and nuzzle her head; all the while the twins uttered their affections for her.
"Safety in numbers. If Yoshino requires it she is more than welcome to share beds with Kaguya or Yuzuru"
"It will be no issue at all if Yoshino wishes to slumber with me in my bedchamber!"
"Correct. Feel free to bunk with us if you feel frightened. Yoshino-san is precious to the Yamai sisters so we will do everything we can to comfort and aid you"
"Yoshino-san? The two of you are acting like Miku!" exclaimed Yoshinon
This comment was ignored by the twins who merely chose to continue caressing Yoshino whose cheeks were crimson from both the outpouring of love and the sensation of having Yuzuru's sizable bust squished into her side.
"Yuzuru is correct again! Yoshino is very important to us! She's an adorable member of our close family!"
"Idea. Kaguya and Yuzuru should really spend more time together with Yoshino. Perhaps an excursion to a local media center like the movie theater or arcade is in order?"
"We can always try eating at some of the restaurants located near the market after school."
"Question. Sister does spending more time with Yoshino-san sound pleasant?"
"It sounds like a great idea! Yoshino is so cute and cares about us so much!"said Kaguya as the sisters switched positions with Kaguya taking the top to nuzzle against Yoshino's hair while Yuzuru squeezed her waist.
"Memory. Perhaps we can service her hair like we did with Natsumi?"
"Ah ha! Yuzuru shall unleash her torrent of purification bubbles and my scissor blades shall fall upon any stray hairs that dare not bow to my comb!"
"Amused. I wonder if Yoshino-san shall giggle as much as Kaguya when I accidentally tickle her during the cleaning" asked Yuzuru with a smile
This continued on for some time with the two of them continuing to hold a blushing Yoshino in their grip while suggesting things they could do together.
Miku could only sit back and smile as she watched the twins fawn over Yoshino like she was a third sister.
'Such love! It's beautiful! I'm going to have to write a song about this!'
It was rare to see the twins drop their cool composure and act all lovey dovey like this in public but when they did it was incredibly heartwarming.
"Thanks. I'm lucky to have friends like you" spoke Yoshino
Yuzuru spoke affectionately with a soft smile "Reply. We're lucky to have someone who cares about us as much as you"
"You are our precious friend Yoshino, we care about you too" added Kaguya with a few pats to Yoshino's head
"A-All that stuff sounded r-really fun, right Yoshinon?"
"Yup and god only knows you could the relief after all the pressure you've been under lately!"
"But what if I can't enjoy it because of the bad thoughts?"
Imaginary black rainclouds seemed to pop up over Yoshino bringing a darker air to their conversation as she gently pushed the twins off her.
"At this point you have to try Yoshino, those visions keep showing up because of all the stress you've built up in your head. If you can't make it go away those phantoms will keep trying to hurt you"
"I know and I don't want to see them anymore but I'm just not sure if I can do it. How can I relax with my friends when we could be attacked at any time?"
"If you spend all your time thinking about the next bad thing that could happen you'll miss all the good things that are happening"
"Can't I just…?"
"No, you need to get rid of some of this pain and fear before you finally lose it in a big way! We both know that your mind won't survive anything as bad as the Festival happening again! If all it takes is the sound of Miku and the twins screaming to trigger you imagine what will happen if a new spirit shows up!"
"Um….Maybe I'll be ok?"
The puppet started speaking with clear sarcasm"Oh really? Well the I guess I'll just have to believe you and…." In a flash his tone changed to a frantic scream "...Was that the spacequake alarm I heard just now?!"
Yuzuru began to speak "Silent. I hear no space quak al-"
"AAAAAhhhhhhhh!"Even if the puppet's bluff was obvious it still sent a screaming Yoshino scrambling for shelter as she dove headfirst onto the ground with a painful thud before scampering underneath the park bench.
Miku and the Yamais were startled when they saw her disappear beneath them and were quick to check on her. Peering beneath the wooden seat they could see their little friend cowering in the darkness, whimpering pleas to be left alone with hand on top of her head for protection.
"...No…...I don't want this…...Please just don't hurt me….."
'Despair. Yet another heartbreaking scene' thought a grimm Yuzuru
Likewise Miku and Kaguya thought it was painful to see Yoshino like this after such a crude deception. The fact that it took so little to make her react like this spoke volumes about what would actually happen should Yoshino be confronted by another enemy.
'She won't survive contact with another foe. Me and my sister can't allow anyone to threaten her until her heart has been mended' vowed Kaguya who gazed upon Yoshino's trembling form with a clenched fist.
It didn't matter if it was DEM or an inverse Nightmare; if it tried to hurt Yoshino it died.
Miku's thoughts were a little less violent in nature but still carried with them an intense feeling of conviction 'I'll help you fix yourself Yoshino no matter what I have to do….' she promised herself
As nice as that sentiment was she first had to get Yoshino out from underneath the bench before the terrified girl worked herself into another stress induced hallucination.
"Calm down Yoshino-san. It's ok. There's no alarm" she explained softly, as though she was a mother comforting a child frightened by thunder.
Miku's voice always had a strange power to it ,angel or not, and this resonated with Yoshino who seemed to calm down enough to actually notice there was no warning siren blaring in the background
"Huh….she's right?….Oh Yoshinon! You tricked me!"
"I had to prove my point somehow" excused the puppet personality almost casually
Being created by Yoshino to push her into being the brave and confident person she wanted to be Yoshinon knew how to show her the tough love that was needed to force her into doing the right thing. Tricking her may have seemed cruel to outsiders but in the end it was all for the sake of Yoshino's well being which was all Yoshinon cared about, even if Yoshino didn't appreciate their methods.
"I got tricked ….all it took was Yoshinon…..lying to me….I'm pathetic…."
In the darkness below Yoshino's eyes began to fill with tears as she realized just how much of a coward she had become "This is what I am now….A baby…..A baby just crying because she's scared!….I'll just stay under here and cry! It's all I'm good for!"
"Don't talk about yourself in such a manner!" cided Miku who couldn't approve of Yoshino making such remarks about herself
"It's true! I'm worthless! I've become weak crybaby who can't do anything to help Shido!" Yoshino's tone went from bad to worse "Help?... I'll probably just get in his way again!" she said with contempt
Something was giving Miku a bad feeling again, it was the same feeling she got right before that rampage in the spa yesterday "Yoshino-san what are you talking about? You can't say such untrue things! You've alway been a big help to darling!"
"No I haven't! I saw the video! I know I've been a burden to him before and I will be again!"
"A Video?" asked Miku
"Question. A recording? Of what?" Yuzuru mirrored
Caught up in her own self loathing and regrets Yoshino failed to realize she had just let something slip, something she evidently didn't want to talk about if her reaction was any clue.
"Eh! I….Just pretend I didn't say anything ok?" she asked in a poor attempt to back pedal once she realized what had been said
It was too late for that though as Yuzuru asked "Confusion. Just what were you referring to?"
"Nothing! I was referring to nothing!"
' A Secret. She's become defensive, that statement had value to it' Yuzuru realized
Before Yoshino could retreat any further Yoshinon stepped in and began to explain what she had meant about a video.
"She's referring to...how to say this?...Hmmm…. She's talking about a "Catalyst" of sorts"
"Like the philosopher's stone or the horn of a unicorn?" asked Kaguya who was actually a little surprised by Yoshinon's choice of such a big word
"Kinda. It was a video that we really, really, really should not have watched. It's what…" Yoshinon looked towards Yoshino who gazed at him with pleading eyes before turning back "It's what started this whole mess to begin with"
"A video started Yoshino's descent into madness?" Kaguya asked while wondering just how how a simple video could lead to Yoshino being reduced to a paranoid and hallucinating mess "What in the seven hells kind of video was it?! Did you rent that cursed one with the ring and the girl from the well?!"
Both of Yoshinon's ears dropped low "It was something much worse…."
This sudden change in the puppet's mood unnerved Miku but she pressed the issue regardless, something more had happened to Yoshino than what she had let on and whatever this video was had something to do with it. As the one tasked with helping her Miku needed to know what it was Yoshino had seen that could kickstart all her fears and nightmares.
"What did Yoshino and you see in this video Yoshinon? Where did you see it? Did someone show you it?" asked Miku rattling off a few of the dozens of questions that now buzzed in her brain
"Don't tell her!" Yoshino begged in a desperate whisper "Yoshinon please don't tell her! Miku can never find out!"
A horrible chill reached all the way to Miku's bones, Yoshino had just signaled her out when Kaguya and Yuzuru were standing there as well
This was not a good sign….
With his ears still held low and ignoring Yoshino's pleas for silence Yoshinon turned to Miku and said something that nearly made her heart stop cold
"Miku the video….it involved you…."
Author Note: The next chapter is going to hopefully be much shorter but it still may take a while. Please review if you like the story, it makes working on it so much more worth it.