A/N: For the images that are sprinkled throughout this chapter see archiveofourown users / tigercry without the spaces. The story's under the same name. There are 3 sketches for this chapter.

I've read "Casual Lunacy" by Blinkkittylove probably a hundred times cause it's so good, and so I finally started on a supernatural AU of my own ^-^ Granted there are some aspects spun off of the inspiration story, but those are minor things (a.k.a Nico's nicknames for Maki and Maki's obsession with scents)


Nico Yawaza wasn't a fan of moving.

If she had the choice she'd stay in one place throughout her college years and then consider expanding her acting talents to somewhere that's more than a few hours away from her home.

She didn't mind traveling, visiting different cities or countries for a week or two or even months if she had to, but moving? Ugh. However, this was a move she hadn't really had the choice of making. Not when she was definitely a high level inducer mage and a prestigious college offered her a full-ride scholarship to switch schools that publicly accepted supernaturals. Plus…

"Nicocchi!"

Nico had her breath completely knocked out of her as someone who was larger than her, which was most of the world actually, squeezed her tightly. Her face was squished against the person's chest and anger flashed through Nico's small body.

"Get off of me!" Nico squirmed in her friend's arms only to squeal when the hug tightened further around her small frame and her feet were lifted off of the ground, "let me go you perverted grape!"

Well this was certainly some welcome. Here she was, having just finished her morning acting class, the stage was huge! Bigger than she had ever seen before, and now she found herself being squished to death by her childhood friend.

"Auh, I'm hurt Nicochi! Just for that," the offending hug tightened enough for Nico to hear her spine popping in a few places.

"Fuck you Nozomi!" Nico squealed through the hug, flailing her arms, "I have half a mind to blast you off of me!" She was happy to see her, even if she was threatening to blast her into a wall just to escape her clutches and being held against the curves that Nico lacked.

Nozomi merely laughed, "I missed you too Nicochi!"

"Let…" Nico struggled in the suffocating hug, "me… go!"

Another voice giggled and Nico felt something cold and wet against her ankle and promptly froze. "Nozomi-"

"What. The Hell. Was. That!" Nico freaked out, "seriously Nozomi let me go!"

Nico stumbled into the offending person as she was released, "now that was rude Nicochi, that's how you treat friends."

"Friends? Something just touched my leg you jerk-face!" Nico snapped and leaned on Nozomi to crane her head around and lift her leg to see what exactly had touched her.

Nozomi merely chuckled, "it was just a dog Nico, calm down."

Nico groaned, her fingers brushing over the wet spot on her ankle, "seriously? Who keeps a dog with them on campus?"

"Excuse me," a gentle voice with a higher pitch spoke up and Nico instantly spun around to face them.

A young woman with ash-blonde hair and soft golden amber eyes looked back at Nico with a mildly amused smile and thin eyebrows. She was decently tall, about four inches taller than Nico with soft freckles scattered around her fair skin and gentle rosy cheeks. It was clear to Nico that she was well informed in a fashionable sense with her soft cream colored billowy skirt and ruffled shirt beneath a darker blazer paired with nude ankle boots on her feet and a designer backpack/purse slung over one shoulder. However she was also obviously super natural if the soft white wings tucked in at her back weren't an illusion placed on her. She was also rather familiar, but how exactly she wasn't sure.

"Sorry about that, Caspian loves to sniff people," she explained with a gentle smile and Nico's attention was drawn to the gestured animal beside the woman's feet and she yelped in surprise.

There was a wolf dog casually sniffing at Nico's sandals.

At Nico's yelp of surprise the wolf-dog looked up at her, curiosity shimmering in it's amber eyes.

"Caspian, heel and sit."

The animal snuffled as a reply, it's tail flicking just slightly to one side before it trotted over to its owner and dropped down in a comfortable sit. It was long and slender with dark black fur, angled ears, a slender and long snout and long legs. Key features of a husky-wolf mixed breed. It had a white diamond on it's chest that trailed up into coating the underside of it's black muzzle. There was a small diamond shape between the eyes which were a dark shade of amber on one side and a bright silver on the other. The way it looked at Nico gave off a sense of high intelligence as though it was studying her and it's surroundings at the same level or higher than a human's.

It was wearing an expertly made dark grey and yellow harness system on it's back with a few pouches on the sides. There was an easy release muzzle of sorts around the base of it's muzzle, one strap around the top of each leg, and the sides of the harness read 'Friendly Guard Dog.'

However, even if the harness made it look almost like an intimidating military dog, the headband shattered the illusion. The headband near it's ears with bobble antennas combined with the harness's color scheme; made the intimidating dog seem like a completely harmless dog in a bumble-bee costume.

Nico couldn't stop the snort of laughter that escaped her lips, "first off, that costume is the best thing I've seen all day, and second, who needs a personal guard dog?"

"Oh Nicochi…" Nozomi chuckled and spoke to the wolf-dog's owner, "sorry Kotori, seems like Nico's not exactly paying attention at the moment.

"Hey!" Nico retorted and narrowed her eyes at her friend, "I am paying attention! My brain's just trying to catch up after you starved me of oxygen by trapping me with my face shoved against your chest you weirdo!"

The person named Kotori giggled and Nico looked up and over at them. "Seems like you two get along really well!"

"She's a little harsh and rude, but she's still my best friend," Nozomi chuckled and Nico smacked away the hand that Nozomi rested on her head.

"Stop flexing that you're taller than me you monster and introduce me to your new friend!"

Nozomi and the other woman laughed before Nozomi gestured to the dog and owner, "Nico, meet Kotori Minami and her guard dog Caspian."

Kotori smiled warmly at Nico, "good morning Nico! It's nice to meet a fellow supernatural on campus." She looked down at the dog, "the new universities laws are definitely working huh girl?"

The dog gave a dog-like smile and twitched her ears before she tilted her head up to look at Kotori with her tongue half dangling out of the side of her mouth.

Kotori giggled and rubbed the wolf-dog's head, golden eyes soft and twinkling in the light.

Ash-blonde angel with what Nico minorly

It finally clicked and Nico's jaw dropped, "are you serious?"

Nozomi nodded with a teasing smile, "and Nicochi here was worried I wouldn't make friends when I first got here."

"No, I knew you'd be fine," Nico brushed the comment off, "especially since you met your furry girlfriend. However…" She glared at Nozomi with her hands on her hips, "you could've told me that you were friends with one of the most well known supernaturals in the freaking world Nozomi! I mean this is ridiculous! You know the liaison of the supernaturals and humans on a personal level!"

The nearby soft piano playing faltered briefly at the exclamation of angered shock and the wolf dog at Kotori's feet swiveled her head toward Nico. An intense look of guarded studying lay in the wolf-dog's eyes.

"Relax," Nico reached out and let the dog warily sniff her hand, "I'm an actress, it's my job to play a different part every other minute."

The dog flicked an ear and re-focused on looking around and observing the rest of the main area.

"Don't think you're off the hook Nozomi," Nico caught the arm of the chuckling future scryer and narrowed her eyes at her again. "This totally breaks the best friend code and you owe me for it."

Nozomi smiled, green eyes twinkling in the low lighting, "then let's get lunch Nicochi, we'll invite a few of my other friends." She looked over at Kotori, "it'll give her a chance to stretch her legs and relax a little."

Kotori blinked and nodded while Nico merely glanced suspiciously between them both.

"What's going on here?"

Nozomi merely gave a secretive smile and Nico instantly felt a little wary, "nothing Nicochi, there's this cute little cafe just off of campus nearby that'll be a perfect place to catch up."

Nico narrowed her eyes, studying the other woman in hopes of figuring out what Nozomi was up to. What is going on? Nozomi's normally secretive but this is on a whole other level.

"Whatever you see in the future," Nico spoke slowly, " better not involve anything embarrassing or dangerous for Nico, Nozomi…"

"Dangerous? Nope," Nozomi chuckled. "Life changing? Maybe," she gave Nico a wink that made her suspiciousness shoot up ten levels before she turned toward Kotori.

What the hell?!

"I know which cafe you're talking about," Kotori smiled before Nozomi could speak up. Her warm smile held secrets of her own that Nico could depict and didn't like one bit. "So I'll meet you two there, I have to drop Caspian off before I can leave the campus."

"Okay, then goodbye Caspian," Nozomi cooed and rubbed the wolf-dog's ears before Nico felt her hook her arm through hers. "Come on Nicochi, let's get going and leave Kotori to her personal business."

"Hey!" Nico complained at being jerked around by her best friend. "I can walk by myself Nozomi!"

However, at the amused giggling Nico heard and the amused smiles directed toward her and Nozomi as they jogged toward the entrance she let her anger fizzle out and soften. Attention was good, Nico liked attention. Even if it was because of her idiot of a best friend dragging her around the what looked like a miniature music concert and toward the door.

Why're there so many people here? Are they listening to the piano?

Indeed there was a woman sitting at the piano directly next to the open doors with only a little of her lightly curly red hair visible to the short ravenette.

It's just boring classical music, what're they watching for? Truthfully Nico had no idea why there was close to thirty people sitting on padded benches, on the floor, or uncomfortable looking stools listening to some student play boring iconic classical music. Especially when it was music everyone who had taken a music classes had heard. Sure, the woman was skilled at them, Nico would give her credit there, but they weren't unique or anything.

"Maki!" Nozomi's voice startled Nico from her thoughts and she quickly realized that Nozomi was detouring toward the pianist.

Who faltered a cord but quickly caught herself with a short bout of improv that gave Nico a tiny hint of what the gathered students were here to listen to.

"Yes?" The pianist's voice was a little raspy but largely refined and smooth beneath the rasp with a tell, of someone with Nico's vocal training could pick up on, as someone who could sing. "I'm a little busy Nozomi, I only have a few minutes till I have to leave."

Nico was more focused on the music than anything else, her trained ears picking up on hints here and there of the pianist's natural style and it didn't seem like the iconic classics she was playing right now were something she'd naturally play. The piece was too stiff while the pianist's improv had been so fluid with a low mix of various genres till it seemed like she had found the correct genre and improved back into the boring piece.

"...was taking my friend Nico to lunch and wanted you to come with us. Kotori's going to meet us there along with Eli."

Nico blinked, zoning back in at the sound of her name and the softening of the piano's volume.

The pianist sighed and the piano trailed off, one last chord ringing out through the air, "fine."

The pianist efficiently but almost reverently wiped down and closed the piano's lid, getting some boos and complaints as the gathered students got up and began to scatter.

She then slid off of the piano bench into a standing position facing them both. "Only because I doubt Kotori and Eli would be pleased if I brush you off this time Nozomi."

"Nico," Nozomi broke Nico out of her music related head space and back on the world around her.

"Huh?" Nico blinked then furrowed her eyebrows, "what do you want Nozomi?"

Nozomi's eyes twinkled mysteriously as she gestured a hand to the red haired pianist in front of them, "this Maki, Maki Nishikino. Med school student who loves music and one of Eli's best friends."

Maki had wavy red velvet colored hair that was almost curly, fair pale skin without any visible blemishes, and a body type that contrasted Nico's but fit the curved slender body type to a t and was close to five inches taller than her. Her legs, beneath the denim cuffs of her capris, were toned and just slightly tanned and the loose partially buttoned red plaid shirt over a black tank-top flattered her body in a lazy 'I know I'm pretty' way that both irritated Nico and drew her in.

That's when Nico's gaze traveled up and landed on the pianist's violet colored eyes. And where she then felt that sharp tug, a sharp tug from her magic.

Nico blinked, her vision adopting greyscale with splashes of color here and there relating to the emotions of the people around her while everything froze. Feeling her magic naturally flowing through her body and collecting at her hands act strange. Instead of pooling at her hands and recirculating back through her body and spreading thin amounts to the people around her it was wrapping around her dominant hand and wrist.

Her magic, naturally shifting between green and blue, transitioned to a smooth pink as the shimmering tendrils converted into one thicker one and now approached the time-frozen pianist Nozomi had introduced as Maki. The pink trail of magic wrapped slowly around Maki's dominant hand, wrapping around each of her fingers and stopping at just above her wrist.

No…

Years ago Nico had used a spell, a complex spell that would only activate if she was within range and looking at the companion of her magic. Who was essentially her soulmate.

Nico jerked, the world returning to normal as her arm phased through Nozomi's and she stumbled back a few steps, fingers clasped around her own wrist in pure shock as she just stared at the other young woman.

Maki blinked back at her, her nose flared a little almost too little for Nico to see. However, the following blush that lit up the redhead's face and the stumble into turning away from her and leaning against the piano with a hand splayed over her face to hide her blush was obvious enough for the whole world to see.

Neither of them said anything and neither did Nozomi, the purple haired woman was completely silent, knowing green eyes flickering back and forth between the embarrassed redhead and Nico's shocked still form.

This woman, this redhead with some sort of piano skills and currently an adorably red face, was Nico's soulmate. Nico wasn't exactly sure how she felt about that right now. Even if Maki was completely adorable right now and Nico could tell that she was rather shy by her blush.

Plus, she was obviously a supernatural, after all humans didn't have soulmates, but what exactly was she? She looked perfectly human even with the small scar on her cheek and there weren't a ton of supernaturals that even had the whole destined partner thing and she only knew about a handful of them herself.

Nico managed to pull herself together and dropped her wrist before she managed to pull a shaky but confident smile toward the redhead. "It's nice to meet you Maki-chan," she greeted with as enthusiasm as she could gather while only half functioning due to shock, "the name's Nico Yawaza and I'm a drama and singing student here."

Maki managed to stand up and face her again but her face was still red and she lifted a hand to mess with her wavy hair and twirl it around a finger. "Um… hi," she managed and Nico frowned.

The other girl just met her soulmate and she says, 'um, hi?' Like what the hell girl?

"Wow," Nico grumbled, "eloquent. For someone who was just underhandedly roasting my best friend you really can't talk to pretty girls like myself now can you?"

Maki appeared kind of dazed around her intense aura of nervous awkwardness and Nico could see hints of silver swirling in her violet colored eyes. "S-Sorry," she stumbled some more over her words, "I'm not used to s-something like this happening."

Granted the redhead sounded adorable fumbling over her words in a nervous fluster, but still. If the girl couldn't even talk properly in front of her how was Nico supposed to be able to tap into the excess magic the girl produced for her and use it to bring a smile to every audience member's face? That took a friendship and relationship, which took communication. Something this woman clearly lacked in.

"I'm not either Sherlock," Nico rolled her eyes, "it happens once in someone's lifetime. It's just my luck that I get-"

"You have a strong smell," Maki suddenly blurted then turned an even darker red and turned part of her back to Nico without saying anything else.

Nico gawked, what. The. hell.

"Excuse me?!" Nico snapped and fumed. So the woman could stutter and stumble like an idiot and the first thing she said about her was that she smelled?! "How would you know anyway?! You're over three feet away from me!"

The redhead easily rose to fight, violet eyes flashing as she cooly faced Nico regardless of the dark red of her face and ears that nearly matched her hair. "I have a sharp nose I'll have you know. And it's not exactly like I was expecting it to be someone like you either!"

"Well then excuse me for not being prepared to meet you after a lecture in the stuffiest lecture hall I've ever been in!" Nico drawled with narrowed eyes, "and I'm a brilliant actress thank you very much! It's a privilege to be paired with the great Nico-Nico-Ni!"

Maki scoffed, "gross, that's ridiculous."

"Oh yeah? Well who exactly are you Miss. Stuck-Up-Pianist!" Nico snapped and took an angry couple of steps toward the redhead.

Maki took a few steps toward Nico and smirked down at her, a delicate finger poking the shorter woman in the upper chest. Around her anger Nico had to admit that the redhead looked gorgeous with that smug smirk on her lips and confidence glowing in her silver flecked purple eyes. "I'm a medical supernatural specialist in training and a music prodigy, Miss. Nico-Nico-Ni." She then narrowed her eyes, "as for what I said earlier, I never said you smelled bad, just that you had a strong smell."

Nico felt her eyes widen. Screw the redhead's communication skills, she did what?!

There was no way Nico was this lucky but also unlucky at the same time and when she tried to speak nothing came out. The shock being just too much for her at the current moment.

How? How was her magic's companion some stuck up genius? Someone that could easily be as great or even greater than Nico herself. Nico didn't like the possibility of someone being better than her, especially the person who she was supposed to be with via fate's demand for the rest of her slow aging life.

At Nico's lack of rebuttal Maki's bright fighting flame dimmed and the redhead quickly stepped back. Fumbling with herself to get her personal space back and succeeded only in knocking herself down onto the piano bench and almost off the bench and onto the floor. "Ow!"

At the blatant clumsiness and Nozomi's giggle Nico mentally snapped back to the rest of the world and crossed her arms over her chest with a huff and a roll of her eyes. "Wow, I'm stuck with someone who can play an instrument but can barely put one foot in front of the other."

"Shut up," Maki glared back at her from the piano bench as she sat up, "I'm not that clumsy."

"Say the one who tripped over a piano bench," Nico deadpanned, "you nervous or something Maki-chan?" She definitely was, even if she wasn't really sure why. After all, it was going to work one way or another between them so what was the point in being so nervous?

"N-No!" Maki's stutter gave her away even if the force behind her glare strengthened, "I'm not nervous N-Nico," she stumbled a little over the name and made a face.

"What? Something wrong with my name?" Nico questioned, narrowing her eyes and stifling the grin that wanted to appear on her face. She had finally met her soulmate, and while she was horrifically incompetant at communicating, a flustered Maki was already beginning to become one of her favorite things in life.

"No," Maki snapped back, "Nico...chan?" She seemed to be testing the honorific and Nico couldn't help the smirk.

"Good," she turned to Nozomi, "ignoring Mrs. Clumsy-Pants over there, can we go now? I'm hungry and in the mood for something sweet."

"Hey! I'm not clumsy!"

Nozomi had a warm smile on her face as she watched the other two interact and she chuckled lightly and began to walk toward the music and performing arts building's glass doored entrance, "Of course Nicochi, I'm sure Kotori and Eli are already on their way there."

"Perfect, time for Nico to decide if your friends are approved or disapproved," Nico hummed, rubbing her hands together as she trotted beside Nozomi with Maki trailing awkwardly behind them.

"What score does Maki get?" Nozomi asked curiously with a smile.

Nico glanced at the redhead behind them checking through her pile of music in her arms to put in a folder, "Maki-chan's approved, even if she's an awkward clutz." The sound of falling paper only solidified Nico's claim.

"I'm not a clutz!" Maki snapped even though she started falling behind as she scrambled to scoop up her music and catch up again.

"Ah, I agree," Nozomi hummed and Nico caught her rather mischievous wink with a tiny smirk of her own.

"That's not… whatever! Just get back here and help me when it's your fault!"


A/N: I feel like I'm still fumbling a little with Maki and Nico's arguing and some of the push-pull dynamics between them, but I'll get the hang of it one day!

Also, anyone have a guess on who Caspian actually is? Xd

Hope you all enjoyed! Reviews are encouraged ^-^