TMMoCF Chapter 13: Beach Finale!

"Wow, Chihiro! That color totally suits you! Why don't you wear nail polish more often?"

I sigh. After today's catastrophe, Hina made good on her remark of having a "girl's day." Both her and Sakura have been my companions for the day, doing whatever it was that came to mind. After a pretty long gaming session at the arcade, Hina insisted we picked up a few boxes of donuts and a heap of nail polish for a "classic end" to a girl's day out.

I frown and look down at my nails; dark green, to match my usual outfit. "Hina, it's not exactly my thing…"

"It's not exactly my thing either!" She laughs, eyeing her own yellow polish. "But! We're on vacation; you gotta switch it up when you're abroad!"

"Hina." Sakura comments. "You're going to smear it if you keep waving your hands around like that."

"Oh boo on you, worrywart!" She moves her hand to wave her off, but her nail catches on the table as she does. "...oh crap! See, this is why I don't do this stuff!"

I can't help but laugh as she begins fixing the damage. "You're the one who suggested this!"

"Yeah, well…" She puffs out her cheeks in a pout. "Sakura and I are way too active for polish to stay on right… So at least we have a viable excuse! You just don't wanna do it, lazy butt."

"Like I said, it really just isn't… me." Sakura raises a brow at my comment, but Hina just ignores it. Instead, she points her freshly painted nail right at me.

"I call BS! You're too cute to not try and be… well, cute! But…" She deflates slightly, plopping her chin down on the table. "Really, you don't seem to have any troubles pulling guys from what I can tell. I'm totally jealous that you don't need to try!"

"Er, what?" I ask.

"Oh come on." She says, exasperated. "You must have noticed by now! You have hot guys practically drooling on you, like, all the time!"

I feel a knot forming in my stomach. "Ibuki had mentioned something like that yesterday…"

"Indeed, it does seem like you have some admirers." Sakura comments, sipping at her drink. "Mondo seems to act even more foolish than usual whenever you're present, and I'd noticed Taka's interest in you grow these past few days… I assume that's probably a contributing factor to today's fiasco."

I shake my head. "No… they really just don't like each other. If last night was any example…"

"Last night?" She questions. I take a moment to explain the prank-gone-wrong to the both of them.

"O-Oh! I see!" Hina blurts right after I finish, laughing nervously. "Wow, that was a thing? I had no idea at all… haha…"

Both Sakura and I just stare at her for a moment before deciding it was better to ignore her. After a moment, Sakura simply nods.

"Well, what you're saying does make sense… but what about the rest of the time? When you're hanging out alone?"

I frown. "What about when we're alone? I mean, Mondo has always looked out for me ever since the whole Junko thing started, and Taka… well, I guess we bonded over Frederick?" We're certainly friends, but…

I sigh. "There's no way."

Hina lets out an exasperated groan. "Denial is a river in Egypt Chihiro! What about that guy you brought along with us? Gundham or whatever? You two seem pretty chummy!"

"Well… we are friends. But I really don't think he treats me any differently than anyone else." I shake my head at this line of questioning. "Was there a point to this?"

"It's just talk!" Hina pouts. "Can you blame a gal? I don't have any arm candy, not like you and Sakura! Its crap I tell ya, total crap!"

"Okay, one, I don't have any… a-arm candy." I say, using air quotes for emphasis. "Two, there's no way you don't have anyone who looks at you! You're so pretty Hina!"

She blushes a little. "I mean… I'm happy to be called that and all, but it'd mean a lot more if you were a guy ,Chihiro!"

I try hard not to flinch. If that isn't the universe taking a stab at me, I don't know what is. "Well… is there anyone in our class who interests you?"

She crosses her eyes a little in thought. "Well… you totally have Taka and Mondo on lock, so not them."

"H-Hina!" I squeal.

"Oh come on, how could I not say it? You're too cute when you get flustered!" She lets out a breath. "Well… Hifumi is just… not interested in anything human, Byakuya isn't human, Leon has the biggest crush on Sayaka… Makoto is super sweet though!" She nods to herself. "If it had to be anyone in our class, it'd probably be him."

"What about Hiro?" Sakura asks, having gotten lost in thought for a while.

"Ew, Hiro!?" Hina blurts. Her face flushes a deep red. "No, no way! For one, he's old! So much older than us!"

"True…" I mumble. "He's twenty, right? Most of us are seventeen or eighteen… I think?"

"He isn't that much older than us." Sakura points out. "Plus, average couples can have up to ten years separating their ages. It's not exactly a viable excuse."

"Ugh, still though!" Hina's arms fly up, clearly expressing her distress. "It's Hiro! He's so… so..!"

"Okay, okay!" I say, trying to calm her down. "N-No need to get worked up! No Hiro, we get it!"

Sakura, however, doesn't share my thoughts. I see the faintest of smirks as she takes another sip of her drink. "Hina, denial is a river in Egypt."

"Don't steal my line, you jerk!" She angrily stuffs a donut in her mouth. "Awright, subfect shange!"

"Swallow before you start speaking." Sakura chides.

She rolls her eyes, but complies. "Okay! So! As you both may know, Halloween is coming next month! We only have like…" Hina shoves another donut in her mouth, pausing for a bit of math. "Fifty days to come up with a good costume!"

"I-Isn't that plenty of time…?" I ask, not understanding her train of thought.

"Not for what I have in mind, no!" She leans in close. "So listen! An upperclassmen told me that starting from Halloween night, the school holds a week-long festival-y event! And guess what?" She pauses for what I assume is dramatic effect. "They hold a huge dance at the beginning and end of it!"

"Alright, so…?" Her point is completely lost on me. What does this have to do with costumes?

"The point Hina is trying to make," Sakura cuts in. "Is that during that first dance, the school hosts a costume contest for everyone to participate in."

"Oh…" I say. "Isn't that sort of… small? I mean, there are only three sets of Ultimate classes in the school…"

"That's the awesome part!" Hina chirps. "When Sakura said everyone can participate, she meant everyone! The reserve students, the teachers… heck, even the headmaster joins in! Not to mention that people are let in from the public to come look at our stuff! It's awesome!"

"So… it's a school festival." I bite my lip a little at the thought of it. "I-I'd say it'd be the same at any other school, but I doubt that it'd be that simple for us…"

"Who cares?!" Hina yells. "I mean, yeah, we'll prolly have to do stuff… but there's a costume contest! That's already so much fun on its own! Which is why…" She stands up and points towards the ceiling, striking a pose. "I've decided on a group costume!"

"W-What?" I gape. "Wait, when did I become a part of this!?"

"Since just now, silly!" Hina says. "I've had such a hard time coming up with an idea, you know? But you're smart! You shouldn't have any problems picking out a theme!"

I hurriedly look over to Sakura. "Y-You're okay with all this…?"

She simply shrugs. "It's not exactly something I enjoy doing, but I could see it being fun in a group. Aside from that…" She glances over to Hina, whose mid-rant about her failed costume ideas. "She seemed excited about it. What kind of friend would I be if I shut her down over a little insecurity?"

I smile. "Ah… I guess you're right."

"…and that's why my "peas in a pod" idea was a flop!" Hina lets out a huff of irritation when she notices Sakura and I talking. "Hey! Did you even hear a word of what I was saying?"

"Oh, uhm…" I look off to the side. "Y-Yeah! Your scrapped ideas, right? I, er… could try to think of something other than those?"

Hina stares me down for a moment before accepting my answer. She smiles and nods. "Great! How about we meet back up in a week after we get back from this trip? Sakura and I will try to come up with stuff too!"

"Sure thing." I laugh. "I'm looking forward to it!"

With that, Hina immediately jumps to another topic, talking animatedly about the donuts we'd bought. Watching her and Sakura interact gives me such a warm feeling.

"Its… nice." I can't help the smile that works it's way onto my face as Hina accidentally spits soda all over her shirt. "Being able to breathe easy like this with other people… I'd never have imagined it."

"Bye Chihiro!" Hina yells from her place on the floor. "Don't be a stranger, 'kay?"

I wave back at her as I close the door behind me. It's late; far later than I'd planned to stay out for. Rubbing my eyes, I pull out my phone. It's almost ten.

I take the few short steps needed back to my room down the hall. Even though Frederick is potty trained, I should still make sure he has food and water.

"Frederick!" I say as I open the door. He lazily lifts his head and stares at me from where he's curled up on Mukuro's bed. "What are you doing up there? Get down!"

He yawns and stands, shaking the sleep off as he trots over to give me his standard greeting kisses.

I sigh. "I bet you're not exactly tired after sleeping all day, huh?" I ask, not expecting a response. "…then again, I'm not exactly ready to sleep yet either. This vacation has my sleep schedule all messed up."

I glance over to his food and water dish. There's still a bit in each, but it's obvious that he'd eaten what I left for him earlier.

"Not hungry then…" I mumble. I go to sit down on my bed and flop on to it, Frederick following soon after. In the silence of the massive room, it occurs to me that Mukuro would probably be spending the night with her sister again.

"…It's strange." I muse, staring up at the ceiling. "I used to be comfortable with this kind of quiet. It's not so bad with Frederick here, but… it's still a little lonely."

"No…" I lay an arm across my eyes. "I was never comfortable with it. I was just used to it…"

Dad would always be out doing one thing or another. He was home a lot, don't get me wrong, but his work often called him out for several days at a time. Before Chiaki or even Alter Ego were a thing, I would just sit in the quiet and do my work. The days just blurred together.

"Hardly the case now though." I sit up and flop over onto Frederick, startling him a little as I drape myself over his massive frame. "I usually don't have the time to think about those things these days."

"Hey, Frederick." I start. "Wanna go for a walk? I'm kinda-" Before I can even finish my sentence, he almost takes me off the bed with him as he dashes for the patio.

I laugh. Asked and answered.

Even though it's late, the whole area is still buzzing with activity. The street towards the back is almost packed with people, all still shopping and eating as if it were daytime.

"I guess it makes sense though. This place is a tourist area. They're probably trying to get as much business in before it gets too cold..."

Glancing out to the actual beach, there are people scattered across the sands, each minding their own business. In contrast to the activity here on the street, it seems to be relatively calm. I lead Frederick through the crowd and walk a good ways on to the beach before sitting down.

"Wow…" I gasp. Looking up, the full moon is shining absolutely brilliantly against the ocean. "How come everyone is over there? It's such an amazing sight…"

I look over to my furry companion. Frederick seems to be just as enthralled by the moon as I am, staring up intently at it. I reach up to pat his head, which is a bit of a stretch given how much taller than me he is while sitting. When he notices this, he lays down next to me and rests his head on my lap.

I smile. "Good boy…" He pushes his head into my hand when I start scratching him behind the ear. He's too cute when he's like this!

We sit like this for a long time. It's a little hard to tell exactly how long since my phone is in my pocket, but eventually something breaks the calm.

"Oh, Chihiro!"

I look back and forth trying to find the source of the voice. After a moment, I'm able to find the source; Sonia and Gundham are approaching me from the road.

"O-Oh, hey guys!" I gently push Frederick off me and stand, taking a moment to brush the sand off my backside. Frederick doesn't share the same thought; piles of sand fly off him as he bolts over to the two new arrivals. "What are you guys up to?"

Sonia pets Frederick's head as Gundham addresses me. "The she-cat had asked me to accompany her while she collected various sundries for our classmates who were unable to come with us."

"Oh, it was such fun!" She squeals. "The little trinkets in those shops make perfect gifts! I'm certain they'll enjoy them!"

"Enough of that babble." Gundham quips, looking down at me. "Mortal, how do you fare? The pink one had mentioned what happened earlier to us."

"That's right!" Sonia straightens up, looking absolutely cross. "Oh, if I knew them better, I would give them such a scolding for putting you and Makoto through that!"

"I-It's fine, really!" I turn away slightly, not wanting to look either of them directly in the eye. "…Well, not exactly fine. I'm still really upset at the both of them…"

"I cannot blame you!" Sonia huffs. "Shall I go and set them straight regardless?"

"T-That's not necessary!" I shake my head as fast as humanly possible. Sonia is horribly scary when she's mad. "I… I don't know if they learned a lesson or not, but they've probably been through enough today. After all, they each got smacked twice…"

She pauses for a moment and laughs. "Ah yes! Souda had mentioned "a sick ass double slap" from both you and your brunette swimmer friend! I must say, I wish I had been there to see it!"

I flush a little. "Oh no… he told you about that? I-I honestly don't know what got into me…"

"We have a saying in Novoselic;" Sonia starts. "'Grown men cry when a good man goes to war.' It essentially means that it is the kind-hearted you truly should fear." She nods to herself in a sagely way. "Their wrath is stronger than any army!"

Not understanding what she means exactly, I simply nod. "R-Right… that still doesn't mean I'm proud of it though. I was planning on apologizing to them tomorrow…"

Gundham, who'd been mostly silent until now, shakes his head. "Nay mortal, you do not give out an apology when it is undeserved. I'd sooner send your soul to the pits of hell before I allowed that to happen!"

"What Gundham means," Sonia cuts in, smacking Gundham's shoulder in warning. "Is that you shouldn't apologize until they do so first. Their offense was far more serious than yours."

He huffs and crosses his arms, glaring down at her. "I meant what I said, woman! Chihiro should under no circumstances apologize to those pathetic excuses for human beings!"

…

A small silence washes over our group. Sonia and I are both looking towards Gundham in shock; the man in question still fuming, in his own way.

"Does he not realize what he just said?"

After a couple of beats, I manage to put my suddenly scrambled thoughts into words.

"I'm… pretty sure that's the first time you ever said my name." I mumble. The only things Gundham ever calls me are "mortal," "woman," and "you."

Suddenly realizing his faux-pas, Gundham turns a brilliant shade of crimson. "N-Not at all! Surely you must have misheard! I, the Dark Lord, would never dignify a mortal such as you with that sort of response…!"

"…" Sonia appears to be calculating the situation as she stares at Gundham. "I must say, this is truly a development!"

"What do you mean..?" I ask. Rather than answering me, she simply takes Frederick's leash from my hand. "Hey, wait a second-!"

"I'll be going back to the hotel now! Chihiro, I'll be borrowing your knight for the evening; I simply must take a self-photograph with him to send to my parents!" She announces with a smile. "Gundham, make sure you're a proper gentleman and escort her back to her room!"

"Fool!" He yells. "You'd really think I'd be left like this when-"

Ignoring him, she quickly walks over to me and bends down to whisper. "Do not let this chance escape, Chihiro. This is the largest step that he's taken in a while; please, just talk to him about it."

I stare at her completely baffled as she turns away with a flourish, and wades into the crowded streets.

"Step? Chance?" I wonder as I watch her go. "What on earth is she talking about?"

I glance to Gundham. He's quieted down considerably, but his face is still as red as it could be. Evidently he hadn't meant to call me by my name, but…

"…Gundham." He flinches slightly as I start talking. "What's wrong?"

His gaze is locked firmly on the ground as he tries to find the words to answer my question.

"I-It's not a big deal, you know?" I offer. "Surely you've called other people by their names before!"

"You… fail to understand." Gundham's voice is small; his usual eccentric speech patterns have toned down considerably as well. "Certainly I've addressed others by their given names, and yet I…" I give him a moment to collect himself. "I've… never referred to someone by their first name aside from the she-cat and the reserve..."

"Is that such a tragedy though?" I say, taking a step forward. "I-It's not like I'd get angry at you."

He shakes his head, almost in denial. "I am the Dark Lord, don't you see? I… cannot simply do that!"

Another step. "But why not? We're friends, aren't we?"

"That is not the issue being addressed!" He crosses his arms in a defensive way. "Stop your approach!"

"T-Then explain to me the problem!" I say, standing fully in front of him. I can't back down; not now. "I-I won't be able to understand what you mean unless you tell me directly…"

"I owe a mere mortal no explanation!"

"Gundham!"

He tries to turn away, but I instinctively reach up and put a hand on his shoulder. He goes completely rigid at my touch, but he doesn't try to push me off. Instead, after a moment, he shakily puts his hand over mine.

"I…" He starts off. "I find it strange when people approach me. Most people are well aware of the danger I present, and yet there are the few that manage to get through my defenses." Gundham shakes his head slightly. "This past year and a half… I do not understand why, but in such a short time, I've met mortals such as yourself that have… changed me. The number of singularities I've met is almost… overwhelming. Even for someone of my astral level."

I nod, doing my best to not laugh at his added comment at the end.

"The mere fact that you've done this in such a short period is what concerns me." He grumbles. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he sounded afraid. "Both Hinata and the she-cat had tried for months before they were even able to stand in my presence, and yet with you…"

He trails off. I can see that this is clearly bothering him, but…

"I don't think there's anything strange about it." I say finally, retracting my hand. "W-We just get along is all. Not to mention…" I look up directly at him, trying very hard to get my point across. "D-Don't you think hanging out with them has changed you? Even a little?"

He frowns in contemplation. "I… suppose that is not wrong."

I shuffle my feet a little and look towards the ocean. "As someone else who has, uhm… issues when it comes to people, I can honestly say that I understand how you feel. The last time I went to an actual school, I was bullied for how I look… so naturally I was afraid it'd happen again."

"Not that it hasn't…" I internally add.

"A-Anyway." I shake my head. "In the short while I've been here, I've met a lot of kind people! A lot of people that I'm glad to consider friends… including you, Gundham." I feel him move slightly beside me. For some reason, the shift makes me incredibly self-aware, causing my face to erupt into a nervous blush. "U-Uh, so the point is… I don't think time needs to be a huge factor in friendship! It doesn't matter how long you know someone if you have good chemistry… at least, that's what I think." I finish with a nod.

After my little speech, I turn to face Gundham directly. His face is completely unreadable… which only serves to fuel my sudden wave of embarrassment.

"Uh, uhm, I-I'm sorry!" I spurt, trying to fill the silence. "I've said something strange, haven't I? Oh, look at the time! Need to get to bed, s-since we're leaving tomorrow and all-!"

I turn to walk (run) away, but I'm stopped dead in my tracks because of the shaky hand that currently has a hold on my wrist. His grip isn't strong; I could probably pull out of it easily enough.

In reality, it's the fact that Gundham touched me that has me pinned. Gundham doesn't touch people; not that I know of. If we ever come into contact with each other, it's always me starting it, and even then it's minimal. He won't even let most people within a few feet of him!

"...Gundham?" I turn to look at him, doing my best to contain the shock I feel.

"Mortal… no... C-Chihiro." He says, looking just about as flustered as I feel. "I… feel as though I understand what it was you were trying to tell me. As you stated, there is a certain level of comfort that both the Devas and I feel in your presence… If you say it is normal, then I shall take your word for it."

And just as fast as it began, the moment passes. Gundham lets go of my wrist as if it were on fire and quickly shifts back into his usual persona.

"Now then! Such behavior was extremely unbecoming of my status! The Supreme Overlord of Ice should never falter so!" He brushes past me, but motions for me to follow. "Come now, mortal! I shall graciously escort you back to your quarters; be happy, and rejoice!"

I let him go a few steps ahead of me before dutifully following after. Evidently, it seems that his grandiose way of speaking is a little more of a security blanket than I had thought.

Regardless of that thought though, I let out a small laugh. "Coming, Gundham!" I speed up a little to match his pace, shooting him a quick smile when I do. He continues to ramble about his astral level and whatnot, but I can see the faintest of blushes on his cheeks.

He's a little more human than he likes to let on, huh?

"The morning sun is cruel…"

That's the first thought I have as I step out into the lobby. It's cruel. Horrible. Despair-inducing.

In spite of Gundham's saying that he'd be only escorting me back to my room, he and I ended up hanging out until the wee hours of the morning. Thankfully, today is the day we're taking a bus back to Hope's Peak; I can recover all lost sleep on the bus ride back.

After packing up and turning in my key to the front desk, I put my luggage into the pile that my classmates had started and walk down the hall to retrieve Frederick from Sonia. She answers after a few quick knocks, but she isn't able to get a single word in before I'm tackled by two things: one dog, and one Ibuki.

"Chihirooo!" She sobs, swooping me up into a hug and spinning me around. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Frederick following me around as we twirl. "Ibuki is so sorry! So, so, so sorry! Ibuki didn't mean to bully you!"

"I-Ibuki! Calm down! It's fine!" I squeal. "P-Please, put me down!"

"B-b-but!" She stutters, letting me go. "T-The last thing Ibuki wanted to do was hurt Chihiro! A-And I helped a meanie do just that!" She breaks out into another sobbing fit, rubbing at her whole face with her hands. Her tears and snot mix into a nasty solution that runs down her face.

Cringing slightly, I reach into my pocket and hand her a pack of tissues. "Ibuki, I'm not mad at you! It's okay, honest!"

"No it's not!" She sobs, ignoring me and the offered pack of tissues. "Ibuki did a stupid! A big, smelly stupid!"

I sigh and reach into the pack myself to grab one. Reaching up, I start to carefully wipe her face off with the tissue, effectively silencing her sobbing in the process.

"You really ought to listen to her Ibuki." Sonia chirps, looking as prim as ever. "Chihiro knows you had no cruel motivations behind your actions! As ill-advised as they were…"

"I-It's true." I affirm, tossing the now snotty tissue into a nearby trash can. "Honestly, something much more upsetting happened after you left. I'd actually kind of put that whole incident out of my head…"

"R-Really?" She says, rubbing at your eyes. "You'd forgive Ibuki? Even after all that?"

"Yes, I would." I try to smile in what I hope is a comforting way. It really is too early for this...

"Awh, Chihiro… I-I…. wuh…" Suddenly, she starts to sob again. "I'm so happy! Really, for sure and for serious! You forgave me! You did! If this was a song, it'd be "I'll Never Touch Chihiro's Dress Again Because It Hurts to be Forgiven!"

This time, I make sure I put the tissues into her hand. "I-It's okay… why don't you go get cleaned up before we go?"

She nods, and turns back into their shared room. Sonia waits for her to go into the bathroom before letting out a quiet laugh. "Ah, she's quite the character."

Letting out a laugh of my own, I reach over to pet Frederick. "That's very, very true."

"So… Chihiro." Sonia claps her hands together. For some reason, she seems to be giddy. "I heard all about last night! I must say, I'm so very glad for what you've done!"

"U-Uh… The Gundham thing?" I scratch my head a little. "I-I actually wanted to ask you about that."

"Ah, you see…" She looks off to the side. "Gundham has… a very delicate heart. Trusting people is fairly difficult for him. It took both Hajime and I to break him out of his shell, even if it was the tiniest amount."

I nod, prompting her to continue.

"Well… to see him getting on with someone so quickly was nothing short of a miracle!" She continues. "And for him to say your name no less… It warmed my heart so! Now, let's make haste to the lobby! We cannot keep everyone waiting for long!"

"W-Wait a minute…" Before I can get out a word edgewise, she turns quickly and starts walking down the hall. "What about Ibuki?"

"Ibuki is coming!" She yells from inside the room. "She just needs to finish washing boogers off her piercings!"

"…Okay!" I yell back, grabbing Frederick and following Sonia down the hall.

"Well that was weird." I muse, scanning the various art along the walls. "Sonia hopped off that subject as fast as she possibly could. I wonder if there's something she isn't telling me?"

Making it to the lobby, I see a large crowd forming. Curiosity stops that train of thought dead in its tracks.

"Psst! Chihiro!"

"Uhm, what…?" Scanning the crowd, it takes only a minute to see who was calling me out. Makoto is frantically waving from where he's standing, as if he's trying to flag a taxi.

"Makoto?" I approach him, allowing Frederick to part the crowd for me so that I can get to him. "What's going on? What's with the crowd?"

"Well…" He scratches his head. "Just take a look for yourself. You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

Stepping back slightly, he allows me to peek through the crowd towards…

…

"Bahaha! You fucking said it bro, seriously!"

"No brother, it is you who has said it!"

Standing in the midst of this crowd are none other than Taka and Mondo.

Laughing jovially.

Punching each other non-violently.

I turn back to Makoto, not quite understanding what I'm seeing. "…Did the world end while I was sleeping?"

"See, that was the same thought I had!" He says animatedly. "When I asked them what was up, they told me that over the past twenty-four hours, they'd formed a "brotherly bond." Not that I have any idea what the heck that is." He jumps slightly as another hoot of laughter comes from their direction. "Uh, so the point is… they like each other now?"

"S-So you're telling me that after being locked up in the same room together for not even a whole day, they're suddenly the best of friends…?"

He shakes his head. "I don't understand it either. I guess they had time to talk things over…? Probably?"

Staring at the scene… I feel tired. Even more so than earlier.

Yesterday, they almost drowned together because of their blind hatred.

…And now they're friends.

...

It's too early for this crap.