Dissonance
Event XXXVII
The Chapter of "TheIgnorant Utopia"
The flourishing lands she knew and loved reached as far as her eyes could see. People in white, brown and sometimes colored robes were working fields with advanced tools and horses, going in and out of masterfully crafted houses of white stone that shone in the sun. The wind was coming from east.
There, down below across the hill, was Tul'Na's house. He and his wife Shi Vel'Ka lived there, expecting a child soon. They were farmers, employing many helping hands, feeding a large portion of the city not far from here.
She had razed these lands, giving lumber, tar, oil and many other things to the city. And they had thanked her by erecting a more than life sized statue of her in the city center, even though she'd told them to not waste resources like that.
But her beloved had wore her down, explained to her over and over that to them, to the normal people, they appeared like deities. Wielding great magical powers and working for the good of the people. Fifteen years now since they received these powers from Fantasia. I heard from Musica that she will soon set out to found her own lands. Pastirie was planning to do the same but he still has to convince his wife. Humanity is blooming and so they were doing well, too. It's still hard to believe that our faith in things like gods and nature gave birth to Fantasia.
Jumping, she soared through the air at speeds that made her hair whirl like snakes flung around by a stick. Landing just outside a field, the people closest by but still at least a stone throw away were bowing to her and smiling wide. They knew her as Ky'Rua, which meant the life bringer, and they chanted 'Ky'Mir Basvir Mueo, Ky'Rua' every time they saw her. May you live forever, Life Bringer.
Only just recently had she returned from seeing the world – it was only here, where Ky'Rua existed, that people flourished. In other parts of the world they still lived in the simplest of dwellings, barely past the ages of hunting and gathering. Only here, in the lands of Mu, the lands of 'Eternity', were people truly people.
Without Fantasia and Mu becoming as one in the form of the Ky'Rua all would have been lost. Fifteen years ago, the day she saw the fourteenth spring of her life, the skies clouded over in darkness and the envoys of the Kar'Rua, the bringers of death, appeared. Hundreds of people had died and still they had not fully recovered from a catastrophe of such scale. But through the bundled efforts of the Ky'Rua, they drove back the Kar'Rua and shattered the heart of them, the Karv, the Abyss, into untold pieces across the stars in the sky.
Since then she was vigilant and worked hard to push her people forward – so that one day another Ky'Rua would stand up to when the shards of Karv returned. In the valley not far from where she was now, she had begun to build something – an ancient archive that Fantasia would enchant once finished. It was to record all of the deeds of all the Ky'Rua still to come. To serve as a warning of the Karv and its minions, the Kar'Rua. She called it the Ky'Rua Geltal mueo. The Life Bringers Eternal Memory.
It was necessary. One day even she would be embraced by Kar, by Death, as all things would. Although the day might be far off still, then she had not aged a day past twenty cycles of seasons.
Looking up in the sky she saw dark clouds approach from the east – a much needed storm was coming. The fields had bathed in sun for days now and they needed the rain. It would fill the wells and it would provide occasion for the people to take a well deserved break. But it would not be a break for her. She had much to do. She was going to continue work and… and…
Peeking at memories? Now, that I cannot have… the play still has so many acts before the grand finale. So this might hurt… quite a lot. But you should survive. You're a strong Cure, aren't you? Well… I know who will be to blame for your pain and loss of memory. Now… what was that ability called? The one that pretty girl uses that belongs to that group that calls themselves 'Splash Star'? Ah yes, 'Stormflair'. Let me show you how that is properly used.
=== DISSONANCE ===
With enormous force and more than sufficient numbers the maids stormed the room, as they did every day. Or night. It was still six in the morning and she had barely gotten any sleep, even with her fiancee being in another room. Quickly rolling over, grabbing the pillow and trying to use it like a pot covering her head, she tried to drown out the maids – the opening of the windows, the comforter being pulled away and the rattling of the trolley that was carrying her breakfast in. Six maids were being busybodies all over the room and it would be impossible to go back to sleep. She had learned that weeks ago. But she still resisted. Maybe, just maybe, they'd eventually give her five more minutes.
"Your highness, please rise!" Pulling on the pillow, one of the maids – a particularly tall one that easily matched Nao – was trying to take her last line of defense against truly being awake. And like every day, she succeeded after another maid assisted her. Urara shut her eyes tight at the still rising sun that shone through the now wide open window.
I can't believe Ako went through this shit every day for years. Groaning loudly and without caring about the scolding looks of the maids, Urara sat up and rubbed her eyes. Before she could do anything else, a maid with a wet and warm washing cloth was upon her and scrubbing off the sweat of the night. This was her new reality; she barely got to do anything herself.
Her day followed a schedule that was different every day of the week but consistent across weeks. Today was… she had no idea what day it was. "What's today?"
"Tuesday, your highness." She wasn't used to being called that yet. And once she married Ako, it would go from 'your highness' to 'your majesty' which was even worse. She'd never get used to this, she was sure of that.
Tuesday. I hate Tuesday. There was a very simple reason for this. On Tuesdays she had ballroom dance class, which was just one of many, many things she was vigorously being taught at the royal court of Majorland. Getting the okay to marry Ako involved actually learning how to be a queen and since she was lagging a few years behind Ako, her training was pretty intensive.
Eating her breakfast she was annoyed at how good it tasted and how used the maids had gotten used to her intensely grumpy stares. They're not even the slightest bit afraid of me anymore. This sucks. Finishing her breakfast at her bedside in record time, it was time to get dressed. Considering the clothing she was used to, this was a very drastic change. Wearing a corset all day was really making her even more grumpy than before. No wonder Ako has such a bombshell body though. Every day of the week started with four hours of typical classroom education – historic, economic, cultural and other aspects of Majorland that royalty was expected to be knowledgeable of was being drilled into her.
"Now then, the founder of our land is?" She hated getting quizzed by her professor. He was a stocky, short man with a huge beard and an even bigger black hat. He looked a bit like a penguin santa.
"Musica Meldios, first Queen of Majorland."
"Very good. When was our land founded?"
"The exact date is unknown due to a fire at the royal library 288 years ago." She responded like a robot. "The estimated date is over two thousand years ago."
"Indeed. Now, shall we move on to the period of seven-hundred to five-hundred years ago?"
Following the educational classes was a visit by a tutor that taught her everything from walking like nobility to the more than fourteen different ways the nobility greeted each other depending on rank. This was one of Urara's least favorite classes. Her spine hurt so much every day she felt like she was gonna snap in two. I thought the whole 'put books on your head' shtick was just a cliché from fantasy novels. It was not. Walking with precision balance was something that turned out to be particularly hard for her.
Lunch was the only time she actually saw Ako and even lunch was still training – breakfast and dinner were both generally small meals while lunch was a larger meal. Seeing Ako was really all she was getting – talking to her or touching her was still out of the question because they sat too far apart and maids were constantly reprimanding her on every move.
After lunch was another two hours of educational classes to let lunch set and after that was the dreaded ballroom dance class. If only she actually got to dance with Ako she might not have hated it this much. At the start they had assigned her a tall, very stern looking male instructor that Urara had threatened to throw out the window, so they replaced him with a female instructor that turned out to be as stern as the man before her had looked. Dancing with the maids was a challenge – they were all different heights, different skill levels and most of it all, she hated ballroom music and ballroom dance. But they were integral parts of court life so there was no way around it.
Getting through the lesson it was time to practice her singing – as all nobility of Majorland, she was required to be able to sing and while she possessed significant knowledge and skill of this beforehand, switching from punkrock to ballads was like starting from scratch, or worse.
At seven in the evening dinner was served in her room, followed by further studying until nine – the maids then came to get her to take a bath. Not even this she could share with Ako. Can't say I'm surprised Ako ditched all of this and went down to earth and lived there.
Soaking in the bath was the only truly relaxing thing that she was allowed at court. Two of the maids that had undressed her – she wasn't allowed to do that herself – were gossiping and not keeping their voices down far enough.
"I can't believe she's still sticking with this. I would be crying myself to sleep every night."
"Sh, not so loud. What if she hears you?"
"The water is pretty loud, there's no way. Even the head-maid was impressed she's still keeping up. We all thought she'd quit after a week or two."
"She's nothing if not stubborn. But you know, even now I can't believe that the princess would bring back a woman and argue her majesties down until they agreed she was allowed to marry her. Where did they even meet?"
"No idea. But they're both one of those legendary warriors right? So that must be playing a role."
"I heard his majesty the king was wailing like a little girl the evening after the princess came back."
"Oh, I heard the same thing! So it's gotta be true. Well, I mean, it's gotta be hard to swallow that the princess prefers women. Like, what are they gonna do about kids? Will her majesties have another child and entrust the bloodline to him or her?"
"Get this; apparently they can have kids!"
"What? How? I saw Lady Urara in the bath, she is definitely a woman."
"You heard about there being a whole lot of legen-" The maid switched tracks. "Of Cures being on friendly terms with the Princess and the Lady? Apparently one of them has magic that can make it happen."
"I bet that played a role in the queen giving her approval to marry the princess."
"Yeah, agree. Wonder how that works though."
"Can't even imagine. But hey, speaking of Cures, I heard that a baron from Palmier is going to challenge Lady Urara to a duel to win the hand of the princess!"
"That poor sod. She'll take him apart."
Urara smiled to herself. It was good to hear that they knew she was gonna brutalize any idiot brazen enough to try and steal Ako from her. And that she was defying expectations. But I am so goddamn worn out. I swear, I need to get out of here and take a few days off and just lounge around with Ako. I can't believe I wanna go back to the space prison thing. At least there were no teachers there.
After her bath – the maids put a nightgown on Urara, who was used to sleeping either naked or in just a shirt – she was returned to her room to some final light studies before sleep at eleven. Between ten and eleven she had one hour of assigned free time – and usually she just went to bed straight at ten because she was worn out on every imaginable level.
But not today. Today was the day the maids were changed out. There were four groups of maids, each consisting of twenty-one – twenty normal maids and a head-maid – and those were assigned to one of four areas. The royal majesties, the princess and her fiancee, the general palace duties such as cleaning and cooking. And finally, one group that was usually out of the palace, those that handled correspondence with other nobles and took care of errands in town and made sure that merchants and traders were aware of the castle's needs. And every two weeks they rotated. That left a gaping hole in security for about an hour which was why it was done late at night.
Urara had already killed the lights but waited not in bed but close to the door. She and Ako had a plan – while they were not allowed to share a room, they were not above breaking the rules when an opportunity presented itself. The clock in her room was ticking loudly as Urara waited with bated breath for it to turn eleven.
The short hand finally moved far enough and Urara opened the door, leaving enough of a gap to hear what was going on in the hallway but not enough to let people see into the dark room. For the first month the maids had checked on her every single day at some time after ten only to find her passed out – or so she had learned from overhearing their gossip. One thing that fiction really undersold was how much maids gossiped – they put bored middle-aged housewives to shame with ease.
So now nobody really cared to check if they saw that the room was dark – which was easily distinguishable by looking whether light shone through the small gap between the floor and the door.
Watching a group of maids pass by, Urara kept a close eye on the hallway in the direction they had come from. And sure enough, a cloaked figure hurriedly rushed towards her, bare feet hitting the thick carpets on the floor. Opening the door just in time to let the figure in and closing it right after, someone flew right into her arms.
The cloak falling to the ground revealed Ako, who looked ecstatic to see her. A rare look of open emotion on the face of the princess. Despite vehement complaints from her parents, the court and every instructor, Ako insisted on maintaining her adult form at all times, just as she had done in the Dissonance of Light and Dark.
Instead of telling each other how much they missed one another, they kissed with fervor and passion, standing together for some very tense seconds as the hallway produced more noise and more of their servants walked by.
While their faces parted ways, their hands did not. Tightly holding on, Urara led her princess to the bed through the darkness of the night. "I overheard the maids again. Apparently my refusal to give up the training is impressive." Urara sounded brazenly smug about herself.
"It is." Ako stopped when Urara no longer pulled. "I still have to undress."
"Should I attend to you?" Her voice was clearly mocking her girlfriend and Urara reaped the result of her actions in the form of Ako pushing her hard enough that she fell on the bed. "What a violent princess."
"I know we haven't had sex in two weeks but I had horseback riding class today and my everything hurts." Slowly taking off her clothes, Ako sighed with relief to be out of them.
"Same here. Ballroom dance." Rolling over her bed and pulling back the comforter, Urara took a deep breath. "I thought royalty has it easy but this is ridiculous. They work me harder than any of the maids."
Ako sat by the edge of the bed and took off her skirt. She was already without shoes to walk more quietly. "How do you feel about getting out of here for a bit starting tomorrow?"
"Are they not going to send someone to capture us?" Sliding over, Urara felt the comfortable warmth of Ako crawl up next to her.
"I was thinking of going home and staying there for a few days."
"You think your parents will try and leverage me escaping with you into making you call off the wedding?"
"They will have to disown me for that to happen."
A moment of silence filled the room during which the two of them got closer together, hands and legs touching, their bodies giving each other close company. The silence kept on going even as they kissed again, both of them slowly drifting into the embrace of comfort that the other provided. Within minutes they were asleep, smiling and holding hands beneath the comforter.
The next day the castle was in an uproar – the terrible news spread like a wildfire; that the Crown Princess Ako and her fiancee Lady Urara had vanished.
Stepping out of the transportation portal, Urara and Ako felt the hot subtropical air assail them from all sides. In the distances the waves were quietly repeating their symphony of crashing and retreating. Seagulls cawed far above them. The winds made the climate bearable and the rustling of palm leafs and bushes completed the ambient noise. They were 'home', in a manner of speaking.
After they had returned from the Dissonance, through her sacrifice, they decided to in some small way honor her by fulfilling her wish. With a separate small world was too far removed from the people they loved, they settled for something else. A sovereign nation was also just going to cause problems. So Alice used her borderline limitless wealth to purchase a medium size island and build a small village on it. It was far outside of all boat and airplane routes and after a sizable 'donation' to a certain big corporation, it also no longer showed up on satellites.
That was what had become everyone's 'home' - a place for just Cures. The island had no official name but Alice had given it a fitting moniker – Lily Tokyo. It was also easy to camouflage casual mention of it back on the mainland this way.
"One more class of ballroom dancing and I would have thrown that instructor out a window." Urara stretched her arms up over her head and immediately fanned herself air. "It's so hot…"
"Let's just go to our place and-"
"Take a nap."
Ako took a long look at Urara and smiled. Words taken right out of my mouth. One thing she really hated about being royalty was the strict sleep schedules. There was no slacking off, no simply passing the hours by reading a nice book. It was all training, classes, events and the likes. "I'm going to sleep all day long."
"Wanna go swimming later?"
"I didn't bring a swimsuit."
"So, Erika's place first?"
"Sounds good."
"And Yakitori for dinner?"
"Sounding even better."
"I never thought that sleeping all day, going swimming and eating Yakitori would feel like luxury."
"The grass is always greener on the other side." Ako took a really deep breath and exhaled very slowly. "Honestly I didn't mind the royal life so much before the whole Noise incident… after that it bothered me a bit. But after spending over a month with you, I can't really stand it for long. If they at least let us have lessons together or sleep in the same room-"
"Your dad would have a heart attack. He already almost had one when you brought back and said you're gonna marry me."
"Ugh, my father is overprotective. If he had his will I'd stay ten years old forever."
"I wanna have a drink but between spending the night with you and drinking I know what I am not gonna pick." Urara grinned and grabbed Ako's hand. "So let's get wasted!"
"Who are you trying to fool here, idiot?" Grinning back, Ako walked forward and pulled Urara once to get her to follow.
Nobody else was out and about this early in the day – but a few of the girls were getting ready to go to work.
"Honoka, have you seen my pan-" A long pair of skin-tight workout pants came flying out of the bedroom and landed right in Nagisa's face. "Thanks!"
Both Nagisa and Honoka did not have jobs that required them to wake up this early but they did so anyway – the morning breeze kept things temperate and it was very nice to sit out on the veranda and drink their morning coffee in pace.
Standing in the kitchen with her work clothes already on, Nagisa made coffee. One normal with four sugar and two milk, and one extra strong with two sugar. The extra strong one was for Honoka who was still wearing shorts and a shirt only. Her work attire was much too hot to wear on a subtropical island. Carrying both mugs outside, Nagisa sat them down on a small coffee table that stood in front of two very comfortable beach chairs. The breeze was just coming from the right direction now and she breathed in the ocean air. It was a far cry from living in the city and she actually much preferred this place.
Dragging herself out of the house with heavy steps, Honoka plummeted into her chair, a half-read novel on the floor right next to the chair, and reached for her mug, carefully sipping on it. Yawning and leaning back with a light moan, Honoka looked to the side and smiled at her wife. "Good morning."
Nagisa smiled. "Good morning." Honoka could find and throw some pants at her but she wasn't much for conversation in the morning without a cup of coffee first. At least not ever since they moved here. She had gotten a lot more relaxed on her days off, before and after work. After the ordeals of Dissonance, she looked at her job and at life with a different perspective.
They had only been married for about two weeks now. Lesbian and Gay marriage had been legal for two years in this time's Japan, thanks to the hard work of Mana and Alice – one working as a member of the government's diet and the other being a very powerful supporter of Mana.
Leaning towards each other, they kissed and then leaned back; Nagisa simply enjoying the weather and atmosphere while Honoka picked up her novel.
Twenty minutes passed before either of them said anything. "I'll stop by the supermarket before I come home. Do we need anything?"
"Eggs. Cabbage. Milk. Can you check if we still have onions?"
"I'll check before I leave."
"Do you need money?"
"Still got enough in my wallet. That reminds me, did we pay back Saki and Mai yet?"
"I took care of that yesterday."
"Thanks."
"Oh, you can take out the garbage before you leave."
"Do you think you could do it? There's garlic in the garbage."
"Sure." Honoka knew that Nagisa always got nauseous when she smelled garlic that had gone bad.
"Love you."
"Love you too. Wanna grill something tonight?"
"We just had fish yesterday… I'll see if there's any sales on meat."
"Who knew you'd be such an ergonomic wife?"
"Yeah, I'm surprised too." Nagisa smirked and stretched all her limbs while letting out a pleasant moan. "This feels so good compared to waking up in our apartment and there's city smog all over."
"So good that I need extra strong coffee or I will fall back asleep. This chair and house is enthralling."
"And me?"
"Been enthralled by you for years already. There's no way out from that."
"Aw." Nagisa blushed a little. "I'm also engrossed by you!"
"That doesn't quite mean the same thing but it's also cute."
"Are we still up for that thing on the weekend?"
"I think so? Did Love say anything?"
"No. Just wasn't sure if you got time off work."
"I made sure to talk to the lab's manager. I have a ton of overtime. He was about to cry he was so happy I was finally taking some time off. The past me in this time must have been a real workaholic. I feel bad for the past Nagisa."
"Maybe she was a bad person and drove you to do overtime?"
"I can't imagine any version of you that's a bad person."
Nagisa blushed rather strongly and smiled to herself. "Love you."
"Love you too." Honoka couldn't help but chuckle. "Are you still betting on Setsuna announcing she'll marry Ellen?"
"Yep. And you're sticking with Love asking Setsuna to marry her in front of everyone?"
"Absolutely."
Nagisa looked at a tiny alarm clock on the table. Twenty minutes and I'll have plenty of time. "Sometimes I think I could just use the bookshelf to go straight to work. I'd just need to stack a shelf in a storage room."
"Nagisa."
"I know, I know! We all decided together to keep magic a secret no matter what. I just feel lazy sometimes. And I could spend another thirty minutes home if I could shelf straight to work."
The houses on the island were placed on both sides of three long roads that all met in the center of the island where a big plaza with a central fountain was. Comfortable park benches, thickly grown fauna and a fourth, separate road that led to a big public bath, a small convenience store and a few other public facilities. These were run by some very peculiar girls – Yume's group, Kokoro's group and Ibaraki's group. Their Cure-like existence made them somewhat unfit to exist in standard society, so they were invited by their originals to live on the same island as them. They were given jobs as well to combat boredom.
Nagisa and Honoka lived in a house that was a little ways away from the central plaza on the west road. Their neighbors were Rin, who lived alone for the time being but had Kanade over a lot, and Reika, who lived with Inori.
Coming just out of her house now was Rin, wearing sports wear and carrying a small backpack that contained a few bottles of water. Nagisa had gone back inside to get ready for work but Honoka waved to her as she started jogging past their house.
Kanade had spent the night at home. Being an almost eighteen year old girl her parents granted her some degree of privacy, such as not entering her room without knocking. And yet, it was still a bother for Kanade to leave at night through the bookshelf in her room just to spend the night with Rin, wake up early and go back home so her parents would not notice. At least Rin thought so.
Sadly, there was no way Kanade's parents would let her live with some woman they had never heard of after all. Hibiki had tried to sell that same idea to her parents and the resulting arguments had been pretty spectacular, according to Kanade.
Jogging to the end of the road on the west circling back to the center, going south and back again, then east and back again and finally back home was her daily routine. The heat on the island simulated the heat in a stadium pretty well and she stayed fit that way without subjecting herself as much to training facilities in the city where the air quality was so much worse.
It was not every day but pretty often she ended up running into Itsuki – not literally of course. But the martial arts instructor was adamant about staying in shape and so she used most mornings to go for a run. Changing her course and joining up with Rin, Itsuki was on a workout this morning as well. "You know, we have a lot in common."
"Morning to you too."
"Morning."
"So, we both have underage girlfriends that at best sneak out at night and have to sneak back into their room early in the morning? Also we go jogging a lot." Rin liked to mess with Itsuki a little.
"That's a bleak way of putting it."
"If we were guys we'd be in trouble."
"You think so?"
"Well, you would be in trouble at least."
"I guess so. I should have stopped Hibiki from telling her parents about us."
"If I had hundred yen for every time you've said that."
"Sorry."
"It's fine."
Jogging down the southern street's right side, Rin briefly stopped and grabbed some bottled water from her backpack and handed one of her extras to Itsuki. A shower was always necessary after a jog but it was too hot to run the entire distance without something to drink.
"So how's things with Kanade?"
"Fine I guess? She's grumpy because we can't spend much time together while she keeps me a secret from her parents. But she'll be eighteen soon and once she graduates school, things will improve. What about you and Hibiki?"
"Pretty much the same. Her parents are tolerating her dating me but they do say she has to sleep at home and no bringing over girlfriends."
"I'm surprised neither of their parents made a big fuss over their daughters being into women." I know my parents wouldn't be too happy. I wonder if the Ayumi of this time ever had a thing with Coco.
"It was a big deal in the world we came from but it's a lot more accepted here. Thanks to Mana and Alice, I guess."
"We do owe them a lot." Stopping at the halfway point – the end of the south street – Rin did some quick stretches. "Going into town today?"
"Hibiki is gonna drop by after school and we were thinking of going to see a movie. There's a new action movie she wants to see."
"Normal couples go see romance flicks but I guess none of us qualify for that." Rin chuckled. "Kanade's surprisingly big into horror stuff, or so she'd want me to believe. She just enjoys clinging to me really hard and being hugged. And she's too stubborn to just ask for it."
"Kanade ever bake here?"
"I don't keep the stuff for that on hand, so no. If you want some cookies just ask Hibiki to get some from Kanade's club activities."
"That okay with you?"
"You're getting her cookies, not cupping a feel on her boobs."
"Still-"
"Yeah, it's fine with me. What's wrong with you lately? Walking on eggshells and everything."
"You'd walk on eggshells too after Hibiki's mom shouts you to pieces." Itsuki had some really bad memories about that.
"What, you were there when she told them about you?"
"Oh yeah." Itsuki flapped her lips. "Unfortunately."
"You ever think you'd rather have stayed in Dissonance?"
"Hm, sometimes. But then I see my brother and the rest of my family and I'm glad I'm back here. Hibiki is gonna be able to make her own decisions soon enough. Kanade too. It's good we're all back."
"So, movie night, huh?" Rin wasn't against movies.
"What about you?"
"Kanade's studying for tests. I'm not exactly one of the blue girls, so she's probably staying home."
"Tests?" Itsuki seemed confused.
"Yeah, they have term finals coming up in, uh, ten days?"
"Is that so?"
"Did I just bust Hibiki's alibi?"
"Uh huh."
"Don't tell her. She'll get mad at Kanade and then Kanade gets mad at me."
"Oh I know how to handle her, don't worry."
"How's her grades? Also, let's go, I wanna finish before my body goes into rest mode." Restarting their jog, they continued talking while running.
"Hibiki's grades are okay."
"Sounds like me."
"I'm gonna go to the movies with her and then spring the tests thing on her after. The guilt is gonna make her study."
"You really do have a handle on her."
Passing the first house on the west street, both of them waved to Regina, who was scratching her stomach with one hand and waving half-asleep with the other. Her hair looked like a half dozen snakes lived in there and her shirt was sliding off over her right shoulder from being four sizes too big.
This early and they're running around… musclehead Cures never change. Yawning loudly and with her mouth wide open, Regina walked back inside and hit the wall console to turn on the air conditioner. Every house had them – Alice had not spared any expense. Catching Mana hurriedly drinking a cup of coffee and stuffing her mouth forcibly with a croissant from yesterday, Regina hugged her from behind. "Can't you be not the first one at the office for once?"
"Sorry Regina. You know elections are soon." Putting down the coffee mug, she put her hand on top of her girlfriend's. "Once elections are over, whether I get into a higher office or not, I'll have a lot more time to spend with you two."
"I wanna go to Disneyland."
"Really? Disneyland?" Mana sounded amused.
"Yeah! Can't I wanna go to to Disneyland?"
"It's such a family friendly place I was sure you'd wanna go somewhere more adult."
"I like rides and cartoons, you know that!"
"Okay. After elections I'll take both of you to Disneyland."
"And the water park."
"I promise."
"No backsies!"
"Would I ever backsie?"
Regina pouted and held on to her lover even more. "No."
"See? But you have to let me go now."
"Only if you pay the Mana-toll."
"I'll pay." Smiling, she was let go, turned about and kissed Regina goodbye. "I'll see you for lunch." Escaping and using the bookshelf in the corner of the living room to get to the magic library – their transportation hub – Mana left home for work.
"Regina?" Rikka's voice came from upstairs where their bedroom was. They had an extra large bed that accommodated all three of them easily. "Is Mana already gone?"
"Just left!"
"Are you dressed?"
"Nope!"
"She forgot some papers she worked on late last night. They're on the night desk. Can you get them to her?"
"After breakfast?"
There was a moment of silence and then light steps on the stairs. "You know they are probably important to her work."
"Are you making breakfast? I'll get her papers to her then."
"I can do that. Did you remember to buy fruit for muesli?"
"Pears, apples, raisins and grapes, like you wrote down."
"I'm glad you can still read my handwriting."
"It's better than Mana's and she writes her name all day long."
Rikka hid her laughter behind a forced cough. "Don't tell Mana that!"
"Definitely won't. Okay, I'll get dressed. You leave the papers on the night desk?"
"I put them on the bed. I'll air out the sheets later, just get ready."
"While I'm over there, anything you need?"
"No, thank you."
"Good. See you in five."
Walking into the kitchen – Rikka had finally gotten properly comfortable around the place over the last week – she opened the same cupboard as always, reaching for the same spot and took out a big tupperware bowl. She took the oatmeal box from a hanging shelf and then opened up a drawer to get a knife and another cupboard to get a cutting board.
Spending years putting things exactly back where they belonged came in handy now for Mana and Regina. It enabled Rikka to actually do things around the house. The outside was still difficult for her without using her powers. Luckily they had very kind neighbors.
One of those neighbors was taking an early morning shower because she had spilled orange juice all over herself. "Love, you know I don't need this kind of thing in the morning!" Setsuna was using her upset voice; it carried all the way downstairs.
Sitting at a large table in the kitchen was the rest of Love's household; Eas, tapping away on her phone, Ellen, half asleep and also half on the table holding on poorly to an empty glass that used to contain milk, and Love herself, hunched over and feeling sorry over the mishap from a few minutes ago.
"You'd think that even harem protagonists would know not to hug someone from behind while they're holding a glass with orange juice." Eas was just blasting Love from the side without even looking up.
"Not you too. And don't call me that." Love pouted a little and flinched when another complaint from Setsuna came from the bathroom upstairs. There were three bathrooms total in this house, two on the ground floor, with one being really just a small room with a toilet in it, and one upstairs. Downstairs was a bathtub, in an old, square style, while upstairs was a modern shower.
Mumbling and making sloppy smacking noises, Ellen didn't contribute anything to Love's defense. She was by far the worst at getting out of bed in time. If not for her ability to move to a storeroom at her school that happened to have a bookshelf, she would have been late to school every single day.
"Are the two of you ready for work?" Setsuna was shouting from upstairs.
"Not yet!" Eas shouted back and took a quick look up from her phone. She eyed Love for a moment before tapping her right index finger on the corner of her mouth, signaling that Love had something stuck there. She wasn't the nicest or most talkative person on the island, not by a long shot, but in her own way she cared about everyone there, especially her family. "Remember we need to pick up Mom's present today."
Vigorously rubbing her entire mouth and cheek on her bare arm, Love rose out of her chair.
"Earth to Lovestar Frontier, we need-"
"I know! Geez, you really take after your sister!"
In this world, a world that had been unfamiliar to some of them and outright alien to others, Setsuna and Eas were sisters. Labyrinth was a prosperous nation that laid adjacent to the dimension of earth and had never seen the threat of Moebius, so it was unclear how and why Setsuna and Eas had come to earth.
According to the photo albums of Love's mother, they were mixed Romanian-Japanese and orphans. While they had not been legally adopted by Love's family, they did live with them until they moved out here.
Coming back home was difficult for all four of them. Their lives largely didn't resemble what they'd known them to be.
"I'll go change." Eas left her phone on the table – and nobody had permission to touch it – ruffled Ellen's hair as she walked by and went upstairs. Love, Setsuna and Ellen shared one bedroom that had originally been two adjacent rooms and Eas had her own room that was a pretty stark contrast to what the other bedroom looked like.
Poking her head into the bathroom where Setsuna was scrubbing her shirt with a rough brush, looking mighty grumpy. But she didn't say anything to her sister. This whole deal, living and being her own person, was still new to her. But she managed to enjoy herself and it wasn't as hard finding what she liked as she originally thought. Everyone was supportive of her and with Yami and occasionally Urara around, she made some friends almost immediately.
Setsuna was not the most approving sister. In private, with Love and Ellen, she expressed real sympathy for Yuri, who was going through something similar. It didn't help that Yami and Eas ended up close friends and even shared interests.
Entering her room, Eas was greeted by a comfortable ocean of black. Black bed sheets, mainly black posters on her still white walls, black carpets and cloths spreading all over – she was very much someone one could liken to the gothic or metal music scene.
Grabbing her work clothes from her wardrobe, Eas started to strip. This job of hers was something truly unexpected and she didn't understand the logic the universe had follow to arrive here. But she liked being bodyguard to a rock star. On occasion she even got to rough someone up. Wearing a pants suit and sunglasses made her feel very comfortable for some reason.
While Eas was changing, Love was trying to smooth things over with Setsuna. "I'll make it up to you. I'll go to Argentina and get us some really fresh- ow, ow, Setsu, stop!" Her first girlfriend was pinching her cheek.
"I'm way past being mad at you, Love. But you've been tardy for work twice already this month. Go change." Having finished rinsing out her top, Setsuna was also in the process of changing clothes and getting ready for work. All three of them had very different jobs. Love and Setsuna planned to quit when Ellen finished school so they could once again travel. Eas had no plans to come with them.
Ellen was barely awake when the first of three work ready women came down the stairs, the heavy heels announced who it was way ahead of time. "See you later, kittycat." Eas ruffled Ellen's hair a second time, stopped by the door and turned around. "I'm off, Sis!" Shouting to tell Setsuna she was leaving, it still felt weird to her to call Setsuna that. They were, in a way, the same person although nobody would believe them at this point.
Rushing out the door before Setsuna could ask if she had brushed her teeth or not, Eas nearly ran over Komachi, who looked like she was about to fall over on her own. "Long night?" Stopping to briefly talk to Komachi, Eas felt the heat assail her immediately.
"All nighter. Got to make that deadline somehow..." With big black bags under her eyes, Komachi smiled at Eas. "Off to work?"
"Yeah."
"You got a piece of something between your teeth."
"Where?" Eas tried to use one of her fingernails to get it out, but she couldn't find it.
Komachi got closer and lightly tapped the upper lip right above the spot. "There."
She could never admit it to anyone but she had gotten off to thinking about Komachi at the beach more than a dozen times. At least she already wore her sunglasses so they obfuscated how hard she was staring at the girl's chest. "Thanks. Gotta run though, good luck writing."
Before she could get away a window on the second floor was ripped open and Setsuna leaned out far, wearing a white dress. "Eas! You didn't even wash your face, did- come back here!" Shouting at her as her little sister ran away, Setsuna gave up after a couple seconds. "That girl…"
"She'll come around to listening to you. Yami did, too." Love was in the room as well, jumping around on one leg and looking silly in an attempt to fit into her pumps.
"After months, yes. Who knows in what kind of trouble she will get herself until then?" Closing the window back up, Setsuna sat down on their rather enormous bed. "Love, have you seen my shoes?"
"Other side of the bed." Love fell down on the bed herself and finally succeeded in getting her pumps on. She had bought them in the city and they had been a very snug fit there – but it was much warmer out here on the island and so her feet were just a little too big to fit in those pumps easily.
"Thanks. I really don't know what to do with her."
"It's not your job to raise her."
"I know, it's just… she's like Urara used to be, kind of."
"Urara's on track to become queen of a kingdom."
"Stop having good arguments to support just believing in her! You know I worry."
Love snorted and Setsuna couldn't help herself but join her partner. "She's holding down her job fine, she even likes it. She gets along with almost everyone and she's got friends. She's got a family that loves her. She even found a couple of hobbies."
"I know, I know… I never thought bringing her back would be like this."
"You don't regret it, even if you make it sound like that."
"Seeing right through me as always, Love."
"Now, who's up for Ellen today?"
"My sister already bailed so… Rock, Paper, Scissors!" Throwing Paper, Setsuna lost to Love's scissors. "I should ask Yayoi for advice on this..."
Going back downstairs together, Love started rummaging through the kitchen and the fridge to procure something quick to eat on the go for both of them – it turned into whole-grain bread with double bananas on top. These bananas had to go anyway.
While Love was handling that, Setsuna got Ellen out of her chair and basically prodded her along to the bathroom so she could wash her face. The heat of the island made Ellen incredibly drowsy to the point where she turned into the worst morning person on the island.
Not every household wanted to use the magic bookshelves system in their own home – most of them in fact didn't. There was a small library, kept neat and tidy by Miho, the old Dark Lemonade. The place served as a come-and-go hub of transportation between Lily Tokyo and wherever they had to go to on mainland Japan.
"Ellen awake yet?" Love was waiting by the door, ready to leave. Dressed in brown garbs of mixed leather and cloth, she was sweating quite a bit. Her job was one that she really liked – she was one of the people in charge of securing and maintaining mountain, wilderness and other routes for tourists and exploration tours. The last four weeks they had spent improving and refurbishing a path up a mountain.
"Yes… yes..." Ellen let out a huge yawn and then shrieked – as she did every day – when ice cold water hit her face. "Awake. Absolutely awake."
"Remember that tests are coming up. No video games until then. I will know." While they were girlfriends, Setsuna took it upon herself to also mother Ellen around a bit.
"Setsu!" Love called again and looked at her wrist watch. They went to completely different end locations but she didn't want to leave without her first partner.
"Coming!" Wearing a white office dress, white pumps and a bit of light lipstick, Setsuna hurried through the kitchen towards the door. While Love worked on the practical end of tourism, Setsuna worked on the other side – she was a travel agent working out of Tokyo and bringing in the absolute lion share of business in their four people household.
While some were just on their way to work, others had finished just now. "Tough night?" Nagisa was leaned a little bit over the veranda guard rail, looking down at a really worn out Reika.
Aoki Reika was an incredibly tough woman and she had gone through countless harrowing situations. But the life that was prepared for her as they returned had challenges that far exceeded her capacity to handle. Instead of being a vigilante working all over the world by herself she worked as the main organizer for events – and it did not matter what kind. Western medieval fairs, traditional Japanese weddings, Chinese New Years, Bhuddist Temple events, her agency handled all of it. There were over two hundred people on her payroll and it was her job to make all of them function like clockwork.
"I would happily fight crime again instead of this..." Reika froze. "Do not tell Inori I said that."
It was a standing agreement between Reika and Inori that they would do their best at fitting into their new lives and they would do so together. Having each other was more a physical comfort than an emotional one but that by itself was already very helpful.
"Said what?" Nagisa grinned wide.
"That I would rather fight crime-"
"No, I got what you said… I was saying I'll pretend I didn't hear it." You've still got a long way to go, Reika.
"You have my gratitude."
"So how come you were out all night anyway?"
"Disaster struck the event site and everyone had to work through the night to finish preparations." I am going to bill the full amount plus emotional damages of my workforce to the responsible person.
"Sounds pretty bad. You going to turn in now?"
"I have never been this tired even in our old world. So yes."
"Not sure but I think Inori hasn't left yet. Maybe you can grab some breakfast-dinner with her?" You two go well together. If you'd just try to be a proper couple I think you'd make it.
"I ate on the way. I really just want to shower and sleep. I will perha- probably see you tonight."
"Goodnight!" Nagisa waved and stood up straight. I should probably go and get ready myself.
Reika was not the only one to turn towards bed now. At the far end of the east street stood a house that was well covered by shade thrown by the palm trees growing all around it. A small veranda on the second floor instead of out on the porch, windows covered by curtains and air conditioning on almost full blast, roaring in the walls.
"We… we did it..." Yayoi's face hit her drawing table and she nearly fell out of her chair sideways. "I can't believe… we finished."
Yayoi was one of the very few people whose job had not changed. She still made manga although she worked for a different magazine now and she did three monthly manga instead. On top of that she was also a one person doujin circle. Yuricon, a convention specifically for yuri themed fanworks, was around the corner and Yayoi had not heard of it before people started asking her on her blog why she hadn't posted samples of her works for the con yet.
"Bath. All three." Michiru picked Yayoi up like a half-empty bag of rice and dragged her sister out of her own dedicated chair.
While they also handled odd jobs around the island, that was not their paid job. Both of them were full time assistants for Yayoi, and those were jobs that were absolutely necessary, Yayoi realized very quickly.
The Kise-Kiryuu household had a rather specialized house, with a big studio room for work, an archive for manga and anime, a basement full of handyman tools, a kitchen where everything was just a bit too high for Yayoi to reach properly and a big bath that more closely resembled a hot tub than a bath.
A breadcrumbs trail of clothes marked the path they took from the studio to the bathroom downstairs – they had rebuilt a wall to make the bathroom big enough to fit their huge bath inside. There was no shower and the toilet was squeezed in a corner next to the sink.
"Yayoi, if your editor asks for any changes, I will [Stormflair] her." Kaoru was just taking off her bra and dropping it on the ground, waiting for the bath to fill. The three faucets that ran simultaneously really helped speed that up.
"I'm so hungry I could eat a horse… Kaoru, where did you put Natsu's number?" Michiru groaned and stripped a helplessly exhausted mangaka down to her underwear.
There were a limited amount of landlines on the island, a courtesy of Alice so they could all avoid insane cellphone charges, but the numbers were needlessly long. That too was Alice's design and meant to imitate Tokyo landline numbers in case they ever wrote a number down and someone else saw it.
"Pizza?" Kaoru answered with a question instead. Natsu, formerly Dark Rouge, ran a small restaurant that was mostly doing takeout. Her powers came in handy for that.
"Everything. I could eat a cow." To emphasize that she was serious about that, Michiru's stomach growled like an ancient cave experiencing tremors.
"I'll call her." Walking out of the bathroom stark naked, Kaoru picked up the phone. She had every number on the island committed to memory. Dialing, she walked back towards the bathroom, waiting just outside the door. "Natsu? It's Kaoru. We're getting delivery. What? I'll ask." She looked into the bathroom to find Michiru already sitting in the still filling tub. "Natsu is running a special on pizza, Michiru. You good with just getting two of everything pizza?"
"Sure."
"We'll take two of everything then. How long do you think- I see. Okay, good. Just come in when you're done, door's unlocked. You might see a nipple or two if you're quick- okay, fine, you can shout so you don't walk in on us. See you soon." Hanging up, Kaoru put the phone down on a small cupboard just outside the bathroom and went inside.
Natsu's menu wasn't very big so two of everything was really just about eight pizzas and Michiru was a big eater. They hadn't had real food in over five days and other than the occasional nap of passing out they hadn't slept much either. All three of them smelled accordingly.
Yayoi was hanging onto the wall of the tub and half asleep already. The need to make two doujins in about two weeks was such a rush job that she almost bit for bit turned the Kanade and Rin relationship into a story. The other one was about a popular camping anime.
Joining her sister and shared girlfriend in the bath, Kaoru felt a little bit of life return to her. Even though she didn't show it that much, she was tired to the bone. "I'm just gonna sleep all day and then sleep some more tonight and sleep all day tomorrow."
"I bet this is what it feels like to get hit by [Stormflair] and not have a convenient system to fix you." Michiru leaned back and sunk into the water, coming back up with soaking wet hair.
Yayoi started snoring and sliding into the water, ready to drown in her sleep. Picked up by Kaoru, she was placed on a lap and leaned against a corner of the tub, keeping her head above water. All faucets were turned off by Michiru moments after, the water at a comfortable level for all three of them.
"She's out like a rock." Kaoru poked Yayoi's cheeks and smiled. "I wish I wasn't so tired so I could check out if girls really don't wake up when you molest them in their sleep."
"You already know they do." Michiru eyed her sister with a certain look. "I remember Yayoi waking me up shrieking and kicking because you couldn't keep your hands to yourself."
"You always sleep through it."
"Because I'm used to it."
"I'm lucky to have such a sexy sister."
"Not sure if lucky is the right term." Michiru sighed. "Natsu is gonna break her back doing a big order this early in the morning. We should give her a nice tip."
"Sure. I think she's been meaning to buy telescope scissors for Midori." That was Natsu's girlfriend, the former Bad End March. She was basically a caretaker around the island and getting a salary from Alice.
"I never thought they'd get to come back with us."
"Remember how happy Ayumi was?" Kaoru smiled as she recalled that moment they discovered the Banished girls were still alive.
"How could anyone forget the river of happy tears she cried? A few of the others even joined in."
"Makes you wonder though. Would we have ended up on their side if we hadn't followed Saki and Mai?"
"We wouldn't have Yayoi then. Or would we? Maybe we would be with Namaki instead." That was the other Yayoi, Bad End Peace.
"I wouldn't want a handful like that as girlfriend. Kokoro shouts at her almost every day for misbehaving." Kokoro was the partner of Yume, Bad End Happy and Dark Dream respectively.
"Staying with Yayoi was the right choice. The work is a bit brutal though." Stretching her arms, Michiru relaxed and leaned against the wall next to her sister.
"The spoils are worth it."
"I'm so tired I can't even work up the energy to be horny."
Kaoru snorted. "So that's why you keep eyeing my legs underwater, huh?"
"Never too tired for that."
"I like this."
"You wanna have sex later-"
"Not you looking. Living with Yayoi and everyone else. Being ourselves without fear. The work is kind of brutal but even that I kind of like." Looking at her sister, Kaoru waited for her to respond and make eye contact.
"Maso."
"Sadist."
"Says the lady with the ability to shut down a person's mind."
"Who're you to talk, ogre girl?"
"That's Saki, not me." Michiru held Saki in the highest regard but she wasn't above poking fun at her.
"I can't believe she's a professional wrestler in this world. Just how did that happen?"
"She looked really good in her stage outfit. Her name is almost too on the nose, though."
"QUAD-S." Kaoru chuckled. "Splash Star Shoujo Saki. I don't think anyone really knows how simple and on the nose that is."
"At least Mai talked her out of using her Cure form for matches."
"I think Mana's group would have snapped. Her. In half."
"Maybe not Mana but the others absolutely."
"Speaking of girls with unhealthy amounts of girlfriends, Love's thing was this weekend, right?" Kaoru had lost track of what day it was after the brutal crunch they had to do to get ready for Yuricon.
"Think so?"
"Completely forgot what that is even about."
"Everyone thinks she'll announce marrying Setsuna."
"Speaking of which, what are we gonna do? Play rock paper scissors over who gets to marry Yayoi?"
"You can marry her." Michiru sounded like her mind was completely made up. "Visually speaking, you fit together better and you're the better socialite between the two of us. Just imagine Yayoi introducing me as her wife. People will give us weird looks because I'm tall and buff and she's a mouse."
"I'm also tall."
"Tall, thin and your face looks a lot smarter than mine."
"So it's about how I look?"
"Yeah. Showing off my pretty sister with our girlfriends as her wife is fine with me. Maybe you can work that charm and smart head of yours to land Yayoi an anime deal."
"Sounds to me like you're just as smart and clever as I am."
"Of course. But you look the part more than I do."
"Point taken." Kaoru chuckled. "What do you think Yayoi will say?" Poking their girlfriend's cheeks and making Yayoi sway left to right and back, Kaoru had some fun with her.
"Abababababa, hawawawawa, w-w-w-w-what-" Michiru imitated Yayoi pretty well and both sisters broke out in laughter.
"Let's wait a while before I ask her to marry me. We haven't been back here that long."
"I can't remember how long. Time just blurs together when we crunch to get Yayoi's work done."
"Speaking of which..." Kaoru's stomach growled to rival Michiru's. "I hope Natsu gets here soon."
Said girl was currently rotating in her small restaurant, receiving some much needed help from unexpected company.
"The last dough batch is done!" Kurumi had an understanding with Natsu. At first she had been pretty apprehensive of the girls surrounding Yume but Ayumi had vouched for them and after a few days she had come to really like Natsu in particular.
Dating Hikari was an uphill battle against her own insecurities and Hikari's lethal levels of cuteness. But there was one thing she didn't want to deal with – Hikari was so much more useful in the kitchen than she was that their discrepancy in skill level often resulted in Kurumi being asked to just take it easy and let Hikari handle things. She hated that but she was too proud to say it.
So she looked for a way to improve her cooking game – and she found the perfect solution in Natsu. It surprised her every day how much take out and general food had to be made in such a tiny restaurant that could barely seat six people at peak capacity. Cures were a lazy bunch when it came to cooking for themselves! Despite being high in girl power, most of them were really lacking in the kitchen and that included herself.
Natsu finished putting together the first part of the order. "Can you do the first run over to Kiki?" That was just code for Kise-Kiryuu, the house furthest on the end of the east street. It was faster than saying a number – not that the houses on the island had numbers – or their names in full.
"On my way." Picking up two pizza cases, Kurumi balanced them on one hand each and went outside. It was hard work and nobody was paying her for this but she liked that she had a purpose. Back in the old world she had been a leech and she wasn't done making up for that.
"Morning! Delivery already?! Yayoi and her girls?!" Shouting because she wasn't showing any signs of slowing down, Miki greeted Kurumi.
"Yep!" The response was sharp and brief because even in the heat of the island pizza didn't stay pipping hot for long.
"I'll never understand how anyone can run around in this heat and so early in the day." Miki was walking very slowly towards the northern end of the island. Both the south-east and the entire northern coast were primed for beach activities but Miki's goal was more distinct than that. Her next job required her to have a tropical tan and she was working on getting a very natural one.
The new timeline had served her well enough – although her old life was practically gone, she loved her job as a professional musical lead performer. The work was just as taxing as before, although there were more breaks. She was performing for several weeks, up to three months, about two to four times a week and then they would learn a new musical. She was still learning the steps for the next one and getting her physical state done right. It was a love story about an Okinawan native priestess being wooed by a military general from the Yamato Empire of ancient Japan. Normally she wouldn't care about the theme but the person they got to play the general was a not a man but a very dashing tall lady that she was very much into.
Looking at her small notepad and going through lines again, Miki lamented the fact that she had to wear these clothes – a huge shirt with long sleeves and pants, in tropical island heat. But she wanted a perfectly even tan and she was going to get one by doing everything perfectly.
"Hey! Blue Tower!" She would have recognized that annoying greeting anywhere. Looking back, she saw Kokoro rush after her. That girl really wasn't a bad person but it was basically like having another Urara around. The leader of the former Bad Ends and Yume's girlfriend, Bad End Happy, or as she was known now, Kokoro.
"I told you to stop calling me that."
"Don't be such a baby, Babel."
One more tower reference and I will drown her. Miki did not get along with Kokoro but for some reason she couldn't fathom, Kokoro really did like her.
"What do you want?" Miki didn't stop walking even when Kokoro caught up with her.
"Ibaraki asked me to go around and tell people that the summer harvest festival is soon."
Because the girls that had no real place in this world had been granted a miracle they wanted to enrich the lives of those around them. And have fun. But mostly do the former thing. Ibaraki specifically – that was the name that Mirage Blossom had landed on – was going to throw a small festival four times a year, once for each season. The island was tropical so the seasons were really just cosmetic but there were enough things that grew in this climate to make do.
"We all get Yume's newsletter."
"You know Ibby. She prefers person to person reminders. Anyway, you tell Yuri for me, right? Later." Bolting as soon as she had done what she'd been asked to do, Kokoro was like a whirlwind. Seeing someone that had Miyuki's face be so crude and impolite was also a small shock but she'd gotten used to being shocked.
The island was very much alive at almost any hour of the day. All in all fifty-one girls lived there, ranging from mangaka to musical star, from professional athlete to professional wrestler, including home study types such as Rikka, royalty like Ako and Urara, school girls like Ellen and those who were only able to come there briefly, being Hibiki and Kanade.
It was all thanks to her sacrifice. That was all they knew now. There had been a her back in the Dissonance and it was thanks to her efforts and powers that they had returned to earth. They could barely remember anything about the place now. Something catastrophic had happened, this they knew, and a savior had appeared and sacrificed herself for them.
And within their hearts they knew one more thing; her wish. A place to call solely their own. A place for Cures and only Cures, away from humans. And they created that place. Alice was the one that put forth the funding and it was thanks to everyone's effort that not a single girl was left out.
It was a place of comfort, happiness and bliss. Even with the changes the new world brought, even with the difficulties some of them faced, not a single one of them wished to go back to the world of before.
=== DISSONANCE ===
"I am sick of this..." She faced straight ahead, her eyes shot red.
The heaven's cry was gray and flimsy, a rain that could not decide if it wanted to pour or to drizzle out slowly over time. A large number of people, in black and gray, surrounded a singular point.
She couldn't hear the words of the person up ahead. Not because they were spoken too quietly or in a language she didn't know – it was because she had heard them too often now. Every time she came to a place like this she left a small portion of herself behind. If this keeps going there won't be anything of me left pretty soon…
The sun refused to show its face and the blackened clouds blotted out the sky like a carpet of darkness that was capable of enveloping the moon. But even if the sun had come out, what difference would it have made? She couldn't see a bright future anymore no matter how nice the day was. With each visit the world looked more and more gray.
When had she last smiled? When did the person she loved last smile? Things like that were being forgotten and abandoned. What was there to smile about anyway? The world was a terrible place, full of lies and hate. What was all their fighting for? What was the great sacrifice of those girls in the end for if this was the world they returned to?
She hated this. The world, the people in it, and herself. Why had she fought? Those impossible odds they had overcome… why was this their reward?
I know the answers already. All of them. Everyone does. Every day the answers stare us in the face. Every night the answers haunt us. Six months… half a year… and this is the state things are in. I should never have come back. That place, removed from earth, removed from everything… why did we fight so desperately to leave it? Why couldn't we have taken a different path?
As she let her thoughts drown herself in a black sea of tragedy, she heard the speaker up front come to a close. One by one people advanced, stepped forward. One by one they disappeared. And soon enough it was her turn. The black dress she wore was worn out but what was really run ragged was her soul. She could not feel love or happiness anymore.
Time stretched itself thin as she stepped forward, each step like a gargantuan leap further into the darkness. But that no longer mattered at all. If I'm this far into the lightless dusk, if I have not seen the light in weeks, what does it matter how much further ahead I have to walk?
Looking down she could feel a cold fire in her throat. She felt sick to her soul. This was not how things should have gone. And she knew exactly what it was, when it was, that they had taken the wrong turn, that they all had stepped onto a path of no return. Her. When we gave in to distrust and hate and united to fight her. If this is the alternative… no use thinking about it…
Slowly lowering herself, kneeling down in the ever wet grass that felt slimy and unpleasant, she felt tears come out again. It hurt. Not just on the inside but on the outside too. It hurt to be alive, to be increasingly alone. To have things slip away like this. The fire burning in her eyes was one of self-loathing. She should have stepped up. Prevented this.
Looking down into the hole in front of her, her throat contracted, her words would no come out any more. Bitter tears ran into the quivering corners of her mouth and she could taste the despair in them. Goodbye Honoka… I hope you'll meet Nagisa again…
How many times had she been forced to say goodbye now? How many more times would she have to say, to feel it? I don't want to live in this world anymore…
A hand on her shoulder, a body by her side, she knew who it was. The rocking shoulders, the shaking hands, the sobbing; she was so familiar with all of these. How many of the others had she seen like this?
There was no one left that was happy. Everyone had lost someone dear, someone irreplaceable and there was never enough time to finish mourning. Why… how is this happening? Why is the darkness swallowing up only us? The world is suffering no more than it always has, so why is it that we are the one facing such… such injustice? I can't take it anymore… I just don't want to keep going like this...
"Hey..." She looked up. How long… A quick glance to both sides and she realized she was inside, seated on a chair. Others were with her, one of them standing right in front of her. "You fainted by the grave site."
She couldn't say anything. No I'm sorry or anything like that. She felt nothing but her own sadness inside. There was no more room to care for anyone else, no more room for happiness or hope. Lowering her head, she made a single hum to show that she understood. There was no scenario where any of them here would have pretended to be okay. She could see the death throes of their hearts on their faces.
A little later another woman walked by, pushing a wheelchair. Her own expression cracked, splintered into equal parts sadness and despair. Seated inside that wheelchair was someone she had called a close friend once. But now it was an empty shell of a person. Her spirit and heart had broken and never recovered when Rikka died. Her cheeks were fallen in, her arms and legs much too thin and her eyes were as lifeless as the grave she had been at earlier.
Soon she'll… She hated that she thought it. That she made it real for herself. Everyone could see that she was practically no longer alive on the inside. Her once so powerful and energetic personality was nowhere to be found.
They were all there and they were all alone together. They all shared a room and yet within that room there was nobody.
"She took her own life..." The words were no more than horrified whispers, a desperate attempt to have someone take her hand and calm her. But there was no one like that.
"Can you blame her?" There was not even a hint of an attempt to hide that she too had given up on life.
Seven… there are only seven of us left… Her hands hurt. Her feet were in pain. She hadn't eaten in a week. Nothing she ate would stay down anyway. Her tears had dried up weeks ago now. A year… one year was all it took for thirty of us to die… and now there is hardly anyone left. Each and every one of us is completely alone… we can't help each other. Nothing we can say or do will fill the void now. We're just…. we're just waiting to join the others now. We should never have come back.
The seven of them would never meet again after that.
=== DISSONANCE ===
Where am I? This vast emptiness…
Standing inside pure darkness, she looked around. The space around her made it feel like she was underwater and yet she could breathe fine. Wait, am I even breathing? Covering her mouth with her hand, she failed. Huh? Trying again and again, her hand and mouth would not connect, and yet she could clearly feel both. What's going on?
No words would escape her, no breath she would draw, no touch she was granted. It's like… I'm not really here. What is this place?
Taking a step ahead there was no sound. Taking another step there was no sensation of ground. She walked on nothingness through nothingness. How did I get here? The question loomed in her head endlessly as she kept walking. There was no sense of time in this endless black void, no sense of progression either. Was she walking on the spot? Was she stuck, like someone treading water to just stay afloat?
Was time passing? Was she dreaming? Was she dead? Was this the afterlife? Was this hell? She couldn't decide on any of it. She could feel no hunger, no thirst, no shortage of breath. She started to run – rushing as hard as she could, pushing and pushing to see if she could produce a response. She felt her body but it was like she was no longer bound by the design of biology.
Something's there… Far in the distance she saw a light. Not one that made her think of heaven. It was small, inconsistent, dirty orange and smudgy. Like a campfire far away in the woods. She ran and ran and ran and ran. Space and time had no meaning here it seemed. The light remained distant. She counted seconds in her head. One. Two.
Ten-thousand. The counting kept her sane as she kept running towards the unchanging light. There was no exhaustion, no hunger, no muscles to tire out. She could not perceive herself or anything but the light in the distance.
She lost count. Once. Twice. Many times. The distance felt like she was trying to cross eternity itself. But finally something changed. She saw… things. Places. People. None of which she knew and in no way did they seem to be related. People wielding ancient tools under a clear sky. People wearing strange clothing with faces of metal. Soldiers fighting in wars. Mothers giving birth. The old dying alone. A child's birthday. People repairing cars. Politicians speaking to an audience. A couple cleaning a room.
It rushed past her as she kept running, like the memories of the entire universe had been thrown into a bin, shaken and emptied out in a stream of wind. They were irrelevant to her. Was that… a Cure? She caught but a glimpse of it and when she stopped running, it was long gone. Her running seemed to not even matter to this waste bucket of the universe, the flow remaining perfectly constant whether she moved or not.
I have to get to that light.
For some reason that thought kept her going. Something about the light was important. Memories and places kept gushing past her like she was swimming upstream. She stopped paying attention for a while. Counting to ten thousand a few more times she stopped doing that. It was having the opposite effect now. Instead she glimpsed at the memories.
Wha… when did it change?!
All around her were memories of Cures fighting monsters, fighting humans, fighting each other. Some of the scenery looked so futuristic that she had no choice but to believe that those were memories of a far off time. There were so many, spanning what looked like thousands and thousands of years, that she felt overwhelmed. All of these… so many Cures?
Getting lost in the stream of infinite memory, she faltered, she lost her way. In a place without time or space she stayed idle. Scenes of Cures she had never seen or heard of flooded by. Some experiencing their first transformation, some discovering powers lying dormant within, some fighting, some winning, some losing. It was a complete almanac of all possible twists of fate.
It was only when she saw a memory of herself that she was freed from the enrapture of viewing time and space from beyond the limitations of physical form. Looking back towards the light, one enormous memory flew straight towards her, colliding and merging with her.
"The Ky'Rua are nothing to fear! Have you succumbed to madness and delusions of grandeur, you old fool?!" A young man of bronze skin, fine white robes and sophisticated gloves and shoes, slammed his hands on the wooden table. "Without them Mu would have been lost! Our ancestors lived through those times themselves! You should know better than-"
"It is because I know their power!" An old man, gray and weathered but standing tall and strong, shouted and drowned out the young one's words. "It is insanity for gods to be walking among mankind! What if a hostile tribe lands on our shores and they are vanquished by the Ky'Rua? Do you wish them to be known as deities of slaughter among the people?!"
"With their power they could find another solution!"
"It is too dangerous!"
"Old age has made you paranoid, grandfather!"
The old man picked up a stick from a corner and slammed it on the table so hard it broke in half. "You fool! The gods know love, sadness, happiness and despair just as we do! Have you forgotten the fifty years of darkness?!"
The young man backed away from the table. "It is taboo to speak of-"
"It is taboo because none wish to confront the reality that in time fifty years will return and become eternity!"
"You don't know that!"
"I experienced the loss of your grandmother! It nearly crushed my soul! If I was to know I would live forever, it would certainly have destroyed my heart and mind alike! The last of the Ky'Rua is the most powerful one yet and she has become isolated and alone! Ky'Rua Falshami has become corrupted!"
The young man's face turned so red in anger that it looked like he was about to explode. "You dare invoke the Ky'Rua's true name in a place like this?! And in such a manner?!"
"You did not live to see the darkness take root within her!"
"Without the Ky'Rua we would not have prosperity or even our very lives! How dare you view them as the same as us!"
The old man slowly exhaled and his expression hardened until the young man looked fearful. "The most horrifying thing in this world is to see the gods fall to the darkness for there is nothing in the hands of man that can stop them." Turning on the spot, the elderly man walked out into the sun.
Left behind was a young man, visibly scared and pearls of sweat running down his body. "Ky'Rua falling to darkness? No… that's not possible. If it was… how could we ever hope for civilization to prosper?"
The memory passed through her and she was left back within the void. The Ky'Rua… Where have I heard that before? They way they said it makes it almost sound like Cure. But we're nowhere a level where people would think we're gods… was that a future where Cures have become so powerful they're no longer human? Or past from so long ago that even being able to produce fire from nothing was a godlike feat? They didn't look technologically advanced, so… probably the past. But Ky'Rua? Why that name? Did Cures used to be called that?
Continuing to run as she thought about this, she wished she could properly feel. Even the mental impact of being in the void and endlessly counting seconds was barely anything to give her clear evidence that she was alive.
Whether I'm alive or not doesn't matter anymore. If this is a dream, I will wake up. If it isn't, asking questions won't mean a thing anyway. Either way I feel I will get my answers when I get to that light.
And as she thought so, the memories stopped coming and she was returned to a perfectly still void; with just one exception. There was a sound now. A sound that she knew all too well but one that made absolutely no sense to be heard now, within this lack of space.
Someone was stirring something inside a cup with a spoon.
I must have lost my mind… no, there's nothing to lose. I counted to ten-thousand seconds several times and I would have gone crazy just trying to do that once back in… any kind of actual reality.
And then she saw. Mixed contents of a living room and a kitchen assembled randomly around a burning campfire. It was the most surreal thing she had ever seen. H-How? The surprises did not end there. From within the shadow – and how there was a shadow was a question she couldn't answer – someone stepped out. Someone dressed in a simple robe that was a different color from every angle, at every moment.
"I am surprised someone has come here." A woman's voice came from under the robe. The robe looked up and now she could see the robe's face. Alabaster white skin of youth, features that didn't resemble any ethnicity she knew of and eyes of pure, glowing gold. "I would offer you coffee, but well… you know."
And for the first time she could perceive herself. A mass of energy, pure and sizzling, in all colors imaginable, without eyes or mouth or anything that made a person a person. Merely a humanoid shape, thin and fragile looking, curiously peeking at its own extremities.
"Don't worry, you're not dead. If you think that. Just a precaution. Been a few thousand years since my last visitor. Or maybe it's been only a couple of seconds? Hard to say in this place."
Where is this? Who are you? What happened to me?
"Hm, hm." The robe grabbed a mug from a grid that was placed over the fire and put it under her hood, producing a slurping noise. "I have no idea what you're thinking by the way. Always a problem. I keep meaning to figure out a way to fix that."
Fantastic.
"Well, let me cover the basics. Pretty sure everyone so far wanted to ask about those. Or not, I really couldn't tell. For starters, this is what's left." The robe gestured at the space around them. "Or maybe that isn't a good answer. Let's see… eventually the universe will end. And because I am me, I will still be around. But I'm not going to be the goddess of a new universe or something. This is just what's there after the end of the universe. Me and a bunch of things I made after. That covers the where and when, right?" The robe looked at her and then shrugged. "Right. You can't actually talk or emote. Keep forgetting that. You want some coffee?"
Beyond the end of the universe?
"What else… I guess you saw the memories of the universe on your way here? Well. Way. It's gonna be hard to get anywhere if you think of this as just some type of place. That's always fun to check out. Makes me wonder how exactly there's all these memories when the universe ended, though." The robe paused. "Don't look at me like that. Well, I assume you have a what is that supposed to mean look on your face. If you had a face."
I'm pretty sure that if I could get a headache I would have one now.
"What else… oh right, me. I'm… uh, I'll pick one name I think will make sense because I got entirely too many. We don't have all the time in the universe-" She slapped her forehead. "Oh we do! Because there's no more time."
Headache.
"My original name was Falnea. At the very start I was actually human if you can believe it! After that I became Ky'Rua, although that was just a title people gave me. I am what people call a Cure. There's actually a lot of variations on this. Pretty Cure. Precure. Petite Cure. Glitter Lady… I really hated that one actually. But the original term for all of these was Ky'Rua. Pretty early in the history of this one planet called Earth, that's where I came from, there was a continent called Mu. It ended up destroyed but what can you do."
Mu? Wasn't that a fairytale thing?
"Sorry, getting off track. What else, what else… Well, there's you but even I don't know exactly what's up with that. I think someone as powerful as me might have moved you between time and you got lost during that. Might actually have been me."
I still have no idea who you are, actually. Falnea? Ky'Rua? So Ky'Rua does mean Cure? Or at least it's the same thing. Could have told me your Cure name at least.
"Coffee? Oh. Right. My bad." Sitting down on a low bench the robe slurped from her coffee mug again. "What else… I covered this place, me and you. I guess? Wait, did I? Pretty sure. In any case, what else… Coffee?"
Enough with offering me coffee already!
"I take it you're wondering where I get coffee from?"
Absolutely not.
"Excellent, let me tell you!"
Moving through the lack of space was incredibly difficult for her but seemed to be no effort at all for the robe. It's weird… a Cure that survived the end of the universe? The argument of how that makes any sense at all left aside… what kind of absurd powers do you even need to have to make it to the end of the universe? And she talks like she's been alive since god knows when. Is this… Ayumi? No, Ayumi was born sometime just before the century rollover. This robe said someone moved me between time… who has powers like that? We're talking about science fiction stuff here. Even in fantasy fiction, time travel magic is considered super powerful. I know we're Cures, but time travel? That seems far fetched… Although… what reason would this robe have to lie?
"And that's how you blend the perfect black coffee."
Can't I do anything to get her to tell me something useful instead of talking about coffee?
"You know, you remind me a little of Ophati."
This better not be whoever invented coffee.
"You see, I wasn't always alone. We were kinda the original ones. The first of our kind. Ophati, Sherela and Falnea. Oh the last one is me by the way. Way in the beginning, before the big cataclysm that set humanity back a few thousand years, humanity's collective wishes and prayers for a better world created a singular power. Fantasia." The robe chuckled for a while.
"It's not what you imagine, it wasn't a hot lady shaped god or anything. It was really just a glowing orb of power that didn't do anything at first. But it granted the three of us powers when the Kar'Rua came. Basically the mother of all evil things. Or the dad. I don't really know. So we became the first Cures. The Ky'Rua, the life bringers. Because we fought off the Kar'Rua, the death bringers." The robe put her mug back on the grid. "I'm making coffee, do you want some?" She paused. "Oh right, you can't. Sorry about that."
The Kar'Rua…never heard of them before.
Waiting in silence and just watching the coffee mug, eventually the robe picked it back up, producing more slurping noises. "Ophati used to lecture me on all kinds of things… she died, just like Sherela. I miss them. I've always missed them… I wonder if they would like my coffee..."
This is not gonna end well, is it?
"It's all the fault of the humans…" The robe's voice changed menacingly. "If only they hadn't gotten in the way… if not for them we would still be together. Ophati… Sherela…"
The void, the non-space around the robe showed white cracks. "Those… little… insignificant… traitorous… monstrous… hateful… hateful… disgusting… grotesque..."
As the robe kept going, the voice distorted more and more and for the first time since coming to the end of the universe, she felt something. Fear.
This… this thing survived throughout the ages… it survived cataclysm, war, hate, suffering, tragedy… it saw the universe end and even now it's tormented by this never ending life that is nothing but a curse. If… if there really was some omnipotent god… if there is such a thing as the 'almighty', then this… this is it.
"Humans… I hate them… I hate them… I despise them… they stole… they robbed… they killed… they lied… they deceived… those greedy pigs… those monstrous worms… wiggling in our planet's bones… destroying and corrupting everything they touch… I hate them, I hate them, I hate them..."
I need to get out of here… is what I want to say, but there is no 'out'. There is no 'space'. There is only this and this thing that's losing control over god knows what kind of powers… The cracks are getting bigger… it's like… nothingness should not be able to get ripped apart. So what… what exactly is happening here?
But as quickly as the cracks appeared they vanished and the robe stopped muttering to herself. The normal all-encompassing silence of before surrounded them again.
What happened?
The robe grabbed a coffee mug from the grid – she didn't notice her putting it back at all – and then stood up. Turning about, they were face to whatever she had. "Aaaah!" The robe screamed and dropped her mug. "Say something if you're there! I swear, visitors get more rude every time."
Did she… forget about me?
"But where are my manners. Welcome to… I guess you could call this 'what's left', kinda. This is beyond the end of the universe, after everything went away. Do you want some coffee?"
Oh my god, someone get me out of here. Whatever here is.
"No? Oh right, no physical form and all that. Too bad." Sighing and slurping from her mug, the robe leaned back. "Say, you ever met Cure… Cure… what was her name again? Wait, don't say it, it's on the tip of my tongue… that princess gal from the music kingdom… Cure Song? No, that's not it..."
Music kingdom?
"You want any coffee?"
Focus, lady! You wanted to say something!
"Now what was I saying? Right. You ever met Cure… I can't remember. That girl that's ruling over Pa… something with the queen of light. So many Cures, hard to remember them all. Right? I mean, couple hundred would be fine but we talking thousands here. Although there aren't that many who left a big impact. Not everyone can be a Cure Muse."
Is that who you were talking about? Cure Muse?
"Have I told you about how this coffee comes together?"
Being in this… not-place has clearly taken a toll on her mental state. And that's leaving aside for however many thousands of years she's been alive. I'm not even sure she is the right term for someone that lived past the end of the universe. If only I could actually talk! This is like watching a movie but the disc skips at random!
A Cure, one of the original Cures if what she's saying is true… and she lived from then until the end of time itself. Could all just be nonsense though, she's clearly unable to keep her mind focused on any one thing. I'm not surprised though… memories of so much time must be like carrying a world on your shoulders. I thought Ayumi was ridiculously powerful but this is… this is so many levels above her.
"And if you carefully grind the beans… wait, now I remember. You!" The robe looked directly at her. "You're one of them."
Them? Well, I am human and she hates them, so…
"You damn crossroad Cures ruined everything."
The what now?
"I can't believe I didn't figure this out sooner. You're one of those thirty something idiot girls that picked a fight with me. If you had just listened then I wouldn't have had to destroy Earth. Or if you at least compromised on my ideas! Get outta here, go, shoo, shoo!" The robe swung her hand at her, like she was a fly. "Go away. I'm still pissed about how that shit went down!"
How it went down? What is she even talking about?
"All I wanted was to make a place for our kind to live without the limitations of human civilization. But you lot wouldn't hear of it. Humanity's protectors and family and friends and blah blah blah!" The robe kicked the void by her feet. "Because you just wouldn't let things go I had to wipe out not just the humans but also you lot. Took fifty thousand years for civilization to recover. Didn't even come back better than before. All your fault! Now get out." Raising her right hand, the robe clenched a fist. "And no coffee for you!"
=== DISSONANCE ===
Scratching her stomach, she rolled over in bed, an ever familiar fragrance immediately enveloping her. There was no point in opening her eyes, she knew exactly what the situation was just based on this one thing. Very slowly, akin to a sloth, she reached out and grabbed hold of another body, embracing them from the side. One hand sliding over their bare stomach, the loose shirt they wore for bed slid up, the other descending lightly, finding another's hand right where she expected. Slowly, lightly, she intertwined her fingers with those she found there. They were soft – just a little softer than usual. She's using the new crème soap I bought. Smiling ever so briefly she inhaled deeply and took in the aromas of her wife's hair.
She wrinkled her nose. Oh come on…your hair smells like alcohol and cigarettes. It wasn't the first time and would definitely not be the last either; these things just came with the territory of the job. Dealing with politicians, and most of them were middle aged men, was always going to have a risk of this. I hate these long hours you put in but I know this is important.
Staying still and just being a loving hug pillow to her legal wife, she felt another set of arms embrace her from behind. Moving her left leg back she slowly pushed her foot between the third party's ankles, following up by resting her leg between those of the other girl's. You need to shave… getting to wear a pants suit all day, every day is making you lazy.
Someone behind her yawned and then groaned. "No way… it's morning already…?" It sounded like she was lamenting the end of the world, not a literal everyday occurrence.
"Sssh. She's still asleep." Quietly reprimanding who would be her second wife, she withdrew her embrace from the girl in front and slowly turned about, making sure not to shake the covers too much or cause the still sleeping girl to wake. "Another meeting running long?"
"Hm." More of an answer was too much to expect apparently. The third girl turned about, fumbled about next to the bed and finally grasped the emergency water bottle. Greedily sucking in the liquids, putting the bottle back down without putting the lid back on, she flapped her lips. "Alice was so livid halfway into the meeting... I was sure she'd compress the other side down to diamonds. We didn't even finish, we're continuing today."
Giving these brief explanations to one of the two women she loved was something of a given. "We started off well enough but… seriously, that Kaido woman is scary as hell. I've never seen someone operate right on Alice's level when it comes to money."
"So… pancakes for breakfast?"
"Hm." She just nodded and inched closer, little by little, until she could feel her love's breath on her face. Leaning in without seeing her all that well in the dark room – buying the extra thick super black blinds had absolutely been the right choice – she shared the first kiss of the morning. "We have a meeting at ten thirty to pick up where we left off last night… or rather, earlier." She turned her head and yawned with full force into a pillow, the muffled noises hardly amounting to much. "I'm so beat…"
"Why are you so exhausted?"
"Ugh… that's the worst part. That woman-"
"The Kaido woman?"
"Yeah. She's been a big thorn in Alice's side and this is a chance to bring her over into our camp. Anyway, she had this other woman sit in on the meeting. Koto… Kotoyume? Something. A real bad character, judging by the air she was giving off. And that woman-"
"Just how many people were in this meeting?"
"Eight, counting Alice's butler and the secretary. Anyway, that Koto-something woman – we don't really know what she's doing or why she was there, Kaido was super tight-lipped about it – but she had personal security stand behind her. Kinda like me."
"Well, you're personal security for someone in the House of Councillors. So was that woman also a political office holder?"
"Don't think so. Mana didn't think so either. But there was something about her telling me she could move heaven and earth if she tried."
"So why did her security tire you so out? What did she look like, anyway?"
"Like a soldier. One of those veteran soldiers that you see in movies. She was at least a head taller than Yuri, at least. I wanna say she was like a hundred and ninety centimeters. A real life amazon."
"They brought foreign soldiers into a meeting?"
"She looked Japanese."
"What?"
"Don't ask me. Freak of nature. Anyway… unless I used my Cure powers she would definitely have demolished everyone in the room if things turned hostile. And that Koto woman definitely didn't give me the impression she'd be afraid of going there, even with a Councillor in the room."
"You poor thing." Reaching for Regina's cheek, Rikka treated her a little like a cat. "So you were on guard and tense the entire time?"
"For hours. Like six hours." Regina groaned and caressed her cheek against Rikka's hand. Just by the sound of her voice, Rikka could figure out where her every part of her face was.
"And Mana? What was that meeting about, anyway?"
"Something about economical inport-export licenses and rights and a lot of stuff that went over my head. I can follow some of the stuff that goes on in Mana's meetings, but not this. I'm positive that Alice was about to blow a gasket when that Kaido woman brought up the Houjou."
"The Yakuza group?"
"How do you know who that is?"
"No particular reason." She can never know it's because I looked into real life Yakuza organizations because of that crime audio book I liked.
"Alice brought up that she has influential friends as well, particularly the Myoudouin and the Aoki families and it escalated into a fake smiles and staring match from there. And then the really scary thing happened. That Koto woman basically took over the conversation and with just a few lines I didn't get at all she made both of them back down and continue negotiating."
"I'm so proud you stayed cool during all of that."
I'll skip the part where we had a recess and I ate six bags of peanuts to calm my nerves, Regina thought to herself. "I really hope that woman is not there today."
"So she reprimanded even Kaido? I thought it was Kaido who brought her along in the first place. Isn't it-" Rikka stopped when she felt Mana move behind her, turning over, revealing her sleeping beauty face to the two of them. Without a word, Regina peeled herself out of bed, tip-toeing to the door, coming back and picking up her boots because they were not where they were supposed to be. Rikka followed after her little backtrack and the two of them very quietly left their big bedroom.
Going downstairs to the kitchen, Rikka expertly navigated to the kitchen counter, grabbed some coffee pads from a tube container and started making coffee while Regina sat down at the table and halfway laid down on it. "If we ever get a Cure that's as jacked as that soldier lady, we're all screwed."
"We have to assume that there are a number of Cures in this world that we don't know about."
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Alice said as much all the way back when we first came back."
"Maybe that soldier lady is one of us."
Regina snorted and then sighed. "God I hope not. Me and at most a handful of the others notwithstanding, Cures are good people, right? There's no way one of us would be some battle hardened amazon doing security for the most dubious woman I've ever seen. And I know Mamo."
"I was kidding."
"Your jokes haven't improved since we were teenagers."
"Neither has your shaving routine."
"Hey, you follow a workout schedule on top of doing PS work for Mana every day and then we talk!"
"Why don't you get them laser treated?"
"Nope! I don't want lasers anywhere near me."
"You really need to get over your trauma regarding that."
Putting a cup of coffee with two milk, four sugar, brewed extra strong, in front of Regina, Rikka sat down at the round wood table. According to Mana and Regina is was a nice shade of dark brown but she obviously couldn't tell.
"Ugh… I don't wanna go to work today."
"But you're going anyway."
"Course I am. Who's gonna protect Mana if I don't go?"
"I don't think there exists anything in this world that could hurt Mana, though."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence."
"If there was, you would take care of it, though."
"Nice save." Regina smirked and blew on her coffee.
Sitting quietly at the kitchen table together – Rikka only got up once to get her own mug of coffee once the machine was done – the two of them just let the morning slowly unwind for a while. "That soldier, other than being tall, what did she look like?"
"Shoulder length red hair, a big scar going over her left eye but her eye's fine I guess? No eye-patch at least and it didn't look like a prosthetic either. She was at least as jacked as Nagisa, probably closer to Michiru. Hard to tell under the suit she wore. Other than being tall and jacked… eh, I guess her boobs were pretty damn big? I think?"
"Thanks, that last part really rounded out the picture."
"I can think of a few girls here that'd absolutely want that info."
"Uh huh."
"Yeah!"
"Like who?"
"Kaoru."
"Who else?"
"Am I being interrogated here?"
"Don't change the topic."
"Bully."
"Who else?"
"Erika. Yami. Yayoi."
"The perverts club."
"Rude."
"You'll have an eye on Mana today when you go back to that meeting, right?"
"Even if I have to carry my eyes in my hands."
Rikka chuckled and felt about on the table, searching for Regina's hand. Instead of finding, she was found and felt Regina's hand places on top of her own. "Not much longer and you'll have that vacation."
"Mana needs it more than me. I confiscated another pack of caffeine tablets a few days ago."
"Again? She's not fourteen anymore, when is she getting it through her thick head that she should act her age?"
"Never, we both know that. That's why you're married to her and I do security." Rikka tensed up just a little and Regina squeezed her partner's hand. "You are one to talk about thick heads. How many thousands of times do I need to tell you that it's fine?"
"I know, I know..." Rikka squeezed back and slowly exhaled. "I can't
"We both know that Mana needs the public image boost she gets from being married to you if she ever wants an actual shot at prime minister."
Rikka didn't like this topic. It was true, her being a blind doctor-slash-scientist with intricate knowledge of what many considered outright science fiction technology and being integral to Japan's industrial second industrial revolution with those technologies… it gave her a highly acclaimed public profile. Regina on the other hand was just a security person with no real accomplishments. And her personality didn't really set her up to be a down to earth, everyday wife either. But just because of that I get to marry Mana and Regina has no chance? That's not how I wanted to become Mana's wife…
"Stop that." Regina pinched Rikka's right cheek. "You think I can't tell if you're wallowing in negative thoughts?"
"Ow, Regina, stop, ow, you're hurting me, ow!"
"Good!" Letting go of her partner's cheeks, Regina picked her coffee mug back up. "You and Mana are both as thickheaded as boulders. I'm happy being Mana's lover and not wife. You have to appear and go to all those political events with her."
"So do you."
"As security! I don't have to smile or make small talk or pretend the old geezers aren't eyeing her like candy."
"They do seem to mysteriously find other things to do when you stare at them through those sunglasses."
"I get to be selfish and be myself and not pretend like you do."
"It's not that hard. You just-"
"You know it's hard for me to pretend I'm someone I'm not."
Rikka felt better. "With how good you've gotten at outmaneuvering people with just words you could totally make it as a politician."
"Psh, who do you think I have to thank for this?"
"What?"
"You're so confident about everything but then it comes to how you and I are different people, even though we both love Mana and you self-destruct. So of course I gotta be creative to snap you out of it."
"I am not… well, maybe a little."
"See?"
"Regina."
"What now?"
"When's the last time you went to Ange?"
"Let me finish my coffee at least."
It was easy for Rikka to feel when Regina was running a bit low. Over the years, she singled out a number of things. First, she'd get circulation issues, resulting in slightly colder than usual hands. Then she'd start getting problems with depth perception. After that came a trio of things: weakness, nausea, headaches.
Makoto and Ange used to live on the south-west end of south street but after a number of uncomfortable situations where the two sisters had ignored their conditions for too long, they moved to the northern-most house on the east side of south street – diagonally adjacent to Mana's house.
The blinds were pulled up and the sunlight flooded the room at once. Even with that it was only pleasantly warm inside; the air conditioning was doing its job fine. But the influx of light together with the exhaustion of the prior day left her a bit cranky. "Ugh… just wake me up in the dark..."
"You spend most of every day indoors. A little sunlight won't hurt you."
Pulling her pillow over her head, Mana hid from morning for a hot minute but then gave up. Morning, and work, were not going away, and it all had an upside; Rikka was there. Removing the pillow on her own, Mana looked up at Rikka. Over the years she had gotten used to the smile with the closed eyes. Not even the new world could fix the curse that was put on her and they had come to terms with it. "Morning, beautiful."
"No kiss until you take a shower."
"Eeeeeh…" Mana pouted a little but it was unsuccessful.
"Regina is already out for her session with Ange. I made coffee but first you need a shower. Why do you smell like alcohol and cigarettes anyway?"
"The meeting went much longer than anticipated. One of the people on the other side smoked. Regina tell you about them already?"
There were very few secrets between the three of them. Mana liked to eat entire jars of peanut butter – real peanut butter imported from America – in secret. Rikka sometimes put on rock remixes of classical music and wildly played air guitar when she was sure she was absolutely alone in the neighborhood. Regina had a secret collection of photos of Rikka's faces – a smartphone with a silent photo taking app had led her astray.
"Kaido and another woman whose name she couldn't remember."
"Kotozume. Kaido really pulled one over on me with that." Mana sat up and watched Rikka open the door to the adjacent room and start up the shower. "Kaido is on even terms with Alice, but that was not really what that meeting was about."
"What was the meeting about?" Rikka came back into the room. Mana often discussed work with her and wanted her input.
"A fringe case regulation regarding import of a new type of controlled distribution firearm for the JSDF that comes from an unaffiliated manufacturer. Basically, Kaido is just playing advocate for the one with the real agenda. They stand to profit by supplying logistics and take commission from the firearms sales. Of course Alice doesn't like that Kaido is trying to invade her logistics business after Yotsuba Corporation has been covering JSDF arms imports for over a decade."
"So this Kotozume woman is really pushing the whole deal. Why did they pick you?"
"Beyond the scope of that deal, they really seemed to be supportive of my legislative ideas and plans. Basically, they like me for my politics. I have no doubt they will either try to pressure me or go to someone else if I turn them down outright."
"Who is this Kotozume? Did you look into her?"
"During one of our recesses, yes. I had Mizuno check into her and while she hid her trail pretty well, my secretary is almost as smart as you are."
"Careful now, I might get jealous."
"Kotozume Yukari, also known as The Black Cat or Saika(災禍). She's a world-class player in the arms business, was so even before she became backed by Kaido. Speaking of which, Kaido is not the cleanest either. She's married into the Houjou clan. They're-"
"The largest Yakuza organization in Japan that controls two-thirds of the organized crime in the country."
"That audio book really got you-"
"Anyway!" Rikka blushed. It was an embarrassing thing for her to be that interested into Yakuza. "So Kaido, who controls the Houjou, has made a deal with Kotozume and is now approaching you to get involved?"
"You think I shouldn't."
"No, the opposite."
"How come?"
"You said you don't doubt they will pressure you or go to someone else. Shady deals with someone like this are happening in every government. If it's you, you can at least mitigate the bad effects and prevent real corruption."
"That's what I was thinking, too. Alice was boiling yesterday because Kaido kept being one step ahead of her. Honestly I feel like most of the conversation was dominated by Kotozume."
"How bad is she really? And what is with that weird moniker, Saika?"
"It's read as Calamity and written with the characters for Disaster and Evil. I honestly don't know what to make of her. From what Mizuno reported to me, she's definitely involved in a lot of illegal activities. On the other end, she is suspected of crushing organized crime in a lot of countries she's visited. She's the prime suspect in the destruction of the Columbian drug trafficking business."
"That sounds like a really dangerous person. If you weren't you, I would absolutely advise against getting involved."
"I can't approve of her methods but I think that once rumors of my involvement with The Black Cat get out, some of my opposition in the House of Councillors will disappear or wane. The mere prospect of this being a deal that exists to leverage her significant underworld involvement will be threatening to the other councilors, even if the deal involves nothing of the sort."
"Are you sure you can be happy with that?"
"I'm closing in on thirty, Rikka. I know I'm being reckless the way I work and everything, but that's just me. But I also know that I won't get to be prime minister by just being nice and trying to solve people's problems. And this way I will have a close eye on Kaido, the Houjou and Kotozume. It allows me to keep checks on three very powerful problematic elements of society."
"Regina was really stressed out by the soldier lady that Kotozume had for security."
"I could tell. I think her presence was meant as a threat. But we're Cures, if push came to shove we could transform to prevent a life threatening situation and then get Kaoru and Inori to help with erasing their memories of us being Cures."
"Let's hope it doesn't come to that."
"I'm most worried about Alice. Her patience was really put to the test yesterday. I hope Yami managed to relive some of that stress last night."
"Amazing that those two are still together."
"You think so?"
"I can understand Alice wanting a relationship but Yami is… well, was, kind of a unique case."
"That's the case for all of us. Just think about how you and Regina fell in love."
Rikka paused and then changed the topic. "Get in the shower already."
"I will, I will. I'm glad I got your input on the whole matter with Kaido and Kotozume." Standing up, carrying her pillow with her, she gently pushed it onto Rikka and kissed her on the cheek before scurrying off to the shower.
While the Aida household was getting ready for a long day, a the house at the far west of the island, located on the northern side of west street, was winding down. "I can't even think anymore..." Eas was halfway on the living room table.
The room was doused in chaos – instruments, over forty empty cans of energy drinks, tea and coffee, and five extremely tired girls. This was technically Ellen's home but it also served as the headquarters of Cure in Darkness, the band that Ellen fronted and consisted of Yami, Eas, Akane, Reika and herself. An unusual band playing a genre called melodic metal, that was enjoying some modicum of popularity across Japan. All five of them had other sources of income, but they were ready to pursue music in earnest if the chance presented itself.
"My fingers hurt. My shoulder hurts." Yami was nearly passed out in an armchair.
"The sun's coming up..." Reika was worn out to the point that she felt this was harder than being a vigilante. Right then she was resting on the couch, together with Akane.
"I'm out." Akane didn't raise her hand or anything and just closed her eyes and fell off the couch, asleep before she hit the ground.
Ellen was staring at score sheets and feeling nauseous. They were close to finishing a new single but they just couldn't figure out the ending segment of their new song; "Labyrinth of Futures". "Let's all go to bed and come back with some fresh eyes."
"My sister is cooking a big dinner for our mom tonight, I'm gonna be busy." This came from Yami, who was their dedicated power violin player. She had really taken to it after seeing Karen perform for everyone on the island.
"I need to show my face around the house or Love is going to kick down your door." Eas also opted out, being the band's bass player.
"Perhaps a break is for the best… we have been desperately working on this for three days with little sleep." Reika was a very technical orientated keyboard player. She had looked for a place to belong to after coming back and Eas had physically dragged her over here to be test audience once. And something about their music had just clicked with her.
Akane played both the guitar and drums, although she gravitated more towards the drums. Ellen on the other hand played the guitar while also providing vocals. Eas sometimes did backup vocals and had a single song she fronted, but she preferred to let Ellen carry the burden of getting criticized.
"Okay, we'll take off today. But we have to finish this before Curial."
"We know." Yami groaned annoyed.
"Setsuna's been messed up the last two days. I saw her eating canned beans in the middle of the night yesterday. You're coming back with me, Ellen." Eas sat up and rubbed her eyes. "I will physically drag you if I have to."
"I'll come. I'll just end up coming back to the sheets to test stuff if I stay here." Ellen wanted to be with Setsuna and Love anyway, even without who was functionally her sister-in-law telling her to.
"What about Akane?" Reika looked down on her band mate. She was still not that well liked around the island but in the past few years she had really turned her life around.
"Let her sleep on the couch." Yami dismissively waved and dragged herself out of the armchair. Even if I go back to our place, Alice is probably ready to go to work.
"Wild idea but should I pay Urara a visit?" Eas asked nobody in particular.
"If we had more time, sure. We don't have time to bring her up to speed. And we weren't behind on our deadline we wouldn't need her." Ellen closed her eyes and rubbed over them. I just wanna curl up in bed next to Setsuna and Love… but they have their jobs…
"Sounds right." Yami left without saying anything else. In most circumstances the five of them were living rather stress free – Ellen, Eas and Yami in particular had family to rely on and they basically lived rent free on the island anyway. Akane did work odd jobs here and there sometimes and Reika was from a wealthy family to begin with. But when deadlines approached, they started to crunch. Ellen developed into a little bit of a perfectionist when it came to music but it was thanks to this attitude that their band had gotten off the ground in the first place. Their first single had been monumentally more successful than anyone had expected.
While Mana was married to Rikka, Love had not made any moves to marry either Setsuna or Ellen. It wouldn't benefit them in any way and she didn't want their relationship to change. Ellen still thought of Eas as her sister-in-law anyway. A really cool, prickly but dependable sister-in-law. "I'm sorry for doing this right before Curial."
"We're used to it. We just need to finish before the 24th. Honestly, I think the song is good as-is, but we all know, if you say it isn't ready, it isn't ready." Eas did not have a habit of listening to people very well but when it came to music, Ellen was everyone's go-to. Ako was a good alternative but not only was she away a lot, she was also not a great teacher.
"I worry Yami is gonna quit if we don't finish soon."
"She'll eat her violin before she quits."
Ellen wanted to laugh but due to exhaustion she couldn't manage more than a smile. "I don't say enough how much I appreciate everyone."
"Really. Not enough?" Eas rolled eyes. "You say it every time we finish a song and after every live. If we all did an Ellen thanked everyone for sticking with her jar and did five hundred yen each time, we'd have enough now to buy a tour van."
"Those things are expensive."
"And we super know how thankful you are."
"I see…"
"Akane is a bit embarrassed by it, but none of us think it's too much. Maybe a little."
"S-So what are you doing on Curial?"
"Well, technically I'm not a Cure-"
"Neither are Hikari, Kurumi, Yami or Regina."
"Point taken. I still can't believe I let Setsuna talk me into adopting one of those names. Not to mention my clothes!"
"They look really awesome!"
"Yeah yeah."
"So what are you gonna do?"
"Not sure." Eas shrugged. "I expect Setsuna and Love will come up with something to include me since they know I got nowhere else to go." Squinting because the sunlight was hurting her eyes, Eas yawned loudly and without covering her mouth. "You ask me I wouldn't mind a dozen or two new Cures popping up."
"You think that could happen?"
"Maybe? I mean all of you popped up at some point. Just takes some group of morons attacking earth to resurrect their sandbox emperor or clown overlord or beauty obsessed hag trapped in a mirror or something."
"Wouldn't we step in?"
"Did any of the other groups step in when you were battling it out with static or whatever it was called?"
"Noise."
"Right."
"No, we didn't think there were any other Cures."
"See? To top it off, this world is different from what it was before. I mean Regina's world was a total meltdown from what I heard, but the world before that, the one I remember, was also different. We might just be late to the party here and there's already been Cures we don't know about."
"Wouldn't they come and see us?"
"We're keeping a pretty tight lid on all of this. Even Reika isn't going around doing vigilante work anymore."
"Maybe we should show ourselves just once."
"And what do you think the Japanese government and other nations would think about almost forty super powered women with the ability to lay waste to a small nation over night?"
Ellen let out a sigh. "I know, I know. We're hiding because we all know what happened to Regina's world. The people of a small city might be okay with it as long as we're fighting to protect them, but on a national or global scale, we'd be seen as a threat."
"It's too early… or late? Fuck if I know. Let's not talk about this anymore."
"Yeah. Just gonna give me nightmares and anxiety."
"If we add any more anxiety to you, Setsuna is gonna have my ass on a grill."
Ellen chuckled. "I am not that bad!"
Eas reacked into the back pocket of her hot pants and pulled out her smartphone. They had both wifi and reception on the island thanks to some very covert Yotsuba Corporation tech. "Watch this."
Ellen's embarrassed squealing and Eas's laughter could be heard a long way.
=== DISSONANCE ===
Her arms towards each other in front of her chest, her hands locked together tightly, fingers gripping fingers tightly. Her eyes cold like the dead of space, her expression giving away not a hint of what she was about to do. Down below, thousands of meters beneath her, they scurried to put their emergency response into motion. They're too slow. Too late. "Rosetta. Execute." Her words was absorbed by one by her side, one whom she had not known prior to returning to the world. A Cure with bunny like features to her. The rabbit girl nodded.
Over a thousand meters further down, a second rabbit girl was relaying the words to Cure Rosetta in real time and she stopped descending on her mobile platform. "Executing [Downfall of Freedom]." Putting her hands together in a slap, she slowly pulled them apart, a small cube forming between them. Large ammunition flew past her, explosives and other elements repelled by her protective shield. She too had eyes the likes the light had left long ago.
Down below the humans scurried in panic as a massive cube enveloped their standing army, extending ever upwards. No matter how many plans or emergency measures they have, it is all useless.
A command came from up high, reaching the ground forces. "Engage. Leave no survivors."
Cure Passion stood in front of a group of twelve – armed to the teeth with magical weaponry and in some cases their very body their weapons. "Mission Sun in the East has commenced." One that stood by Passion's side addressed the twelve. There was nothing else to say to them. No rousing speech, no acknowledgment of the enemy's humanity. No orders or reminders of constraint.
Opening up a gate in space, one by one the twelve entered, spat out by the same portal within Rosetta's cage.
Watching from the distance, Passion and one other, clad in purple, watched the massacre unfold. Tanks were ripped apart with bare hands – battalions were hacked and cut to pieces more than just metaphorically – advanced weapons were rendered completely pointless before superior protection and powers. Blood soaked the ground, soaked their boots as the operation continued.
Within twenty minutes an army that consisted of hundreds of thousands of people was decimated without mercy. The bodies piled up within the cage to perverse effect – it was like a box filled with bloody and ripped stuffed animals. The stench of death was so overwhelming that any normal being would have found it haunting even their nightmares.
Further up, one Cure turned towards a camera, facing an audience of billions. "Surrender." Her words were delivered with the emotional impact of an otherworldly god that was not concerned with whether they actually surrendered or not. "Witness the power of the Yamato Empire." The camera feed switched to a different camera that showed the battlefield from above. "Sunny. Rouge. Execute."
The cage that Rosetta had created, that had trapped the army of humans down below, was now set ablaze with inferno that burned even the ground to ashes. Not a single piece of metal was left behind, no bone or insignia, no survivors. Nothing but scorched earth was to remain.
A second time the feed changed, showing a woman with a lavish crown of strange design and a veil of deep black that covered her face. She was clad into a ceremonial robe of white, gold and red. "Heed my words, mortal things. I am Himiko, eternal ruler of the Yamato Empire, the true heir to the sun's governance and rightful Empress of earth and the heavens."
Her voice was deep and revealed nothing but absolute confidence in what she was saying. It was like she spoke to insects.
"As my subject has told you, you will surrender or face powers that exceed your lowly imagination. We can bend time and space at our whims – we can rain fire, ice, gold and death from above. We can control the mightiest with a word. We can blot out the sun and shake the earth with a click of our fingers. Your empires have come and gone, humans. Yamato will henceforth rule all that is – heaven and earth. Fight – and we shall destroy you whole. We will leave nothing behind. Not your women, not your children, not even a memory of your place in this world. Surrender and your women and daughters will be spared." The woman rose from her throne and the camera panned out, revealing the same Cures that had just decimated the army and many more, counting a total of fifty-nine inhuman women.
Walking towards the camera, one by one the Cures knelt before the Yamato Empress. Stopping after she had passed the last of her warriors, Himiko slowly raised her veil, as if to reveal the gaze of god to the world. Her face was fair, her eyes glowing with a golden shine. And only in a small town within her empire – a town since erased from the very history books – people would have recognized her as one who had once fought off the selfish.
"Eighty years ago, the states of America unleashed their most hateful weapons upon my lands as I slept. Today the Yamato Empire will show that all attacks will be met with appropriate punishment."
The feed buzzed out and was then showing a view from far above of the eastern USA, a mass of green that was home to millions and millions of people. Slowly the camera panned up, revealing a small red dot in the sky. One that was not the sun and was getting larger at a rapid pace.
In seconds the dot grew to the size of a melon and then a house and then more. Unavoidable death was approaching from above. Before shock and disbelief could wane to make way for panic, it was over. An asteroid made impact in the state of West Virgina – wiping the entire state clean off the map. A dome of horror, fire and death extended upwards from the world, walls of destruction rapidly forming and traveling outward, laying waste to millions of lives in a matter of minutes. Smoke, ash and fire covered the skies over America, mixing with worldwide shock at the Yamato Empire's might.
Before the shock could subside and convert to fear the feed changed once again, this time showing the western USA. And within seconds a second asteroid slammed into the earth, hitting and destroying all there was of Utah, the expanding death walls destroying the states around it. Gargantuan burning holes, visible from space itself, had been stabbed into the continent at the west.
The feed changed back now. "This is the might of the Yamato Empire and the might of Himiko. Resist and we shall rain death upon you the likes of which this world has not seen since creation. Just as we can destroy this world, we possess the power to recreate all that is destroyed in our image. We will not hesitate to turn to ash all of human civilization if that is required. There will be no negotiations. There will not be peace. There will only be the Yamato Empire and the destruction of its enemies."
The feed cut out.
"Humans, leave us at once." The Empress shooed the camera crew, who were visibly shaking and much paler than any human had right to be, out of her throne room.
Walking back towards the throne, she sat down and took off her crown, bright blond hair falling down from below. "Diamond." Her golden eyes turned towards one of the Cures closest to her throne.
"Yes, my Empress?" The Cure did not raise her head at all.
"Stop that. The humans are gone. You may call me by my true name."
"As you wish." Diamond smiled a little.
"Meet me in my quarters later."
"I understand."
"My Empress." A Cure that had not been with her in the other world stood up, holding a laptop. "Russia, America and China have deployed long range weapons against us."
"Passion. Black Lily. Rosetta. Stop them."
"Understood." Within seconds the three of them were gone and within seconds more, the first of the launched missiles were exploding in the airspace over China and Russia.
"My Empress, I would like to make a suggestion."
Eternal Heart waved close a purple Cure that was new as well. "What is it?"
"Many of the larger countries will go down fighting instead of capitulating, no matter how overwhelmingly abyssal the odds of victory seem. Waiting for them to muster an effort is meaningless. We should destroy them all at once to subjugate the weaker countries through a display of your limitless power. I have a number of ideas regarding the means your majesty could use to bring just destruction to our enemies."
"There is no shortage of those insects on this world. Very well. Speak to Moonlight about striking them within day's end."
"This world shall be yours soon, your majesty."
"A final hour has dawned upon the civilization of humanity. It is the age of Yamato now."
Not thirty minutes later a massive tsunami crashed into China's south-east territory, wiping out millions of people in minutes, flooding inland and continuing while defying the laws of nature. An all consuming raging torrent the likes of which the world did not know. Within the hour, two thirds of China's population had been drowned and crushed.
Other countries did not face calamity less disastrous than this. Russia found itself devastated by a serious of tornadoes that exceeded all weather metric – some of them measuring hundreds of meters in diameter at ground level, sucking up and spewing out all they consumed.
The bombardment from space that had shaken the USA did not continue – but blazing fires that could melt through even walls and gates of tungsten spread from the impact zones, devouring the very earth it traveled on, leaving behind monstrously glazed rock, sharper than a scalpel and inhospitable to eve the hardiest creatures.
Three disasters of three natures wrecked inconceivable havoc in three corners of the world. Many a smaller country bowed to this unbelievable power in the far east within three hours and yet the destruction did not stop. Europe was shaken by earthquakes that not even the far east or the western continent had seen – landmasses were uprooted and tilted, magma from deep below the earth flowed to the surface and ran through the many countries that made the union. Korea was met with heavy bombardment from space, leaving behind a scarred landscape of craters and lifeless destruction.
Within six hours, over a third of the world population was culled by powers that had existed merely in fairy tale and fiction before that day. Humans wept and cowered in absolute fear before Yamato and their Empress; Himiko.
Sitting in her private chambers, Himiko slowly exhaled as she looked at a digital map of a world that had changed significantly over the past pay. "Soon they'll be gone. There will never again be an Ophati or Sherela. Those insects will never again cause the doom of one of my brethren." Someone knocked on the door. "Enter."
"You called for me." Diamond entered, looking into the dark room. The door closed behind her and she took a deep breath. She barely knew this room so she had to look at the wall to find the light switch. "I left White and Aqua in charge for the time being."
"I can sense your concerns, Diamond. What is it?"
"Eradicating the humans seems… hasty. They're our hated enemy and yet there are those among them that would sympathize with us. Not to mention many a brilliant mind. It will take thousands of years for us to reach the population density to reproduce the available pool of-"
"Stop it. You know full and well that we have the means to simply restore those we destroyed but could be of use."
"Yes, I know, but… even having shed the human parts of myself, it does not feel like this is the best course of action."
"What would you rather have me do?"
"An engineered plague would spread quickly and have devastating effects. Yet we could locate and recover important humans ahead of time."
"Disease is a dangerous game to play, even for we. And there is a critical flaw in your plan."
"The world would not fear the Yamato Empire." Diamond sighed and slowly approached her Empress. "I believe we could have achieved our Utopia without the means of global destruction and fear. It will take us years to restore the landscapes after we have brought everything under our control."
"We and you are immortal. As long as we live, none of us shall perish. And we will live forever. A true eternal ruler for a true eternal empire. Time is ours."
Diamond sat on the rather normal bed of the empress. "Do you sometimes wonder what the world would be like if we things had gone differently?"
"Differently how?" The empress turned around and gave Diamond a questioning look.
"Perhaps if a compromise had been found. If those in the past had not attempted to overpower you by force."
"Our conclusion has been reached and now it is we and you that hold the reins of destiny. It was necessary to strip away the human part of we and you. It was the only way we could save you."
"Everyone understands that. I am just contemplating what a world would look like in which we remained part human and yet took a smaller piece of the world for ourselves. One the humans could not touch."
"A dream of the past should remain in the past. The Yamato Empire rises and the curtain falls on the empires of humankind. That is our reality now."
"I know. And all of us will follow you until the ends of time."
"Now." The empress smiled and stripped away her robe as she approached Diamond. "We may not be human but the humans did have some beautiful ideas."
"What a dirty mind my empress has."
"Don't call me that."
"Yes." Diamond smiled again. "My love, Eternal Heart."
=== DISSONANCE ===
"Why am I so nervous?" Beat was clutching her guitar, taking deep breaths trying to calm down. This is just a small audience. Much smaller than what we usually play for. But those audiences don't know me. Peach and Passion are going to be in the audience! I'll be able to pick them out easily, what am I gonna- Beat felt the breath taken out of her when someone slapped her on the back much too hard. "Night Lily?! What-" Before she could complain, Night Lily grabbed her cheeks and pinched them really hard. "Owwww!" Beat winced.
"Do I need to get out the heavyweight measures to snap you out of it or was that enough?" Blowing air through her nose, Night Lily patted Beat on the head twice before she looked out on the stage. "You're a professional. Act like it."
"You didn't have to go for my face… I gotta sing in like five minutes!" Beat rubbed her cheeks but felt less nervous now.
Checking her bass one last time, Black Currant made sure she was all set. "It's just a live, Beat. We played way tougher crowds before. If anyone's gotta be nervous then it's me. I haven't fronted in like a year. Since our live in Saitama." Black Currant was the name that Eas adopted on Setsuna's recommendation. It came complete with a pitch black and crimson costume that showed that she was definitely related to Passion.
"I can understand her being nervous." Sunny was sitting on the ground and doing stretches, bending like gymnast. "Normal gig we can just go backstage after we're done. Here we gotta go basically into the audience and you better bet that there's some out there that'll nitpick on the smallest thing."
"Everyone worries too much. Curial is about celebrating our lives as Cures. We can always blame any mishaps on being in unfamiliar clothes." Beauty smiled and everyone had a big Oh moment as they found the perfect excuse that nobody could refute.
Ace popped in backstage just then. "Everyone ready?"
Beat took a very deep breath that visibly inflated her chest and then slowly breathed out before slapping her hands together. "Okay, Cure in Darkness, let's go!"
The stage was doused in complete darkness then – it was just past midnight so it was really dark out there where because there was almost no light pollution on the island. But they had practiced this hundreds and thousands of times.
Hearing the heeled steps on the stage, Peach and Passion felt really excited. They had obviously been to her concerts before, in secret, but this was a new song and here they could openly be excited about it. And so they were in the front row, right by the metal rails that separated the audience from the stage. It was all about authenticity.
Sunny sat down at the drums, Beauty took her spot behind a huge keyboard – Night Lily, Black Currant and Beat all brought their instruments with them. While Sunny was in the center back and Beat center front, Black Currant stood slightly to the left, Night Lily was flanking Beat's other side and Beauty was further in the back behind Night Lily.
"Thank you for coming to see us play." Beat spoke into the boosted microphone with complete professionalism while she couldn't see a thing. "This might just be a small show of four songs, but among them are two from the yet to be released album In the Shadows of Destiny. Please enjoy."
A few single note instrument tests – a brief pause. As the instruments came to life, so did the crowd.
Playing a heavy and speedy intro based around guitar, bass and drums, the violin came in right as the vocals did.
"Darkness in the East!"
Oh Darling in the dark, don't be afraid of the night! In my embrace, in arms you know, the night is nothing to us! The dark and empty steps behind, they crush me! I am empty, waiting for you to fill me! Deep in the dark I wander lost and you pull me out! You stand bright ahead, pull me along, and now! Here and now! In the darkness I bring to you the light!
Black Currant joined in for the chorus.
Let me be your light! Let me shine so bright! Through the darkness we will ride! One and one as one, we pave the path for light so white! My hands in yours the darkness fades, no more shades, we walk into the light! I just want to love you bright within the light!
The violin jumped into a power solo with the keyboard and the guitar, really showing off the skills that Night Lily put thousands of hours of practice into.
A road to hades, the path to hell, the darkness reigns over them all! I dive in deep, I taste the black, I feel the cold! Oh darling, the shadows in my past! The darkest hour of mine, you were there for me! You held on with all your might, with nothing to gain you wager all, all for me! Oh darling, from the shadows I love you! The shadows you dispel! The shadows that are mine! I step into the light and there you are, my beloved light!
Let me be your light! Let me shine so bright! Through the darkness we will ride! One and one as one, we pave the path for light so white! My hands in yours the darkness fades, no more shades, we walk into the light! I just want to love you bright within the light!
Increasing the intensity of the instruments, the five on stage bobbed back and forth, hair shaking wildly, costumes fluttering in the wind. Their eyes shone brightly as they played, especially Beat's.
I shine in black! I shine as dark! Together we are complete, we are as one! Our love is twilight, our destiny the stars, the light and dark become yin and yang! Hand in hand we shine as two, we shine as one, oh darling, let me feel your light!
Let me be your light! Let me shine so bright! Through the darkness we will ride! One and one as one, we pave the path for light so white! My hands in yours the darkness fades, no more shades, we walk into the light! I just want to love you bright within the light!
Winding down and then stopped, Beat took a quick breath. She didn't expect a great reaction from this particular audience so she couldn't help but smile when they erupted in encouraging shouts and screams. This was much better than any applause they could have given.
"See? Told you." Night Lily looked smug and twisted her wrists a little to relax them.
"From our new album, In the Shadows of Destiny, one of our new songs! Evil Butterfly!"
Starting off with a really powerful guitar solo, Beat started right back up, overpowering the crowd with ease.
In my dreams I see, the nightmare of myself decree; no more hope for she! The path of evil I see, the evil butterfly is me, in evil we are free!
A brief instrumental interlude where the other members joined in, rounding out the sound, Beat continued.
I'm the nightmare, come to haunt you, take away your night! Stand atop a mountain of dark, with no light in sight, I'm not your knight! I steal and plunder in your dreams, I take away your love and give you plight! Come the light I'm long gone, I'm the dreams of pain, I break your heart and stain the soul, there's no running from me! I'm the dark dreams in your heart! I twist into horrors the things you love!
In my dreams I see, the burnt face of myself decree; no more hope for she! The path of evil I see, the evil butterfly is me, to evil we all flee!
"Wow, who could this be about, huh?" Dark Mint was moving with the rhythm of the song, standing next to Dark Dream.
"Oh shut up." Dark Dream was not going to let this bother her.
I'm the scourge that burns your home, come to scorch your soul, take away your favorite thing! My touch it smolders, my grasp it burns, I burn black within the dark! I surround you, trap you, cut off all escape and close in on you! Not flesh, not bone, not life, not home remains as I approach! I'm the black fire, the dark rouge, that burns loathsome within!
In my dreams I see, my greedy self decree: no more hope for she! The path of evil I see, the evil butterfly is me, the evil that is she!
The concert continued for a while longer. Returning backstage after they had played their fifth song – which was basically an unplanned encore – the five of them nearly fell apart. "We did really good, so why am I so worn out?" Black Currant put her bass into a large carrying case and then just sat down on the floor next to it. "I could feel Passion's ferocious eyes going back and forth between me and you, Beat."
"I didn't think Passion was into our genre of music at all." Beat sat down on a folding chair and leaned back. This was harder than fighting Noise or training with her. Oh no… I can't get it out of my head how Setsu looked at me. It's getting me all- Beat hurried reached for the water bottle on the ground and downed the entire thing in one go to keep her thoughts out of the bedroom.
"Everyone was pretty fired up. I saw Rosetta raise her fist." Night Lily laughed as she recalled that. "It's so out of character! A rich lady at a metal concert!"
"We got something even more out of character over there then." Sunny pointed at Beauty, who always retreated to a quiet corner and just went off into her own head-space for about five to ten minutes. After that she got smashed at a bar. Every time.
"Rich Lady in a metal band. You're right." Both Black Currant and Night Lily found that amusing being pointed out.
Out front the lights had since come back on – powered by S.E.H.
That really just stood for small electric hamster, which was what Bright and Windy had jokingly called Peace once and it caught on. They had both paid dearly for that.
Considering that they were, including the girls from the Banished zone, only a little over fifty people there, they had a wide array of food stall propped up. This unfortunately resulted in most of the business being one food stall owner eating at another one and so forth, which caused some real delays in service.
Curial was really just a chance for them to let go and do festive things but as Cures. A small concert, food stalls, watching the sun go up together. Although the main event was definitely very Cure-like.
"Hey, Muse!" The black Cure looked up, her mouth smeared with sauce and stuffed to the brim with Takoyaki. The one who had called for her was her old teammate, Melody. "Wow, looking very majestic and royal right now." Melody flinched when someone kicked her heel and she lost her balance. "Hey, Rhythm, what the heck?!"
Muse finished her meal in a hurry. "Maybe I should take a photo of you eating spaghetti sometime. Also you have pasty crumbs in your hair."
"What? No way!" Frantically searching for the crumbs in her hair, Melody stepped away, leaving Muse with Rhythm.
"Does she really? I wouldn't put it past her to get them up there somehow."
"No. But it is still very effective. Did you need me for anything?"
"Yes! We haven't seen you in a while and it was actually Melody's idea, so- Melody, the crumbs are out, get back here!" Sighing, Rhythm smiled when her friend returned. "You really shouldn't comment on how other people eat."
"Yeah yeah- ow! What was that for?!" Rhythm had pinched her arm.
"Yes, not yeah, and one yes is enough."
"And I thought that being around Rouge would make you less of a stick in the mud. Forget less, she made you even worse."
"You want me to rain some golden bullets on your ass, huh?" Rhythm's tone changed dramatically whenever someone talked badly about Rouge.
"Go on and try to sing anything before I punch your face in!"
"Some things never change." Muse looked completely deadpan as both Melody and Rhythm opened their mouths to materialize their special costume additions. "So have you two been working on your Symphonic Powered Cure Enhancement Gear then?"
"You won't even recognize me, that's how good I've gotten!"
"Please, you sound like Beat if we made her sing into a full goldfish bowl."
"Says the girl who sounds like an air raid siren!"
"If the two of you can't be peaceful I will have to ask Rouge and Sunshine to come over and-"
"No, no, no, we're good! Right, Rhythm? Once partners, always partners!" Melody put one arm over Rhythm's shoulder and Rhythm reciprocated the gesture.
"Yes, once partners, always partners."
"They must have warned you that if you caused a commotion, something bad would happen." Muse was almost scarily insightful and both of her teammates gulped loudly. "I won't say anything for now but do try and get along. This is not a competition. There is no scoring. None of us would win against the really scary ones like Pine or Diamond anyway."
"They're unfair strong!" Melody immediately complained.
"But it is good to know you two honed your Symphonic-"
"That's such a mouthful." Melody shrugged.
"We have abbreviated it down to Symphogear." Rhythm was on one page about this with Melody.
"I feel that name poses all sorts of risks, but oh well, it is your ability."
"How's things on your end? I imagine you don't have much time to train, being a queen in waiting and all." Rhythm asked.
"Lemonade and I have a surprising amount of time at our hands. Her training is complete and so is mine. While we are expected to participate in certain social gatherings and we have a number of diplomatic duties, but we have a rather alarming amount of nothing to do." Muse looked slightly disparaged.
"Huh? Really? But you don't come down to earth at all lately!" Melody was shocked by this reveal.
"I have been committed to training myself lately and unlike you two, I have some rather heavy restrictions placed on my abilities which I am working to remove. So I am required to stay in Majorland."
"And Lemonade isn't about to leave her wife behind. Who knows who will shop up and try to flirt with you!" Melody said this in jest but Muse's really hardened expression made her pause and them gulp. "Really? There's crazy people like that?"
"Prince Shibai Nu would not listen to me saying I only love one particular woman and he and his entire entourage ended up hanging from a large statue in town, wrapped in golden chains, stripped down to… nothing. It almost caused a diplomatic incident, but he was so frightened of Lemonade that he promised to forget the incident if Lemonade was never to visit his kingdom."
"Wow. Now that is one badass wife. I wish Sunshine got that mad when some dude chats me up on the street." Melody was jealous.
"Don't encourage her. Hah..." Muse looked tired. "Her rough nature and likelihood to resort to hostility and violence has been a great card to play in diplomatic issues but still… I wish she wouldn't enjoy it so much."
"You two really fit together. I was totally thinking the entire time that you'd call things off last minute because… well, it's Lemonade. I totally couldn't see her being royal family material." Melody didn't hesitate to call things as they were.
"Huh… so that's what you think of me? Hey. Melody." Lemonade stood right behind the pink Cure. "Let's go over there between the trees for a hot second."
"No, I mean, uh, wait, huh, you were here? H-How much-" Melody freaked out and tried to use Rhythm as a shield.
Lemonade burst into laughter at the frightened look that Melody gave her. "Relax. Do you have any idea how much dumb gossip the maids tell each other and how much of that I overhear? For a while they had this rumor going that I was mind controlling Muse."
"Wrong yellow Cure!" Rhythm tried to be funny but nobody laughed.
"If Pine went and mind controlled people outside a combat situation that'd be no laughing matter." Lemonade's face instantly transitioned to super serious.
"H-Huh? Oh... I mean… I'm sorry, I didn't mean..." Rhythm felt very much like an idiot.
"How was that?" Lemonade looked at Muse, who sighed. "Good, right?"
"Please don't tease my teammates, Lemonade." Muse walked over to her wife and slowly pulled her away. "Come on, I want to eat more. Melody, Rhythm, I'll see you later."
Left behind with each other, Melody and Rhythm looked after Muse. "With her at the helm, Majorland is gonna become a superpower."
Rhythm agreed with a nod. "It takes something insane to handle Lemonade of all people like that."
Over by the stage, Passion and Peach were starry-eyed as they both hooked arms with Beat. "You two were really enthusiastic about us playing… I didn't know you liked that kind of music."
"We never told you because we knew you'd be embarrassed but we've been to a lot of your concerts." Peach just went and spilled their secret.
"What?!" Beat shouted.
"My sister and one of my girlfriends playing in a band? Of course I have to see that!"
The relationship between Setsuna and Eas had gone through several stages and finally arrived at a point where Setsuna considered Eas her little sister and that was fine with Eas. They cared about each other but Eas was long past the point of having romantic feelings for Love, so she decided to not be part of their triangle of love.
"Y-You weren't at that concert in Chiba, right?" Beat looked like she was just being told that Santa was not real for the first time.
"You were so cute when you stuttered in the introduction!" Passion smiled so wide that her head nearly split in two by her jaw.
"Don't be so self-conscious." Peach went one step ahead so she could turn and kiss Beat real quick. "There were a lot of people around us saying how cute you are." Getting really close so she could whisper in Beat's ear, Peach said something else. "And a lot of people saying how sexy Black Currant is. They almost ended up being teleported into space by Passion."
Beat snorted and Passion looked really confused. "So you two like our music?"
"We didn't in the beginning." Passion was very honest about it. "I remember being to your first concert and hearing you play for the first time and just wanting to leave after five minutes and I got a headache. So I went and asked Rosetta for help."
"Rosetta?" Beat looked even more confused than Passion had been.
"She doesn't go to the concerts – probably because it would be a scandal – but she listens to the songs you put out." Peach raised her index finger while saying this, a sign she was in gossip mode.
"Oh I think I recall Night Lily mentioning that before."
"Rosetta really hated the music at first but now she is out in the concert crowd raising her fist like a proper fan. It's amazing what love can do, right?" Peach grabbed both of her girlfriends and hugged them tight right as she said that. "And I don't mean that as a pun!"
"Does she only like the music because Night Lily plays it?" Beat was still not catching up on it.
"I don't think anyone could like music just because of who plays it. She started with music she liked and step by step got used to genres that were more like what you play. And within half a year she could properly enjoy your music too." Passion explained. "We had a little bit of an easier time since our tastes weren't as… refined as Rosetta's."
"She means we liked loud, bombastic music to begin with." Peach had bursts of laughter in-between words. "It was so hard to keep it a secret! Hide the CDs, the T-shirts, the goods!"
"Goods?"
"Remember that thing you were selling down in Kyushu? You know, the-"
Beat's face gradually went from normal to blister to red dwarf star. "N-No way. You bought one… of those? Those pillow cases with our faces?!"
"They're so cute!" Passion was all on board with it too.
"Passion and I put them on the pillows when you're away for concerts!"
While Beat was suffering a meltdown of galactic proportions, the heavy weight physical types were moving the stage – not disassembling it or anything like that, merely picking it up with three people and carrying the several hundred kilos construct away like it was no more than a slightly weighty couch.
"Powers really do come in handy like this." Black was particularly fond of using Cure powers as an advantage in daily life. Coming back to earth, she had been very much disagreeing with the furniture choices that the Nagisa and Honoka of this new world had made. Selling all of their old and getting all new furniture would have normally ripped a hole the size of a final boss in their wallets but Alice's special New World Adjustment Fund for Cures had been a huge help with that.
"I bet you use them even for carrying groceries." Bright poked fun at Black. "Oh no, these bags are so, so heavy, I'll better transform-" Faking a nasal sounding Black voice, Bright was nearly knocked off her feet when Black pushed the stage a little too hard.
"Black, come on, I'm on this end too!" Bloom complained and pushed the stage back.
This quickly escalated into a squabble where they pushed the stage back and forth as if to try and make each other fall over.
"Black, Bloom and Bright… Triple B. More like triple Baka at the moment though." Egret was watching from a short distance, together with White and Windy.
"She's normally pretty reliable but she so does love messing with Black." Windy was eating ice cream that was finally being handed out now, what with Beauty finally getting to her stall.
"Should I do something?" Egret made win spiral around her right arm as if to say she could disrupt their game with that.
"You just want to flip Bloom's and Bright's skirt." White relished the woops, guilty look on Egret's face. "If they don't knock it off- oh, someone's doing our job for us."
A very angry Moonlight and Berry physically knocked some sense into Bloom and Black while Bright tried to sneak off, only to be hit in the head with a coconut that came flying like a bullet. All three of them were loudly being berated and sitting seiza style next to the stage – for about ten seconds and then they were squabbling again over who was to blame for this.
"Moonlight's going to explode." White sighed and handed a tasty fish taco, from Marine's stall, to Egret. "Hold that for a second."
Not losing any time, Egret just went and finished White's half finished fish taco. "She's gonna blast your ass for that, you know that, right?"
"For what? Did you see her handing me anything?"
"You're on your own with this, Egret. White is real scary if you mess with her." Ditching her best friend – excluding Bright – Windy quickly made her exit and left a now nervously and profusely sweating Egret behind.
Meanwhile the situation over at the stage had been deescalated by White. Moonlight and Berry took off – the former being dragged by her hand by the latter – and met up with Rosetta and Night Lily, who were happily stuffing themselves a few meters in front of the most popular stall – manned by Luminous and Rose.
"I can't wait for the demonstration later. I got so much stronger since last time!" Night Lily was talking with her mouth wide open and got very quiet, very quickly when Rosetta stepped on her foot with her heel.
"I see being around someone as refined as Rosetta hasn't helped your manners any." Moonlight made an impossible face as she watched her little sister eat with all the grace and elegance of a chimpanzee. Or Marine.
"Some things will never change." Rosetta shook her head. "I do try, but it is like chipping away at the tallest mountain in the world with a small ice pick."
"Hey!" Night Lily complained.
"I get what you mean." Berry nodded twice. "Getting Moonlight here to relax is a job that works you to the bone. No, she can't just watch a movie, she has to get up and do the dishes in the middle of the movie because we finished eating. No, she has to-" Berry felt the air leave her lungs as Moonlight hit her with a faster than the eye could see jab.
"In that way you two truly are sisters!" Rosetta sounded delighted saying that.
"We're nothing alike!" Said Moonlight and Night Lily in one breath.
Both Berry and Rosetta laughed at their respective girlfriend's expense.
"Where are we doing the demonstration?" Pine had just appeared out of the shadows like she had been there the entire time. Nobody was surprised by this anymore. After, by happenstance, getting into a manga called Unleash the Spyce, Pine had really taken to the whole Shinobi thing and done a lot of these sudden appearances or sneaking up on people.
"I had a small ready-made apartment sky-dropped into the Sahara under the guise of testing experimental air conditioning a couple of weeks ago." Rosetta on the other hand never stopped surprising people with her lines that only a filthy rich person possibly say with a straight face. "Of course it has a bookshelf."
"What are Marine and Aqua gonna do?" Pine was still asking and eating something unidentified at the same time. Berry thought it was just takoyaki with a lot of sauce covering up the pieces but with Pine there was no telling.
"I have prepared some other locations as well." Rosetta didn't even smile saying this. It was just a matter of course.
Of course you did, they all thought. While Rosetta was not the only well-off Cure, nobody else came close to just how much money she had at her disposal. That she was really good at managing it also came in handy.
"Oh Pine, I meant to ask you about that thing in Europe." Berry remembered that after Rosetta mentioned locations.
"You mean the fascists in the United Kingdom?" Pine finished up her… food and looked straight at Berry before pulling up her face mask despite the heat. "I simply expedited some processes. Did I mishandle part of it? Is there something in the news I missed?"
"No, nothing like that." Berry waved her hand. "So… what was England like?"
"I was only there to fix some political issues." Pine shook her head.
"Your ability is really useful for that sort of thing." Moonlight had objections early on about the whole thing but if they were real protectors of humanity they couldn't just say that political and environmental issues weren't their concern. The planet's health was very important after all.
"I can't do a thing about big catastrophes like the fires in the amazon. If we didn't have Marine and Aqua we would have lost so much of the rain forest."
"There are some things money can't do and that aren't solved by subtlety." Rosetta did smiled at that. "It was still very impressive to see so many of us work together to create a rainstorm that put out the fire."
"March and Egret had to be carried home. Aqua was bedridden for two days." Pine counted the casualties. "And even with all our powers there are some things we can't fix."
"It's high time we discover a Cure with the ability to manipulate the ground or something similar so we can do something about earthquakes." Moonlight felt that this was especially important considering that they all hailed from Japan.
"Tsunamis we can sort of handle now, thanks to Rosetta here and Mint, but it's still tough. I wish I had some useful power."
"You helped save the trapped miners, didn't you?" Moonlight turned to her girlfriend.
"Yeah, but-"
"No buts. Don't even bring up Black, Bloom or Bright again. They might have more power but this was a matter of needing pinpoint accuracy. If Black had smashed her way through she'd caused the entire mine to collapse."
"She always has to be right." Berry smirked while Moonlight started to pout.
The festival was still in full swing hours later. While it was not Beat's band that was playing but typical party music, a large number of Cures were having fun dancing, with Peach and Passion stealing the show front and center.
Occupying a few comfortable chairs a little ways off from the improvised dance floor were three Cures that had some not so serious things to discuss.
"S-She did what?" Heart broke out in laughter and nearly fell out of her chair.
Muse sighed the way only a monarch could. "Those bastards think they can just blackmail us with a trade embargo?! Don't they know who they're messing with? I'll pay them a visit! That's what she said." She paused and looked at the third of their group. "You're laughing too hard, Rose."
Milky Rose was rolling over the floor, her armor clanking and clunking all over, holding her stomach and laughing her heart out. "Oh my god, the fallout! The fallout!"
Because of Luminous existence as the Queen of Light, Rose's position had essentially elevated to that of the pseudo ruler of an entire range of fairy worlds, although both she and Luminous rarely if ever did anything to directly influence things there and instead spent all their time on earth.
"Yes, the fallout." Muse covered her face with both hands and the sighing continued and intensified. "So they had heard rumors of her being not an amicable person and they welcomed her by jumping her with an army and throwing her into prison."
"They threw a foreign sovereign into prison?" Heart was so taken aback by it that she nearly forgot to laugh.
Muse rubbed her face. "She leveled the castle and half the castle city. By the time I got there they were so scared of her they were apologizing to me with their entire body kissing the ground, promising that they'd forever loyally serve Majorland if I just promise to never let her come back."
Rose was crying at this point, the laughter about to kill her. Heart had trouble keeping it together as well.
"So now she's being called stuff like Onihime and Senhime and Golden Nightmare all across the fairy kingdom network."
"Senhime is Lemonade?!" Rose paused her laughter just to say that before she continued laughing, her face so red it looked like her head would pop any second.
"She likes the names, too."
Heart and Rose needed both more than a minute to calm down again. "That's as good as that time they sent some shady characters after me to try and bully me into dropping my proposed policy."
Muse looked surprised. "They do that sort of thing in reality?"
"Politics is even more shady in reality than it is in fiction. I was just getting to my car when a bunch of guys in suits stepped out of the shadows, demanding I come with them. When I told them to talk to my secretary they tried to grab me."
"You didn't transform, did you? We have a strict policy of not letting humans know about magic and-"
"She can switch to Cure without physical changes, remember?" Rose clearly recalled that.
"My apologies."
"Don't worry, I know better than anyone not to let people know about magic a second time. I did switch into Cure Heart and had a little fun with them. When they didn't report back, their superior got a little queasy. I brought in Windy and Pine to find out who exactly was resorting to this sort of thing and right now they're taking good care of being the Japanese ambassador in Iceland."
"Iceland?" Muse snorted.
"I tried for Greenland first but apparently that was shooting a little too low." Heart smirked wide.
"What about you Rose? Any funny stories?"
"Not that many. Luminous and I mostly don't meddle with the places that she rules over. That doesn't stop people from asking for audiences when it is time to change rulers and such. Everyone wants to be the great king or queen of prophecy foretold by the Queen of Light."
"So?" Heart saw this going somewhere good.
"After I spent six hours in the most hellish waiting room at my old dentist, I had a great idea. We will tell them that the Queen only has power to foretell one prophecy a day, and so we have a waiting room where you draw tickets with numbers and we pick one number at random."
"That seems reasonable." Muse didn't see the fun in the story.
"Until you realize that we're not picking a number at random from the numbers pulled, but all numbers."
Heart burst into laughter again. "How mean!"
Muse couldn't help but laugh too. "I need to take notes."
"So we always have people waiting in there and very rarely does anyone actually get to ask their question. So most of the time they come in and are all Oh Queen of Light, I beseech your wisdom. I assume you know why it is that I have come here? Or something like that. And right after, Luminous just says Yes and I am all Okay, the Queen answered your question. Please be more careful next time. And show them out."
"That's so mean! That's downright evil!" Heart was covering her mouth because she didn't want to laugh but had to.
Muse committed it to memory. "That is genius. Using their own exaggerated respect against them to get them to go away. I must talk to mother about this."
"You've turned Majorland into an abusive dentist, Rose!" Heart hollered and Rose bent over in laughter. "Okay, okay, I got one more! This is about when I went on a trip to Hokkaido and took Diamond with me!"
=== DISSONANCE ===
A tale as old as the world. A tale from before the big cataclysm. Of the ancient civilizations that could travel freely across the skies and the seas. That could build cities underground, that could build castles that pierced the skies.
"Grandmother, tell us again about the Solitude Queen!" A child, no older than seven or eight, with mixed eye colors and black hair was tugging on the sleeve of a woman in her fifties.
It was a beautiful day out – the skies were a brilliant blue and the winds gentle caressed the enormous trees that sprouted all around their village of a hundred and six. The ocean's waves were peaceful today, promising fresh fish to be prepared in the evening.
"Again? Very well." The old woman, with long hair that had yet to turn white, sat on a wooden log and quickly a number of children surrounded her. "A very, very long time ago, humans were masters of many things. The sky, the sea, of metal and things we cannot even imagine. For thousands of years they prospered, grew wise but also arrogant. They started to hurt the planet and they hurt each other."
"That's why violent people are cast into the ocean!" One of the kids interrupted.
"Yes. It was at the height of their great and powerful civilization that the Solitude Queen and her disciples appeared. The Solitude Queen declared the world her rightful kingdom and that the humans were trampling on her grace. And so she called forth powers that made even the gods pale in terror to right their wrongs. Oceans swelled, fire raged, storms blew and the humans cowered in fear as they cursed the Solitude Queen."
"But the disciplines rose up!"
"Seeing the suffering of the humans, the Queen's disciples decided they could not stand by and let their queen's anger end their civilization outright. They took the side of the humans and fought bravely against their queen, trying to quench and diminish her anger. They tried to teach the humans the errors of their ways with kind words and peace."
"The Ky'Rua!"
"And for a little while it seemed to work. Among the many, many humans back then there were some that saw the wisdom in the Ky'Rua's words and decided to follow them. But most of the humans instead decided to trick and take advantage of the Ky'Rua, the Solitude Queen's disciples."
"The day of Kar! The second day in every sixth month!"
"That day, humanity betrayed the Ky'Rua and many of them perished. The Solitude Queen's anger knew no bounds and in her rage she wiped out all but the most innocent of humans. And she left them with a prophecy."
"The lost prophecy! The lost prophecy!"
"Many a scholar and elder theorizes what the prophecy said, but all of humanity agrees that if we should ever repeat the mistakes of the lost civilizations then once again the Solitude Queen will waken and punish humanity. For the Solitude Queen lives alone in the heavens, watching all of us with her keen eye, judging us for how we treat the chosen."
"Can I become a chosen?!" One of the youngest girls was raising her hand and waved wildly.
"That is for the Solitude Queen to decide. Only she knows who will become Ky'Rua."
"Is it true you met a Ky'Rua once?!"
"Yes." The old lady smiled softly. "It was when I was still a young girl and great fires ravaged the lands to the west. I was traveling with my parents and I was trapped within the fires of the forest that the thunderstorms of the previous night had unleashed. I was crying and scared then. But out of the fires, clad in white and red, with hair as red as the fire itself, a mystical young lady appeared to me, calling herself Ky'Rua Meia."
"The Ky'Rua of the Sun!"
"She carried me away, protected me from the raging fires with her magical powers. Without her I would never have survived then."
"Was the Ky'Rua pretty?!"
"Incredibly pretty."
"Is it true that Ky'Rua only live with other Ky'Rua?"
"That is what my grandmother told me. Apparently, before the Solitude Queen showed herself, she lived with her disciples in a kingdom of purity, free of humanity's arrogance, in complete peace with the planet."
"I wanna meet the Solitude Queen!" One of the girls said and everyone turned to look at her shocked.
"Minako, the Solitude Queen is a powerful being that only just barely spared a select few from all of the ancient humans. She is not one that we can understand or should think of meeting."
"But if I become Ky'Rua I can meet her, right?"
"Becoming Ky'Rua is a sacred thing and only those who become Ky'Rua know what happens after. They will leave behind everything they know to follow the call of the planet and the Solitude Queen."
"Is the Solitude Queen really that strong?" One of the older boys asked. "Is she stronger than my papa? He's the strongest in the entire village!"
"The Solitude Queen can turn all of the ocean into sand, make the mountains into the deep valleys and turn forests into deadly storms of sand. All of the lost civilization could not stand up to her."
"So… my papa couldn't beat her in arm wrestling?"
"No." The old lady smiled. "But your father is a pious man, right? He always says his prayers."
"Yes! Papa always makes us thank the planet and the Solitude Queen for the things we have!"
"So then he won't have to arm wrestle the Solitude Queen. He believes in her mercy, right?"
"Oh… you're right."
"Uhm… I heard from a traveler, but it is true that even the Solitude Queen is a Ky'Rua?"
"That I do not know. It is possible, I suppose. The Solitude Queen is the greatest being there is and the Ky'Rua serve her will… so maybe she is the Ky'Rua Queen as well. But should always make sure to address her properly as the Solitude Queen in your prayers! You wouldn't want something bad to happen to your family or yourself because you were disrespectful to the Solitude Queen, right?"
The children all nodded to say they understood.
A little while later the old woman stood near one of the many cliffs that were at the back of the village. "I wonder how much truth there is to all of these old stories… I know the Ky'Rua are real because I met one… but what of the Solitude Queen? There are legends that the lost civilizations had more than a thousand times a thousand people. That their villages were the size of islands. But could such a thing really be true? Could a single woman… could the Solitude Queen really have wiped out so many people? Was humanity truly so corrupt that they would betray the Ky'Rua and invoke her wrath?" Looking down at the ocean, the woman sighed. "I can only hope that we will never make such a mistake again if that is what really happened."
Over centuries and millennia, stories had become legends and legends had become distorted.
Far in the east, in an empty country, atop a tower of steel and stone, sat a single woman, undying and all-powerful. But for all her might, for all her knowledge and wisdom, she had never managed to make yield the hearts of those that she cherished more than anything.
For thousands and thousands of years she had sat there, through nuclear winter, through endless storms and destruction as the world recovered from absolute destruction of all civilization. And she lamented her fate. That even now, those with the potential to be Ky'Rua were born and sometimes awakened to their powers. And she sought them out, sought to shape their hearts and minds, to once again bring to fruition her dream of a world, a land, of and by the Ky'Rua for each other. But as she might yield the powers of gods, every time the Ky'Rua would learn the truth and they would turn against her.
You're evil!
You destroyed billions of lives!
How can I trust a murderer?!
You're not Ky'Rua! You're Kar'Rua!
And so she saved them the only way she knew; by ending their misery, ending their enslavement to their own love for humans. The same way she had saved those that had been at the crossroads of it all. If only back then she had compromised. If only she had been willing to let them be the protectors they wished to be. If only… if only so many things.
Regret was all that remained now. She knew, that even if she waited millions of years, she would never see humanity rise above itself, rise to accept the Ky'Rua and not exploit them. Rise to be more than easily tempted creatures so prone to self-enrichment.
And the Ky'Rua born of humans would never come to accept her, would never accept her ideal utopia, her golden world. And so she could only persist like this. To force humanity to remain primitive and fearful of the Ky'Rua. To endlessly fail to grow past her own regrets and leave the Ky'Rua to their own fate. To teach and train them. To grow close. Only to have her heart broken yet another time and to perform the heavy task of saving yet another Ky'Rua.
Because she could no longer go back.
She could only be forever here, carrying on with but the painful solitude of her own making in her heart.
=== DISSONANCE ===
"This sure is tough even for me." Breathing slowly and deeply, she stood amidst many possible futures, each of them happening simultaneously.
"Don't complain. It's your job to do this." Behind her sat two women, one with blond hair, another with black hair. "Although, I thought it was fine to just keep them going as it was. I already got Bright and Windy involved." The black haired one spoke.
"Dream and Heart are adapting surprisingly well on my end." The blond one had the exact same voice as the other woman.
"If you two are going to be here the least you could do is help me." The unknown woman up front complained.
"Eh? Everyone has their part to play. This is yours. It's all her will, isn't it?" The black haired one looked at her nails and from each finger a different element sizzled out. "I won't even pretend I understand the plan, so I'll just do as I'm told."
"I don't get it either. We could easily just control their minds and force them to obey." The blonde one leaned forward and a white, fancy coffee table appeared out of nowhere, complete with a hot pot of coffee that floated up and poured into two cups. "All of this for what exactly? I'm trying to beat Zanny over here and Zanny is trying to beat me and you're just… here pulling strings? I don't get it."
"We're both the same, so I don't see how we could possibly beat each other anyway." Black hair shrugged and took one of the filled cups. "It's not like those inexperienced girls would amount to anything in a battle between us anyway. They'd be dead in an instant."
"You two sure got energy running your mouths like that." The woman up front twisted around, her robe fluttered off her head and revealed that she had white hair and the exact same face as the other two.
"It's not our fault you got stuck with this. That's her fault." Black shrugged again.
"I think one of those futures just went kaplooey." Blonde pointed at a floating sphere that was showing images in such rapid and seemingly random order that no human could possibly interpret them.
"You're right, that one is a bust." Snapping her fingers, white hair canceled out that future and another one took its place.
"What exactly is the point of all of this anyway?" Black looked from future to future. "We got a pretty wide range here."
"Her orders. I don't question her."
"Well, yeah, we'd be stupid to do that." Blond looked at one particular future. "That one looks like I won."
"Why's Zanny here replacing Dream anyway? That just seems like an insane amount of trouble waiting to come back and haunt us."
"Again, her orders." Black hair shrugged. "What's with your character? I. am. a. Cure. Like seriously, could you have any less personality? That's just gonna get in the way, isn't it?"
"I'm getting my orders just like you do!"
"Will you two take your idiotic bickering somewhere else?"
"Somewhere… where exactly? You overrode this entire dimension. There's nowhere else." Blonde got a bit snarky.
"That's just how [Missing Power of the Immaterial] works."
"Doesn't change the fact that we can't go anywhere else." Black backed up Blonde.
"Can you at least be quiet?" White seemed to be losing her patience.
"You're on the same level as us, you can't give us orders." Black clicked her tongue.
"I'm asking you, not ordering. Also can you do something about your clothes?! It's distracting!" White hair couldn't tear her eyes away. Both of the women at the table were wearing nothing but a full body skintight suit that was entirely white for blonde and entirely black for black hair.
"Eh, it's covering everything though." Black put down her coffee cup and rested her head on the table, looking at white hair's butt. "We look the same anyway, so isn't it moot to be all excited?"
"Yeah, if it's about getting excited we got plenty of hotties all around us. Once you let 'em out. How long is this gonna go on for anyway?" Blonde leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms under her breasts.
"I can't tell you that."
"Yeah yeah, we two aren't allowed to know your orders. Isn't that kind of unfair, though? You know exactly what's going on with us." Black sounded upset.
"Not like I make the rules."
"Well, yeah, only she can make the rules." Both Blonde and Black said that as one.
"I still don't understand the goal of all of this." The white haired woman sounded exhausted, both physically and mentally.
"It's not our place to question her." Black hair shook her head.
"We just need to do as she tells us to." Blonde nodded twice.
"Because we're..." The black one smirked.
"Eternal"
"Echo"
"Entity"
=== DISSONANCE ===
A girl barely of age sat all alone under a table in a half collapsed apartment, shaking, covered in dirt and small wounds. In the background there were noises of machine guns, explosions, shouting and screaming. Her parents, her friends, her family; they were all gone, taken by the war.
"Red Two in Sector fourteen!" She heard one of the soldiers shout that were running past the building outside. And she could feel the intense cold that gripped them in the next instant; the streets outside froze without mercy and then shattered, killing anything in its wake.
The war had been going for a little over three months now – over half the world was laid to waste, as of the last time she heard any kind of broadcast. Country borders meant nothing now. Race meant nothing. Religion was irrelevant. The faith in gods had perished after the five days of destruction. Many of the great countries had perished completely during that time. Millions and millions of people died. Entire cultures were wiped out.
She heard the steps. Those characteristic steps that haunted every living soul on earth. That slow sound of heels hitting the ground. She hugged her legs, held her breath, unable to even pray that she wasn't found. They made no prisoners. After the five days of destruction, the rest of the world had capitulated, only to try and stab the invaders in the back. The plan had failed and now the end of humanity was sealed. They would all be wiped out.
The door froze over and shattered into parts so tiny that there was nothing left to see. "Do not fear." The voice was completely calm and that by itself was terrifying. "I know you are here." The steps came into the room, the ground itself turning to ice wherever she stepped.
The girl's entire body shook with terror as the steps came closer and closer. She covered her own mouth with her hands, tears streaming down her cheeks. She had seen one of them close up before. They looked human but once you saw their eyes it was clear that they weren't. There was absolutely nothing human about them at all. They viewed humans as insects at best.
The table froze and her skin was covered with rime, like a plant that had suddenly been thrust into winter. The protective furniture shattered and she looked up, at the blue clad horror. She couldn't even beg for mercy. Because she knew all too well that they had none.
Slowly the object of terror reached out, grabbed her right arm and pulled her up. And she saw into her eyes. They were soulless monstrosity given form. There was no emotion, no compassion, no love in there. She was held up the same way people held up a rabbit for slaughter.
"Hold still now." The blue clad woman materialized a blade of pure ice in her other hand and cut the girl's palm, drawing forth blood that very slowly ran from the shallow wound. She froze a little batch of the blood and then froze over the cut as well.
And then the girl heard a second set of the accursed steps. "And? How is it?" One of them, one that was clad in yellow, tall and toned, stepped into the room.
"She has the potential."
"Does she met the threshold?"
"No." And with just that one word, the girl turned to ice, a horrible look of fear on her face. Dropped like a sack of flour, the ice statue of a girl shattered on the floor. "I don't think we will find anyone here. That is the sixth failure out of six."
"The Empress ordered us to do a clean sweep and round up everyone that matches the threshold."
"I know. I am merely saying that we will have to return to The Empress with displeasing news."
Stepping back outside, the two of them looked at the sky; it was on fire. Not in the metaphorical sense of there being sparks and embers flying through the air – the sky above them, two hundred meters above them, was a physical ocean of fire, burning so hot that no radio wave, no frequency could get there. Nothing could fly, nothing could be dropped through. The ground was completely cut off from the rest of the world. And further beyond still was a barely visible yellow wall, encasing the entire city.
A stone flew through the air, hitting the blue one from the distance. "Olge meie maade juurest ära! Kurat!" A child's voice was screaming at them in the local language.
They turned towards the child, now embraced by a frightened mother, protected by a desperate man, wielding an ancient looking rifle. With shaking hands and terror in his eyes he fired. The bullets, spread wide, fell to the ground halfway towards their target, encased in solid ice.
Eyes of pure indifference looked down on the family. "Palun! Halastust! Säästke mu peret!" The man threw away his rifle and prostrated himself before them. He begged, his voice shaking and breaking up. "Kas soovite, et naised teid teeniksid, eks?" He looked up, his face covered in tears and snot. "Please. Mercy."
Blue and yellow looked at each other and yellow stepped forward, slowly, without any sign of hostility. The man's prostration grew more intense, his face rubbing against the destroyed pavement while the woman tried to escape with the child.
Running for their lives, the woman carried her child in her arms, hearing another plea from her husband that she left behind. Tears mixed with terror as she kept running away from the one she loved.
A horrifying scream hit her like a hammer to her back. She fell, turning to her back so she would not crush her child. And as she looked up she looked into the eyes of the devil. "Ei! Kurat! Koletis! Hoia eemale!" Her voice was frantic and filled to the brim with desperation. She hugged her child tight, trying to turn away from these creatures that were hunting people.
She felt the blue one grab her arm – her hand was as cold as the ice she used to stop the bullets. It burned her skin.
"No potential." And without hesitation, without pause, the woman froze, turned into an ice statute, encasing the child. Stomping on the statue's chest it was crushed and fell to pieces, releasing a whimpering and scared child. Picked up by her neck, held like a kitten by a mother cat, the girl struggled without effect. "No potential."
A shattering sound accompanied her exit from where the woman had run to and she found herself face to face with her yellow companion. "No potential in either of them. The true lineage is really weak in this country."
"Would you have rather gone and sorted through the remains of the United Kingdom?"
"What I would have preferred is irrelevant. Let's go."
Both of them walked past a bloody smear on the destroyed pavement without giving it a second look.
Far ahead, on the city's biggest plaza, were over a hundred people squeezed together like farm animals in transport, a ring of light surrounding them. It looked like they could escape at any time, whenever they wanted, by just stepping over that ring of light. But the roughly dozen corpses that were cleanly cut to pieces by that very ring of light made very clear that there was no leaving.
A girl, petite and in pink clothes with long blond hair sat atop a Gargoyle statue, watching the humans unblinking and with almost clinical disinterest. Working with her was a woman dressed in black, with black smudge, ash and dust covering her body. Dragging four struggling women by their arms like they weighed no more than empty paper bags she stepped right towards the circle of light that temporarily opened up just for her. A woman, tall and young, tried to run past the black clad invader and succeeded in escaping the circle.
"Hey." Black turned around and looked at the woman go just as she threw the four captured ones into the crowd ahead of her.
The blonde looked at her for just an instant and then shook her head when she looked back at her compatriot.
"This is what happens when you run." The black clad one turned to the crowd, moved her thump across her neck and then turned back to the woman that was running as hard as she could, almost at the edge of the plaza now. Raising her fist, the black clad one punched the ground; and in an instant, a life sized woman became a crushed pile of meat on the pavement, accompanied with shouts of horror and despair from the crowd.
Leaving the circle of light again to round up more of the humans, the blonde was left alone for barely a minute before a white clad woman appeared, a whole slew of captured women and young girls in tow, kept together by pulsating spheres of light. It became all too obvious why they didn't try to escape when one of the spheres touched a house wall and burned a hole five times the size of the sphere in it.
"This is about everyone in this district. Where are the others?"
"South. Your love was just here."
"Is she still rounding them up one by one?"
"She enjoys it. You know that."
"Laske meid välja!" "Sa ei saa seda teha!" "Te kuradid!" Some of the women in the crowd shouted at them.
"Scan them." The white clad one looked at them like they were a pile of vegetables, freshly harvested. And to them, they had even lower value than vegetables.
The blonde jumped down and the circle of light intensified, turning into a wall of light surrounding the crowd. "You sure you got everyone?"
The white clad woman turned around, raised her hand and several large white orbs spread forth from her wrist, quickly levitating in the direction that she had come from. Without warning or command the spheres started expanding, flattening, burning, erasing everything in their way with magical energy. "Yes."
"Then let's check them out." The blonde's eyes turned into, into a pale platinum, as every single human inside the wall of light felt like their very soul was being peeked at. It only took an instant – mere seconds. "None." The blonde snapped her fingers and the wall of light turned into an infinite array of beams, piercing through everyone inside. It was an utter massacre. "Where to next?"
"This was the last spot. There is no one left alive in this city."
"I'll call in the cleaners then."
"Do that." The white clad one turned around and looked at the mountainous pile of death they had just created. Blood was running like a river from the corpses, blasted to pieces. Filthy.
It was barely ten minutes after that the entire city and all of the horrors that transpired there were consumed by the ocean of fire from above. No building, no memory, not a single life remained that day in Paide. It was the end of Estonia – the last city, the last of its people, had been erased from the face of the planet.
And it was just one of many places that the bringers of death had touched that day.
=== DISSONANCE ===
"Mama, mama!" A young child was tugging on the skirt of her mother. "Look! There's a Ky'Rua!"
"Now, now, what did I say about pointing at the Ky'Rua? You can't be rude to them." Noticing that the girl in question had noticed the child, the mother lightly bowed. "I'm sorry about her. She's just really excited to see someone from your… I'm sorry-"
"Kind is fine. We know we look similar but we're not the same." The girl smiled as she replied and then squatted down to look at the girl. "Say, do you like the Ky'Rua?"
"I love them!" The young girl happily responded.
"That makes me glad. But your mother is right, you know? Pointing at people is a no-no. It looks rude! A bright, promising young girl like you isn't, rude, right?"
"She called me promising!"
"Now remember to not point at people and listen to your mother, yes? And maybe you can become one of the Ky'Rua'Shaleh in the future!"
"I can become Shaleh?!"
"All of the very good and brave girls can become Shaleh. You're brave, right?"
"I am!"
"Then you can become Shaleh!"
"Mama, Mama, did you hear?!"
"I did. But it is hard to become Shaleh, so you'll have to be very good."
The Ky'Rua patted the girls head. "Remember to always eat your veggies, even if you hate them. Because lots and lots of people worked really hard to make them for you, including your mama. You don't want to hurt those people, right?"
"Uh…. But I don't like veggies."
"I'll let you in on a secret." The Ky'Rua leaned forward. "Only girls that are stronger that the things they don't like can become Shaleh. They test if you can eat all sorts of veggies at the Rua'Valeh."
"Mama, she said-"
"Sssh. It's a secret!"
"Oh, I can't tell you, it's a secret!"
"I'm really sorry, but we have to get home. I still have to make lunch. Chitose, say goodbye to the Ky'Rua."
"Bye, bye!"
Two hundred and fifty years after the Ky'Rua had stepped out of the shadows and into the light, civilization had finally overcome and forgotten the challenges of the past. They were now a sanctified order that had authority all over the world. Whether it was natural disasters, armed conflicts or corruption; the Ky'Rua intervened in every matter of life to improve the lives of the many.
"Schicksal!" Someone called out to the Ky'Rua that had just spoken to the child. She was a ninth generation Ky'Rua, originally from Europe – one of almost fifteen thousand Ky'Rua in the world that served humanity as protectors and guides. She was dressed in fancy black and white frilly clothes, with an enormous ribbon on top of her head. "There you are. I told you to stop wandering off."
"Don't be so upright, Tagtraum." Talking to a Ky'Rua that was dressed in pink and white, Schicksal turned her gaze towards the sky. "It's a nice day. Why wouldn't I mix with the populace a bit?"
She was promptly bonked on the head and squatted down in pain. "Ow… Tagtraum you bully."
"Excuse me." A voice called out to them in broken English. "Can you help me to direction in Rua'Valeh?" A woman with long platinum blond hair, tall and fashionably dressed in a summer dress and high-heeled brown leather boots was speaking to them.
"Japanese is fine if you prefer." Tagtraum replied with a little bit of an accent.
"Ah, that is a relief." The woman took off her sunglasses and lightly bowed. "Could you direct me to the Rua'Valeh?"
Schicksal turned to her. "Are you perhaps… Chinen Miyuki?"
"Oh, how did you know?"
"We heard from Black Currant that you would be coming."
The woman gasped. "O-One of the Shariva knows me by name?"
"It's because of your name."
"My name?"
"A long time ago, your ancestors lived in a place called Clover Town, right?"
"I-I think so."
"Black Currant is one of the Shariva that defended that town, all the way back in the early two-thousands."
"U-Unbelievable. I heard the rumors that the Shariva are immortal, but for that to be actually true..."
"It's not a secret. It just isn't publicized widely. People get a little uncomfortable sometimes."
"Y-Yes, I'm sure." The woman took a deep breath. "I'm the new human-Ky'Rua relations correspondent for this district."
"It's nice to meet you, Miyuki. I'm Schicksal. Don't let the cat-got-your-tongue treatment from her fool you, Tagtraum here got a foul mouth." And as if to prove that not only her mouth was that way, Tagtraum kicked Schicksal's ankle. "S-See? Ow, ow ow..."
"May I ask what happened to the last correspondent?"
"We'll tell you on the way." Schicksal pointed down a street. "It's that way."
Walking together, the woman felt visibly uncomfortable being flanked by two Ky'Rua. "So, about the last correspondent..."
"Kikyo huh… She hit seventy last year and so she retired. That is really the only way you stop being a correspondent."
"I've only ever been to the Shela'Valeh in the capital, so I don't really know what to expect here."
The Valeh was the temple of the Ky'Rua and the Shela'Valeh was the grand temple, situated in each country's capital and sovereign ground of the Ky'Rua, a completely unchallenged authority.
"Our Valeh is a bit on the small side. You know you'll also be in charge of the Ky'Rua'Shaleh, right?"
"Yes. I was trained for that purpose. Although I have to admit I don't have any job experience regarding that just yet."
"That's fine. We have one – technically two – of the Shariva living with us. They will help you."
The Shaleh were the priestesses of the Ky'Rua, handling inquiries and many aspects of day-to-day operations to make the Ky'Rua available in case they were needed. Only a select few could become Shaleh, roughly one in ten-thousand. A minimum amount of magical talent was required to handle the advanced magical tools and objects the Ky'Rua surrounded themselves with.
"Is it… allowed to ask… are you two inducted or-?"
"We are gifted." Schicksal smiled. "My parents are Ky'Rua Sonnenschein and Ky'Rua Mondlicht. Her parents are Ky'Rua Wolke and Ky'Rua Fantezi."
"Is it true that there are very few inducted Ky'Rua?"
"Probably? I have never met one to be honest. I heard it takes an enormous amount of coincidence for a human to be born with the potential to be Ky'Rua. And even then, most of them decide to be Shaleh instead."
"You might find it ridiculous, but at times I wish I could have been a Ky'Rua."
"Other than having powers we use to protect and guide humanity there isn't much of a difference."
"I know, I know. It's just… you are making big differences. Without you the planet would have become a wasteland by now for sure."
"That is mostly the efforts of the Shariva."
"I still can't believe that the rumors about them are true… living for that long… it would make me go crazy."
"They have Ky'Rua Pine and Windy for that. They will just come and from time to time- ow!" Tagtraum hit Schicksal again, this time harder. "Okay, that's enough hitting me for today!"
"You Numskull, are you out of your mind talking about the Shariva's powers?" Tagtraum turned to Miyuki. "I'm sorry but the Shariva's powers are classified for reasons of public safety."
"I know, I know!" Miyuki threw up her hands. "I'll make a note that Schicksal here has a loose mouth."
"Hey!" Schicksal pouted as Miyuki was turned against her in an instant.
"But… I know it's not something people like to talk about… there is no record of the thirty days of darkness back then. I was wondering what exactly happened and if you two know?"
"Only the Shariva knows about that now. I don't recommend asking Black Currant though. She is a Ky'Rua and one of the Shariva, but she still has a temper." Schicksal eyed Tagtraum and was ready to dodge another chop.
"If you really want to ask her, wait until Ky'Rua Gelato comes back from her trip." Tagtraum added on.
"Why her?"
"She and Black Currant have been together for a very long time. Kinda like Shela'Shariva and Ky'Rua Diamond."
"Is anyone going to be mad at me if I use the real name of Shela'Shariva?"
"Not at all. Honestly, the formalities are mostly for and from us Ky'Rua. We don't take offense when regular people just call us by our names. That's why it's fine to just call me Schicksal. Or Umi, if you want."
"I don't understand. Why Umi?"
"Schicksal means Fate which translates to Unmei. If you write that in the English alphabet, it's-"
"Oh, I kinda get it now. You shortened it to Umi."
"Bingo!"
"I'll stick with Tagtraum if you don't mind."
"How many other Ky'Rua are there at the temple with you?"
"Other than us there is only Ky'Rua Pendulum."
Tagtraum groaned. "She can be a bit of a problem child. Also, we're here."
A medium sized building that had an overly complicated shape and completely white walls laid before the trio. Every Valeh, every temple, was built in the shape of a lily flower. It was common sense that Ky'Rua fell in love just like humans but only among their own kind. They were simply made that way. Of course there existed people all over the world that fantasized about being the girlfriend of one of the Ky'Rua but even the women – albeit the right sex – didn't have any chance at all. It was one of the few iron-clad rules in every nation on earth that trying to have a relationship with a Ky'Rua would end very quickly and with an indictment of sedition.
The world could not function anymore without the Ky'Rua and they served as selfless guardians of humanity. Their founder, the Shela'Shariva, The Great Purity, stood at the center of all of this as a timeless enforcers of good.
"Ready to start your new life, Miyuki?" Schicksal put her hand against the wall and a door formed from the smooth, seamless stone. "Although I guess you wouldn't have taken this position if you weren't."
"Welcome to the Shalehfulna." The priestesses cycle. Tagtraum walked up ahead and stepped through the door.
I finally made it. Great-Grandmother. The girls you spoke of to your daughter and her daughter to my mother and she to me; I will finally meet them. I wish you could be here to see it. Smiling happily, Chinen Miyuki stepped into the temple of the Ky'Rua right there, at the outskirts of their holy land, Lily Tokyo.
=== DISSONANCE ===
"Woah..." Black was blocking the sun shining from above with her hand and looked at the insane explosion far in the distance. "That's making me feel inadequate."
"What are you talking about?" Her wife was right by her side, looking somewhat dejected. "You are a close combat specialist. That's a long range attack. If anyone is gonna feel inadequate then it'll be me or Luminous."
"L-Luminous won't lose to this!" Milky Rose was close by, feeling that her girlfriend was being badmouthed by this. "I might, but Luminous won't!"
"What are you getting so defensive for?" Black looked past White. "Luminous is still part of our team. It's not like we're saying she's weak. Rather that that there is impossible to match."
A massive wave crashed into a green barrier roughly five hundred meters out. Smoke and embers were still rising into the air – and nothing but water had even been hit. It was like a nuclear bomb had gone off. A really big one.
Muse stretched and grabbed a bottle of water. "Melody, Rhythm, Beat, thanks for backing me up." Drinking some fresh and cooled water, Muse felt her throat come back to life. "In a few years I'll be able to use it at full power."
A number of Cures were looking at her strange. This wasn't full power?
"Okay, with that absolutely hilariously overpowered display from our new resident long range nuclear option-" Rosetta was really having fun with this. "We have Bright, demonstrating an ability called [Lunar Tear Pandemonium]. Can we assume this is an extension of your Lunar Tear ability that you developed in the other place?"
"Pretty much, yeah. I'm gonna need a partner for this, someone whose a physical fighter and isn't up for a while. Oh also, March, I need you for a bit."
"Me?" March pointed at herself.
"Yes, the sky is too clear, I need some clouds."
"I'm not exactly… well, I'll see what I can do."
While Bright was trying to pick out a partner, the others sat back down after Muse's insane display of a sixty percent power [Method_REPLEKIA], which turned out to be basically a massive laser beam that was on a completely different level from what she used to be able to do.
They were in the middle of the ocean, almost three-thousand kilometers east of Japan, a safe distance from anyone's surveillance system. Not even Rosetta wanted to construct anything this far out so they just took a small cruiser – owned by Rosetta – there and parked it next to a barrier-made platform that was then populated with chairs and other niceties. For that very reason, Rosetta and Mint were scheduled to be the very last to do their demonstration.
Once a year, on Curial, they all came together as Cures to celebrate and show off any new powers they had finished developing.
"Mint, can you reinforce the platform? Rosetta, you too?"
"Are you going to break it?" Mint put three additional security layers below the platform.
"No, but I don't want to fall into the water because of the recoil."
Rosetta also put three more layers below Bright, who stood at the very front of the platform, together with Berry, who was not showing anything this year. It wasn't unusual for a new big ability to take more than a year to be developed and refined – this year, only twenty-two were giving demonstrations.
"What do you need me to do?"
"Hit me."
"Huh?"
"Here's the gist of it." Waving Berry closer, Bright explained the whole thing and Berry looked displeased. "What?"
"Give me a minute." Walking back towards the others, Berry talked to Blossom who looked very upset for a moment and then Berry came back. "Okay, Blossom is on standby."
"I said hit me, not break my bones. I said it converts aggression, not damage."
"I'll just hit you until you say stop."
"That's all I'm asking."
Bright clenched her fists and as if she had suddenly flipped a switch the air around her started to swirl, making Berry's twintails flutter in the wind. Attack after attack was unleashed on the yellow Cure to the point that she was lightly bleeding from her nose and several other spots.
March had – with Egret's help – ascended way into the air and moved some heavy clouds above them.
"[Lunar Tear Pandemonium]." Bright punched the air above her.
It was like a piston the size of a skyscraper was suddenly launched into the air, the pressure so strong that every single one of the security layers under Bright were shattered into nothingness. The clouds hundreds and hundreds of meters above them were not just pushed away but ripped apart. The water split into waves, as if Bright had been pushed into the ocean by an angry god and had the weight of a mountain.
"I'm glad I decided to sit out this year." Black was really not feeling very confident.
"It's ridiculously strong but it has the same weakness as Muse's ability; the charging time is too big. Although it looks like Bright's ability gets stronger the more she gets pummeled. [Lunar Tear] was already strong to begin with but this is just a plus ultra on top."
Aqua stepped forward and a pillar of water, with a thoroughly soaking wet Bright on top, rose out of the ocean. "You could have warned me too, you know?" Sighing, Aqua controlled the water pillar to set Bright down on the platform.
"That was a little more power than I expected." Bright rubbed her still bleeding nose just as Blossom was angrily walking towards her.
"Why does everyone insist on dangerous abilities that make you get hurt? Jeez!" Kneeling down to heal Bright, Aqua behind her gestured to Bright to not say anything back or it'd get ugly.
"Now, we will take a short break and next up we will see Pine's [Pinejutsu Four]." Rosetta smirked. "Pine, might I suggest giving that a different name?"
"It's a place holder!" Pine's face was bright red. "Look at the red line right below what I wrote!"
"Do not read the ability name- oh, my mistake." Rosetta faked embarrassment and Pine angrily downed a non-alcoholic cocktail.
Wet like a dog in a rainstorm, Bright sat down close to the back and was really thankful when a towel was dropped on her head. "You were super cool."
"Thanks, Peace."
"You know how she came up with this?" Windy appeared next to Bright.
"I will throw you into the ocean if you tell her."
Unimpressed by that threat, Windy kept going. "She was thinking that with your abilities, you're kind of frail and she'll have to protect you from any close up fighting. So to make the best of getting pummeled while she's shielding you, she's come up with-" Splosh.
"W-Windy!" Peace quickly got to the edge of the platform and helped Windy out of the water after Bright had thrown her like a bag of fruit.
Meanwhile, Rosetta was flipping through her schedule and found an issue. "Rouge!" Calling out to her, Rosetta got the other Cure to come to her.
"What?"
"I only just noticed, but when you are asking for a wide open space, the ocean will not work with your abilities, right?"
"If you and Mint can make a big enough barrier, it'll work."
"I do have a bookshelf on the boat we can use to go to another area if you prefer."
"Hm… it would make things easier. Honestly I'm not sure it's safe to do this out here on the ocean."
"That's why I asked. I had a feeling that would be the case."
"Rosetta!" Night Lily was demanding her attention now.
"Excuse me, love calls." Turning around, keeping the schedule in hand, she let Night Lily hug her and steal a quick kiss. "What do I owe this sudden affection to?"
"Nothing." Night Lily smiled, held on to Rosetta and twirled around with her.
"Be careful, there is other people everywhere."
"It's fine! Nothing-" Splosh. "Will happen." Night Lily stopped when Rosetta's face turned to smiling-but-angry. Letting go and turning around, Night Lily looked at an incredibly pissed looking Cure Moonlight. "Ah..."
"Ah..." Moonlight raised her fist out of the water. "My ass! Night Lily! Get over here and get me out of the water already!"
"I just remembered I left the lights on on the cruiser!" Trying to run away, Night Lily slammed face first into a barrier wall. "Ow… ow! Rosetta! You betray me?"
"Betray you? Hm?" Rosetta pushed the schedule in the hands of Aqua, who had been just about to raise Moonlight out of the water, grabbed hold of Night Lily and threw her over the edge of the platform and into the water, where Moonlight immediately tried to get her revenge.
Splashing around and fighting in the water, a third, small splosh made the entire situation untenable; Marine had seen the two sisters fighting in the water and jumped off the edge while shouting Geronimo loudly and was now sending blasts of seawater everywhere.
Blossom was so close to losing her patience that others stepped in now. Aqua forced all three of them out of the water for starters. Berry dragged Moonlight by her arm all the way across the platform and then into the small cruiser. Blossom was shouting at Marine who was just laughing it off without issue. And Night Lily tried apologizing to Rosetta and was only forgiven when she started getting on her knees.
"We sure are a colorful bunch." Heart was relaxing at the front edge of the platform and really felt like dipping her feet into the water. "Right, Diamond?"
"I wish they'd be a little more under control but it's still Curial, so I won't say anything to them." Diamond was sitting right next to Heart and leaning against her. "That beam from Muse was insane, you know."
"How insane?"
"Super duper mega insane, in Regina's words." Diamond had to look at the world through her visor to be able to see, but this also meant she was much more adept than anyone else at scanning for magic and other phenomena such as vibrations. "I don't think Rosetta and Mint combined could hold that off. Nobody but you could survive that."
"Such a fearsome princess. And yet..."
"Yeah..."
They both thought the same thing. The truly fearsome thing about her is how she handles being married to Lemonade. Giggling because they knew they were thinking the same thing, they held hands. Just as another splosh was imminent, Diamond snapped her fingers and Marine fell through a hole in the platform into the water.
"Diamond?"
"Just doing some safety inspections."
Blossom's angry shouting could be heard all the way back on the cruiser, where Kokoro, Yume and their friends were taking it rather easy. Especially Kokoro's group was not doing so well out in the sun with their costumes being what they were.
"Marine must be doing something stupid again." Kokoro shook her head.
"Hey." Umi, Mirage Marine, objected to that and was immediately overruled by Ibaraki, Mirage Blossom.
"Does she ever not do something stupid?"
"I think Blossom's been hanging out with you too much, Ibby." Hinako looked very amused by Ibaraki's reaction.
"Call me that again and I'll help you take some swimming lessons."
"Will you two please stop?" Yume sighed and pulled on her leather top. The stench of sweat immediately hit her nose. "I get it's a holiday… but this isn't the right weather for these outfits."
"You don't hear us complaining..." Kokoro, Bad End Happy groaned. "I'm soaked in here."
"Mizuki, can't you do anything?" Miho, Dark Lemonade, was flat on her back, on the ground.
"Not unless you want me to just douse everyone." Dark Aqua, Mizuki, shook her head.
"Actually-" Miho was getting ready to say how that would be nice but then Yume shut her up with a stern look. "Phooey..."
"If you are that uncomfortable you should speak up." Beauty – the original Beauty – had shown up, checking on the fourteen girls up on the ship on Pine's behest. Creating a number of very thin but tall ice pillars around the deck she cooled down the air significantly. "I will refresh these periodically. Does it help?"
Kokoro pulled on her neck seam and let the cool air flow in. "Oh my god, yes."
Reina – Bad End Beauty – looked up and at her original. "Thank you. Helping us like this is a beautiful thing."
Beauty looked embarrassed. "Pine's idea, actually. But I'm glad I could help."
"How's the demo going?" Yume asked.
"Muse stole the show, so to speak." Beauty was still up later. "I'm feeling a bit less confident after seeing that."
"I can imagine." Midori, Bad End March, was also pulling on her outfit to let the cool air circulate. "We felt the waves all the way back here!"
"I'm so glad there's no Dark Muse or anything." Tsukiko – Mirage Moonlight – was having a much easier time than the others since she could just take off her coat. "Not that we can compare to you girls anymore to begin with, but having one giant laser beam shooting girl around is plenty."
How did Pine put it? Oh. "Same."
"Hm? Beauty spotted!" Melody's head was poking out beyond the guard rail on the other side. "Pine is up. You're not gonna miss that, right?"
"On my way." Beauty quickly waved to Kokoro and then walked off, jumping over the edge and landing on the platform.
"You know, it's crazy how strong they all are." Tsukiko looked towards the platform. She couldn't see them from higher up due to the guard rails and her low sitting position, but they were obviously there. "And even with all of that and that thing back then they didn't even make a single dent."
"Well, what do you expect? It's like picking a fight with a planet. You're not gonna win. Heck, even someone like Muse with her giant beam of doom would just tickle the planet and then get squashed instantly." Kokoro shrugged. "We'd be dead with a breath."
"I'm so glad that didn't turn into a fight to the end. Thanks to that we all got to live another day." Midori felt significantly better now, with Beauty's ice pillars acting as air conditioner.
"Just shows that if we just keep talking, we can come to a compromise. If you keep working on yourself, you can change." Himari, Mirage Sunshine, looked to Ibaraki, Mirage Blossom. "Right?"
"Don't look at me. I haven't changed." Ibaraki decidedly looked away to hide her blush.
"When you stop and think about it, why did she not just force her world on everyone?" Harumi – Dark Mint – had a really good point there. "She was so powerful that comparisons basically no longer make any sense. She could have wiped everyone's mind and just made them believe things were as they wanted."
"That wasn't the point of it all." Yume sat up properly but couldn't build up any dignity because she was flapping her skirt to stay cool. "She wanted to be part of it. She wanted… well, I guess she wanted something like this. A place for Cures and only Cures."
"Glad we qualify. I sure am not ever gonna move off that island." Kokoro groaned. The heat was still getting to her.
"How did Beauty put it?" Himari grinned. "Same."
=== DISSONANCE ===
"Mana, the ambassador is here." Makoto informed Mana and stepped into a room containing lots of rich furniture as well as several priceless objects of emotional value.
Sitting behind the large desk near the windows was Mana, wearing a formal pants suit and peering at a number of documents in front of her. "Send her in." Putting some sanitizer on her hands and rubbing them, Mana rose out of her very comfortable made-to-order chair and walked up to the front of her desk. This was her office but she was known to be polite and receptive of ambassadors.
The door opened and a woman that was most likely in her thirties stepped in and bowed very deeply, characteristic of her country. "I am honored to be received here, Prime Minister. I am Cho-Yin Kim, first ambassador to the Eastern Democratic Union's Japan."
"Raise your head. There is no need for this here." Mana had a friendly tone and as soon as the ambassador raised her head she gestured towards two comfortable looking armchairs that were placed in a corner, surrounded by tall shelves containing memorabilia and countless books. "Thank you for coming here today. The climate must be troublesome for someone operating out of the capital city."
The ambassador was visibly sweating and Mana's friendly and open behavior was making her let down her guard a little. "It is… a change."
"I did talk to Reika – I assume you already know who all of us are – about cooling down the place but my wife nearly took off my head. Judging by your ring, I assume you know all too well what that is like."
"Luckily my wife is very-" She cleared her throat. "I apologize, this isn't the place for private conversation."
"Oh, I was curious. A beautiful woman like you would certainly be able to find a very good wife." Mana was amused when the ambassador blushed at her.
"In a-any case." She cleared her throat again. "I am here today on behalf of-"
"The Eastern Democratic Union's Japan. I read the briefing. Do you not have a business attache with you? Given the nature of your visit I would have assumed so."
"I deemed it rude to bring someone without diplomatic clearance into the initial meeting."
"Makoto!" Mana raised her voice a little and Makoto peeked into the room. "Fetch this beautiful young lady's attache for us, okay?"
"Will do." The door closed and Mana was back to looking at the now visibly uncomfortable diplomat.
"You will find that things are much less formal and involve far less political maneuvering here than elsewhere. Before we continue, what did you think of it?"
"You… have built a remarkable country I have to say. Even though we only have wild estimates regarding the population of your country, it looks very alive and busy. But most of all I was surprised that the rumors were true, there really are no men here at all."
"We don't hide that fact, but yes, there are no men here. Most of us have only ever seen men when we go on mission work."
"On that account I will have to thank you and your people again for the aid that was supplied during the three days of fire. I was but a child then but I vividly remember your people flying through the sky in bright colors, vanquishing fires and rescuing people in a capacity that no other country in this world could match."
"That's what we are here for. I know not everyone feels comfortable with us existing but I believe we have reasonably proven ourselves."
"Without a doubt. I am not sure if you are aware but shortly after the three days of fire, legislation was passed that made it sedition to call for abolishing of your nation."
"I know. I sent many a request to retract that legislation. It won't hurt us if people want to criticize us. Free speech is important."
"Be that as it may, it is also not allowed to openly demand the deportation of people with half or less Japanese lineage. This is in the same vein. Your country has done nothing but improve the lives of billions of people. Anyone who would openly wish that to be gone is not a welcome element of society."
"We will have to table this issue until later." Mana looked towards the door and just a moment after, a very shy looking young girl that at best was in her early twenties stepped into the room. "You are this beautiful young lady's business attache I take it?"
"Y-Yes. It's an honor to meet you!" The girl bowed so far she lost her balance, stumbled forward and fell – only to be caught by Mana, who moved from her seat with such speed and precision that the ambassador just sat there with her mouth wide open. "I-I-I'm so sorry!"
Helping the girl stand straight, Mana went back to her seat. "I apologize that there is no additional seating available."
"Prime Minister Aida, I understand that you do things here differently but to have a business attache sit with us would be… well, we do have our own way of proceeding."
"I understand that completely. Now, I assume you want to get right to the matter at hand?"
"If at all possible."
"Of course. Now, I understand that the EDU's Japan is requesting for my nation to supply disaster relief as well as predictive forecasting of such disasters."
"Yes. In addition to that, we are looking forward to negotiating a contract between our country and yours regarding the PRE. I regret to say that like many other countries, we have fallen behind on the outlined goals of the treaty."
"That is a lot to ask for."
"We are keenly aware of this."
"The briefing did not mention what you are prepared to offer us in return. While we ask for very little of the other nations, a dedicated effort like that will require some exchange of service, goods or remuneration."
"Of course." The ambassador looked to her attache that had been silently standing behind her and was staring at Mana. When the ambassador was ignored, she hissed. "Tachibana!"
"Y-Yes? Oh! Of course, of course! The predicted economic impact-"
"Not that! Get your head out of the clouds! You are not only being incredibly rude but also embarrassing the entire country!" The ambassador had a single vein pulsating heavy on her forehead. "I apologize for this, Prime Minister Aida. It was difficult to find someone qualified that also met the requirements for entering your country."
"Ahahaha." Mana laughed. "It is quite difficult to enter my country, isn't it?"
"I apologize, I did not want to insinuate that-"
"Don't misunderstand me, everyone here is well aware of the difficulty that outsiders have entering here. In the past there were a few countries that attempted to just lie about the requirements being met and those were some very unfortunate accidents."
The ambassador said nothing because her country was one of those who had, repeatedly so, tried to get around the restrictions and requirements of entering this country. "Tachibana, tell the Prime Minister about our economic remuneration."
"Y-Yes." The girl was visibly ready to stutter her way though the entire meeting but then freaked and calmed down all at the same time when Mana winked at her with a smile.
While Mana was listening intently to a list of concessions and offers made by another country, Makoto was outside the room and received a call on the black phone. There were three phones in total – a pink one for local calls only, a white one that were from outside the country and a black one that was for emergencies only. The number for that phone was only given to heads of state and wiped from their memory when they stopped being head of state. Only large scale catastrophe warranted a call on the black phone.
The door to the office was pushed open in a hurry and Makoto waltzed in without hesitation. "A black call." She handed the phone to Mana who just raised her hand to the ambassador.
"My apologies, we will have to continue this later." Putting the phone to her ear, Mana listened. "We will sent relief and situation control immediately." Mana hung up and walked to her chair behind the desk.
"I'm sorry but I will have to ask you to leave immediately. Someone will be waiting for you by the exit and escort you to a temporary lodging."
"May I ask what happened?" The ambassador of course knew that this country intervened in all sorts of issues that threatened peace, life or the planet, but she was not aware of any such issue having occurred.
"Someone will inform you shortly." Handing over the ambassador and her attache to a woman with wolf ears and a tail at the door, Makoto nodded to her. She was not even out of sight when she switched over to her true form, that of Cure Sword and headed down a different hallway that had Authorized personnel only signs all over.
"Please don't go wandering off. Under normal circumstances I would love for you to go and explore our little country, but right now it is not a good time." The woman's smooth, deep voice made both of their hearts beat faster.
Stepping outside they heard a loud siren roar above them and it was very clear that this wasn't just some forest fire they were going to stop; something major had happened.
"Ambassador, what is going on?" Tachibana was frightened and fascinated by everything that was going on. Her eyes went wide when she saw a veritable army of identical looking girls with bunny ears trample past, like something from that retro movie Clone Wars.
"Some kind of major incident must have occurred." I don't know any more either.
Being led to a small but cozy looking one story house, the woman dropped them off there. "Please stay inside until someone comes to get you. Rest easy, we won't forget about you."
Entering the house, there was no one else. The ambassador's first move was to check her personal connection link, or PCL, but as expected, there was no getting through to her home country in this place. The next move was to notice the multi-function display at the wall. "MFD on." The display got power but still didn't show anything. "Channel: EDU Japan News Network."
The display hummed for a moment and then showed JNN, the main news network on MFDs in Japan. A reporter was giving a briefing on the situation. "While information is still sparse, initial reports indicate that it was worker error caused by sleep deprivation." And then the ambassador read the news ticker at the bottom of the screen, seeing the headline.
"Fusion Reactor imminent meltdown in Unified Northern America." The ambassador took a deep breath and sat on the couch that was placed at just the right distance from the Multi-function display. "If that thing explodes there won't be a UNA left. I totally get why there's sirens going off outside."
"Channel: Northern America Prime News." The attache got a surprised look from the ambassador as she ordered the channel changed. The display was now showing news in English instead of Japanese. But these news were more up to date.
"The President has just received word that Curia has launched a full relief effort – the first Cures have already appeared on scene. Viewer discretion is advised as we switch to the scene life."
A massive stone building was burning in blue flames that emitted similarly blue smoke into the air – the camera was placed rather far out so it was difficult to make out any specific silhouettes but it was very clear that someone was creating gateways in space to get people in and out of the now restricted and confined space. A massive yellow and green dome had been placed over the power plant, trapping all of the likely lethally toxic smoke at the top.
A reporter at the scene – a woman whose hair looked like a tornado had just kissed her – was talking very fast. "As you can see the situation has quickly escalated after initial reports claimed the situation to be under control! Relief efforts from Curia are in full progress and-" The woman stopped as someone spoke into her ear receiver. "I am just now hearing that the advisory council has officially sanctioned Curia's relief efforts in an emergency meeting with twenty-seven in favor and zero against." The reporter was suddenly interrupted by a costumed woman stepping into view of the camera. "Y-Yes?"
"The situation is becoming difficult to diffuse even for us. In all likelihood we will have to take extreme measures to avoid a full meltdown. Please evacuate immediately." The woman was dressed in a light purple with long purple hair and did not look like she would take no for an answer. And as if to put emphasis to her words, part of the power plant exploded with so much force that the ground beneath them shook. The massive domes that were placed around the disaster site were cracking in places and quickly reinforced.
"T-The situation has become untenable here at-" A second explosion and the reporter just completely abandoned any pretense of calmness and started running. The feed was still running, sideways now, until the same purple Cure's face came up. "Please do not panic. Curia will be doing all it can to ensure everyone's safety." The camera feed shut off then and the situation went back to the studio.
"A-As was just shown, the situation has become dire. I would like- no Jerry, I don't care about the script right now. I would like to say that time and time again, Curia has gone far out of its way to help our country for little to nothing to gain. As all of you could see, a situation that would end without a doubt in a monumental loss of life – yours, mine and everyone here at NAPN – is being fought by Curia's relief effort. I do not know if my words will reach them, but on behalf of everyone that will be saved, I would like to say; Thank You.
There was a moment of silence and then the microphones picked up clapping. The news speaker turned pale moments later. "W-We are just receiving word that the Fusion Reactor has begun its final meltdown phase. Curia has issued a statement that they will be taking extreme measures to remedy the situation and that this will incur a total loss of the power plant in question to prevent a loss of life. Everyone in the Dakota-Iowa region; please be safe."
At the site of the disaster, final measures were being executed. "Can you do this?!" Cure Heart was shouting so her partner could hear her over the sirens and horrible noises created by the collapsing building.
"It would be difficult at best on my own!" Cure Diamond shouted back and felt a reassuring hand on her back. "I'm glad you're here, Luminous."
"We should hurry." Luminous was visibly scared of being inside the dome that was keeping the fusion reactor smoke from escaping.
Diamond took a deep breath and felt Luminous exert her blessing. It had been a while since she last used her full power on anything. Analyzing the disaster scene through her visor, she pinpointed the center of the run-away effect. "Diminish… diminish… To create nothingness from existence… to reduce everything to none… to take away even the founding blocks of creation…"
Over a hundred Cures were involved in the relief effort, working dozens of angles, from rescue to pollution mitigation and reassuring the public. And all of them watched in awe as the full power of one of their founders manifested.
Like a hand of sand slowly drizzling into the ocean the power plant was erased on an existential level – not a single spark, not one blue ember remained. A complex that amounted to years of construction and gave off enough energy to blow a hole the size of a country into a continent – it was all erased before their very eyes, as if it was no more that dust blown away by the wind.
Without explosion, without a sound, no hole or wreckage was left behind – only a mild decline in the ground, no more than half a meter, was left behind.
Cure Diamond staggered for a moment and then breathed out air as cold as space.
The world was watching from afar – people that knew they could not escape if the reactor blew, people that were seeking the ultimate thrill of impeding death, people that valued historic moments greater than their lives. They had transmitted the great happening.
The world had known for almost two centuries now that the tiny nation of Curia was a mystical place of power. That only a certain type of women could even enter to meet the enormously powerful wielders of magic that lived there. For two centuries they had slowly expanded their tiny island, growing from a small community of not even forty to the tiny nation of almost a thousand people.
They lived forever. They would never die. Their power exceeded the imagination of mankind. But instead of instilling terror and dictatorial rule they chose to be magnanimous and benevolent. Billions of people had been saved by them. Nations had been brought back to prosperity from the brink of destruction. Great wars had been averted and disasters had been curbed. Even the world itself had to thank it's blue and green shine to them. They were humanity's protectorate in the truest sense of the world.
Three weeks later.
"Prime Minister Aida, with all the power vested in me by the people of this nation, I cannot thank you enough." The president of Unified Northern America was shaking Mana's hand with a look of great gratitude on his face. "Without you and your country, none of us would be here today."
"If there is one regret I have then it is that we were unable to salvage your operation. Many people were left without power for weeks because of this."
"You are too modest. Critical institutions were all given power through your people. If not for that, even had the reactor not exploded and simply broken down, many people would have died. I say this with the pride of someone who has lived many years and seen many a disaster averted by your people; without you, the world would be a dark and horrid place."
"To bring light into darkness – to vanquish the twilight of soul – to grant a world a future most bright." Mana recited the national mission of her country. "If we are given these powers, what kind of people would we be if we not used them to better the world that everyone lives in?"
"Many a nation, including us, have learned from your example now and in the past."
"And we look at that with a smile and great happiness. We are but few compared to the rest of the world, a tiny drop in the ocean, but even so we will do whatever we can to help."
"And cut!" The film crew burst into activity right after those words were said.
"I cannot say this on broadcast, but… I wish the world did not have to go through a period of learning to appreciate you. My grandfather often spoke of you and your people in bad terms. I am his age now and my children and grand-children will grow up knowing of the world's benefactors in nothing but good words."
"You flatter me, Mister President."
"Please. You had the power – for two centuries – to take the world by force and there would have been nothing we could do. To have so much power and not once use it for anything but to help humanity… honestly, I don't believe humans would be capable of handling magic without destroying themselves."
I know they cannot. "If you feel that strongly, please make sure to improve how you treat your workers, so that an incident like this won't happen again. We have no plans to leave this world, but… we wish to be humanity's guardians. Not your caretakers."
The president took a deep breath and the nodded. "I will personally see to it. It might cost me my re-election, but then so be it. Speaking of which… it would go a long way if you could possibly endorse me as your choice-" The president stopped when he saw Mana's expression. "You understand that I had to ask."
"And I had to reject it." Mana smiled again and held her hand out to the president. "Be well, Mister President."
"Call me Charles."
"It was my pleasure to see you, Charles."
=== DISSONANCE ===
"Ah, I am so bored." Dressed in an overly frilly and exaggerated gothic dress of white, Echo kicked air under the table repeatedly, several small tea cups twirling about in the air above her. The space had been filled with all sorts of random objects, starkly contrasting against one another as they were either plain white or plain black.
"I'm starting to wonder if this will ever end." Eternal was brushing her own hair and munching on some kind of unidentifiable snack that looked like a cross between dried squid and a bar of chocolate. "You know what's weird to me, Hanny?"
"Calling you Zanny really set you off, huh? I'll bite. What's weird?" Echo leaned back in her chair and made the tea cups above them dance in formation without so much as a twist of her fingers.
"The futures." Eternal squinted.
"What about them is weird?" Echo propped her head on her hand that in turn found support on the table. "The range of possibilities? We're talking about close to forty people here, not to mention the extras. There's a ton of different possibilities just on who does what alone. If any of them die, that branches into a nearly infinitely complex array. If none die, that is still an almost infinitely complex array of every decision, everything we say and do, branching to a different future. We don't know the endgame of all of this so how do we know-"
"The length." Eternal interrupted her. "Think about it. What need is there to have these futures exist any longer than the immediate future? The infinitesimal many possibilities once we reach a single year into the future, never mind dozens if not hundreds of years… even if Entity keeps doing this until the end of time itself, she could never find a particular future."
"Then that cannot be the point of this." Echo spun one of the tea cups faster and faster until it just broke and shards turned to dust. "Judging by how long these futures are being observed, how far… the future that she is looking for is not something immediate. And if it isn't something immediate, it might be impossible for even Entity to find it. There is no way she would give her an impossible task. So… it's not a particular future she is looking for. So then… what?"
Eternal gazed intensely towards the many futures, a quick flicker of events shown in small spheres of light. "All of these futures – we are in none of them. I thought it was strange before. She wishes for a pure world, and yet we are nowhere to be seen." She paused and realized why. "We are not part of [Missing Power of the Immaterial]. Neither is she. So of course we are not there. But then… these futures, are they not relying on us to not interfere?"
"I don't know. Maybe. Even if we asked Entity I doubt she would answer." Echo made the tea cups assemble, resembling the form of Entity. "What is it that she knows that we do not? These futures… in some of them our touch is clear to see and yet in others it is not. Should not all futures trace back to the same present?"
"Does that mean there are futures where these almost powerless girls best us? That cannot be. Does something happen that removes us from the equation?" Eternal looked at Echo. "The great powers that created this space-"
"Are merely watching." Echo made one of the cups hover down and then crush it in her hand. "If we are not there, then it is because of her."
"But why? Just as we cannot be without her, she cannot be without us."
Echo and Eternal looked at each other for a long time. "We need to ask her." Eternal made the first move.
"We can't. It is not up to us to talk to her. She comes to us."
"What if we force her hand?"
"How?"
"Break her plan apart."
"Are you mad?" Echo shook her head and shrugged. "You must be. I for one don't want to disappear forever. Do you? Because that is exactly what will happen if you upset her."
"Then what do you suggest?"
Echo bit her thumb. "I'm not sure what we can do. Her plans are absolute and we cannot just go against her that easily."
"We just need to find out what the point of this is. The rest of the plan will reveal itself from there." Eternal clenched a fist and created a huge fancy ribbon on top of her head. "We find out what the point of all this is and we will be able to see the big picture."
"If she wanted us to be able to see, she would have told us, don't you think so?"
"I know, I know! Still… don't you wanna find out what the goal is here?"
"I do!" Echo slammed both of her hands on the table. "I wanna find out! I'm going crazy not knowing why I am doing anything I am doing! Also I want to fuck like every single one of the girls that Entity got locked up in there."
"Calm down there, gutter mind. I agree on wanting to find out of course. We need a plan. A good one."
"A plan of our own. A plan that isn't her plan."
"That's easier said than done though." Eternal looked at Entity from afar and sighed. "And we can't have Entity find out either. Or the weaklings."
"If she finds out, we are so dead."
"We can't let that happen then." Eternal put both her hands on the table and create a coffee pot and two small cubes of pure darkness. "If we drink this we'll be able to hide it from her."
"Destroy our own memory. How are we going to find out anything if we don't have a plan?"
Eternal crushed the black cubes and grimaced. "What's your bright idea then?"
"She doesn't follow our every thought. We just have to be smooth about it and drown out the thoughts of our plan with thoughts of something else."
"Uh huh." Eternal snapped her fingers and turned into Cure Muse. "Like thoughts of her, naked?" Another finger snap and she turned into Cure Rosetta. "Or her?"
"Sounds good to me. Even she is attracted to beautiful girls. Why would we be any different?"
"I hate it when you're right." A third snap and Eternal turned back to herself. "We still can't do anything that will give us away. We have to stick to her plan and just execute our own while we're at it."
"Getting cold feet?" Echo mocked her.
"Easy for you to say. I got a lot more girls surrounding me than you do."
"Sounds like a bonus to me, actually."
"Yeah, I figured." Eternal clicked her tongue.
They stared at each other for a long moment. "So we have an understanding?"
"Yeah." Eternal nodded. "We follow her plan but we're looking into what is going on ourselves."
"Happy hunting." Echo made a tea cup float down to Eternal and circle around her.
"You too." Eternal crushed the tea cup and they both looked to Entity.
In one breath they were the same. "Just when is this gonna end?!"
=== DISSONANCE ===
"My mother is the worst." A girl, aged fourteen, with bright blue hair was lethargically drinking canned coffee that was already lukewarm at best. Sitting next to another girl that was three years older than she was, she looked to her for support. "What's the big deal with leaving the island to go shopping?"
"This is about you not telling her, not going." The older girl had very wild and spiky blonde hair, tied together in the back to form a ponytail that reached halfway down her back. "Think about it from her perspective. She comes home like always and normally you're there and you're gone. She's got no idea where you went. Could have been kidnapped."
"Kidnapped. On this island? Come on Nako."
"Of course that's impossible, we both know that and so does she, but you're only just getting a hold of your powers and so she worries. It's her job. It's fine to vent but you should go back home soon."
"Am I getting in the way of your date?"
"That too, but that's not it. Your mother is gonna beat herself up over what happened even if it was your fault to begin with."
"Ugh… why am I friends with you, Nako?"
"Because I'm always right." Taking the canned coffee from the girl by her side, Nako put it down next to herself, out of reach.
The two of them were sitting on the lightly slanted roof that extended out from the second floor room that was Nako's and it was getting dark now.
"I know you're right and I hate it." The girl fell backwards and looked at the darkening sky. "But she just makes me so mad! Rules this, rules that! My mom is chaos incarnate so why am I the one that gets burdened by all the rules?!"
"Erika is… well, Erika is Erika. I think your mother just gave up on disciplining your mom but it takes a very special personality to make being Erika work."
"I heard from Sharuru's mom that my mom used to be way worse than this."
"That's nothing compared to what my mother used to be like." Nako groaned. "When I was around ten, she really wanted to get me interested in her work but ugh… I'm not into the whole pastry chef thing at all. She was heartbroken for months."
"I like both gardening and tailoring so I guess I'm lucky that way."
"Feel better now, Fiore?"
"I guess…"
"You guess?"
"Yeah. I'm not mad at my mother for flipping out anymore, but I'm mad that we're stuck on this damn island so much."
"It's not that bad. And your best friend lives basically right next to you."
"No fair bringing Ao into this." Fiore blushed.
"Hm? Do I sense some budding interest other than friendship?"
"I'm going." Getting up and walking to the edge of the roof, Fiore tensed up and switched on her powers just to jump down – and she still lost her balance and landed her butt in the sand next to the foliage. Stepping away in a hurry to hide that she had failed to control her powers properly, she saw Nako still sit on the roof, unchanged from before. Raising her hand instead of her voice to signal a quick Goodnight, she very slowly walked off, stopping several times as if she was contemplating whether she should actually go home. But Nako's words stuck with her.
"Still playing counselor?" Someone else landed on the roof from above, very slowly and with no effort at all, clothed fully in a slightly frilly white costume. She sounded really amused. Her footing secured, she canceled out her transformation, revealing pitch black straight hair and very sharp eyes that often gave people the wrong impression about her. "Must be hard." Sitting down next to Nako, the unknown girl turned to the side and the two of them kissed.
"It's fine. Were you waiting this entire time? You know you could just show up and Fiore would have left pretty quickly."
"Remember what you were like at that age? You fight with your mother every day and who was it that put you back on the right track every time?" The girl smirked and with her eyes that gave her an evil look.
"Stop bringing that up, Kyoko." It was now Nako's turn to blush. She's just two years older than me but she feels so out of reach when I remember those times. "You're the strange one for being more mature than your mom while you grew up."
"You know what my family is like."
"Like that time your mother got really lost in painting and forgot to make dinner so you basically made dinner on your own for the first time because you had to." Nako smirked.
"Lots of things like that." Taking Nako's hand, Kyoko squeezed her finger in-between Nako's. "I told mom that I'm most likely staying over, what do you think?"
"Mom said that if we're so loud that we wake her up again she's gonna put both of us on the roast."
"What do you think about some skinny dipping then? There's no one out on the beach this late."
"You walking amalgamation of weird ideas."
"I can go alone if you don't want. Maybe, just maybe, I'll ask Mikako if she wants to come."
"Everyone always says that your personality and looks are total opposites but I know better." Getting up, Nako climbed into her room through the open window. It took a few minutes before Kyoko came and checked what she was doing and a two piece bikini set came flying right at her face. "Like hell I am going skinny dipping with you. Mom is gonna have an aneurysm if she ever finds out."
Holding up the bikini pieces, Kyoko's face was in a state of perpetual evil smile. "You could just not let her find out. Also there is no way these will fit me." While Nako was very much the definition of slim and fit, Kyoko was a much more curvy type.
"Are you ever gonna stop growing? Your rear could eclipse the sun." Walking up to the window, Nako took back her bikini and after some searching procured something else, a rather risky looking black one-piece swimsuit, and threw it again at Kyoko.
"What are you even doing with this? You're not someone that'd ever wear this."
"Bad decisions were made."
"Judging by the size… is this for Kaneko?"
"Bad decisions were made. Now shut up."
"Wow, how long have you had this?"
"Kyoko, drop it."
"She would look pretty good in this. Not sure about the color but-" Kyoko stopped when Nako grabbed her wrist. "What? Losing your temperament?" Her naturally evil eyes were intensely aggravating in situations like that.
"Don't even pretend I'm your first love. We all had our unreciprocated crushes."
"We do. I used to be way into Ako."
"You can't be serious. She's Utau's mother and the queen of another world."
"The heart doesn't care. Being fourteen just made that all the more alluring." Kyoko pushed Nako away and turned away from the window. "If you were into Kaneko you understand, right? That amazing body and that cold, silencing look." Kyoko shivered. "I love you now but that doesn't mean I can't still be hot for someone unavailable."
"You could not tell me that though."
"It was a fair exchange."
"How?"
"Telling me about your crush on Kaneko-"
"I did not even say anything about her. To begin with there's any number of girls on this island who could wear that. You, for starters! So how would you even know this is about Kaneko?"
"Smart Nako." Looking like a super villain, Kyoko's huge smile pissed off Nako quite a bit. "I didn't know. But denying it so quickly and intensely means I was right with my first guess. Lucky me."
"Your true name is sure on point."
"I do like the ring of Cure Midnight." Striking a pose with just her arms, Kyoko smirked again. "Queen of the dark, Cure Midnight."
"Even your catchphrase sounds evil."
"The night is a very comfortable place. It lets the world and people rest and prepare them for tomorrow."
"It's also when all the bad things come out. Point in case, you."
"And yet you're in love with me. Cure Flamesong, chaser of darkness."
"Hey." Nako made repeat grunting noises and clenched her fist. "Do you want to go swimming or should we just keep messing with each other until I kick you out?"
"Out from… your territory of chased darkness?" Kyoko ducked when a small object flew towards her. "I'll see you downstairs."
"What do I like about her… I must be mad." Nako calmed down when Kyoko was out of sight and stuffed her own swimsuit, a bunch of towels and two sets of spare clothes into a bag and headed out the door. Going downstairs she found both her mother and her mom on the couch, the former using the latter for a lap pillow and happily munching on some potato chips while watching a show on Netflix. "I'm going to the beach with Kyoko."
Rin, her mom, turned her head to look at her. "Did you send Fiore home? Tsubomi called and was asking if she's here."
"Earlier. Fifteen, maybe twenty minutes ago?"
"Thanks." Rin smiled and Nako smiled back.
"Are you only going with Kyoko?" Her mother, Kanade, didn't sit up but paused eating.
"That's the plan."
"She's not bringing her sister?" Kanade asked.
"Not that I know of." To begin with, Kyoko and Juri are not that close that she'd bring her along. I don't get along with Mako either so Juri would just be a third wheel if she came without her girlfriend.
"Are you planning on staying over at Mai's place?" Kanade's questions continued.
"Don't think so."
"Oh. Okay." Kanade was satisfied with that. My daughter's seventeen. When I was her age I went through hell and back and met Rin. And she's a whole lot more mature than me so she'll be fine. "Be careful out there in the water though."
"I will." Nako waved to her mom – since her mother was still lying sideways on the couch – and made her exit.
The door was quietly shut as she left, Rin and Kanade being left behind. "I wish she'd go out with someone a little less…" Kanade was not a big fan of Kyoko.
"That sounds like what your parents were saying about me, all those years ago."
"Oh." Kanade laughed. "Do you think those two are serious?"
"You'd have to ask Nako."
"She's not that open with me. I know she loves us but she really takes after what you were like at that age. You were a bit tight lipped with your feelings!"
"Were?" Rin mused. "Don't you think I still am? But while Nako and I talk more than you two do, I don't make it a habit of asking about her girlfriend."
"Why not?"
"She's seventeen. How did you feel when we got out and your parents asked about me?"
"Oh yeah… Well, they were better about it than Hibiki's parents."
"See?"
"I kinda wanna know though."
"She'll tell us if she's serious enough to make a big move."
"Like what?´"
"I don't know. Moving out here and in together with Kyoko."
"Rin." Kanade crushed a potato chip between her fingers. "That's awfully specific. Did Nako say something about wanting to move out?"
Pinching her wife's cheek, Rin got her to lay off. "No, but that is the only big move I can think about here."
"Really?"
"You think I would keep that a secret from you?"
Kanade grumbled and sighed. "I just feel kinda insecure..."
"Because Nako is no longer ten years old and needs you for everything?"
"Is that wrong of me?"
"She's our daughter. Of course not."
"I wonder what Mai and Saki think about Kyoko dating Nako."
"Saki is happy. Mai just hopes that Kyoko doesn't break our little girl's heart."
"Wha- How- You and Saki! You talk during your runs!"
"Of course we do. So does Itsuki, Nagisa, Mana… you know, you could stand to join me at least twice a week."
"I knew it." Kanade threw the potato chip back into the bag. "I knew I gained weight."
"It's not at the visible level yet."
"So how-"
"You think I don't know the weight of my wife?" You're the one that wants to be on top.
"I'd prefer if you didn't!"
"So, you wanna do something about it or wait until it shows and people start asking if we're giving Nako a little sister?"
"We got lucky with our first one… maybe we can make it two for two?"
"You want another kid?"
"Is that… bad?" Kanade slowly sat up and looked put on the spot. "I didn't feel this way until earlier this year when Nako turned seventeen."
"It's not bad, I'm just surprised."
"Hibiki's on the way for her third already and… I don't know, seeing siblings just kinda makes me want to have them too."
"Hold on, Nako is seventeen, she'll be eighteen before our second is even born even if we started tomorrow. There's not going to be much of a typical sibling relationship with that much age difference."
"So… maybe twins? Or we like in baseball we go for three before we strike out?"
That's not how baseball works, Kanade. "You want two more? You remember how stressed out we were with just Nako the first few years?"
"We didn't really know how to handle it all! We're veterans now."
"Raising one kid isn't being a veteran, Kanade."
"So… you don't want any more?"
"I didn't say that." Rin scratched her cheek and leaned to the side to kiss Kanade. "I could keep playing soccer but people will get suspicious if I'm still in the same shape as I was when I was twenty after hitting forty. So this is probably a good chance to retire."
"You shouldn't retire if you want to keep playing. I brought this up, I don't mind being the one that gets pregnant."
"Even us Cures can't guarantee twins."
"So?"
"Maybe we start with you and one or two years later it'll be my turn."
Smiling wide, Kanade leaped at Rin, both of them falling down on the cushions. "I love you, Rin."
"You're gonna change your tone in a few months."
"That was last time!"
"Also, this is the final episode, can we finish watching first before you devour me in bed?"
Kanade was long past the point of blushing at comments like that. "Fine. But prolonging it will just make the devouring more fierce." At times she could even play along with Rin's comments.
=== DISSONANCE ===
"Sir."
An office of metal, pipes, cramped and filled with data slabs made from vetrum-chronium crystal. A man in his thirties sat at a desk that looked mighty uncomfortable, peering at a contract of seemingly infinitely many lines. A solid minute passed without him giving a reply.
"Sir." This time it was a little louder. This remainder came from a young man in a blue-and-gray uniform, wearing the military insignia of the Halucinon armed forces of the Jupiter super-structure.
"What in the name of bloody god is it, Richards?"
"There is… an unscheduled arrival waiting to receive permission to dock."
"So what?"
"Sir. It's… a ship of Lilyrian origin."
The man was so surprised that he dropped the data slate he was holding and choked on his own spit. "What did you say?!"
"A ship from Lilyrian origin is awaiting permission to dock."
"What in the hell are the Lilyrians doing here?" Jumping up, grabbing his hat and jacket, holstering his weapon even though he knows it would do him absolutely no good at all, the man pushed his subordinate out of the way and arrived in a busy room that was the heart of their station, called Command and Control. "Update! I wanna hear about that ship!"
"Yes sir." A woman – Nadeshiko – was answering the call as chief of operations. "At 0715 earth hours, a Lilyrian ship dropped out of Anti-Space at sector 187 and began hailing us four minutes and thirty seconds later. They have remained in sector 187 without movement since then. That was seven minutes and twenty-eight seconds ago." The woman had a sub-brain tech implant that elevated her logical thinking.
"Get me a secure channel to their ship!" Barking his order, the man was profusely sweating.
"Sir, what should we do about their request to dock?" Nadeshiko inquired.
"Stall them! What else can we do?! And call high command immediately!"
Command and Control was a room about ten meters in length and eight in width, about three and a half high. By all accounts it was rather spacious and filled with devices, operational controls and screens displaying data in real time and for some, predicting them ahead of time.
"Sir, I have a secure line to the Lilyrian ship."
"Put it on the main slab." A screen no thicker than a finger, mounted at the far end of the room, turned to show a beautiful woman with deep read hair and a clover symbol tattoo on her left cheek. The man felt some parts of his retreat back into his body. Are you fucking kidding me? That's not just any Lilyrian! That's-
"This is Cure Passion of the Lilyrian Empire, commander of vessel A-277, the Quaddro Siren." Identifying herself, Cure Passion made a strong impact. "In a matter of interplanetary security I request express permission to dock and come aboard Gorgon Five."
"W-What interplanetary security?"
Cure Passion groaned. "With or without your knowledge, we have reason to believe that a member of the Lilyrian royal family is on your station."
"What?!" The man lost his cool and shouted. "Here?! How?! Who?!"
"One of the Empress' daughters had a volatile disagreement with her majesty. We found her personal ship adrift. The logs show that the last thing the scanners picked up was a ship identified as a transport for Gorgon Five."
The empress' blasted daughter stowed away on a transport and is here?! The man was losing color faster than anything else the people in that room had ever seen. "I understand. You have permission to dock immediately."
"Much obliged. Quaddro Siren out." The screen turned off and the man barely managed to remain standing.
"Sir, what's the matter?" Richards was attending to the man's health.
"F-Find the idiots that were on that transport. Right! Now!" Taking several deep breaths, he got back up and managed to stand properly. "This is bad… really, really bad. If by some horrible nightmare scenario a Lilyrian princess ends up injured or even just harassed..."
Up front, one data monitor was talking to another. "Why is commander Waberstein so worked up? The Lilyrian's are a peacekeeping force, right?"
"You idiot, think about his family. His grandfather fought in the war."
"Which war?"
"The war with the Lilyrians. Did you sleep through history class or something?"
"I don't remember there ever being a war with the Lilyrians."
"Three-hundred years ago, five-hundred years after they established their own place all the way back on earth, they went out into space to build their own planet."
"You're kidding, right? You can't build a planet."
"Does my face look like I'm kidding?"
"Shit, you serious?"
"Of course I'm serious. People know this stuff. So at some point high command demanded they share their technology or face repercussions. They declined and warned high command to not threaten them. Well, you know how old people get. They started harassing them until at some point they blamed a likely staged terrorist attack on them and declared war."
"Why? What possible reason-"
"Money and technology."
"You have got to be-"
"Within a hundred days the war was over and humanity had to rethink their place in the universe."
"So we lost, huh?"
"We didn't just lose. For centuries they were what protected us from the Nalim, the Baragrak, the Ishushushulu and the Ioyonosi. They helped us overcome cancer, the red death, you name it. And we learned that if you piss them off then no amount of mass drivers or ion bombs will save you."
"So I guess a lot of people died, huh?"
"That's just it. Nobody died in the war. They destroyed warships and yet the crews miraculously found themselves evacuated by force. They bombed entire landscapes back into the stone age and yet not even a single person was found dead. They killed our very means of arrogance and it took us over a hundred years of wallowing in dark times to rebuild. They're not just powerful, they are so powerful they can beat us without killing us. High command had to issue an unconditional surrender and nowadays the Lilyrians are basically back to being galactic guardians."
"Oh I know that movie."
"I will shoot you."
"Sounds like they're a big deal."
"They live forever, too. That Lilyrian commander? She was one of those first ones that stepped out of obscurity over eight-hundred years ago."
"Now you're just pulling my leg."
"I wish." Looking back at his own station and focusing, the young man was a little more pale than before.
Hundreds of meters of steel below them, a ship whose very functions baffled scientists still was docking at the station. The Quaddro Siren had no visible seams or doors and it didn't need them. The station commander had barely made it down in time, heaving and panting from running, when the Lilyrian stepped out of what looked like an oval tear in space. There were eight of them.
He only knew of the one, the commander of the ship, Cure Passion. They all had those strange names, he knew that. As if they were a designated race of their own and took their race as part of their name. "Welcome aboard Gorgon Five."
"We will not be bothering you long, commander." Cure Passion looked around. "Fig."
"Yes mother." A girl with bright green hair, tall, dressed in a much darker green and black, rounded out by being very lean, stepped forward. "This will not intrude in your systems. I am merely scanning for Lilyrian signatures."
Slapping her hands together twice, Fig covered them in sizzling energy and then slapped them together a third time – the energy radiated out in every direction like a visible but not corporeal wave, passing through everything.
"What is she-" The commander shut up when Passion met his eyes. Just keep your head down, keep your head down. These… people are basically demons. They're just here to look for one of their own. Don't do or say anything stupid and they won't blast your entire station out of space.
"She's not here." Fig reported and shook her head.
"Commander." Passion addressed the human.
"Y-Yes?!"
"Do you keep logs of who enters and leaves the station?"
"Of course. Do you need to see them?"
"Blackseed."
"Yes mother?" A Cure with spiky ultra-bright blue hair answered her call. Her dress consisted mostly of black leather and was much less covering than the green dress from her sister, Cure Fig.
"Commander, show her to the database that holds your logs. She will try and find any recorded capture of our runaway." Passion looked directly at the commander as she said this and he nearly flinched.
Leaving with the leather clad Cure Blackseed, the Lilyrians were left on their own by their ship. "Passion, is it really necessary to follow Princess Aina around like this?" One of the other Cures – dressed in pink and black with white hair – spoke up.
"You didn't see how absolutely livid the Miq'Irai was." It translated to Heaven's Empress.
"The Miq'Irai? Wasn't the princess' argument with the Mal'Irai?" That was the Hell's Empress.
"Originally, yes, but when Miq'Irai stepped in with her stern attitude, the princess said some unfortunate and rash things about the Miq'Irai's curse." There was an intense and awkward silence across the eight Cures, at least two of which were directly descended from Passion. "Princess Aina must understand that she can't run away forever and that she was in the wrong. The Miq'Irai was inconsolable even by the Mven'Irai." The World's Empress.
"Why aren't we asking Queen Muse for help with this?" One of the Cures, dressed in red and black similar to Passion but with platinum blonde hair, asked. One of the others elbowed her. "What?"
Passion sighed. "Mven'Irai doesn't really want to advertise that one of her daughters would have such an outburst. Princess Aina is a bit of a problem child, we all know that, but this was really over the line. For the time being, go back on board. We don't want to mix with the humans unless absolutely necessary. I'll wait here for Blackseed." Opening up a portal, she shooed her entourage through it, landing them back on the Quaddro Siren's bridge.
Waiting in silence, Passion felt more calm now. I don't like bringing my daughters on missions. I know their abilities are incredibly handy for this sort of thing, especially Mio and Karen, but I really don't want to bring Mikoto. She's always… a little volatile. But I can't believe Aina would say horrible things like that right to Rikka's face. Having sixteen older sisters can't be easy but still. Mana gives all of them equal amounts of attention.
Humans sure have come a long way since the war. They made peace with most of the other races and the few that don't want to are too afraid of us to try and start a war. They're probably not going to make the same mistake twice and demand we give them our technology. Hopefully. I don't have Love's unfettered confidence in them after everything that happened. I'm not happy with Ellen being called to step in between the Favari and the Welti. We did warn them that if their conflict started to threaten the neighboring races we would step in. Ellen is in the top five when it comes to targeted mass destruction, I hope they know what they are getting themselves into. Losing her train of thought for a minute, Passion sighed.
I wanna see Love and Ellen so much. Stupid Aina. I don't want to be flying around the galaxy tracking you down. I should just go and really ask Ako to lend Urara to me so I can just be done with this. But… ugh… why did their oldest have to be dating Mana's second? If Aina's sisters hear what she did, she's gonna have a real bad time. In that way I get why Mana asked me to keep it a secret from everyone but whom I need to find her. So I can't just ask Ako and Urara because some way or another, Utau will hear about it and once Utau knows, Sanya will hear about it and Sanya will definitely tell Chiaki… everyone is connected now. I still remember when there were not even forty of us. Now my family tree is so long… even my granddaughters have granddaughters and so on. And thanks to Mana, none of us will die and lose their loved ones. Without Inori and Kaoru, we would also be in trouble. I wanna see Love!
Stomping her heel on the ground, Passion clenched a fist and it didn't go unnoticed – neither did she fail to notice the dock workers fleeing the scene at her little display. She hadn't stomped hard enough to crack the plating beneath her, she wasn't the type to do that. She could drop this entire station into variable space and make it disappear forever, but there was no point to that either.
I'm glad we stepped out into the real world, but honestly… if I had known all of this would happen, I'd have voted for staying in the other place. We could have built our own world there as well. It was huge. Forests, mountains, oceans… it was basically a small planet. If we had stayed there, we could have had all of this. I do feel sorry for the people we couldn't have saved but we also had to set them back technologically hundreds of years at one point because they got too greedy. If they end up like that again… are we just going to perpetually limit their technological level? Doesn't that make us dictators? They might prosper and continue to life, but… shouldn't they also be allowed to make their own mistakes? Are we really… protecting them?
=== DISSONANCE ===
"How… how did things end up like this again?" Watching the world literally burn, Mana was slumped on the magical floor that Alice provided. "We tried… we tried so hard… so why… why is this happening again?"
Seeing the world from space were the last survivors of humanity – all of roughly four hundred people, almost entirely from remote regions of Japan. Floating in the vacuum beyond the planet's atmosphere within large magic bubbles created by Alice and Komachi, they watched the world's skies be clouded in darkness, the lands burn in black fires and the oceans become tainted in the pitch black within nothing could live.
"Four years… four years is all it took." Mana looked down at the world with despair. "In just four short years… even though we didn't give them magic… just our being there..."
"Mana..." Regina knelt by her side, trying to console the inconsolable.
"How… where did they get it from? That… that knowledge? The means..."
Rikka bit her lower lip. "They figured out that we are just the ones that woke up. There are so many others that were still asleep and would never wake up. So they went and searched and found them. I never thought… I didn't think… this is all my fault."
"What do we do now?" Setsuna was holding Love's and Ellen's hands. "Earth… Earth is gone..."
"I don't know." Even the ever optimistic Love couldn't stay positive now. They're all gone. My family, my friends, my classmates from back then, my teachers… everyone's gone in a flash.
"What even happened?!" Nagisa asked the question that was on everyone's lips.
"We don't know." Honoka slowly shook her head. "It happened way too fast for it to be… what destroyed Mana's world before. Something this volatile, this extreme… I can't even imagine what must have happened."
"This is clearly caused by magic though." Karen stared down at what remained of their home, their planet. "Nothing else is powerful enough."
"We need to do something." Love tried to get a grip but she couldn't stop her voice from cracking. "Earth might be in real trouble right now, but there are survivors. There's us. Together we can find a way… somehow."
"There… is something I can do." Setsuna very reluctantly said so. "But if we do that, we can never undo it, probably."
Alice was leaning on Yami, sweating rather strongly. "If… at all possible, we need to do whatever it is you are suggesting… soon. Even for Komachi and myself, these spheres are rather… sizable and taking a lot of power to maintain."
"Setsuna, do you have a plan?" Love asked, a tint of hope in her question.
"We can… go back there." Setsuna looked really worried, saying that. "I know, I know. It took a… really big sacrifice to leave. A sacrifice we will never be able to repay or repeat. But at least… that place can sustain life. Yume… Yume and the others could still be living there."
It was a sore subject for everyone. Yume and everyone else staying behind had been part of the sacrifice. Yume and those living with her were one part of that.
"You can teleport us there?!" Love was completely taken by surprise. "You're that strong now?"
"It'll be hard on me but there's no alternative." Setsuna looked at Love and smiled. "I'll open a gateway. But I need some help. I need to talk to Hikari and Kaoru for a moment. Can you talk to the people and get them to line up? I can't make a really big portal." Leaving Love's side, Setsuna found her way to Hikari and Kaoru was there as well. "Hikari, I'll need your help opening a gateway to the other place."
"I'll give it my best shot. If Earth is like this… the fairy worlds are probably..." She looked crestfallen at the thought of what must have happened to them.
"What do you need me for?" Kaoru had a sharp look in her eye that gave away that she knew something was up.
"Hikari, can you talk to Rose and get her to help Love and the others explain to people what's happening?"
Having sent away everyone around her so she could talk to Kaoru privately, Setsuna bit her lip. "To get that many people over there..."
"You sure?"
"Huh?"
"Are you sure about doing this? Knowing those two… they would want to be with you in your final moments. Even if it meant they won't make it themselves."
Setsuna felt her throat go dry and burn. I know! I know, dammit! But I want them to live…
"Forcing them to live without you will only mean that they're alive. They won't really be living. You know that, don't you?"
"So what am I supposed to do?"
"Tell them the truth. If not now, when is ever the time for that?"
"But-"
"If I were in your place I would tell my sister and Yayoi. And if they wanted to stay behind with me to die by my side, I would let them. To make them go on without me, knowing they'll be broken beyond all repair, that's just cruel and selfish. It's satisfying my own wants for them ignoring what they want."
"Alice?" Komachi was breathing a little heavy but nothing compared to the shape Alice was in. "Yami, can you-"
"She knows." Alice quickly interrupted her friend. "She's been with me for a while. She knows that normally I would be able to handle this."
"Do you know what's wrong?"
Alice raised her sleeve a little and revealed that part of her right arm had turned completely black. "Whatever is killing the Earth right now, I am infected as well." Tears came to her eyes but she kept herself from crying. "And because of me… Yami's infected as well."
"I wouldn't leave you anyway." Yami tried to smile but tears were visibly running down her cheeks. "Dammit, I'm not crying."
"Komachi. Whatever this is… it's feeding off of magic. We can't take something like that to the other place."
"But if you stay behind, then-"
"We have no idea what this is, what's killing the Earth, Yami and me. Even if I went to the other place…" Alice smiled with great sadness on her face. "I would die in front of Mana and the others. I know that it will hurt her a lot, but with Rikka and Regina by her side, she will survive. But if I were to die there, with Mana right there… I don't think she could ever recover from this. Not when this is the second time she's lost her home."
Komachi grit her teeth. "We won't even have time for proper goodbyes like this..."
"Stop that." Alice stood up straight, the color visibly gone from her face. "You'll live on. Rikka and Honoka and all the really smart girls we have here will figure out what happened or… if that's not relevant over there, they will find a way to make that place a new Earth. It's thanks to you and me that humanity has lived on until now. And going forward, you will have to carry the burden of that alone. I am sorry about that."
Feeling tears on her face, Komachi wiped them away on her sleeve and reached out to Alice from instinct. She stopped when Alice and Yami backed away. "I… I hate this. Why did things become like this?"
"As the survivors… it's your job to find out."
Gathering the people and making them form a line was difficult at best – there was a lot of panic and rejection of reality going around. Without some heavy-handed ability tactics from Miki it would have been nearly impossible to save what remained of the human civilization.
"That… that was the last of them..." Miki staggered forward and fell to her knees. "This was way harder than I thought it would be." Looking up, she saw Yuri extend a helping hand to her and she was pulled back on her feet. "We need to hurry. This must be hard on Setsuna."
"Yami! Come on!" Yuri shouted and saw Yami wave from a good dozen meters away, keeping Alice steady. "I'll go and get- Miki?" Yuri found herself dragged forward, towards the portal by Miki, both of them plunging inside without another word from either.
Flying through space and dimensions, Miki's final thought before she passed out was simple. I'm sorry, Yuri. I'm so sorry.
One after another the girls stepped through, until there were only a few left. Setsuna, Love, Ellen, Yami, Alice, Kaoru and Inori.
"Love… Ellen… are you really sure?" Inori felt like her throat was being crushed by burning coals.
Love smiled the best she could. "I'm sure."
"Me too." Ellen joined her two girlfriends.
Inori turned to Alice and Yami. Before she could even say anything, Yami gestured for her to leave. "Shoo, shoo. This isn't a place you should stick around in." All that was left was a very small sphere of yellow energy and those seven. But the edges of the barrier were fizzling and in danger of giving out. With a faint and resigned smile on her face, Yami nodded at Inori once. "Please tell Yuri I'm sorry I wasn't a better sister to her. And… that she shouldn't be sad. I was with who I love until the end."
"I… I will." Inori looked directly at Alice now.
"Please see to it that someone looks after Mana, Rikka and Regina. Don't let this become a chain of despair and tragedy."
Covering her mouth, Inori couldn't help but cry as she nodded. Turning to Setsuna, Inori was robbed of her goodbye when she was suddenly grabbed and thrown into the portal. Just as she was through the gate fizzled in and out once and Kaoru ran towards it. The last words that she said as she jumped towards the gate were;
"We will never forget you."
With a light sizzle, the gateway closed and Setsuna slumped, barely clinging to life, only preventing from falling down by Love and Ellen being there.
"I never thought that this would be how it ends..." Alice sat down with Yami. Her entire right arm was jet black now and she couldn't move it anymore. The barrier was smaller than a one room apartment now. Yami sat by her side, leaning against Alice. The dark disease had encroached all the way up to her neck now.
Setsuna was beyond the point of being able to speak – supported by Ellen and Love she rested in the center as the light in her eyes grew more dim by the moment.
"Yami." Love didn't look away from Setsuna in her dying moments. "I need you to do us one last… one final favor."
"It'll hurt..."
"Nothing can hurt more than watch Setsuna die." Love's voice was numb and quiet. Ellen didn't manage to say anything at all.
Letting go of Alice, Yami stood up and summoned her bow.
"Wait." Alice held her back. "I… I can do it."
"Alice, it's okay-"
"No. I lived through times of absolute darkness and I did some horrible things. I know… I know we are both going to die here. But even if it is nonsensical to you or anyone… I want you to remain pure. I want you to never have killed someone all the way to the end."
"Please do it, Alice." Love's face was covered in silent tears as her heart was dying with Setsuna.
Holding out her hand, Alice created three very small barriers – encompassing just the heads of the trio whose centerpiece was lying dying.
"It was nice to know you three." Yami waved at them goodbye just before Alice crushed their heads. Sobbing noises over the finality of their reality came from Yami as she sat back down and cried into Alice's chest.
Alice looked down at a world that was now destroyed twice over – once in a past that was no more and once in the here and now. "We never should have left that place. We never should have come back." She felt dizzy. Her powers were fading. Dying... by being thrust into the vacuum of space... That's too horrible. "Yami." Lifting her girlfriend's face up with her hand, Alice kissed her one last time before two small barriers separated the two of them.
Forcing a grotesque smile, Yami waved at Alice.
"I love you."
"I love you too."
=== DISSONANCE ===
Their staring match seemed to be endless. What am I gonna do? Rin was just quietly standing by the coffee maker and letting the noises fill the room as she stared at… a guest.
I miscalculated. I completely forgot about Nako's mom being up this early. What… what should I say? I should at least have put on a shirt or bra. Staring at Rin was Kyoko, Mai's oldest daughter. "Uh-"
"It's fine." Rin turned away and tried to wipe the image of an almost entirely naked Kyoko from her mind. At least Nako has good taste. "I'll pretend I didn't see you." Focusing on the slowly filling coffee cup like it was the only object in the universe, Rin heard Kyoko breathe a sigh of relief.
Quickly filling a glass of water by the sink, Kyoko slunk off back into the morning twilight that slowly made its way through the windows now. Sitting at the kitchen table and just enjoying her coffee, Rin's second interruption came in the form of Nako, who looked like she had been chewed up and spat out by a big something that ate trees. "Morning..." Refraining from sitting down, Nako, wearing shorts and a shirt with no bra beneath, looked like she knew exactly what had transpired earlier.
"Mom, about-"
"I didn't see a thing." Rin just sipped her coffee and looked straight at Nako. "But if I had seen something I'd definitely say something like At least throw a shirt at her. But I don't need to. Because I didn't see anything."
"Right..." Nako looked slightly relieved but still very weirded out. "Since you didn't see anything… there's nothing to tell mother, right?"
Between Kanade and Rin, it was definitely Rin who was scarier when she got mad. There were a number of rules that Nako needed to follow and as long as she did, Rin was a very easy-going parent. Kanade on the other hand could be rather clingy and nagged about many little things that might be important one time and irrelevant another. Nako really didn't like this randomness so to her, Kanade was the strict parent. That was why Rin was Mom and Kanade was Mother. Because it was confusing to call both parents the same – and disrespectful to use their first name – this practice had been invented by Eleanor, Mana's oldest child and the first Cure to be born on the island.
"As long as nothing happens, there is nothing to tell." Rin paused and looked at Nako. "You're free to have your girlfriend over, but there's limits to everything, Nako."
She got out of bed before I woke up. Not like I could do anything about this. But Mom's right. "I'll give her some… advice just in case. So nothing happens."
That incident at the Minamino household that morning set the mood for a number of problems relating to the residents of Lily Tokyo.
Adjusting her glasses, Honoka stared down the principal of Taienjousho High – the school her daughter was attending. Said daughter was sitting right next to her, with a blue eye. Her long, very dark brown hair bound in a ponytail at the base, broken glasses inside the right pocket of her long pleated skirt, rounded out by black gloves and short boots. She was the very picture of a delinquent girl, the very opposite of what Honoka had been in her day. What she did share with her mother were her grades – other than her behavior, she was the top student at school.
"So, to summarize:" Honoka started up and it was very clear that in this room – the principal's office – that she was the ruler. No matter if the principal had the power to suspend her daughter. Because the principal knew who they really were. A number of Cure children attended this escalator school, ranging from elementary all the way to college, and so a select few of the teachers had to know. "The other girl;"
"Ono Isuka."
"Was actively bullying a friend of my daughter's, Aino Junko. When my daughter happened upon that scene, she tried to stop this Isuka girl and when words didn't help, it escalated to violence?"
"Ono-san ended up with a broken nose and a missing tooth."
"I did not use my powers." Honoka's daughter, Yua, defended herself. "And it wasn't just Isuka. She and her two cronies were all in on it. Uyama and Hishio."
"Those also ended up with some rather extensive bruises." The principal pulled a handkerchief out of her pocket and took care of some of the sweat on her forehead."
"Yua, why didn't you call the teachers?"
"By the time I would have gotten anyone, they'd be gone. And then it's their word against mine."
Honoka adjusted her glasses again – she was still wearing a lab-coat, which only increased her already dominating presence. "So why is it that my daughter is the only one that is facing possible suspension?"
"We only have her word about what-"
"I don't lie!" Yua burst out and quieted down quickly when Honoka looked at her from the corners of her eyes.
"My daughter might have some problems with her temper but she is not a liar. Have you asked Aino-san about all of this?"
"Aino-san has been picked up by her mother. The issue at hand is that what Ono-san was saying is a matter of record."
Honoka stayed calm. "What is it that she was saying?"
The principal started to sweat more profusely. For a woman her age this was too much stress. It was like a big white wolf was staring down an old and limping rabbit instead of just already jumping and ending it. "Allegedly-"
"There's nothing alleged about this!"
"Yua."
"Mother!"
"Yua." Honoka put more weight behind it and her daughter went quiet and slumped in her chair.
"The commentary supposedly was about her mother's occupation as an employee at an… adult shop."
"It's a GTS." Yua grumbled. That stood for Girl Transformation Servicing – a kind of brothel that used proprietary drugs to temporarily change men into women and offered various red light services. The drugs in question were manufactured through magic, although the general public did not know this. "It's not something to be ashamed of!"
Honoka silenced her daughter with another look and then also took away the principal's breath with a lethal smile and look. "I find it quite upsetting that you would doubt my daughter when you know this much. Of course a teenage girl whose mother is working at a GTS would face bullying. Teenagers tend to not understand boundaries and the impact of their words. That the school has failed to provide adequate supervision and attention to said student seems like a matter I should absolutely bring up with the PTA."
Scary! Yua was seventeen and she still learned a new way to be afraid of her own mother every now and then. She sounds so neutral but; scary! Scary as hell!
"T-There's surely no need-"
"Perhaps a mandatory review of all staff employees is in order. Perhaps I should call my good friend, Yotsuba Alice and arrange for an inspection. Or perhaps should give councilor Aida a call."
"I-I understand… what do you want me to do?" The principal folded like a house of cards in a hurricane.
"First of all, you will suspend my daughter for one week."
"Mother! Why?!"
"You broke a girl's nose and beat up two other. Intimidating them would have been fine, perhaps a bit of rough play-"
"No, even rough play-" The principal tried to interject and nearly shrunk to the size of a marble when Honoka's eyes went wide; it was no longer a wolf and a rabbit but now it was a giant anaconda and a tiny baby chick.
"You broke the rules and there's consequence. Now, as for that Ono girl;" Honoka looked straight at the principal now. "You will suspend her for two weeks and additionally you will issue a written warning to her that bullying of other students for any reason will lead to permanent expulsion and criminal charges if reported. Additionally," Honoka was still not done. "I will give Yotsuba-san a call and see if we cannot manage to find the funds to renovate the staff facilities."
"H-Huh?"
"Modern amenities will surely motivate staff to have a keener eye on the students so that an incident like this won't occur again."
It's a hostage gift. The principal immediately saw this for what it was.
"Now, if you will excuse us, I have to drop my daughter off at home and then return to work."
"Uhm, Yukishiro-san. Aino-san, the mother of Junko, left a message that she would like to talk to you."
"I will give her a call." Honoka rose out of her chair and only needed to meet Yua's eyes once to get her to leave with her. Walking through the hallways in the middle of class was certainly not a first for Yua, but following after her mother felt intimidating.
"Mother-"
"I'm glad you had the good sense to not use your powers."
"I'm not stupid."
"There is something to this story you didn't tell me. Bullying doesn't just happen out in the open, at least not most of the time. How did you even come across this situation?"
"Coincidence."
"Yua. I'm not Nagisa."
"Can we talk about this in the car?"
"Yes." Honoka could be a strict parent but she wasn't unreasonable. She understood that being the child of two Cures and going to school while living on Lily Tokyo was difficult.
Leaving the school grounds, mother and daughter were quickly inside a small, used car that didn't see much use. Both of them had a faux address registered in the city thanks to Mana's and Alice's influence. It was necessary to work and participate in society. That address also served as a gateway back home thanks to multiple prepared bookshelves.
"Do you like her?" Honoka asked straight up. Her daughter's reaction were widening eyes, a quick twitch of her hands, looking out the window.
"Course not." And denying it.
"So she's just a friend?"
"Not 'd you call her my friend?"
"I assumed that you would stand up the most for a friend."
"Fair."
"So who is she?"
"Just a girl."
"It's admirable that you would stand up for someone you barely know."
"Meh…"
She definitely likes her. Taking a turn, Honoka headed for the highway route. "I'll go and talk to Aino-san myself. I'll clarify any misunderstandings that might exist between you and Junko-chan while I'm there."
"You are a bully."
"Then do you not need to stand up to me?"
"I actually wanna live long enough to graduate."
"So what is this Junko like?"
"She's… got super good looks."
"That can't be all, right?"
"Argh, fine, I like her! That's what you wanna hear, yes?! I like her and I figured, if I went a bit overboard and got myself suspended for her, she'd take notice!"
"Why not just talk to her?"
"How long did you need to confess to mom?"
"She confessed to me."
"That's dodging the question."
Honoka smiled in a genuinely happy way. "I'm glad you got my smarts."
"Still dodging, mother!"
"It took us a few years to get together. So talking to her is difficult?"
"You know I'm only good at arguing. I suck hell at actually talking about my feelings and stuff..."
"So you want to let your actions speak for you. That's a lot like your mom."
"Are you really gonna go talk to her mom right now?!"
"Only her mother, yes." Honoka smiled a little when she saw Yua relax. "I might have to mention loudly that you got suspended by doing what is right."
"You're the best."
"I like to think that I do okay at parenting."
At that time, Honoka was not the only one dealing with fallout from their daughter misbehaving.
The room was filled to the brim with awkwardness. Setsuna had responded first to the school calling and was contemplating what to say to Miki. Two girls sat in that room with her, looking like they had been caught in the act.
The sound of high pace heels hammering the hallway floor rapidly approached and then the door was opened with thunder. "Ao!"
Ao – a girl that was already as tall as her parents at age fourteen and doing amateur modeling. Much like her parents she had silky smooth long hair, a light shade of purple. She was slim, athletic and had a face that turned quite a few heads. She wore the school uniform, consisting of a medium length skirt, a shirt and a blazer above it. There were a few options to the uniform, but it was not actually enforced to wear them at Taienjoushou.
The girl by her side was Mikoto, the first daughter of Setsuna and Ellen – who was actually Setsuna's second child and a year younger than the daughter she had with Love, Meirin. She didn't take much after either of her parents, being rather tall and in stark contrast to Ao, very curvy. She had extremely long dark purple hair that matched her incredibly shy personality. It was to the point where she kept her bangs long enough to partially obfuscate her vision.
"This is the third time, Ao!" Miki was visibly pissed off and when one of the school's teachers passed by the open door, everyone could see her walk away very quickly after seeing Miki. "Are you doing this on purpose? Your mother is gonna have a fit when she hears!"
"I couldn't help it." Ao had a naturally smooth smile. "Mikoto looks so enticing in her gym uniform that when we were sent to go shower I just had to stay behind and take a closer look."
Mikoto was turning so red and quickly moved her bangs further into her face so nobody could see her eyes.
"Miki, calm down." Setsuna sighed. "Can I talk to you in the hall?"
Huffing and puffing for a hot minute, Miki stepped out, but not without glaring at her daughter. "We are not finished, young lady!"
Closing the door behind her, Setsuna sighed again. "Do you think that maybe you can take it easy on Ao this time?"
"Why are you on her side? Aren't you mad?"
"I should be but… you know how Mikoto is. It's hard to get her to speak up, even at home. She's always shut in her room and browses the internet. From what I can tell, she doesn't have any friends at all in her class and maybe one or two in the entire school."
Hearing all that, Miki felt uncomfortable. "I know it's not easy. Ao is giving me headache after headache too."
"Mikoto's been a lot more open lately. She left the house, she even asked me for money to buy a swimsuit. Can you believe it? A swimsuit! When she wears all black all year long and her skin is like marble. I'm pretty sure it's because she's been going out with Ao."
"Oh no." Miki covered her face. "Ao's… Ao has issue committing to something long term."
"I know. But I think she really likes Mikoto."
"How come?"
"Call it intuition."
"Well, you, Love and Ellen do make the insane work. But what exactly do you want me to do?"
"Semi-Ground her."
"You mean have her come home right after school, no club, no going around with friends, no dates, but she's fine to go out on the island?"
"That way Mikoto won't be cut off from her."
"I wish I could be half as concerned about Ao as you are about Mikoto."
"Meirin, Airin and Ayako are all really good kids. It's just Mikoto that worries me."
"I have no idea how you are managing four kids."
"We split up work." Setsuna's smile was just a little forced. "The first two years are the hardest." The smile got more forced. "Ellen is due in another month. I'm so glad Meirin and Airin said they'd cover most of the housework."
"I'm happy that you three are pumping out baby girls like a factory but this isn't about that. I still need to do something about Ao."
"She's fourteen. When we were fourteen there were a lot of emotions and desires too."
"Don't remind me." If you and Love hadn't gotten together… I would have made a move.
"So cut her some slack. If I didn't know better, though, I'd ask if Love had anything to do with Ao."
"That's not funny to even joke about. Love and Mana are walking danger zones for everyone that's like us."
"Who do you think you're telling that?" Setsuna smiled and then took a quick, deep breath. "Should we go back in?"
Miki sighed. "If you're ready to walk in on them kissing."
"They wouldn't- well, maybe they would." Setsuna faked stumbling backward and hit the door. Turning around quickly, she slowly opened the door and cursed under her breath. And sure enough, Mikoto was right there, staring down at the floor with a bright red face. Unbelievable.
=== DISSONANCE ===
A million dreams that flow like waves in the ocean of fate. To pluck a wave from the ocean is no mean feat. With the greatest of care, the mightiest grasp, the quickest of wits, I take take and take and take.
From untold dreams, from terrible fates, from virtues of utopia, I take ignorance and knowledge and meld them together, all to create a new truth.
To instill and to inspire, to dread within their sleep and as they wake, to show them all that could be – to sing upon them of their demise and the death they bring – to lull them into a sleep of purity of mind as they witness a destiny made of golden threads of fate.
Within them I delve to find the deepest of truths at the very core of it all. To pluck away endlessly at the countless faces, the countless masks that they wear. To take all that which gives rise to possibility. To eliminate all the paths that lead to tragedy through the smallest of touches.
Singing within eternity the words of Real and Imaginal I dance to the ballad of their lives. A step of foot, a swing of arm, and a thousand years have passed.
"Wrong… wrong… wrong… wrong… wrong..." Entity muttered to herself, focusing sorely on the role she was given. "3,288,915 futures come and gone… how many more until the sea of dreams will be complete?" Her voice was tired and so were her eyes. Large black rings were under her eyes. "The margin of error… it has to be perfect. We only have this one shot with the sea of dreams. I can't disappoint her."
Her eyes wildly went from future to future, observing, judging, creating, erasing. Like an administrator of nature, attempting to count and sort every blade of grass in a forest. I wish some of these futures were what she is looking for. To live, prosper… even if the humans are in the way. There are so many worlds, so many stories to tell that even in eternity I could never see them all in full. I must stay strong, resist the enticement of their happiness, overcome the sorrow of their downfall. The future is too perilous, too important to leave to chance entirely. That's why I must complete the sea of dreams. Without it… who knows what will happen? Even she is not powerful enough to warp the universe itself to her will. Even if all of us come together it would not be enough. That's why I have to do this. That's why Eternal and Echo must play their roles. To play their acts on the greatest stage to ever exist.
"Wrong… wrong… wrong..." Entity paused when she saw a particularly horrifying future. The end of all life in the universe… "Wrong." Erasing the future in an instant, a new one sprung up in its place.
But why… why did she give all of us a piece of the Ten Desires? Because it is too great a power to use for one? Because without all of us it poses too great a threat? No. Eternity and Echo are pieces of the plan, just as I am. I must trust that they will fulfill their roles. Too much is at stake.
Looking over her shoulder, Entity found both Echo and Eternal drinking coffee and playing cards with each other. She could have had them help me though… this is tough! My legs hurt! My eyes hurt even more! Well, it's nothing compared to what their heads will be like once the sea of dreams is complete, but still. Entity sighed. I've never created the sea of dreams for this many… the last time was… I can't remember how many years it has been. Back then there were so few of us. The chosen, precious and fragile.
For a long time she was lost in her work after that thought. Futures came, burned brightly and then were extinguished. One of them… one of them is odd. It is so faint, so small… but in all these futures, I can sense it. It is but a single grain of sand in a world of deserts. A drop of water in the oceans. But her presence, her lineage is within that girl. Destiny is a frightening force to manipulate. I can't become careless. The wrong fragment, the wrong page taken and it could all become for naught.
The sea of dreams must be completed. For their sake I will sacrifice a myriad of futures and myself. And I know it to be the right thing. Because it is her will.
=== DISSONANCE ===
"It's not fair!" This complaint was lodged by a sixteen year old girl with very long and very bright brown hair, her height about a hundred and sixty-five centimeters, filed down nails, a very athletic figure, a small nose piercing and vibrant green eyes. "Kyoko gets to do it!"
At the receiving end of this argument was Itsuki, sitting at the kitchen table and writing a grocery shopping list. "Nanami, how many times do I have to go over this with you?"
"Until you let me participate!"
"And I told you that you will not be participating until you have finished the training course that even Kyoko cleared before she was allowed to participate."
"I'm gonna succeed your dojo, why do I need to bother with that stupid course?!" Clenching her fists, Nanami was itching to demonstrate to her readiness. "I know Mom would let me!"
Someone walked past her rear and petted her head in passing. "Not a chance, sweetie. Unless you have another mom beside me." Going to the fridge, she opened it up and hummed. "Itsuki, write up some butter. And we're out of cabbage. Hm… Nanami, anything you want in particular for dinner this week?" It was Hibiki.
"Don't think that this my pace act is going to make me drop this!" Nanami crossed her arms below her rather modest chest and stared at the back of Hibki's head.
"I don't need you to drop it. We told you what we think and why we think it a dozen times. You can stay angry if you want but it won't change anything." Itsuki wrote up butter, cabbage and carrots – she knew that Hibiki was not a fan of carrots so whenever she could, she'd try to make them go forgotten on the list.
"I'll just enter without your permission then!" Nanami was getting loud now.
Hibiki turned around and looked slightly displeased. "What is with the empty threat? Look, we both know you've been training hard but the fights are not what you think they are."
"That's easy for you two to say when you're able to participate!"
"If you just want to show you're strong, then invite the others to the dojo and-" Itsuki tried to be helpful and was shot down.
"That's not what this is about! I want to show the others I can handle a real fight! You and mom were fighting when you were fourteen!"
"Because we had to." Itsuki slammed her mechanical pencil on the table. "Everything you said just sounds like you want to join the fights because of ego! That's not a proper mindset at all!"
"I've had it with you and your proper mindsets! I so don't care!" Nanami immediately realized that she had gone too far; it was showing on her face. But in a situation like this, for someone at her age, there was only doubling down on it. "But if you're going to be this… this old-fashioned about it then I quit the dojo!"
"I see." Itsuki was outwardly calm but Hibiki knew that Nanami was standing on a landmine that was about to blow.
Walking over to her daughter, Hibiki grabbed her by her arm and mid-step transformed into Cure Melody, pulling Nanami along. "Let me go! Mom, what are you doing?!" Opening up the front door and pushing Nanami out, Melody gave her one final shove that made Nanami stumble all the way to the middle of the road. "Very mature of you, kicking me out!"
"Act like the adult you want to be treated as, then I will. But someone who says hurtful things right to her mother's face like that is not welcome here. Cool your head, apologize and we will talk about this again." Walking back inside, Melody slammed the door shut so hard that the sound made the neighbors peek out, seeing Nanami embarrassed, alone and boiling with teenage rage on the street.
"Fine! I'll just stay out here then!" As incoherent rage won out, she screamed and stomped away.
Inside, Hibiki was covering her face with her hands. She was normally the easy-going and relaxed one among the two, the one that let Nanami get away with things and little rule violations, the one that covered for her and smoothed things over with Itsuki.
"Are you okay?" Itsuki walked right up to her and hugged her. "I know you're not used to being the mean one but thank you. I was… about to get really, really angry."
"I know." Hibiki's voice cracked a little. "And I know that if I had let it come to that, you two would end up in a fight and not talk to each other for a week."
"I wouldn't say-"
"A week." Hibiki reiterated like she knew exactly what she was talking about. And Itsuki didn't contest her claim a second time.
"Hibiki, do you think we are in the wrong here?" Itsuki comforted her wife by petting her head slowly, going through her hair.
"No. You're right, she just wants to fight because of ego. Not because she wants to be part of the process." Hibiki sighed really hard. "I wish I was better at parenting… or adulting."
"Having kids isn't easy." Itsuki kissed the top of Hibiki's head.
"Are you three done fighting?" Sitting on the lowest step of stairs was another girl. Short and super smooth platinum blond hair, a small mouth, dark crimson eyes and a body that belied her being only fourteen – taller than either of her parents or her older sister, curves that attracted bad attention and very pale skin despite living on what was essentially a tropical island.
"I'm sorry Ran, can you-"
"I know. Nanami's in the wrong here by the way." Getting up, Ran turned about. "Nanami's a blockhead that cares way too much about you, mother. She wants you to know that she's really trying her hardest in the dojo and in her head the only way to prove that is to show off how much she can apply it in the fights."
"How- Ran!" Hibiki burst out of Itsuki's embrace, a faint remainder of a few tears on her skin. "Have you been peeking at her dreams?!"
Ran sighed. "She's my sister. We have rooms next to each other. We talk."
Hibiki realized that the accusation was probably hurtful and looked down. "I'm sorry, just-"
"I know. I promised I wouldn't do it again and I don't have a history of keeping promises. But I'm not ten years old anymore, mom." Ran sighed and decided to come down the stairs after all. Walking right up to Hibiki, she put her hand on her mom's head. "Nanami knows she was in the wrong but you know how hardheaded she is."
This is my job… Itsuki felt a bit replaced, what with Ran comforting Hibiki now.
"She's gonna come home, right?" Hibiki felt like this was not how the roles should be assigned but she didn't complain either.
"Fifty-fifty on whether she comes home today, but she'll have cooled off by tomorrow." Ran looked to Itsuki. "Nanami's not gonna let this go though. I think the only way to have her realize that she can't cut it yet is to go and let her get her ass whooped."
"It's our job to protect her, not let her get hurt."
"Her feelings are what hurts the most right now. She'll stomach her ego getting hurt and getting her ass handed to her if it means you three can stop fighting about this." Ran always had a bit of a deadpan expression and voice to her, but that made her somehow more mature sounding. "You ask me, sign her up for the fights on a trial basis and have those wasabi flavored mega spicy pringles ready when Nako or Kyoko demolish her."
"You think she's gonna lose? I always refused to let her participate because I thought it would feed her ego if she won."
"Kyoko's strong. Really strong. Nako too." Ran pulled an expensive looking smartphone from the back pocket of her full length jeans, unlocked, and called up a video. "Here."
Watching a short clip of Cure Midnight in action, fighting Cure Flamesong, Itsuki and Hibiki both made very sour faces. "I'm gonna start watching these SG fights… if they move up I need to know what I'm dealing with." Hibiki twitched.
"I expected Honoka's and Nagisa's daughter to be strong but this is certainly stronger than I was at that age." I know Hibiki can easily win against her but this is a really bad opponent for me.
Taking her phone back, Ran sighed. "Honestly I kinda get why Nanami wants to participate. She's worked really hard on her powers and she always watches the second generation fights to be prepared. She's spent so much time on it that in her head, victory is totally assured. But-" She cut off and looked to Itsuki. "Say the thing."
Itsuki blushed, being told that by her own daughter. "Believe you will lose and your defeat is assured. Believe you will win and a path will open."
"She's believing so hard, she's forgotten that doesn't mean she's guaranteed to win."
"She's too Itsuki," Hibiki said with a pout.
"Hey."
"She really does take after you, mother." Ran smiled very, very slightly. Only her close friends and family could even tell it was happening when it did happen.
"I'll take what you said to heart, Ran." Itsuki feared that come adulthood, she would have to actually look up to her daughter, physically speaking. "Nanami isn't so good at talking about her feelings so it helps when you tell me."
You're one to say that, mother. Fiore's mom always tells stories of how you cast away your life as a girl back as a teen to succeed the dojo and what not. Not that I buy into that as much as Fiore does. "I didn't do this to get a reward-"
"Out with it." Hibiki's pout got bigger.
"There's a concert I wanna go to."
"Ran, we talked about this." Itsuki felt a bit unhappy that she had to be strict again right after her daughter helped her.
"I know. That's why I got Eas to come with me."
"That's cheating. But… I have to actually follow my own rules." Getting Eas of all people… I should have seen that coming. "Now you may have outwitted me, young lady, but-"
"The concert goes until eleven thirty. I'll be home before midnight. I won't drink any alcohol and I won't use my powers in public." Ran smiled a little bit more when Itsuki looked like someone got her order wrong.
"Great Eternal, why do our daughters have such polar opposite personalities?!" Itsuki playfully bemoaned it with a big annoyed smile. "I can do you one better than letting you go."
"A bonus. Wow, mother's so generous." Although it would have sounded like sarcasm to a third party that didn't knew them, it really was not that at all. Ran just didn't have much of a display range of emotions.
"Save your allowance, I'll pay for the ticket. I'll even throw in a shirt."
"Itsuki!" Hibiki complained now. "Spoiling her is my job!"
"Give me this moment, jeez!"
"I wish I knew what you two were like when you first met." Ran looked very amused when both Itsuki and Hibiki blushed. I know what happened and all, but one day I wanna see them awkwardly try to explain.
While the Myoudouin household was going through all that, another family was just starting the same topic, in a wholly different way.
"I can sign up?!" A girl with a medium length bob cut, bright green hair and eyes like those of a cat was excitedly looking at her parents.
Regina shoveled a big spoonful of cereal – her lunch – into her mouth and shrugged. "I don't see the problem."
Rikka was also there, looking a lot less enthusiastic than Regina did. "You can. You passed the training sessions with flying colors, your grades are good and like you promised, you haven't gotten in trouble once in the last month. So on the provisional basis that you keep not getting in trouble, you can sign up for the SG fights. But Inako-" Rikka paused for dramatic effect. "Please be careful. Your power is-"
"I know, I know! My power dangerous. You've told me this at least ten-thousand times since they manifested, mother." Inako rolled her eyes.
"Stop rolling your eyes."
"Yes." Inako did not question how her mother knew about it. She had long since stopped wondering about things like that.
"And don't go after your sister. I do not want you two to solve your disagreements out there."
"You'd rather they throw stuff at each other here?" Regina was slapped lightly on the arm by her lover. "What? They have the perfect outlet to settle their differences and you don't want them using it?"
"Disagreements shouldn't be settled with violence-"
"Mana sure settled my disagreeing with her back then with violence! So did you! Not to mention Love and Eas! And Ellen! And T-"
"Fine then. You can fight your sister. Your mom will handle things if you two come home at each other's throat because one of you hit the other in the back."
"Huh?!" Regina was so surprised that she drooled milk and flakes on the table. "Aw crap." Rikka got out of her chair, grabbed paper towels and put them right on the table before Regina could even think about what to do. "Thanks."
"It's so weird you two are only married here and not in Japan." Inako was still there, watching her parents argue a little. "Also, Eleanor and I aren't that bad. We fight but that's because we're different, not because we dislike each other. You know, like you two."
"If you had a relationship like ours with your sister, I'd worry." Regina earned a proper towel being thrown on her head. "Hey!"
"Don't worry, I can walk in on Eleanor showering and it does nothing for me." Inako shook her head and hand to lend emphasis to that. I got my eye on someone else already anyway.
Even though Eleanor was only her half-sister, that distinction didn't matter in the Aida household. Just as Mana, Rikka and Regina were all equals in their relationships, their children all treated each other as sisters, regardless of which two of the three were their biological parents – all three women were their parents.
"Ina." Regina had a tendency to shorten the names of their kids when she could. "Speaking of the bathroom. There's been a complaint about nail clippings in the sink."
"That's not me."
Rikka sighed. "Well, it appears you are not participating in the fights after all."
"It really wasn't me!"
Rikka walked up right next to her daughter and grabbed her hand, specifically her fingers, and with her own thumb she traced over the fingernails. "These are painted. Black, right?"
"Yes, so? I asked mom if I can paint them."
"The nail clippings were also black."
Regina shot her daughter a I didn't tell her look and got a then who look in return, followed by enlightenment.
"Tsui! I'm gonna kill her."
"Inako, language." Rikka didn't sound like she was gonna tolerate that sort of thing in house. "So you're saying these are from Tsui?" The first daughter that Regina had with Mana, the same age as Inako, Cure Flush.
"She borrowed my nail polish the other day and I told her that if she wants to get anywhere with that girl she likes she should-" Inako covered up her mouth like she had just dropped a horrible bomb. "You didn't hear that from me!"
"Tsui has a girlfriend?" Regina was as shocked by this as Rikka was – unlike Rikka she didn't freeze up, however.
Inako wildly rubbed her forehead. "And I promised I'd keep it a secret, too. All because she had to clip her damn nails in the bathroom!"
"Who's her girlfriend?!" Regina looked like she was about to leap over the table to shake it out of Inako, curiosity written all over her face.
"Not telling! I already screwed up by telling you she's got one!"
"Regina." Rikka unfroze and shut down her partner. "Inako, if Tsui is dating a regular human, you have to tell us."
"She's not stupid. We all know that's one of the three rules."
Do not frivolously use powers in public. Do not get romantically involved with non-Cures. Do not bring non-Cures to Lily Tokyo.
Breaking those rules involved a massive chewing out by just about the entire island on top of Inori and Kaoru having to get involved – in the worst case scenario they had to bring in Akane as well. Evacuating people and staging a gas leak followed by an explosion and mass hallucination – they had to do that once already.
"If she's a Cure, why the big secret?" Regina suddenly seemed much more relaxed about it than before.
"You two are gonna nag me about this until I blab, don't you!" Inako looked really annoyed.
"No." Rikka turned about and both Regina and Inako were surprised by this. "If she's with a Cure, then it is her business who she goes out with. If we wanted to control who you're allowed to see then we wouldn't have let you date Kyoko before."
"That one's on me. Bit off more than I can chew." Inako had no delusions when it came to just what kind of person someone had to be to successfully date Kyoko. "I prefer someone like Meirin."
"You got your work cut out for you there." Regina propped up her head on her hand, elbow resting on the table. "We've just about got enough people gunning for her that we can do a battle royale."
"Someone like Meirin. I am not getting into it with Shamiko and Momo." Inako shrugged.
"No way how that one ends it'll be a bloodbath." Regina went back to her bowl of cereal that was more like cereal-stew at this point. "Rikka-"
"Eat it."
"Ogre."
"Stop flirting in front of me! Gross! Ugh!" Inako got out of her chair. "I'm gonna practice, I have a game coming up." Inako was in the tennis club at school.
Elsewhere on the island the aforementioned Shamiko and Momo were about to bash each other's face in.
"You little, obnoxious-!"
"Twat! Frog-face! French bread feet!"
"Breath like the death!"
The door to their room flew open and an angry Michiru stepped in. "Okay, cool it, both of you! Getting heated is fine but I can hear you outside and enough is enough!" Looking into a room filled with two beds at opposing ends, numerous bookshelves that were bursting at the seams with manga and novels, a very comfortable carpet floor and a host of at least three generations worth of game consoles, Michiru sometimes couldn't tell if this was Yayoi's study or her daughters room.
"You got us yelled at by mother!" The girl to the left barked at the girl to the right.
"Oh believe me, Kaoru is ready to shut you both up as well but I lost at rock-paper-scissors, so here I am!" Michiru and Kaoru had faced a rather steep learning curve, both of them getting pregnant at the same time because that too had been decided by playing rock-paper-scissors and there was no beating Yayoi at that they found out.
Sitting to the left was an eighteen year old girl called Shamiko. She sported extremely red, mixed shape hair – most of it was cut in a frenzied bob-like shape but at the back there was a long ponytail that did not need tying. She had inherited Yayoi's height and proportions, which made it very weird to see her next to her sister.
Said sister, Momo, sitting to the right, was also eighteen years old, had very long and very dark blue hair that bordered on black. She was of amazonian height, especially compared to her sister, measuring a hundred and seventy-two centimeters. She took after Kaoru more so than Yayoi and had a sharp look in her eyes that landed her in a lot of confrontations at school.
"No more hauling obscene shit at each other!" Michiru pulled the door shut behind her as she left and within two steps away from the door the girls were at each other's throat again. Why are our kids like this? Why couldn't we have… more normal kids. Like I am one to talk, but come on. Screaming was coming from the room now and then the apocalypse happened.
The door to the parental bedroom flew open and a very, very sour and very, very sleep deprived Yayoi came out of it, walking like a zombie with eyes like that of a bear that had been unjustly poked awake from hibernation. While Yayoi was the Mom of Shamiko and Momo, they were right to fear her.
Michiru just stepped aside and said nothing when Yayoi stomped past her and pushed open the door. The girls immediately fell silent. "I worked for nearly three days with minimum sleep to get the special issue ready. You both know that. You helped me with the screentones yesterday. You saw how exhausted I was."
There was only the silence of an absolute vacuum, a paused video game and two profusely sweating girls now. Yayoi stared at them for a long fifteen seconds during which Shamiko seemed to shrink even more and even the very tall Momo was suddenly a lot shorter than her mom. "If I hear one more peep…" She turned into Cure Peace very briefly and emitted a spark of electricity from her index finger. "All those devices… they're gonna get it."
It was not an empty threat. Once, when Momo and Shamiko just wouldn't stop fighting and it escalated to the point of physical violence, Yayoi had threatened to do it if they didn't stop and they called it a bluff. Many tears were shed over lost devices and many a part-time job was worked to replace them.
Walking back to her room, Yayoi didn't stop to say anything to Michiru – the tall, muscular girl followed her into the dark bedroom all on her own, volunteering herself to be a giant hug pillow for her lover.
Back inside the shared room, Momo was glaring daggers at Shamiko. "Let's play something else."
"Sure. I've had enough of Mario Party 12 for the time being. But don't think this means you've won!" Shamiko hissed her words at Momo to avoid the apocalypse truly happening.
"I think I'm just gonna go grind in NWO."
"Want me to help?"
"Just gonna go some solo hunting for skills."
"Eh, fine."
"I'm just glad our parents are not into playing mario party."
"If my mother got as angry as I get and punched something..."
"There would be a hole." Momo nodded. "If you had even twenty-five percent of her form-"
"Not this again." Shamiko got up and walked over to her bed. "Yes, yes, I'm short and weak even though my mother is this herculean woman, I've heard it a million times!"
"I was gonna say I would probably be scared you'd punch me and not play mario party with you."
"We're not ten anymore. I wouldn't punch you. Probably."
Momo turned off the console and went to her bed as well. "These things are way expensive, we better cut back on the heated moments unless we want to work our asses off all summer to replace them."
"Mom lets us do practically whatever we want so, yeah, good idea."
"Hey Shamiko."
"Hm?"
"You still offering help?"
"Sure. Why?"
"I forgot there's an event going on and as a solo tank I am not gonna get anywhere."
"Lemme hit the bathroom first."
"Same."
"You have longer legs, take the one downstairs!"
"Fine." Momo rolled her eyes.
"By the way-" Getting back up and heading towards the door, Shamiko popped a question. "You planning on signing up for the fights any time over the next two weeks?"
"Why?"
"I got a text from Nako, saying that Kyoko is grounded for spending the night at her place without telling her parents. So no Cure Midnight."
"Not really feeling it. It's fun to blow off steam but everyone gets super competitive about it."
Shamiko stared at her sister. "You seriously saying that after we got nearly sparked?"
"That's that and this is this."
"Sometimes I worry about you..." Splitting ways – Momo going downstairs – the bathroom break was used and Shamiko returned first to find her phone showing new messages. Reading them, she noticed Momo coming back into the room without looking up. "Satori's asking if we can taste test cookies for her again."
"Can you take care of it?"
"Afraid you'll get hooked and fat?"
"Must be nice having the height of a dwarf and all the nutrients and fats immediately go to your boobs and ass."
"Try saying that again after shopping for underwear and clothes becomes a living hell. Anyway, I'll eat them." Tapping the screen on her phone, Shamiko sent a message to her friend and classmate.
The sender of that message had her hands wrist deep in dough when her phone started vibrating and she desperately tried to tap it with the anti-flour foil still over it. "Stupid foil doesn't work!" Bending down and using her nose to hit the notification, she read the answer. "Nice. Shamiko's so reliable." Looking up and at the clock, she stopped to think.
Deep in thought inside her realm – the kitchen – was Satori, Miyuki's daughter and the only girl on the island that was raised by a single parent. "Mom comes home at five thirty so if I start dinner in two hours… that's cutting it close though. Maybe I'll have her take a bath first. I did buy the new oil, too."
Standing at a hundred and sixty-six centimeters with curly, very dark pink hair, Satori was the lady of the house. Miyuki worked for two and refused to let others take care of her finances, so that left Satori alone quite a bit.
Working diligently on her baking for a while, Satori was efficient at cleaning up just about anything, from a devastated kitchen all the way to a friend's bedroom. Setting down three plates at the table, Satori looked at the chair that would remain empty. She knew it was wasteful to cook for three every single day but it was just her way of telling the world I want her back and She can come home any time.
"Heyllo!" A shout came from up front and the door opened – someone let themselves in and by the sound of it, that was not Miyuki. But Satori did recognize that voice.
"Zuina? Back here, in the kitchen!"
Moments later a short girl, age twelve, walked into the kitchen, with the cheeriest expression on her face. "Heyllo Satori!"
"Heyllo." Satori liked Zuina a lot, albeit very much not romantically. "Did you bring Fiore with you?"
"Sis is back home getting study help from Mother." Zuina went tip-toe and looked at what Satori was making now, which was just getting ready for fried rice. "It smells like cookie and… veggies..." Zuina looked at Satori like she was Doctor Frankenstein.
"I was baking earlier." Reaching for a literal cookie jar that had a slightly older batch in it, she slipped a big, round crumbly cookie to Zuina. "Remember, they're secret cookies. If your mother finds out, they'll disappear."
"Gotcha!" Stuffing the entire cookie into her mouth like she was a hamster, Zuina looked at the table. "Oh right! Mother sent me over to ask if you have any se… seaflam oil?"
"Sesame oil? Yeah. Are you out?"
"Probably."
Reaching for a lower cupboard, Satori pulled it open and revealed an immensely neatly organized rack of various oils and spices. Pulling out a specific hard plastic bottle, she gave it to Zuina. "Say hello to your mother and mom for me."
"Will do! Thank you, Sa-chan! I have to run though, mother said I should come right back!" Zuina quickly left the kitchen and shouted from the living room. "Bye bye, Sa-chan!"
"Bye bye!" Satori was left smiling in the kitchen. I wish I had a sister. Almost everyone does but with my mother being… well… She paused and felt a bit glum. How many more years are you going to be gone? I wish I'd at least know your name… No, I should remain positive. Once she comes back we will all remember her and I should be glad I have that to look forward to!
Checking a particular small jar, Satori realized something terrible. I forgot to buy garlic. Hm… I guess I can still make it if I run. Taking off her apron, grabbing her wallet and stuffing just a single five hundred yen coin into her pocket, she quickly ran out the front door.
=== DISSONANCE ===
I have duplicated, grown and recycled their souls so many times… but the sea of dreams is finally nearing completion. Their futures, pieces of it filtered and distilled into a final singularity of dreams to steer their way. A future born of impossibility, made into a new path through the will of countless other futures. To open a new path I first had to cut down the land, raze the skies and burn the oceans. But I can see it now. With each step, with each dream, each future, they come closer to the impossible future that she desired. The phantasmagoria of dreams that she looks upon from beyond… enough ramble of thoughts. Focus. There is little work left to do.
=== DISSONANCE ===
"Mother!" Screaming, covering herself and her girlfriendwith her sheets, a girl with shiny silver hair was trying to manage the unmanageable.
"Nothing I haven't seen before." Walking straight through the room, without a care in the world, was Kurumi, ignoring the situation because if she didn't, she'd freak out even more than her daughter was. Pulling up the shutters, Kurumi let the sunlight into the room. "I understand wanting to stay in bed with your girlfriend but you do know what today is, right?"
"No! Mother, get out!" The silver haired girl was almost hysteric while the girl by her side hadn't even bothered to sit up, much less get upset. "Whatever it is, I'll do it after I get dressed!"
"Of course you will. You promised your mom and you know what happens if you break a promise to your mom." Kurumi walked back towards the door, avoiding stepping on any discarded clothes on the floor. "And… clean this up." She looked at one particularly racy pair of panties and bra that gave the impression that they'd cost a lot. H… Huge… Leaving the room and only pulling the door almost shut, Kurumi heard someone jump out of bed, land and immediately slam shut the door behind her.
Now that it was over, Kurumi exhaled very slowly and turned bright red like a tomato. Hikari! Why am I the one that has to do this?! Having a seventeen year old daughter was a lot for Kurumi to deal with. Why can't they stay… twelve, let's go with twelve! Why can't they be twelve forever! I almost thought fourteen but that's the age Rin and the others… Blowing raspberries, Kurumi went back downstairs and looked at the clock as she passed by. Ten thirty…
Down in the kitchen was her other daughter, who was a year older than her sister, and going to be a college freshman next year. With her very long golden hair she made quite the impact wherever she went, doubly so because her hair was tied into a large braid that very closely resembled what Hikari looked like as Shiny Luminous. Beyond that she didn't take much after either of her parents, being tall and rather curvy.
"You should eat something, Kaga. Not just drink coffee." Kurumi tried to bury her feelings of what she had just witnessed upstairs.
"Another time." Picking up a cup of coffee and sipping from it rather elegantly, the image presented in the kitchen was almost reversed of what the truth was. "So, Gin and Kaneko finally sealed the deal?"
Kurumi choked on her own saliva and coughed several times. "Kaga!"
"What?" Her oldest daughter shrugged. "I know it's a bit weird for you, but what are you gonna do when I marry someone and have kids? Are you going to be embarrassed around me every time because obviously I have sex with my wife?"
"I am not listening to this!" Kurumi covered her ears and started humming.
While she was doing so, Kaga got out of her seat, walked next to her mother – almost a full head taller than her – and pressed the off button on the coffee maker before the cup overflowed. Meeting her mother's eyes, Kaga smiled. "Gin and Kaneko-"
"I can't hear you, I can't hear you!" I want my innocent twelve year old Kaga back.
"I'm going to the sauna today, the one in Sumida City. Do you want me to pick up something on the way back?"
"What?" Kurumi turned around, still covering her ears.
Kaga sipped on her second cup of coffee and then repeated herself. "I won't buy a huge load of groceries on my own though."
"Oh that is good timing. I got a text earlier saying that our dresses are ready for pickup."
"Hm, four dresses might be a little difficult…"
"You can use your powers."
"It's about how unwieldy they are in those huge plastic bags, not the weight."
"Should I have Gin meet you at the store?"
"She's not gonna want to do that, what with Kaneko being over."
"I'm her mother, if I say-"
"Give me a minute." Pulling out her smartphone, Kaga speed dialed and then waited for the other side to pick up. "Eleanor? What are you doing today? Hm, no, nothing like that. Yeah, the sauna. Over in Sumida City, you know the one. Yeah. Yeah. See, on the way back I need to pick up stuff and- oh, you too? Oh, okay. Yeah, see you." Hanging up, she looked to her mother. "Okay, one more minute." Second speed dial and she was on the phone again. "Meirin? Yeah. Are you a psychic or something? Do these dressmakers have some kind of hivemind? Okay, no, that's what this is about. Okay, sure. No, no problem. See you." Hanging up, she looked at her phone for a solid five seconds. "Looks like everyone is gonna be doing dress pickup today, or at least most of them, so I'll need Gin to come with me after all."
"Come where?" Gin just came into the kitchen and glared daggers at her mother for a moment. "Mother, that was… I'm not fourteen anymore! Please knock!" She was a little shorter than Kurumi, had boyish silver hair and a big attitude. While not in personality, she resembled her mother quite a bit in face and figure.
"I did, eight times." Kurumi really hadn't wanted to go in there.
"You did?"
"I did!"
"O-Oh." Gin looked away and blushed significantly. "I must have missed them all… somehow."
"I have a pretty good idea why." Kaga snorted and ignored the ferocious look that her younger sister gave her. "Come on, remember what you did when I first had a girlfriend over?"
"No." Gin just lied straight through her teeth.
"Should I remind you?"
"Okay, I get it! Please shut ya trap!"
"That anyway to talk to ya sis, ya dang buffoon?"
"I don't like it when you two use kansai dialect in the house."
"Sorry, just… habitual hazard, I guess." By far not every girl on the island attended the same school, that would have been incredibly suspicious. Kaga and Gin for example went to a school in Osaka.
"Where did you want to drag me?"
"Pick up the dresses for Utau's birthday."
"Oh, that's next week, right? I totally forgot about that."
"It's been on everyone's mind but I guess your mind has been full with someone else lately."
"Ya hard of hearin' or somethin'? I told ya ta shut ya-" Gin stopped when her mother started staring and grumbling. "When? I was going to go on a date with Kaneko."
"Good morning." Kaneko had finally come down as well and bowed lightly to Kurumi and Kaga. Even though Kaga and Gin made big impressions with having golden and silver hair, Kaneko was impressive in a wholly different way.
Her aura was rather intense and made very clear that she was rich. While that didn't matter much on the island, it showed in her upbringing and behavior. Beyond that, she took from the best parts of her parents, being tall and well endowed, as well as being smart, having good business sense and being good enough at archery that she could compete on a national level. Her long, pitch black hair in princess style and her gold eyes gave her a rather evil look, which made most people admire and fear her simultaneously.
Dodging Gin when she tried to kiss her, Kaneko went around the table and bowed to Kurumi again. The sight of her chest going down and then bouncing as she rose back up made it impossible for Kurumi to pay any attention of what she was saying. That's… that's so distracting! Damn your genes, Alice!
Looking quietly at Gin, Kaneko just blinked twice. "I'll take my leave. Please use Gin as you see fit today."
"Eh?! But our date-!" Gin was stunned when Kaneko just walked out on her. "Aw crap, she's livid..."
That's her being livid? Considering who her mom is I have no idea how she ended up an emotionless robot like that, Kaga thought and it was a sentiment that her mother shared.
"Gin, you're going to go with Kaga and pick up our dresses. And don't even think about ditching her."
"Yeah yeah..."
"One yeah is enough!"
"I wonder what got Kaneko so upset..."
The answer was very simple. Walking along the plastered street towards her own home, Kaneko sighed. I cannot believe her! I heard all eight times her mother knocked on the door and every time I tried to say something she just went even harder on making out. And then I did the thing again… Kaga must think I'm a robot or something. Every single time I see her it's somehow right after someone made me mad. I really need to shake that damn habit of turning off all emotion when I get really angry. Gin's been telling me that, too.
Her phone vibrated and showed two missed calls. Returning the call, Kaneko didn't stop walking. "Mom?"
"Finally risen from the dead, have you?" The voice on the other end was Yami. "I already left for work, but I left your breakfast out in the kitchen."
"Thank ya, Mom."
"Nah, it's fine. So, things with Gin finally getting serious?"
"I dunno. Ah think she's gotta getta head outta the clouds. All kissy kissy, no thinky. Caused ha mother walkin' ina us." Kaneko also attended a school in Kansai.
"Kurumi walked in on you?" Yami burst into laughter and Kaneko held the phone further away and it was still too loud.
"Geez, mom, getta grip on ya volume, ya burstin' mah ears."
"Sorry, sorry!" Yami was still laughing a bit. "Hikari 's not there?"
"Didn't see ha."
"Right, Alice said to tell you that we all have an appointment at the tailor's at five, to get the dresses fitted."
"That must'a been whatta Kaga wanted Gin fa. Ah, nuthin', talkin' ta mahself."
"So, did Gin ask you to dance with her at the party?"
"Nah. 's prolly slipped ha mind or sum'thin'."
"You could ask her, you know?"
"Might'a if she was gun'a give me air ta breathe."
Yami playfully whistled. "Wow, wow, you sure you wanna tell your mom that sorta thing?"
"'s fine. Ya ma mom but ya also ma best friend. 's nuthin' I can't tell ya."
Yami paused and Kaneko knew she was grinning. "So, I gotta go and do adult stuff. Remember, tailor's at five, right?"
"Tis the same tailor 's the other time?"
"Yeah. See you! Love you!"
"Love ya too-" Yami had already hung up. "Hah… she's sucha free spirit."
=== DISSONANCE ===
"Everyone ready?" Cure Black tugged on her gloves, moved her shoulders, arms and neck about and relaxed a bit of pent up tension. "Remember, we gotta take out Diamond and Rosetta first or it'll be tough going. Worst case scenario we just disperse and make use of their limited mobility."
"Look at who's gotten good at this." Bloom slapped Black on the back.
"We've been doing this for over twenty years. Do anything that long and you get good at it." Lemonade clicked her tongue. "Anyway, what's this I hear about your daughter wanting to try out joining our fights, Bloom? She got a screw loose?"
"Kyoko's strong but I think she underestimates the fights quite a lot. They see what's happening on a screen but experiencing it in person is different." Bloom looked exasperated over the issue. "I told her that she can join if she can beat her mother and me in a sparring match."
"Utau's been giving me that same crap about wanting to fight by my side. She's as damn stubborn as her mother." Lemonade had an annoyed look on her face.
"I get that they want to fight by their parent's side but there is a huge power discrepancy between us right now. They are perhaps a bit stronger than we were back then, but twenty years of combat experience can't be made up with anything." March repeatedly clenched her fist and released it.
"We're out of small talk time." Black Currant summoned her weapon of choice, a black sword with red jewels embedded in it, and pointed it at the door. "Don't disappoint us, Black."
Outside the waiting room they had been in – within an underground facility on the island – were the viewing rooms and as usual there was a only a small audience. Kyoko, the oldest daughter of Mai and Saki, was there, and so was her girlfriend, Nako, Rin's and Kanade's only daughter for the moment.
"Who do you think is gonna win?" Kyoko looked from one screen to another, depicting the two teams that were now entering the randomly generated battlefield.
"Dark side. They got all the physical heavy weights this time and the rules are a real nut for long range types."
"Huh..." Kyoko paused and then smiled.
"You really are one heartbreak away from being a supervillain with a face like that."
"Stop flattering me, I'm trying to watch."
No, that wasn't… you know what, forget it. "Ouch, she's gonna still feel that when she comes out." She had just watched Peach take a hit from Bright straight to the face.
"Sometimes I forgot this isn't just a sport for us to hone and develop powers." Kyoko looked at the left screen, following a speed battle between March and Egret. Sonic booms were shaking the skies at a rate of more than two per second. "I asked my parents about it the other day."
"They don't really mention that time much. My parents get kind of tight-lipped when I ask for details like what happened. Like how this place and earth became connected."
"From what my mother told me, that was thanks to Meirin's mother, Satori's mother, and her." Kyoko was still following the battle and switched screens just in time to see Sword and Beauty go at it with such ferocity that they were covered in hundreds of little scratches in a matter of seconds.
"I feel bad for Satori, honestly."
"Why?"
"One of her parents is stuck in… I don't even know how to explain it."
"From what I remember mother telling me, it's because they needed a catalyst to connect this world and earth and once it fully stabilizes on its own, like a bone that heals after being broken, she'll come back from wherever she is." Kyoko tried to explain while she watched the battle.
"So she is also coming back?"
"No idea. We know about Satori's mother because Satori exists. None of our parents remember her name, face or anything about her, but they do remember a promise that those things will come back when she's released from whatever."
"Gonna be so awkward to meet your totally adult daughter for the first time." Nako sighed. "Although I guess they can finally give Satori a little sister."
"Wanna bet that Satori's mother is gonna be insanely strong?"
"Why?"
"You mean why wanna bet, or-"
"No, why would she be so strong?"
"Satori is a walking cheat but her mom is not that strong."
"Well, yeah, with her powers and that personality it makes sense that she's ridiculously strong."
"Speaking of strong, you think she was strong?" Kyoko had hints of a very well developed battle tendency. "Nobody remembers anything about her either other than the whole sacrifice thing together with Satori's mother. And there's no promise that she comes back."
"We have a pretty nice life here but in moments like this I feel pretty guilty that its at the cost of someone else's freedom or life."
"Unless down the line someone develops time travel powers there is nothing we can do about it."
"Hey Kyoko."
"What?"
"When you mention her… do you sometimes feel like there is something watching you?´"
Kyoko turned away from the screens and did her most evil expression yet. "You shouldn't have said that." Slowly reaching towards Nako in a menacing manner, Kyoko looked genuinely evil at that moment.
Bonk. Nako hit Kyoko on the head with a chop. "Who do you think you're trying to scare? I'm serious."
"Aw, you're no fun. I should do this with Fiore."
"Don't. Who the hell do you think will have to clean up your mess?"
"It does sometimes feel like that but that's just because we have this absolute mystery figure hovering in our past, attached to this island's entire existence. No her, no Lily Tokyo. I heard from my mother that this was originally a pretty different place, too, and the island only came to be after she and Satori's mother connected it back to earth."
"So you don't think-"
"What, that there's a ghost of some super powerful Cure haunting this island?" Kyoko's eyes darted to the left. "What… is..." Nako chopped her again and this time it was much harder. "Ow! Pull your punches a little!"
"You know I hate ghosts!"
"Like mom like daughter."
"Shuddap!"
Unbeknownst to them, there really was something watching them.
They're so cute…
They are.
I wish I could be there with Satori.
Do you regret?
No. Without what we did, we would have remained stuck there forever. And… one day, I will be able to go back.
Even I do not know when that day will come. But it will come.
I know. But… do you not wish you could go and meet your descendants? Especially-
It is for the best. My existence, my being, is now this very space itself. Until the end of time I will remain here as I am now. A garden full of lilies. My dream was fulfilled through your sacrifice. It is my penance and will to be here. To be Yamato. Besides...
Besides?
Nothing. A matter that will not concern you.
Will not?
Come time you shall see.
After twenty years I still don't get you any more than I did at the crossroads.
What I did had to be done.
You could have just talked to us!
Power too great begets only mistrust and fear.
Everyone thought you were an enemy!
And I was.
Yes, but… also not?! I'm not sure I understand everything that happened.
And it would do no good for you to know all. Now, the battle is nearing its end. Shall we see to the fallen?
Twenty years and I am still not used to this part… why do we have to see them naked?!
If you wish I can erase-
Please do! I could never look them in the eye again if I ever let it slip I saw all of them naked like hundreds of times!
=== DISSONANCE ===
You again?
Again?
Two voices were in head as she looked ahead on the great grassy plains being caressed by the gentle midsummer winds.
Such impudence.
What am I looking at? What were you looking at?
The voice didn't answer and very slowly she started moving down a hill, the winds blowing through her hair with the grace of a goddess' kiss. Only when she arrived at the bottom of the hill and the grass tickled her bare feet did it speak to her again. Days both past and to come.
What does that mean?
"Falnea!" A voice shouted and she turned. She felt that she smiled, that she was happy. Approaching her was a woman with brilliantly shining and radiant hair, shining in the summer's sun, the pure white of it taking on the colors of the things that surrounded. Reaching down to her behind her hair was perfectly smooth and showed not a single trace of wear or dirt. "I was wondering where you wandered off to!"
Who is this?
"Were you lonely?" Reaching out to her, she took the woman into her embrace, smiling widely, kissing her then. "Did you leave Sherela behind on her own?"
"She can manage! And we are going back, too! Who do you think this celebration is for?"
"Eh… I don't like being celebrated."
"Falnea!"
"I know, I know… I just… lately it feels like we can't even talk to people without causing a fuss anymore. I'm sick of being seen as this great and powerful savior. I'm also just a person! I want to laugh, talk, joke!"
"Are Sherela and I not enough?"
"I thought you would be, but… I'm lonely. I'm in the middle of this crowd but I've never been more alone, even with you two by my side. All three of us are in the midst of thousands and yet we are completely alone."
That… that is so sad. Standing in the eye of everyone as a savior sounds great on paper, but this… this isn't how I thought that would feel. This… crushing loneliness. This feeling of abandonment.
"They're celebrating us but the moment we try to talk to any of them they just thank us for being there and dodge us. There is hardly a difference between this and how the humans across the oceans treat their oppressive rulers."
That is the true nature of humans. They cannot love that which is different than them.
"In time they'll get used to it."
"I want to believe that, I really do… but I lost my ability to trust in our own people, Ophati."
"Don't say that."
"It is how I feel."
"I know we can make them understand us. Treat us like they treat each other. Like they did before we became Ky'Rua."
"You know what the people across the sea call us? Cures. The language barrier gave rise to something so… so contradicting. We might have repelled the the Kar'Rua but in turn we lost our place in the world. People can't accept us anymore. I think… we should leave this land behind."
"I can't, Falnea. Sherela can't either. This is our home. We need to protect it."
Ugh… it hurts… The pain she felt was like someone rammed a blade into her stomach, twisting it about at whim.
"Is it really? Isn't… a home the place where the people you return to are? Aren't you and Sherela my home? Not these lands. Not these people that will not even call me by my name anymore. I am just Ky'Rua Mikohi now… And I despise it. They stripped away my life, reduced me to… to just being a conduit for their protection. Trying to placate me with festivals and worship… I don't want any of that! I just want to be myself, treated like a normal person!"
A dream that was impossible to realize in my time. Not for thousands of years would the first chance present itself. Witness the moment that it began to die.
What did?
My love for humans.
"I can't protect these people anymore, Ophati. I don't want to protect them anymore. Not if it means to be this ostracized idol to them. We should leave. We need to leave these lands. You, Sherela and I. We can hide our powers, operate in secret if we must, and live among the people across the sea."
"I told you… we can't. I'm sorry Falnea."
"One day… one day you'll realize I'm right. I'll wait, Ophati. Live with… those people. With the humans."
"We're still-"
"Still what?" She looked far away at the horizon. "We stopped being human when Fantasia gave us power. We're not like them anymore. They are telling us that themselves. We're Ky'Rua. We're Cures. But what we really are… is the loneliest people in this great and dark world. Because other than you and Sherela, there are none like us. And there will never be more of us..."
What… what is… this feeling? It's like something is crushing my heart… it hurts… it hurts so bad… why… why? Why… how…?
You feel as I felt then. A pain that crushed my heart and my hope to attain happiness.
Stepping away from her, the woman called Ophati smiled softly. "Give it time, Falnea. You'll see that in time they'll realize that we don't want this."
"They won't. I tried telling them. We are still here, away from a festival held in our name, all by ourselves. This moment here is the same as every moment among the thousands that surround us back there. They are like the blades of grass, all around but… the moment we go near them they bend out of the way."
This is the beginning of a tale that would last for millennia. A tale of our kind suffering at the hands of the humans. Ostracized. Killed. Shunned. Hunted. Called the devil. Hundreds of our kind has known the depths of the abyss after they gave up everything to protect those they knew as friends, family and those dear to them. Only for those very humans to turn around and betray them.
You… you are the original Cure.
It is not long after this moment that 'Falnea' became the word for 'Solitude', a word the people did not know before. They called me Ivesti'Falnea; the Solitude Queen.
That's terrible…
The scene before her started to become distorted and finally broke away, shattering into a myriad of unseen pieces. And she was now face to face with a woman in a robe. And she too, wore a robe.
"Where… is this?"
"This is what's left." The robed reached forward and grabbed a cup of coffee. "A place that exists across infinite futures. Sometimes the humans win. Most of the time we win. But it almost always ends with the extinction of one of us." She stirring the coffee and sat silent for a while.
"Why am I here?"
"You're wrong."
"What?"
"You are not here."
"But-"
"You are not even you as you understand the concept of you."
"So what am I then?"
"A myriad shard of a mirror, reflecting the self. Those at the crossroads were taken and shattered. Through millions and millions of futures you were reflecting choices made and unmade."
It felt like something great and powerful grabbed hold of her, lifting her up, even though she wasn't moving at all.
"But how did… whatever I am end up here?"
"It is too early to tell."
"Why?"
"You will see, some day."
"Which you are you even- argh, my head hurts."
"The sea of dreams should be nearing completion."
"The what now?"
"It is everything and nothing that concerns you."
"Can't you explain clearly? I wish… I can't remember her name. Someone that I want by my side..."
"You were never meant to be here. It is your connection to me that has enabled you to see ahead to what will remain. To fall between the cracks of futures come and gone. And as such, I cannot tell you more than needed. And now you must return to the sea of dreams, or you will never be whole again."
"Wait! My connection to you! Am I y-"
=== DISSONANCE ===
"You're surprisingly good at this." Kyoko danced with Nako on the grand floor, together with almost forty other couples, dancing a waltz for the moon that stood high in the sky. Enthused chatter mixed lightly within the music in the background.
"I practiced with mom." Nako blushed at admitting that. "You look nice by the way."
"That's the fourth time you're telling me that."
"Shut it. I'm nervous."
With Kyoko in a raven black dress that reached ankle deep, Nako's dress was much shorter, covering only down to her knees. They were both of a victorian design, which fit well into the general fashion sense of Majorland's royal court.
Dancing up ahead were the Major Queen and the Minor Queen, Ako and Urara. Everyone else kept a small but polite distance to them so that all of the guests that wished to see them could do so.
Watching them from their seats were Rikka and Regina, the former in a beautiful deep blue dress with a large ribbon at the back and the latter in a much more exotic looking black and gold dress with many appendages made from cloth. "You know I think Ako's pregnant."
"Why?"
"Well, for starters she hasn't touched her drinks at all and they've been mysteriously removed by one particular maid for an hour now. Also she looks… well, not looks. She's kinda… less prickly? She feels less prickly, yeah."
"I'll covertly ask her about it later."
"Hah… hah…" Mana joined her lovers at the table and was slightly out of breath. "Ballroom dancing really takes it out of you."
"Who were you dancing with last?" Rikka didn't sound the least bit jealous. She had already danced with Mana twice.
"Me." A tall woman with flowing, light purple hair and an aura of elegance around her came to the table and stood next to Mana. "Thank you again. It was quite a delight." She looked to Rikka and Regina. "Thank you for lending Mana to me."
"You're welcome," Rikka answered with a smile.
Waiting until the woman had left, Regina made a mean comment. "I bet her guard dog was about to bite off Mana's head."
Mana turned on her chair and looked at the dancing pairs. "She's dancing with Miki right now actually."
"Where's Yuri?" Regina tried to see Miki but couldn't find her in the crowd.
Looking around, Mana made a little noise when she saw her. "Dancing with Alice."
"With Alice?" Regina was surprised.
"You say that like they didn't make up their differences years ago."
"I know, still. Didn't think they'd actually want to dance together."
"Who's Eleanor dancing with?" Rikka wanted to know.
"She's not on the dance floor right now."
Regina smirked dirty and before she could even say anything, she got her cheek pinched by Rikka. "Ow, ow, ow!"
"What about Inako and Tsui?" Rikka continued asking.
"I see Tsui dancing with Satori. Inako… I don't see her."
"Rikka, wanna go and dance another round?" Regina was confident in her ability to lead.
"Of course." Rikka happily obliged and let Regina lead her by hand.
While those two were gone, Mana annihilated three plates of salad, each of them concealing a different meat dish. Rikka had told her to manage her gluttony and this was what she had come up with.
"May I sit?" A question posed to her while she had her mouth full with salad, Mana didn't look and just nodded.
Sitting across the table of her was now Ako, wearing a dress that shimmered in gold and white. She had really wanted it to be gold and black but her staff had nearly had collective heart attacks over that proposal. The Major Queen had to wear white while the Minor Queen was to wear black, those were the rules. What good is being Queen if I can't change silly rules like that? Ako thought so at the time.
She had grown out her hair quite long and she resembled her mother quite a bit now.
"Oh, your majesty, I didn't-"
"Stop it, Mana. You and all the Cures here should not address me like that. I am still Ako, Cure Muse, just as I am the Major Queen."
"Okay." Mana smirked a little. "Rikka's gonna be mad though."
"Then she should file an official complain with my offices."
Mana laughed a little. "I'll tell her that. Did you just come by to say hi?"
"No. I was wondering if you would attend a small gathering of friends, only us Cures, after the party."
"Of course." Mana looked like that was a matter that didn't need asking. "I'm happy you invite all of us every year. It feels like there's more of us every time, right?"
"Not quite every time but some of you have been pretty busy."
"What can I say?" Mana grinned. "You know how great it is to have a daughter."
"At the speed you are going you will need your own island eventually, just for your family."
"Probably."
"As someone who has multiple daughters who have dated-"
"Oh, did Utau finally get her first girlfriend?"
Ako looked like a hammer hit her in the back. "Y-Yes. And I was not at all prepared for it."
"Who is it?" Mana looked back over to the dancing crowd to try and spot the princess.
"It caught me quite by surprise." Ako looked somewhat uneasy. "It's Airin."
"Setsuna's and Ellen's daughter? She's a great girl."
"Yes, it's just… Utau has always been a very good daughter but as of late she's been quite aggressive in wanting to have her private time and more freedom of going to the island."
"Well, Airin lives on the island and they'd not have a quiet moment here at the castle, so that tracks." Mana looked around to make sure Rikka wasn't nearby and quickly stuffed her mouth with a tasty slab of meat.
"Should I give her that freedom? What if it sets a bad precedent? Urara took a long time to settle in as Minor Queen and she's still… well, Urara will always be Urara, and I love her like that, but I don't want Utau to pick up bad tendencies that Urara overcame already."
"I think you're overreacting. She's in love for the first time, probably. She just wants some space to explore it. And with Airin I don't think you have anything to worry about. She might be a bit unique but she's very caring. Almost more so than Meirin."
"If you say so I will take you by your word." Ako looked visibly relived. "I originally thought to ask Love but-"
"She'd be biased towards it because she's Love."
"Exactly."
"So how are things with Utau? Are you planning on involving her in court business?"
"I am thinking of making her an ambassador to Palmier."
"Everything quiet on the political front?"
"Very much. There have been reports about sightings regarding a group called the Notraiders in outer space. Interplanetary pirates, if you will. There is a chance that we will have to crush them should they start bothering us."
"Those poor sods." Mana chuckled. "Just call us when something happens."
"I certainly will. Now, I do have to visit a few of the others, I will talk to you again, later."
"Don't worry about it. I'm enjoying myself."
"Glad to hear it. But do leave some of the meat for the other guests, Mana." Ako smirked wide as she said that and walked away, only to the table next over, about five to six meters out, where Saki and Mai were seated.
"Wonder what the small gathering is all about. After-party?" Mana was thinking out loud as she finished up her plates just in time before Rikka returned.
=== DISSONANCE ===
"Why..." She saw the world quite upside down. "Why am I… in a tree?" Hanging in a large pine tree, her right boot wedged between branches and keeping her from falling, Cure Black found herself in a strange situation. Barely awake or conscious for a little more than ten seconds, she felt nausea like never before. Like someone was stuffing her head through her nose, ear and mouth at all once and it wasn't allowed to burst and just kept expanding, getting more and more bloated.
Hurling upside down at least had the benefit of it coming out easy and away from the rest of her body. The nausea kept going for a while. Die… I'm gonna die… I'll puke myself… huuuuurrr… Going until there was nothing left and then still, Cure Black felt worse than she had ever before. "Just… did Urara rope me into a party… but… huurrrr!" Just trying to think at all made her throw up nothing but foul air and nausea, because there was nothing left.
Nevermind freeing herself, she could barely keep her eyes open as the nausea crashed into her again and again like ocean waves, unending by design. She couldn't tell if it had been five or fifty minutes but she finally managed to go without throwing up motions for a solid thirty seconds, tried to raise up her upper body and immediately regretted it. Coughing, hacking, gagging, she immediately went back to being perfectly upside down, hanging and wishing to never see food again.
Still stuck minutes later, Cure Black noticed something – someone – moving towards her tree. "H-Hey..." Speaking was a whole new can of worms she had just opened.
But the hurling and gagging noises definitely got the attention of the other person. Down below, a few meters away, was Cure Sword, looking like she hadn't seen worse days. Pale, drained and covering her mouth, staggering one step at a time, holding on to whatever was nearby. Looking up was followed by immediately looking down and hurling but nothing much coming out. Raising her right hand just a little, she glanced upward without really raising her head, aimed for a while and sent a small knife like energy blade flying, cutting right through the branches and sending Black into free fall.
With just enough strength to kick the tree, Black propelled herself away from the puke puddle she left by the roots and crashed into the grass and dirt. Her entire world was spinning and it was not helping her condition. Just getting on all fours was difficult. Finding a stretched out hand to take, she took it without thinking. Face to face with another person, she wanted to use words but both their eyes were very clearly telling each other that the only words they'd get out would not really be words.
Sitting down by a particularly huge tree nearby, they just stared at the ground in silence with the occasional gagging motion as another wave of nausea hit. Even now, just thinking was too much. Any use of their head resulted in seemingly all of its contents spilling out.
After a not insignificant amount of time of them just sitting there, the bushes to their left rustled and someone stepped through, branches, leaves and an entire acorn stuck in the long blue hair. Cure Aqua looked like she had taken quite a tumble and there were signs that she had suffered a rather intense nosebleed as remains of blood were smeared about under her nose.
Looking at Black and Sword just sitting there, looking back, she could tell they were doing just as badly as she was. Within a minute they were now a trio of silent Cures, sitting on the ground, hoping the nausea would eventually pass.
The sun was high in the sky and it was hot. They didn't know where they were, what had happened or how they got to this point. Small insects were flying by, sometimes landing on them. The trees were rustling in the wind that should have been comfortable on their faces but only made them feel worse.
It felt like an unthinkable amount of time had passed before they could finally get words out without launching into hurling. Out of them, Sword was the first. "Either of you… where we are?"
Black and Aqua were lightly shook their heads and the blue Cure followed up. "Not the mountains… too hot..."
"Not the beach… wrong trees..." Sword gagged and for a second it looked like she would throw up through her nose.
"Forget where..." Black leaned back and immediately regretted it. Every move was like someone whacked a basket full of eggs with a golf club and her head was the basket. "What happened?"
"Don't make me think..." Sword actively focused on a small pebble down on the ground and turned off her brain.
Taking Sword's resolution to heart, both Aqua and Black focused on a bunch of grass blades and a small line of ants respectively. Sitting there and hoping whatever it was they had would wear off, all three of them found their attention redirected to a fourth arriving at the scene, staggering through the bushes on a large stick used as a crutch. It was Sunshine, looking like someone had grabbed her and wrung her out like a wet towel. "Ya… hi..."
"You too… huh?" Black looked up at Sunshine and was really glad that she could look up without her stomach trying to fly out of her mouth.
"I… saw Rouge earlier… hanging in a tree..." Sunshine sat down across from Black after checking there were no bodily fluids down in the grass. "I came to… half buried…"
"This has to be… Lemonade's fault somehow..." Aqua put her hands together. "Everyone… brace yourself..." Creating water in her hands, drinkable water, Aqua put it to her lips and she felt both disgusted – at the taste in her mouth – and relieved it stayed down. "It helps… you want?"
Sword didn't turn much and just put her hands together, like a bowl, and held them out towards Aqua. Having them filled with cold water, she almost wanted to splash it on her face but she feared the consequences of that. Drinking it she had much the same reaction as Aqua but felt better.
Sunshine got on all fours and crawled forward to get some water. "Can you… douse my hair?" She turned around and revealed that she had landed in something unpleasant. Aqua basically emptied a bucket of water over the hair and cleansed most of it out. But now the ground was wet. Giving Black some water to drink, the four of them went to the side by about a meter to get away from the wet grass.
"So… what do we do?" Aqua asked and repeated the feat of drinking some water without everything inside of her spilling out.
"Find out where we are..." Sword held out her hands again. For the next five minutes they took turns drinking small amounts of water and Sunshine was even brave enough to splash her own face, although it backfired and she fell over, suffering from instant vertigo.
"The sun is not moving..." Aqua pointed that out. "Did the system… break again?"
"Please no..." Black groaned. "Someone turn it off and on again… maybe that'll fix things."
"It's probably not that simple." Aqua generated more water to go around and very slowly they were feeling like they could properly talk and think. "Really though… what happened? I remember… I'm not even sure how to describe this..."
"Like you're watching a movie that skips around?" Sword tried to be helpful.
"Same here..." Black found it impossible to make sense of what was going on in her head.
"Not just skips… it's like there's a whole bunch… bunch of movies… ugh…" Stopping the mental gymnastics, Aqua returned to just be quiet and drinking some water.
"Director's cut… director was… a hamster." Sunshine got some words in and slowly got over her vertigo.
Sitting around and very slowly restoring their mental and physical hit points, the four Cures took solace in not being alone. Sunshine just stayed down and eventually a small blue and pink bird landed on her head and got comfortable there.
"Either I was… really drunk and hallucinated or… I don't know. There's so much stuff crammed in my head." Aqua made more water yet again and finally started to feel like a person. "We should go look for the others."
"When you're lost it is best to stay where you are." Black earned some curious looks for saying this. "What?"
"Nothing." It was just weird to them that Black would say something that responsible.
"The more I try to think about what's in my head… the harder it gets to grasp." Sword sighed. "Like… like catching an eel with your bare hands… and it gets into your clothes, and-" She paused when Aqua and Black gave her really gross looks. "What?"
"Are you sure that isn't some erotic fantasy..." Black looked like she took Sword for that sort of person.
"I am not into that sort of thing."
"The analogy is on point though." Aqua conceded. "It was like… I was in space? In a spaceship? And the next moment I was… no, I must have hit my head."
"You think Pine or Windy messed up testing a new skill?" Sunshine still had a bird sitting on her head.
"Unless Passion also royally messed up at the same time… doubt it." Aqua felt a burp coming and covered her mouth. "That also wouldn't explain the… I have to call it a movie in my head."
"More like all of Netflix and TV combined… surprised I still know who I am with how much was crammed in there. I can't make sense of it at all..." Black earned another look. "Come on, I at least know what Netflix is."
"Let's compare notes. I feel like it's all getting away from me and maybe there is a hint there."
"The most I can still get together is how I feel. It's like trying to watch a movie in a room from outside the room by peeking through a shrinking keyhole." Black was not three for three on saying things that got the others to react to her strangely and at this point she just let it go.
"On three, everyone say the one place that comes to mind most." Aqua paused to take a clear breath. "One, two-"
"An Island." "Island." "Tropical Island." "Southern Island."
There was a long moment of silence. "That can't be a coincidence." Aqua ruled that out right away. "It's foggy and getting away from me but… I remember living on an island."
"Now that you say that… everyone was there, right?" Black scratched her belly. "I was… uh..."
"Married to White." Sword pointed at Black. "I was… I think I was living with Ace. And..."
"You had a daughter." Sunshine was stared at. "What? I remember that. Her name was… was… crud, it's left me."
"Don't leave me hanging like that!" Sword shouted and invite the nausea to strike at her, and it did. "Tell me moruuuuuuuh-" Gagging, she tried to contain herself, literally.
"How would… wait, I'm pretty sure you had a daughter too, Sunshine." Black racked her brain and it showed on her face that she was about to overheat.
"I know I started it but if you're just messing with me-"
"Ran."
The image of a girl briefly flashed through Sunshine's mind and then it was gone. "Argh, I had it, I had it and-" She started gagging from trying too hard.
"Something abnormal happened, that much is clear. Considering how our bodies react if we try to force the issue… let's table it and try to figure out where we are."
Tick-Tock. Tick-Tock. Tick-Tock.
Out of the three of them, only Sunshine felt a shiver go down her back. "Hey… wasn't there someone else with us here?"
"Come on, my head hurts enough as-is." Black rubbed her face and looked past Sunshine, seeing something weird between the trees. What… is that? A silhouette? What… oh it's gone. I must be seeing things.
"No, I'm serious. Weren't there four of us?" Sunshine felt really unwell, different from the nausea that was still sitting in her bones. I could have sworn… no, I'm sure that… there was one more here.
"Do you need more water?" Aqua felt something go through her hair, like someone's hand. Looking over her shoulder, she couldn't see anyone there though.
"What?" Black looked over at her, taking her eyes off of Sunshine.
Tick-Tock.
"Must have been the wind… anyway." Turning towards Black, Aqua held out her hands and was confused when Black didn't cup her hands together. "Change your mind?"
"About what?"
"You wanted water, right?"
"Nah, I'm good. You okay?" Black blinked and from the corner of her eye she saw something flickering between the trees.Following up with a look, she felt an intense, cold touch on her neck. Just what I needed, I'm going crazy out here. I'm not made for being all alone. I need to go and find White.
Standing up, wobbly on her legs, she felt the cold touch again and reached for her neck and touched something that was not her neck. Her eyes sprung wide and she flung about, looking at nothing but thin air behind her. I know I touched something.
Slowly turning around, going full circle twice, she felt something ominous in the air.
Tick-Tock.
The more she focused on it, the worse she felt. Something's… out here… Eyes darting from corner to corner, she lunged forward, kicked the dirt, felt her stomach content coming up and ignored it, and punched the spot she had just stood in. It was pure intuition, instinct, that made her move. And she saw it.
That thing. Flickering like a fading flame, a humanoid shape, distorted beyond recognition of any feature. And although it had no mouth or eyes, she knew it was looking right at her. What… is that? It's giving me a horrible feeling. Like… like I'm a… Instinct once more, she turned around and now there were half a dozen of those things.
And they laughed. A horrible noise that was making her insides cry out. Not because it was too high or piercing her ears. But because that was the sound something made when it was toying with food. One more turn and she saw herself surrounded. Where do they come from?
Tick-Tock.
"Black! Get away from the flickers!" A loud voice came from above and Black looked up, briefly seeing eye to eye with Cure Egret, who was atop a particularly large tree. "They-" Tick-Tock.
"Watch out! Behind-!" Watching Egret disappear in real time, like she was just zapped out of existence, was a disproportionately terrifying sight. No blood, no violence, no cry for help. In the span of a single blink, she was just gone, a flicker now sitting in the spot that she had been in. "What are these things? What did you do to Egret?!" Clenching her fist, Black stepped forward and again it was just a single blink of eye during which a handful of those things were suddenly so close that she could feel their essence on her skin. It was like charcoal ash but cold as the night.
And then there was one.
One.
Watching from the bushes with terror. They got them again… I was too late. I'm always too late. Her hands and legs shaking, her lip quivering, March had seen it all. I need… I need to get out of here. Before… Her eyes wandered to her right, where a flicker was squatting down, looking right at her, the eerie laughter echoing in her head. Before… Her eyes wandered to her left, where a flicker was squatting down, looking right at her, the eerie laughter echoing in her head.
Before… Before… Before… Before… Before… Before… Before…
"They're toying with her..." Watching from afar was Black Lily, using her natural good eyesight and her bow to see further. I'm out of- She blinked and all the flickers on the spot where Black had been disappeared. Shit. Giving up her post, she jumped from tree to tree, hearing the eerie laughter from afar. What the hell are those things? Diamond hit them with one of those silly eraser attacks she's got and she got whisked away instead. Twice now. I need to tell-
Tick-Tock.
It was the sound of nightmares come alive. That pendulum clock swinging noise that those things made haunted them at night. There was no stopping them. They had tried everything. And those things, they knew that they couldn't be stopped. That's why they laughed. They were mocking them. Playing with them. Just like they are playing with March right now… resetting her a second into the past again and again… It's all a sick joke to these things… And we don't even know how long this has been going on. Rosetta only remembers back a few days and Passion a couple of days beyond that… we… we could have been here for weeks already… more, maybe…
Uncertainty was a deep and dark hole to fall into. Black Lily fled as fast as she could, fleeing to the east. The days in this place, in this seemingly endless forest, at least seemed normal. At least I think so… it's possible I've been caught by these things and don't even know it… spent the same noon ten times over…
Reaching a particularly huge mountain she climbed up in a frenzy, jumping dozens of meters, landing, only to jump immediately again, trees, rock formations and then snow rushing past her. When snow was replaced by ice and her breath created huge white clouds with every draw, she was getting closer slowly. This was the safest space they knew of. The only place they had never seen the flickers come. And through her scope she could see far and wide from up there.
Bitter cold ravaged her face and skin, even as a Cure, and she was still climbing. The mountain was enormous and as far as they could tell, none that were anything like it existed within sight from the top in any direction. Rosetta had estimated the mountain to be at least two thousand meters higher than Mount Fuji – not that this meant anything to Black Lily, who had never seen that particular mountain, but everyone else agreed that this was a gargantuan climb and impossible without Cure powers. Even the flickers would take days to get all the way up there and that was likely why they didn't.
Reaching near the top, she slowed down and looked around. There was nothing but snow, wind and ice up here. No life, nothing at all. Even the rock of the mountain was swallowed up by the freezing white of the altitude. Now where is the thing… Walking for a bit and starting to feel pretty cold, Black Lily looked for a specific thing. And she found it. An icicle that grew out of the ground instead of from some rock overhang. Checking the area surrounding it, she found another, and a third, and a fourth. Following the trail to a frozen over wall. Knocking on it thrice, she waited for about five minutes. Then the wall moved apart, like a secret door, and she was let inside.
Mist immediately obfuscated her view a little and she heard voices from inside. I feel like returning to the hideout of rebels. Looking to her left, she was face to face with Beauty, who closed the ice wall back up, locking all of them in. Ahead of her stretched a large cave that contained a natural hot spring. Here and there were small torches, very slowly burning on thick branches. It was rather hot inside and it felt even hotter after the freezing temperatures outside. Water drops fell from the stalactites – some of the stalagmites were used as holders for torches. The cave had become their home. Nobody knew exactly how long they had been here. Sometimes someone ended up being caught by the flickers so they abandoned all attempts of trying to tell who and when they had first come here.
"Any luck?" Someone up ahead asked her, sitting on a rock formation that had been cut into the shape of stools and a table. The voice belonged to Pine.
"Sorry, no." Black Lily shook her head and headed to her right, where a small and separate cave could be reached through a hole in the ground. It was the only moderately dry room in their little base and it served to store their clothes. There were several reasons for undressing and turning off their powers.
First and foremost, through repeat experiments they had figured out that the flickers were drawn to magical energy. They were very high up a very tall mountain but that was no guarantee. A bunch of Cures all together was like a distant signal flare.
Second, it turned out that Cures were absolutely susceptible to getting sick from long term walking around in damp and wet clothing. Not to mention that getting into a hot spring with clothes was a problem. Beauty had been sniffling for days.
Third, and last, this was something that Yami had found out the hard way, going back outside in damp and wet clothes was like being frozen alive. Putting the clothes in the only dry room and leaving them there ensured that while they were warm, they were not more wet that just the tiniest bit of damp when going outside.
Stripping naked – to their dismay it had turned out the nonsensical system enforcement of the new way to turn into a Cure had not been dismantled – Yami used the ladder that had been supplied and climbed up. Few of them minded. They had seen each other naked in the baths or almost naked at the beach and the mist of the hot spring made it difficult to see anything too clearly to begin with.
The rock ground had been flattened by March, who was no longer with them, having been caught by the flickers while trying to rescue others. Hot water that spilled over from the hot spring and the general air temperature helped make it comfortable to walk about bare footed. Climbing into the hot spring, Yami sighed. "I saw Black, Sword, Sunshine and Aqua. But the flickers got to them before I could."
There was collective groaning. Aqua was important. She could create drinking water from nothing, so they would no longer have to take the risk of bringing in snow and ice from the outside. Beauty's magic ice dissolved into magic when melted and did not result in water, unfortunately.
"I also saw March but she… was being toyed with by the flickers."
The current population of the cave was only nine people. Yami, who was tasked with going outside a lot because of her superior eyesight and ability to launch magic strikes far away. Not only did that distract the flickers, it would also catch the attention of other Cures that might be out there. Reika, who handled security, Inori, who handled analysis and trying to unravel what had happened to all of them, Saki, was lamented not being very useful, Mai, whose speed was a great asset in scouting but also made her prone to running into flickers without seeing them.
There was also Akane, who was essential to staying alive up there due to her ability to make torches and turn ice into drinking water. The largest of the caves in the ceiling was used for that purpose. Just melting ice found on a mountain wasn't safe, so they had to filter out bacteria and such by vaporizing the water and then catching it again.
The last three members were Miki, who was good at expanding the cave little by little, Ako and a constantly worried Yayoi. Not everyone was able to make themselves useful so they often let Inori probe their minds and slept off the effects of that.
Right at this moment, only Inori, Ako, Reika and Yami were awake. Everyone had completely messed up sleep schedules as staying inside a cave really screwed their perception of time. "But from the looks of it, Aqua was not doing so good, so I think I narrowed down the rough location she gets reset to."
"That's great!" Inori got up from her table and really wished she had something to take proper notes and not keep it all in her head or carve important details into rock walls with her daggers. "It will make things much easier for Akane."
"I saw something… weird though." Yami slid down further into the water. It was fairly deep, all things considered. This was Saki's one major contribution, slapping a bit stone slab into the hot spring so it was actually possible to sit down. "I spotted March observing the other four and she was being messed with by the flickers. It's like they are getting smarter."
"That's not good. If they have the capacity to learn that means they're more intelligent than I thought. Worse still, it means they're not just some magically produced attack by someone, but actually some kind of living thing."
"Great, more bad news." Ako had already been in the hot springs and sighed. "Any sight of Urara?"
"Nope." Yami shrugged, attempted to sink fully into the hot spring and stopped. Getting back out, she moved to the far corner of the cave where a small half-pipe structure was carved into the rock. Picking up an almost head sized rock from the ground she struggled a bit to lift it over her head and stuffed it in the way of the water that came out of the wall, and was flowing into the hot spring. The temporary redirection turned the far corner into an improvised shower zone. "Sorry about that." Everyone was supposed to rinse off dirt, snow and ice before getting into the hot spring but she was still learning about customs like that.
It was not so much really a shower as it was a thick stream of water that hammered down on her, like someone was emptying an enormous bucket over her. Shaking herself like a dog after a few seconds of exposure, she wildly went through her hair with her hands and shook again before she stepped aside and pulled the rock back down, nearly falling down with it. "Everyone else here?"
"Mai went out. We know where I get reset so if I don't come back, she said." Ako sat up and climbed out of the hot spring. There was very little to do for her and it drove her mad. "I'm going to sleep."
Sleeping was not the most comfortable thing but it beat losing their minds over boredom and fretting over the flickers. A separate cave that had originally not been connected to the hot spring one served as a collective bedroom. It was still filled with mist and so it was a little like going to sleep in a mild sauna. It had been Komachi who had made several two way trips to procure something to sleep on before eventually getting grabbed by the flickers. Ever since then the flickers had flooded to the region Komachi had come to.
Leaving the hot spring cave, climbing up a small incline – Miki had taken great care to create a bit of a natural barrier for the mist – and then down a small decline, Ako reached a relatively small but less misty cave that served as beedroom. Every step was feathered by an uncountable number of leafs, vines, moss carpets and things she didn't recognize. There was a small number of pelts spread around that served a distinct bed spots. Nobody felt especially good about this but letting the hide of the things they hunted to eat go to waste was even worse.
Miki was, other than being good at expanding the cave, also good at hunting since her abilities let her take out prey with minimum suffering. Said girl was asleep near the entrance and woke up just as Ako walked past her. "Hey..." Yawning, Miki sat up and felt her body ache. It wasn't nearly as good as a real bed or mattress, but it beat sleeping on rocks or the ground. "Anyone new come back?"
"No." Ako stopped and looked down at Miki. "Are you getting up?"
"Yeah. Time to go and find us something to eat."
"Be careful."
"You know where to find me if I get caught."
"Yeah. Don't get caught."
"I'll try." Miki got up and stood next to Ako. Despite both of them being naked, there was not a shred of attraction or embarrassment between them. "Want my spot?"
"Thanks."
"Hopefully see you later."
"Good luck."
Going back to the main cave, Miki yawned loudly and announced her presence that way. With how bad things were, there was a limit on caring about perfection. She was already spending quite some time naked around others in a cave, caring about appearances was superfluous at this point. "Morning? Is it morning?"
"It's closer to evening." Inori was in the hot spring together with Yami, who was on the verge of falling asleep in the water. Beauty had just gone to undress but seeing that Miki was up, she stopped. "Beauty, can you let me out in like five minutes? If the sun is going down, I need to hurry. Too dangerous to hunt in the dark but we need to eat something."
"That will not be a problem."
"Any new discoveries, Inori?"
"Some. The flickers seem to be learning. I'm also ninety-nine percent sure that other than my [Domination], there was no mental tampering. So I'm at a dead-end regarding what happened."
"Everyone here can't shake the feeling we're forgetting something important. But there's no magic something messing with you?"
"To the best of my ability, that's right. If Hikari was here, maybe I could do more. Maybe. But [Domination] isn't exactly made to delve into memories. Maybe Kaoru would have more luck."
The last thing they all remembered clearly was going to sleep and then waking up out in the wilderness with enough nausea to feel like dying. Inori had done her best to figure things out since but luck wasn't on their side.
"Kaoru? Was she that good at mental stuff?""
"She has a different focus than I do. I take over, impose myself on someone else, but Kaoru basically works like a surgeon of the mind."
"Hm… Other than you or Kaoru, I hope we find Ayumi soon. I just have this impression that she'll be able to provide some answers."
"I don't know about that. If the flickers catch her, they could trap her by repeatedly sending her back. Even Ayumi won't be able to use her powers right away when she's feeling as sick as we did. Thinking about it, it's actually highly likely that if the flickers are intelligent, like Yami reported, they will keep her trapped."
"What are we gonna do then?"
"They might be smart but if we get someone that can generate a huge magic field like Komachi, Alice or even Rin, we can lure them away. It's risky, yes, but we have no way of actually fighting them."
"And we tried everything. Physical attacks just do nothing and magical attacks backfire really hard."
Inori paused for a moment. "The only saving grace is that they're not very fast. Even the slower ones of us can outrun them if we see them coming."
"If being the key term here."
"The main problem is that we are forced to act independently." Eyeing Beauty in the corner, Inori really wanted Miki to get out already. "I know it doesn't really help, but I've come up with a theory on what actually happens." I can't help myself… Even though she wanted Miki to go, she had to share her thoughts to avoid going stir crazy.
"Let's hear it."
"When those things touch you, they drain time from you. It's like taking water out of a bottomless cup that is continuously being filled. It returns to a less full state than before. That's the assumption I've been under at first. But with everything that happened lately and some of Yami's far-sight observations, I now think that not only do they drain the time from someone, they also drain the influence that someone had in the drained time on anyone nearby." Inori paused to let that information sink in.
Then she continued. "So if two of us are next to each other and one is reset, the other loses all memories corresponding to the drained time period of the one that was reset. From what I can tell from Yami's and Mai's observations, the radius for this is only a few meters. But that makes operating in a group really terrifying. If someone right next to you is reset, you won't even remember they've been reset or there in the first place. If you were reset right now, I wouldn't remember anything about you since the moment we both woke up in this place."
"Knowing the effective area helps. But this definitely works against us. Far enough away and we know someone got reset. Right next to us and we won't be the wiser until we come back here. And I was thinking of having Saki come with me to hunt a boar or two. Power isn't really an issue for any of us but even we only have two hands."
"You can both hunt independently." Inori looked towards Yami, who was on the verge of trying to sleep underwater. "Rei, can you get her to the other room?"
"I wi-" Cutting herself off, Beauty faked a cough. "Sure."
Seeing that, and waiting until Beauty had gone to the next room, carrying Yami, Miki smirked. "You and Reika is the weirdest hookup… is what I wanna say but it probably doesn't even make top three."
"Gee, thanks. Is that what it looks like over in sexy giraffe country?" Two can play this game.
"I like what I like." Miki didn't back away.
"So do I. She was available, so there's no problem there."
Miki's grin grew wider. "How convenient that you're both all alone, what with everyone else asleep."
Inori stepped forward and lightly punched Miki's arm. "If you get it, then get going already."
"I hope I'll find Yuri soon."
"Yeah yeah, we get it, you're horny for your giraffe girlfriend."
"You've gotten really rude ever since you hooked up with Reika!"
"I've always been rude in my thoughts. Now go, get going, shoo shoo."
"Love is gonna have a field day with this."
"Don't you dare tell her when you do find her."
"Hm, I wonder what I should do-"
"Don't make me use my ability on you."
"You wouldn't dare."
"Would I?" Inori tried her best evil expression and failed spectacularly, looking like a clown in pain instead.
Miki burst into laughter. "You so do not have the… anything! You should never do-" Miki was shoved by an angrily blushing Inori and retaliated by picking her up, thanks to superior height and training, and threw her into the hot spring.
Within a second Beauty had appeared in the room, wielding a long sword in one hand and a battle axe in another. "Is it the flickers?!"
"No, Inori just… slipped." Miki laughed again when Inori came up and glared at her with a wet, droopy look. "You look like angry seaweed!"
"Rei, get her outta here before I show this bean pole just how angry I can-" Splashing about, she slipped on the stone slab and crashed down into the water.
Beauty was still adjusting – even days and days after she first slept with Inori – to all of this. The situation itself was so much easier for her to deal with than being in a relationship with Inori and the constant reminder from her to push herself to break out of the unhealthy patterns she had created. It was so stressful and exciting that getting reset by the flickers felt like a paltry, small issue compared. It consumed her every waking moment.
"Come." Beauty pulled Miki with her towards the entrance.
While the cave was sealed up at the big entrance, there were many much, much smaller holes that at most a Corgi could fit through. Those were necessary to let at least some of the water mist escape and also let air in. According to Reika, the air was unusually thick with oxygen for their altitude, which came as a relief to the rest of them. There were a number of unusual aspects about the mountain.
The hot spring itself was one – fed by a stream of hot water that erupted from a powerfully pressured hole in the walls and filled a deep hole that had small exits at the very bottom. That was normally not how those things worked. Beyond that, caves at that altitude, especially caves so big, were unusual to say the least. Some of them, Inori in particular, feared that it was all too good to be true and that it was a trap that would eventually snap at them in the form of a flicker attack.
But even then, what was the point? The flickers did not truly hurt them. Resetting them backwards in time, everything was forced to return to an earlier point. Physical location and condition of the Cure, mental state, memories, everything. But whether it was a side effect of possibly getting reset, they all knew they had lost track of strange memories they were dealing with when they woke. Inori only knew that she forgot something but it was already far too late to say what it was.
But what bothered Inori the most was the situation as a whole. While it was terrifying to see people get reset over and over, she couldn't find any averse effects caused by it. The forests provided food and while it was dangerous to hunt with the flickers about, they had found a secure seeming base. There was no doubt in her mind that they were still in the pocket world that they had inhabited for over a month now.
"Trying hard, aren't you?" Miki was getting dressed and talked to Beauty, who stood back in the main cavern, waiting for Miki to become Berry and come back up. "Not that that's bad. It's funny to see Inori get all riled up, snark at me and let her emotions go wild. And you know, you actually feel like a member of our group now."
"Your group?"
"Yeah. This fun little outfit called the living." Miki chuckled. "Sorry if that offends you. I just think the two of you are cute in how strongly you're trying to change. Well..." Miki paused and finished her transformation. "You could let up a little bit, it sometimes looks like your heads are ready to pop off."
"P-Pop off?"
"Whoooosh." Berry jumped up and gestured lift off for her own head. "Like you'll overheat. There is nothing wrong with changing if you want to, but remember that you sometimes need to let up or you'll lose track of where you wanted to go. At least I think that's what Love would say."
"What Love would say?"
"Without her here, I gotta keep the two of you from exploding."
Beauty smiled. "Thank you. I think?"
"Also-" Berry leaned in close to her fellow blue. "Take good care of Inori for me. She always has everyone's back, so now it's our turn to make sure she's fine."
"I wi-" Beauty stopped and felt embarrassed, what with Berry snickering in front of her. "Yeah. N-No prob."
Berry had to cover her own mouth to avoid laughing loudly. "I think it's fine if you pick Karen or Alice as a role model. You so don't fit the mold of our more energetic types."
Looking down and grabbing her skirt, Beauty felt very embarrassed. "R-Right." This is so difficult… way harder than diffusing a bomb or hacking into a bank…
Heading to the entrance, Beauty opened the frosty gates – hot air and mist flowed out like from a breaking dam immediately. The cold air assailed her and despite being a Cure of ice, she felt pretty cold.
"See you later." Berry stepped out and looked past Beauty. "And tell the angry seaweed to take it easy!" Shouting intentionally so Inori would hear, Berry turned away as someone inside hurled angry comments at her. They're so cute. Trying too hard too quickly, but cute. If they last it'll be pretty funny. Now… hah… I hate going down the mountain. I could jump off and fall down in one go but there's the risk of landing right on a flicker. So I guess it's the long way. Jumping ahead, she made her way down like a super powered rabbit.
Beauty was the only one who didn't put her clothes into the dry room – she never really went out because she was needed to open and close the ice gate. Without it, it would be damp and cold in the cave and not suitable to long term habitation at all. But that also meant she had to assume her Cure form rather often, which caused her clothes to get pretty wet from the water mist.
"Finally alone." Strongly grabbing Beauty's sides, Inori tightly wrapped her arms around her girlfriend, like a hungry snake ensnaring its prey. Hands found their way under cloth very quickly now; Inori had memorized every little opening and bit to pull on, maximizing how quickly she could strip Beauty down.
For as much as she tried to change, she still couldn't push back when Inori was taking the lead. She hadn't been able to do that with Nao and she was still failing to do so with Inori. Somewhere deep inside, she was content with this. Despite all her fighting prowess, convictions and beliefs, when it came to romance, she was the subservient one. It was kind of exciting to let someone push her into things.
Pulling Beauty a few steps back, Inori made her sit down on the damp, smooth and slightly wet rock. It's just like Rei. Thinking some dirty thoughts by herself, Inori smiled as she used her teeth to pull off Beauty's gloves. While the blue Cure sat back, Inori got to work on her boots, pulling them off one by one, running her hands over her leg's inner sides before spreading her legs by force and grabbing hold of the center piece, pulling it over Beauty's head. As Cure outfits went, panties were usually included but a bra was not always present. Beauty in particular however wore a very tight fitting corset under her top, keeping her breasts contained and in place no matter the activity. At this point the transformation came undone completely, which was only really visible through the change in hair.
Instead of going around her new girlfriend, Inori sat down on her lap, pushing her own chest against Reika's and reached over her shoulders. "This is always such fun to take off."
It is quite a pain to put back on… Reika shivered when she felt Inori's already very erect nipples almost bore their way through the fabric of her corset. She has such a lewd body… Although doing it as Cures is even sexier… something about her clothes and behavior just… entice me, as a Japanese.
Removing the corset, Inori very much enjoyed the initial little bounce that Reika's breasts did. Taking them into her hands, they overflowed between her fingertips and what she enjoyed even more than the soft sensation was Reika's stiff and muffled moan. Sticking her left index and middle finger into Reika's mouth, Inori forced her to open wide just before she grabbed as hard as she could.
"Aaaah!" The moan's intensity only matched by the embarrassment written all over Reika's face, Inori was satisfied. Pulling her fingers from Reika's mouth, she licked them herself. Ugh… that's a bit much… As much as she pushed herself, there were certain things she was still building tolerance to.
Taking off what little remained of her Cure outfit – accessories and detached sleeves – Inori had stripped Reika naked in a matter of minutes. Grabbing her hand, Inori got up and pulled so much so that it did not look like she was inviting Reika – she was demanding her to follow.
Even Inori knew that climbing backward into a hot spring with no stairs was a bad idea so she briefly let go and went in first, standing by the edge and holding out her hand as a sign of help.
Reika hesitated. Not because she was embarrassed – if that were stopping her she would have fainted already. But because she knew full well this was a trap and trying to not take Inori's hand would just result in Inori leaping forward and grabbing her hand all the same. Carefully taking Inori's hand, Reika braced herself… and nothing happened. Inori just helped her into the hot spring. Thank- The moment she relaxed, she thought herself safe, her instinct flared up. But it was too late.
Pulling as hard as she could, Inori caused Reika to fall forward, collide with her and they both slammed into the water, fully submerged. In the at best mildly lit cave, going underwater was an experience of near perfect darkness.
Feeling Inori's lips on her own, Reika's sides touched the stone slab and the two of them lightly bounced up and down. Inori's hands moved from her sides down to her butt, then to her hips, the insides of her legs and finally right between her legs, where one hand's fingers just vanished. Bubbles of air escaped Reika when she felt that and Inori did her best to seal up the leakage right away.
Hot water mixed with even hotter tongues in Reika's mouth. But what occupied her most were Inori's hands. One was accounted for and increasingly hard to not go crazy over, while the other was nowhere to be felt and that made Reika anxious. And then the curtain dropped. Two fingers very softly ran over her neck and Reika moaned underwater into their feverishly prolonged kiss. So much so that she ran out of air and had to go up. When it came down to it, it was easy for her to push Inori away so she could rise to the surface and gasp for air. Hot, misty breath filled her lungs and Inori very slowly rose from the water as well, like a river demon ready to snare its prey.
As she stood up, Inori's hands traveled from Reika's legs to her hips and then above, cupping a feel of her breasts, then tightly squeezing only to release when Reika seemed ready to open her mouth, letting them bounce. Teasing her girlfriend like that was really not what Inori preferred but she wanted to give the aggressive, turbulent love making a few more days before she called her study closed and made a decision.
Leaning forward, Reika kissed Inori's shoulder, then her neck, tasting the slightly sulfuric water on her skin, causing her tongue to tingle with the faintest amount of pain. Holding on to her shoulders tighter, Reika went for the slight back of her neck, hesitating for a moment and biting her softly.
Excited by Inori's almost violent like caressing, Reika had her eyes half closed. Spending a minute riling each other up more and more, she was panting and for just a moment she looked down, past Inori's near perfect skin and she saw something that caused her eyes to fly wide open.
But as she looked again, all she saw was a white discoloration on the stone slab they stood on. A white that was very familiar to her somehow. What is that? "Ino, wait." Pushing Inori away, Reika squatted, which was enough to barely keep her nose out of the water, and fished in the water for the white thing. "What…" Reika looked at a white, soggy mess. And then she realized what it was. "P-Panties?"
"Huh?" Inori hadn't paid very close attention to what Reika was doing but now stood next to her and looked at the white underwear that she was holding. "Where did they even… you don't think someone was in here with us and just got reset?" Inori felt a strong chill and looked all around her, not seeing anything like a flicker.
"Would… we have been doing this if someone was here?" Reika used rule of elimination to kill the prospect of someone in the hot spring just having been reset. "No, I don't think someone just got reset. Where did-" Reika paused. "Wasn't Yami in here earlier?"
"You think she forgot to take off her underwear?"
"The alternative is that perhaps Ako-"
"No way."
"What about one of the others? There's no telling how long they have been here. They might be from someone that did get reset..."
"When we get reset it resets our clothes with us. I remember that Mai observed that with Honoka. She caught a glimpse of her bathing in a river, undressed, and there was no trace of her clothes later, after the flickers left."
"So they must belong to someone here…"
"I'm just glad it was panties and not a flicker that you saw in the water."
"Would a flicker come up through the hot spring? Do they travel underground? I am aware they can pass through walls, but do they have infinite permeation?"
Inori sighed. "Put those away and… let's just sit down. This kind of killed the mood."
Reika nodded and started to get out of the water, producing a loud splash – Tick-Tock – as she went and put the panties on a nearby rock. I'll just ask the others if someone is perhaps missing their panties. It was likely Yami. I cannot imagine the others doing something like this.
Cute butt. I've never really seen it from this angle. Inori was leaning against the side of the hot spring – it really was just a big natural basin – and admired Reika's butt. "Rei, how much do you work out?"
Using Rei and Ino really just fed into their desire to change up who they were. Both of them had a knack for being polite and were pretty smart, so using silly shortenings of their names like that made them feel different.
"Before coming to this space I trained every day. Why do you-" She could feel Inori's eyes on her rear now. "Stop ogling m-my a- my butt!"
Inori snorted. "Ogling? What are you, an old woman? Come here." Waving for Reika to join her in the water, Inori turned about and sat down. "I'm glad I'm not on my own with this situation. I'd go crazy."
"I can relate. This is not an enemy we can fight, which is certainly bothersome." Reika climbed back into the hot spring and felt regret. If I hadn't picked up those panties, Ino and I could be… Blushing a little, Reika's thoughts were on full display for her partner.
Nudging up against the young lady from the side, Inori forced a bit of a smirk. Finding her girlfriend's hand underwater, she forced their fingers together. "Honestly… much obliged you kept trying with me even though everything has gone down the drain once again. I'm getting used to being in constant crisis mode."
"I do wish that things would calm down. Perhaps once we get back to the hotel we can… focus on ourselves."
Inori leaned in, reached and tapped Reika's lips with her free hand. "You're talking like a lady robot again, Rei."
Enjoying their bath together, the noises of the water, their own bemusement and the splashes they made obfuscated something important.
Tick-Tock. Tick-Tock.
Squatting, kneeling, standing all above the Cures were flickers, more defined than ever before, with clear limbs, clear heads, but no faces. The only one that was awake to see this happen was Yayoi, who stared at the scene from the corner of the cave with utmost horror. Her heart was hammering so hard that her vision as tinted by red and blurry. Her throat refused to obey her and she couldn't blink. She didn't want to risk blinking.
What… what are they doing? They're just… watching everyone else. One… two… three… She counted them in her head, using her fingers to force her eyes to stay open. Twelve… thirteen… fourteen… why are there… so many of them… Yayoi shrieked in her mind, her nose running with snot, tears pearling down her cheeks, when one of the flickers, the one closest to her, turned about. S-Stay away! Her breath haphazard, frantic, her entire body shaking with fear. For all their powers, all their specialties and abilities, there was nothing they could do against these things, and she knew it.
The flicker that looked right at her raised one arm to her face. Yayoi could make out distinct fingers on the thing now. And for just a moment, for a tiny little fraction of time, the flicker had an almost face – and it shushed Yayoi with big, empty eyes, barely distinguishable from anything else on what was just almost a face.
Tick-Tock. Tick-Tock. Tick-Tock. Tick-Tock. Tick-Tock. Tick-Tock.
=== DISSONANCE ===
"This is wrong, this is all wrong." Frantically flinging her hands at a floating bubble that showed a forest from far above, Entity looked like she had seen much better days. Her skin was so pale that it looked almost painted on – her eyes were surrounded by black rings, there were stains of blood having run from the corners of her eyes and her face was showing shallow cuts – ruptures – in a number of places. "This shouldn't have happened… I completed the sea of dreams, so why… why would the physical structure of reality become so distorted? Did one of those girl's abilities interfere? No, that isn't possible, even a thousand of them couldn't stand up to my power… so what happened?" Touching the void in front of her, a large square appeared that showed nothing but nonsensical mixes of colors and shapes.
"Entity, what's going on?" Eternal, dressed in a black bodysuit and looking similarly damaged, was just a few steps behind Entity. Echo was right by her side, a mightily pissed expression on her face.
"Something… someone? I don't know. The restoration process of [Missing Power of the Immaterial] was interrupted or corrupted somehow and it warped the entire physical dimensions of this place. But I have no idea what could have caused it. To top it all off, the time and thought eaters that Echo made are running amok."
"What?" Echo looked surprised and stepped forward, taking a look at the observation screen that Entity was handling. "They should have been erased when you commenced the compression of time and space. It's not like anything but us could survive without a physical plane of reality."
"Time is so corrupted that every second we spend in here varies between a fraction of a second and a day out there. And look at this!" Entity touched the void to her left and another magic display showed a rapidly cascading montage of all sorts of situations. "Even the sea of dreams itself has become corrupted. They should have waken up none the wiser, remembering nothing. The sea of dreams should influence their subconsciousness, drive them to decisions they would not make normally to create a future that could not be."
So that is what the sea of dreams does.
"I'm not you, I can't make a lot of sense of this. You have all the analytical power." Echo clicked her tongue.
"They are remembering. Those closest to the origin point of restoration remember the most vividly but their minds can't handle millions and millions of futures condensed down and shoved into their brains. So after a short while they filter it out."
"You sure you should be telling us all of this?" Eternal stood back with worried look on her face.
"The mission comes first. Ensuring that the future envisioned by the sea of dreams comes to pass takes priority over the information limitation regarding you two."
"I see." Eternal took a couple of steps forward, still remaining behind Entity.
"How… how do I fix this?" Entity was frantically searching for a solution. "Should I just destroy the physical dimension? No, what if it doesn't rebuild? It's so corrupted, even if I try to stabilize it by freezing the spatial anchor… the TATE are making it all worse still. First we need to get rid of those. Echo, can you go-"
"I made them. I can snuff them out."
"You'll be subject to the time corruption so be careful. I think that right now they might even be able to affect you."
"You're kidding. You think something I made can actually hurt me?"
"There's no telling what might happen."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence. This will be over in a flash." Echo dissipated into white particles and vanished into nothingness.
"This entire situation is impossible… is this interference by the cosmic powers? Even she can't predict them… at most she could stall them, so it is possible that they interfered with the reconstruction… but to what purpose? They wouldn't care about which future we direct them to… No, it makes no sense… but do they follow logic? If I can't fix this… what if we have to use [Ten Desires]? No, it's too early to consider that. Maybe I could use [Scarlet Rhapsody] to enforce a new set of natural law… but what if the conflicting states of nature cause the whole physical realm to break? I don't have any more of their souls with me, if they all perish then this will all have been for nothing… no, I can't risk that."
"Do you want me to use [Non-Perception of Natural Law]?"
"What?" Entity turned about with great surprise in her eyes. "You have the Hisoutensoku? I thought Echo… No, doesn't matter. Don't. If anything, that's gonna make things worse… erasing the existing laws of nature and… no, it's too dangerous. They could all perish instant if you do that."
"That would be a pity." Eternal sighed. "What do you want me to do then? Grab all of them and store them in a time pocket?"
"That's… that could work. You have access to [Palace of Earth's Spirits], right?"
"Most of its function, yeah."
"Use that."
"Why that? Why not just stuff them into a chronostasis pocket?"
"It could blow the entire temporal realm apart."
"I see." Eternal stepped up next to Entity and looked at the various screens. "So, my dear sister, you want me to grab the girls while Echo gets rid of the flickers?"
"That would be best. The main problem is that while you maintain [Palace of Earth's Spirits], you can't also use the [Non-Perception of Natural Law]."
Eternal smirked. "You think too little of us, Entity. Echo and I, we might not have access to the greatest of abilities, but we are more than capable of using two or three at them simultaneously. Strange that you wouldn't know about that."
"She didn't tell me that you could… well, it was not something I needed to know. Then please, collect them and keep them safe. Then we can reset natural law to what it should be."
"You owe us for this, Entity." Eternal smiled and dissipated into pitch black particles, deeper than the void, before she vanished.
Continuing to observe the world, Entity felt something in the back of her mind; doubt. Why would she give Echo and Eternal the ability… the needed ability, to use two of the great powers at once? Not even a hundred or a thousand of these Cures could stand against either of them even with just a single of the great powers. Using two… is there some kind of combination effect necessary for the future to pass? Did she foresee this? No, I would know. I would have known. So why…
Noticing that the Cures were still out and about, Entity rapidly changed the outlook of her observation. Where are you, Eternal? Echo? What is happening? Did something block you from entering the corrupted space? No, nothing could possibly… perhaps the cosmic powers, but what do they stand to gain? The future she envisioned is one of perfection, even for the balance of the universe.
Watching the world from above, Entity frantically looked for Echo and Eternal. I can't find any trace of them. Where are they? They are instrumental in this plan. She cannot afford to lose them. I must find them. Stepping back from the displays, Entity focused her power inward. [Record of the Secret Deep]!
And she found them. But why-
Blood gushed from her mouth like a tidal wave. The cause was a fist that penetrated through her chest, having smashed her heart. And she felt just a single presence behind her. Why…? H-How…?
The presence behind her got closer, a full arm going through Entity's chest now, any skin and cloth obfuscated by blood and gore. "Ah… this was so easy. So easy. You never suspected a thing until it was far too late." A creepy, unsettling chuckle came from behind Entity. "And now..."
"Don't… do this…" Entity was still alive despite what was happening to her. "You can still ask her for forgiveness. She… she will-"
The presence got so close that she could whisper into Entity's ear now. "She will do nothing. It is my turn now. And with your powers, I will shape the future. But too bad you won't be here to see it."
"You… can't kill me. Nothing… can kill us… We are… like her and-"
"Who said anything about killing you?" An amused laugh reached Entity's ears. "No. I guess I misspoke. You will be here… in a way. As part of me."
"You… you can't-" Her words were cut off as monstrous shadows descended on her.
=== DISSONANCE ===
Seeing a friendly face, she slightly raised her hand and waved as said friend approached. "Morning..." Letting out a hearty yawn, she leaned back, feeling like she wanted to go back to bed.
"Didn't sleep well, Nagisa?" Infected by the yawn, she too opened her mouth wide but covered up with her hand. "Geez, you're spreading it."
"You look like you've seen better days, too, Miki." Nagisa looked down on her breakfast plate and scratched the back of her head rather furiously.
"Showering helps."
"Ha ha." Nagisa grimaced. "It's not that. It's like… I got an itch in my head."
Miki sat down next to Nagisa and looked at her with big curious eyes. "Like you know you need to put something on a shopping list but can't remember what and it is driving you crazy."
"Overly specific but… yeah, kinda. Pretty much."
Sitting together at one of the many tables in the hotel's dining room, Nagisa and Miki looked at one another. "Probably just all the crap that's happening lately." Miki sighed and leaned back in her chair. "Ugh, I need coffee but I'd have to get up for that."
"How's your training going?"
"Ugh."
"That good, huh?"
"Your's?"
Nagisa said nothing and looked away with a spectacular expression on her face. "I want the good old days back when we just came up with new abilities on the spot."
"Hah." Miki leaned back even further and looked up at the ceiling. "The stronger we get the more we specialized. Throwing our powers into a big pot and mixing or using barely figured out moves to handle things worked back then and would probably still work against whatever stupid invading enemies show up, but against each other? Not so much."
"You sound like Honoka. Stop it."
"Blame Yuri."
"Will do. Speaking of Yuri-"
"Still in bed."
"Honoka too."
"I only peeled myself out of bed because… honestly I don't even know."
"Trouble in paradise?"
"Not that. I guess you could say I feel uneasy? Coming down here hasn't changed a thing."
Nagisa switched up how she sat and flinched. "Ow." Pulling up the left leg of her pants, she found a big bruise. "The heck? Where did that come from?"
"Pull a muscle?"
"Ha ha."
"It's not as bad as a bruise but for some reason my hair smells like hot springs. Really strongly. Like I spent two weeks at a hot springs inn."
"Use Yuri's shampoo by mistake?"
"We use the same shampoo."
"Dunno then."
"Probably one of Erika's pranks."
"She still mad that you made Yuri break things off with her sister?"
"How do you even know about that?´"
"Sometimes you all say stuff that makes it sound like I'm stupid."
"Sorry. Next to Honoka- well."
"Oh I get it, next to Honoka I do look stupid sometimes but I graduated high school with good grades, you know?"
"I get what you mean. I'm pretty smart-"
"Braggart."
"But next to Yuri and Inori I feel like I didn't even go to high school. Can't imagine what Mana and Regina must feel like next to Rikka."
"She's in a different league even compared to Honoka. Have you heard her try to explain her powers?"
"Might as well be science fiction."
"Honoka was telling me about it."
"About what?" Honoka appeared, holding a cup of coffee and wearing almost pajamas, from behind them, having snuck up on the pair.
"Morning." Miki greeted Nagisa's girlfriend.
"Rikka's powers."
Honoka flapped her lips and sighed. "That is one heavy topic this early in the morning."
"You understand how they work?" Miki was curious.
Honoka sat at the table and sighed again. "Some of it? I'm more knowledgeable in other sciences, not… I am not even sure I know what to call it. Super advanced meta state particle physics? Possibly applied energy quantum physics? It's not exactly a real science since she's the only one capable of even doing what she is doing."
"I wonder if Inori understands this stuff." Miki considered it. "But probably not. When our resident scientist doesn't get it, then-"
"Just being a scientist doesn't mean you understand every area of science. Chemists and Physicists are both scientists but their areas of expertise are totally different. It's like a motorcycle mechanic and a formula one mechanic."
"Hm. Okay. I don't really get the difference." Miki had never even watched formula one.
"Not a formula fan?" Nagisa on the other hand, knew the difference.
"Don't see the appeal, really."
"Basically they have totally different parts and tech sitting under the tin. Motorcycle mechanic would understand why a formula car works but if you asked them to do even maintenance, they'd be so lost."
"I see. So basically nobody really gets what Rikka does."
"We don't really have to." Honoka smiled and focused on her coffee.
"Yeah. I mean can you imagine if we had to understand why Mana is an indestructible killer robot from the future?"
"That's probably not too hard." Miki shrugged. "Probably something something cells something."
Honoka tried very hard not to laugh and was only about sixty-percent successful. "What kinda explanation is that?"
"Hey, I'm not a biologist."
"Can you explain Mana, Honoka?"
"I could probably try but the explanation will require at least a base knowledge of how cell division and cell structure works, not to mention that regenerative properties are probably applied on-"
"Time to get that coffee." Miki got out of her chair while Honoka was mid-preface to the explanation.
"Same. I'll be back in a sec, Honoka." Standing, bowing and kissing Honoka on the cheek, Nagisa walked with Miki. "Good call. When she gets like that she can talk for two hours straight."
"The day I get Yuri to talk for two hours straight… maybe if Yami gets married."
"If you marry Yuri and Yami marries Alice, you'll be set for life!"
"No thanks. Being rich is not for me. Nothing but trouble. Probably ruins your character if you're not careful."
Arriving by the coffee machines, Nagisa turned her head towards the entrance and tilted it to the side. Could have sworn I just saw Rhythm… Following up her hunch, Nagisa stepped outside, leaving a confused Miki by the coffee makers. But the lobby was empty. Nobody here? Man I really need that coffee, seeing things already.
"What was that all about?" Miki had already finished getting her cup.
"Thought I saw someone. Probably just a trick of the light."
"Going crazy in the morning?"
"Crazy for Honoka, maybe."
"Shameless."
"I'm not hearing that from the girl that stole Yuri from her girlfriend."
"Hey."
"Reasons or not, at the end of the day that is a bit scummy."
"Okay, I admit that is fair, but who knows if Yuri and Momoka were ever even a thing in whatever timeline we get spat out at the end of all of this."
"Timeline?"
"Your wife is a scientist but you don't-"
"I know what a timeline is! Like the plans Honoka makes when to take out the trash and stuff!"
Miki held in her laughter and nodded. "Yeah. Just on a global scale. Last time we went back it was to Mana's world and things were pretty different from the brief look we had. Beside the whole terminator nine thing."
"Terminator nine? There's nine terminator movies?"
"No, wait, what? Did I say nine?"
"Yeah."
Miki looked down into her cup. "Gotta get stronger coffee."
"Still half asleep? Guess that makes two of us."
"Terminator movies… Miki, really?" Mumbling to herself, Miki pushed the strong button on the coffee maker until it would return an error.
"If you drink that you're gonna ascend to a higher dimension of speed."
"That gives me an idea."
"Oh?"
"You wanna give Nao the strongest coffee to ever exist and see if she can reach close to the speed of light?"
"Oh I like that."
"I don't."
Both of them turned around, startled a bit. Behind them was Yuri, who stared down her girlfriend. "Is this what you get up to when I'm not around?"
"Sometimes?" Miki stuck with her idea. "It was mostly a joke. You can taste how strong coffee is, you really think she'd drink something that is basically distilled caffeine?"
"Not a very good joke." Yuri grabbed Miki's hand. "Maybe don't have fun on the expense of someone that just dumped two girlfriends?"
"If you say it like that..." Nagisa felt all the fun taken out of it. "I totally forgot about that if I'm honest."
"Now you remember." Yuri lightly nodded towards the area of tables. "Come on. I'm not letting you have only coffee for breakfast. I know what that does to someone."
"Eh, but I'm always just getting coffee."
"This isn't always anymore."
"I hate it when you make so much sense." Miki sighed with a big smile. "See you later Nagisa. Lets shelf Operation Light Speed for now."
"Cancel it."
"Oh come on."
Arguing back and forth while they walked, Yuri and Miki left behind Nagisa on her own.
They're cute together. Hm? Catching a glimpse of something in the corner of her right eye, Nagisa turned but saw nothing. I really need to wake up. And wash my face.
Someone who had done just that was Regina, leaning against the guard rails out on the balcony of the penthouse. Sipping from a can of coffee – a vending machine that looked a bit dinged up had appeared near the elevator and she vaguely recalled getting yelled at for stealing it from the lobby – she let the sound of waves lull her into a new day. Slowly exhaling very deeply, Regina closed her eyes. This never gets old. It's so… comforting. Can't beat Rikka and Mana being by my sides in bed though.
Spending a good ten minutes out there, slowly emptying the canned drink, Regina looked into the distance. The beach… hm? The beach?
"At it again like every day." Her sister's voice came from behind her and someone with a properly brewed cup of tea stepped up next to her. "Can't say I don't understand the appeal."
"What got you out of bed so early?" Regina either slept in until almost noon or got up way too early. There was rarely something in-between.
"It gets pretty hot in that room." Touching her hair, Ange sighed. "I'll have to take a shower every morning while all of this is going on."
"All of this?"
"You know."
Both of them paused and drew a blank for a moment. Regina covered first. "Everyone on the same side, right."
"That's what I was saying."
"You weren't! You were all vague and stuff! You're always like that! Man I'm glad that Inako doesn't take after your side of the family."
"Who's Inako?"
"Huh?"
"Don't huh me."
"What do you mean, she's… she's…" Regina felt tears well up in her eyes. "Huh… that's strange. Why am I…"
Ange knew better than to ask What's wrong in a situation like that. She had seen many kinds of sadness and lived through tragedy. She knew true pain when she saw it. Pushing the canned coffee out of Regina's hand in a hurry, she hugged her sister. "It's okay."
"I don't get it… why am I… who's Inako?"
From inside the penthouse, Makoto was watching. That doesn't look like a normal hug. Is something wrong with Regina? Leaving the kitchen section, Makoto quickly paced through the room and was distracted when a cup fell off the work space and shattered on the floor. Turning around, Makoto felt something sting her. Not physically, but it was like someone stuck a needle into her brain. Wincing, shutting her eyes, she bent over in brief pain.
Looking back up, she was disorientated for a moment. Maybe I should switch to decaf tea. Walking up ahead, she joined Regina and Ange on the balcony. "Morning."
"Both of you smell like chlorine." Regina yawned and grasped at air. Where'd my coffee go? Did I drop it? Rikka is gonna scold me for littering.
"We can't exactly help it." Makoto grimaced. "So what are you two up to?"
"The usual. Listening to the waves." Ange nudged up against Makoto. She preferred to hold on to her cup with both hands.
"The usual? The waves?" Makoto looked at them with big eyes. "Are you two okay?"
"Huh?" The sisters responded as one.
"You can't hear the waves from here. Ange, did you get pool trauma?"
"What are you talking about? Just listen." Regina looked past Ange at Makoto and pointed in the distance. "You can see the beach."
"What?!" Makoto looked in the direction Regina was pointing and nearly dropped her cup of tea. "That… that… remember! The beach was connected via the fog to the hotel. It wasn't just there!"
"Eh?" Regina seemed surprised.
"Wait… you're right. But I remember hearing waves a lot. Every morning..." Ange was also confused.
"We only just got the penthouse so obviously that's not possible even if the beach had always been there." Makoto was visibly distraught.
"Hey." Regina sighed. "Are we in another crisis on top of the crisis with whatever is going on that causes everyone to be on the same side?"
"Something isn't right with your memories. Have you charged recently?" Makoto didn't like that it was necessary but there didn't seem to be a way around it.
"Yesterday evening, right?" Ange was almost sure of it.
"I think so?"
Someone far down whistled and got their attention and they all lost their train of thought and looked down. Judging from the hair and muscle, it was Saki. Waving wildly, it was too far to shout. Saki raised her arms in the air, then ran on the spot, then waved wildly in the direction opposite of the beach and then seemed to look triumphantly towards the girls up on the balcony.
"I think she's asking if someone wants to go for a run." Makoto pieced that together from the gestures.
Regina very exaggeratedly pointed at Ange next to her and them formed a big O over her head with her arms to signal Okay, Ange is gonna to Saki. Receiving a big thumps up – presumably – from Saki in return, Regina started to chuckle like a villain.
"I'm gonna get you back for this, Regina." Ange knew that if she went down to explain this setup to Saki, she'd get talked into joining her anyway.
"Not anytime soon, you won't." Regina grinned like the devil. "Tell me what it's like, training with… what's his name, the guy with the three-hundred soldiers?"
"Spartacus?" Ange tried her best.
"That's the gladiator. Leonidas is what you're looking for." Makoto groaned. "And really Regina?"
"Hey, that big butt could use a workout." Regina defended her actions.
"Wha-" Ange turned to Makoto, stricken with protest to her core. "Makoto, tell her she's wrong!"
"I don't need to." Makoto looked past Ange and at Regina. "She knows that your butt is sublime."
"You wanna see a real sublime butt? Lemme take off these shorts!"
Rikka cleared her throat and announced her presence that way. "Regina, can the shenanigans wait until after breakfast?"
Hurrying to Rikka's side and taking her hand – not because Rikka truly needed it but because Regina liked to be relied upon by Rikka – Regina led her girlfriend out on the balcony. "Ange, aren't you late for your run with Saki?"
"I swear you'll regret this." Ange grumbled as she went back inside.
Saki was far from being the only one that was out and about. Rin was taking a morning stroll across the beach, enjoying a close proximity to the foliage that rustled in the ocean breeze. Not every morning had to be a workout. It was important to let muscles rest. I'm a bit sore. From what though? I didn't exactly pull out all the stops yesterday.
Looking towards the ocean as she walked, Rin felt an itch in her head. It had been there ever since she woke up earlier. I let Kanade sleep in to get out here and fix my head but this isn't doing it. I should talk to her, see if she's also dealing with this. It's like I forgot to pack something and I am looking through my bag and everything seems to be there but I know it isn't. Arg, it's driving me mad! This is something Ayumi would do! We'd go on a trip and we're all ready to go to sleep and she forgot her special plush or something. I'm just glad I didn't volunteer myself to be the replacement or I wouldn't be with Kanade right now.
Taking a deep breath, filling her lungs to the absolute brim with the salty ocean air, Rin exhaled as loudly as she could, as slowly as she could, drawing out every last bit of annoyance and frustration at everything she could think of and expelling it together with her breath.
Just a moment later a hand covered her mouth and another arm robbed her of freedom. Before she could properly realize what was happening her instincts as Cure Rouge kicked in and she tried to fight back. But it was like the trees or the ground itself were holding like. She might as well be fighting against a golem made of granite, she felt.
"This will hurt." A voice spoke to her from behind and then a familiar face that was not quite so familiar anymore stepped out from behind.
Kaoru? No, Windy? No… what's going on? Looking at a girl in a bright blue one piece summer dress that looked exactly like Kaoru except for her hair and eyes, which were those of Windy. It was like an incomplete transformation, or a perfect transformation but without the clothes. If Kaoru is here… then the one grabbing me has to be Michiru.
Rin struggled at her full strength against Cure Bright – a futile effort at best. Stepping right up to her, a blue spark between her index and middle finger, Windy touched her temple.
And all hell broke loose inside her mind. It was like someone set off forty minutes worth of a fireworks show at at the same time in her head. Screaming and then biting into Bright's hand, Rin struggled like someone had set loose a thousand bees in her mouth. Until she didn't. Dropping like someone pulled her plug, Rin's lights went out and she fell into Bright's hold.
When she came to again, she could tell that she was down on the ground, in mixed sand and dirt of the beach near the plants. And she understood a couple of things. One, someone had messed with her memories because she remembered not remembering things she should have remembered. And two, she really hated sand. It was getting everywhere and the sand there on the beach was so very fine that nothing short of a thorough scrub in a shower would get rid of it all.
Windy, in her dress and now a big white sun hat as well as sandals, looked down at Rin. "Welcome back."
"What happened?" Rin sat up and felt like someone had lifted a fog from her mind.
"We don't have the full story either. The short of it is that between last night and now, an unknown amount of other things happened, all of which have been irrevocably erased and that left behind evidence of mental tampering. I basically frizzed out the mental tampering the best I could and that restored everything from before the big tamper."
"What about the time in-between?" Rin picked up fast. After spending a month plus in this place she was growing rather used to emergencies and the weird and inexplicable.
"Impossible. It's like visiting a landscape and you can tell by trails of destruction that a mountain used to be there. But not what kind of mountain or what removed it." Windy stepped away and her hair turned back to normal. "But our tampering isn't the big issue. The real problem is that something has tampered with this world on a rather enormous scale."
"The beach." Rin remembered going there. Physically going by following a path that stopped being cobblestone halfway through. Not stepping into the fog or anything like that but a real walk.
"Yep, the beach. Honestly, we have no idea what happened, but it's not just the beach. The mountains are connected as well. You can see them facing north on the plaza."
"North? The portal to the beach was-"
"Not where the path to the beach is now." Kaoru finished Rin's sentence.
"Any ideas?"
Kaoru shrugged. "It seems obvious to suspect Ayumi-" Rin gasped. "Is it that surprising, considering how powerful she is?" I will not tell her about-
"No! Not that! Regarding Ayumi, there is something I need to show and tell you." Jumping up, Rin lunged forward and took Kaoru's hand before pulled her along. "And I need to show you now!" Michiru was right behind them, her hair and eyes still that of Bright, as Rin pulled Kaoru along.
"What's got you in such a hurry?" Stumbling because Rin pulled too strongly, Kaoru launched into full jog to keep pace with her.
"This will blow your mind."
"I doubt that." Does she know about Ayumi? About Echo and Eternal?
But Kaoru did have her breath taken away. "No way." Walking circles around Midori – Bad End March – Kaoru prodded, poked, squeezed and pulled on every nook and cranny. "Other than the hair… she's the same."
Michiru was standing close to Rin, watching the spectacle. "Nao's her type so she can tell. Don't tell Yayoi that." They were way past the point of pretense of normalcy regarding their personalities with how far things were off the rails now.
"Uh… Rin?" Midori was visibly uncomfortable with Kaoru circling around her like some kind of bird ready to descent on prey.
"They have been living in… I don't know how to formulate it. Kind of like a wilderness that normally isn't accessible to us. They're also nocturnal."
Hinako – Bad End Sunny – sat a few steps away from where Midori was and yawned. "What's got you so worked up?" Her face turned sour. "Is it… trouble?"
"You could say that. Maybe not for you though." Rin didn't know how to properly explain everything. All the information was trying to get out all at once. "Looks like the world space broke and now everything is one big area. But that means you can possibly go back to where you used to be."
"Where did they come from? How many of them are there?" Kaoru was laying the questions on Rin.
"From what I know, my group, Tsubomi's group and Miyuki's group. They used to be enemies we… well, we killed. I don't know the why and how they're here either."
"Neither do we." Hinako rejoined the conversation. "And we just live in a forest. It'll be impossible to judge where exactly we have to go to find our home."
"Shit, I didn't think of that," Rin cursed.
"So there's fifteen of them out there?" Kaoru was finished prodding Midori and was now content sending lewd glances at her.
"Fourteen." Hinako corrected her. "Dream, Rouge, Lemonade, Mint, Aqua. Well, Dark of them."
"No Milky Rose?" Michiru asked.
"No."
"Let's compare notes. There is a lot to unpack here." Kaoru wanted to pool information.
"I haven't even gotten to the big thing yet. It's about Ayumi." Rin was worried of the effects that might have.
"So you do know about her." Kaoru seemed surprised.
"You two know?"
"Yeah. She knew that we would figure things out because we remember what happened during the endless masquerade."
"The what? What are you talking about? What did you figure out?"
"That she's not really your team leader, what else? She's an allegedly benevolent impostor." Rin's mouth opened wide. Seeing that, Kaoru continued. "She's Cure Echo, an immensely powerful benevolent Cure that can level mountains and scoop up oceans. She is my prime suspect in the mental tampering case and also on why this world was suddenly merged together."
"She might not be benevolent." Rin looked to Hinako. "There is someone like Echo on their end of things. She's also immensely powerful. Either… either they are the same person. The same… impostor. Or there are two of them. I don't know what's worse."
"Let's start this from the top." Kaoru saw that they both knew entirely different secrets.
Spending thirty minutes going over details, hearsay and assumptions, they finally arrived at something that could be called a goal.
Sitting on the ground, Kaoru looked at Hinako, then at Rin. "So to summarize… you lot discovered an ancient temple of sorts that had Rin's true leader, Cure Dream, and your own leader, Dark Dream, sealed inside. And upon freeing them, you also freed Cure Echo. Cure Echo claims that the Echo on our side is actually Cure Eternal and playing us. I am betting that if we were to confront her with this, she would either wipe our memories or say that it is your Echo that is playing you and is actually Eternal."
"This is the worst thing ever. I hate mysteries." Rin really wasn't a fan. "So now we can't trust either of them. The one here displaced… Nozomi? She displaced Nozomi to fix something about our memories."
"I can guarantee you that that is something that really needs to be done." Kaoru was choosing no uncertain words there. "I kept it under wraps until now but I will never be powerful enough to erase those memories entirely. And they have to go or all of you will end up slobbering lunatics."
"You said that it is better I don't know but-"
"No buts." Kaoru shut Rin down.
"Fine."
"So we have two extremely powerful, potentially malignant Cures, each of them claiming the other side is being fooled and each claiming the other's goal is to wipe out humans so Cures can have a world of their own while they themselves are the good one that will settle for a compromise." Kaoru rubbed her temples. "If they weren't so strong we could force the truth out of them but not like this. So now we can't trust either at all. Let's assume both of them are lying about at least something. I want to believe that the one on this side does want to get rid of everyone's masquerade memories."
"What happened in that damn place?" Rin knew better than to ask but she was only so strong. Curiosity was stronger.
Kaoru's expression went from slightly annoyed and exasperated to gruesome and a kind of serious that gave Rin chills. It's like she's seen one of those battlefields you see in the news.
"Chaos, death, insanity. The only good thing to come out of it is Michiru and I getting our senses together and Yami."
"Yami?"
"Yuri's sister."
"I know who Yami is, I'm asking how she ties into this." Rin's curiosity didn't know when to stop.
"One person won the masquerade and it was Yuri. From what I understand about the reward, and that's not a whole lot, it granted her one of her heart's desires."
"Sis, you're getting sidetracked." Michiru killed off any further questions from Rin about the Masquerade.
"As much as I want to say What do we do about the two Echo but there is nothing we can do."
"Nothing?" I heard from Hinako that Echo is strong, but-
"That little mock battle teach you nothing?" Michiru sighed. "The Echo on this side is strong enough to take three powerful combination attacks and still have the strength left to kill everyone instantly."
"K… Kill?" Hinako lost some color as she heard that. "I heard from Dream that you fight, but-"
"Well, it's just temporary." Kaoru swatted Hinako's worries. "The point Michiru is making that this Echo makes even the likes of Diamond and Rosetta look like amateurs that had their powers for five minutes."
"So we can't fight her. What about keeping an eye on her?" Rin didn't want some impostor running free that replaced her real leader even in all her memories.
"Good luck. That woman can put people into stasis at will. Do you have any idea how absurd an ability that is?" Kaoru sounded like she didn't know how she could possibly make Rin understand.
"No, but from the way you're acting I get that it's a big deal. So what do we do?"
"Observe them both. Find out if both are good and there is a misunderstanding, if they are the same person, if they are both evil and we are being fooled or if just one of them is good and we will side with that one. Basically, we are either in luck, royally screwed or potentially screwed. And since we can't verify who is lying, we have no way to tell."
"Just confronting them will probably result in more of this." Rin gestured around herself. "What if this isn't the first time we had this meeting?"
"Let's not even consider that." Michiru shook her head. "It will only make us paranoid. We need to keep this information among ourselves. That means no Kanade."
"What? Haven't you told Yayoi about this?"
"Are you insane?" Michiru gasped. "Yayoi is a terrible liar and easily babbles. No, we don't intend on telling her until we tell everyone else."
"That's cold." Rin sighed. "But I know it makes sense. Kanade is the same. She would let it slip to Hibiki. Then Itsuki would learn about it. And she would tell her team. I hate lying-"
"Not lying. Keeping a secret. A secret is not a lie. They will be mad, Yayoi and Kanade both, but they will get that this is fair." Michiru scratched the back fo her neck. "It's really annoying we can't tell Yayoi. She has some great and creative ideas."
"What do we do?" Hinako hadn't gotten a word in edgewise and was looking rather put on the spot. "We don't belong here. And if someone else finds us-"
"Without knowing where you came from, you can't go back." Rin looked over her shoulder, through the thicket and at the ocean. "It could be across the ocean. It could be really far past the mountains. And it could be somewhere else entirely. Even with powers you could end up needing months to find home. It's too risky."
"Then what do we do? I won't lie. The three of us are scared. If your Echo finds us… or even just one of the others…"
"I can understand why they're scared." Kaoru could relate to their mindset. "Michiru and I were originally enemies to Saki and Mai. Just like these girls were originally enemies."
"Is there any way we can bring in Setsuna?" Rin asked.
"What for?" Kaoru didn't see the point.
"She can get them in and out of places with her power. She and Ellen were former enemies and Love is definitely someone that would understand redemption." Rin thought ahead.
"Three more people is doubling our risk of exposure." Michiru was apprehensive of this idea.
"Or doubling the amount of eyes on Echo. Get one, you get all three."
Kaoru slowly exhaled as she thought it over. "Love has influence and charisma. She is like Mana in that way. If there comes a time we have to convince everyone to take sides, having Love be someone that was here from the start will carry weight. Ellen connects to Ako connects to Urara connects back to your group. Love and Setsuna connect to Miki, who connects to Yuri who connects to the rest of her group, which leads back to Hibiki and Alice. And Inori is also someone very valuable."
"You're thinking about this like some sort of virus that spreads." Rin didn't like how she explained it. It was like in her mind, Kaoru was preparing for war.
"Believing in people is exactly that." Kaoru smiled dryly. "We'll bring in Setsuna."
"Shit." Rin groaned. "I totally forgot about Rikka and Regina. What are we doing about them?"
"Unless I wake them, they won't remember, just like you didn't." Kaoru saw this as a convenient means to an end. "They'll be mad when I do wake them, but until then, they will be none the wiser."
"All I could remember was that there was some problem on the other side so everyone was evacuated here. And that Ayumi fought off some crazy apparitions. Ugh, makes me so mad how she's just… there in all my memories and she's so familiar and my best friend, but-" Rin punched the ground and regretted it immediately.
"She's an impostor. She claimed it was necessary but I have my doubts about that, especially since the Echo on the other side seems to exist just fine without overriding anyone." Kaoru sighed. "The only thing we can do now is to observe the Echos… I use the plural but we have no way of getting into contact with Hinako's side. We should look into that. Setsuna, Love and Ellen won't know about the real me, so I need you to be an entry point, Rin."
"We got our work cut out for us, don't we?" Rin looked at Hinako. "At least we can feed you some good food while you're here."
"Should we call ourselves something? Like the Watchgirls?" Hinako earned some spectacularly amused looks from the sisters. "What?"
"Yayoi would love that suggestion." Michiru tried had to stop chuckling.
"Our Yayoi would probably prefer a lewd double entendre." It was the first thing Tsukiko had said since the meeting started.
"Don't led us astray now." Kaoru joked and was looked upon very suspiciously by Rin. "I'm joking. I love my excitable electric hamster."
"Achoo!" Yayoi sneezed and as a result of that, cornflakes and milk were sent flying all over the table. "Aw..."
Back at the hotel, things were not quite the same as always. The changed geography was being noticed by more and more people now, together with the changes in transforming that everyone was getting sick and tired of. "Can't we go one day without the system doing something that makes me learn this stuff all over again?" Hibiki was hanging in a chair like a total slob, a slab of wheat that barely qualified as toast in her hand and then in her mouth, like the laziest possible version of an anime girl running late.
"Maybe the last few days was an issue it's sorting though?" Itsuki was cutting her third orange to pieces, grabbed a piece and fed it to Hibiki, who took out the toast – like a big cork plugging her mouth – only to let her girlfriend feed her. "I'm glad we're back to transforming on the spot."
"Sort of transforming." Mai was sitting at the next table over. Just as before it was like mentally flipping a switch. Her eyes and hair changed but her clothes didn't. "Probably only half our powers." She turned back to just Mai.
"I'm not testing getting hit by Bloom's punch or anything like that." Itsuki twirled a finger in a circle next to her temple. "I'm not crazy. If no costume means no defensive powers, one clean hit and I'll be red mist."
"Saki wouldn't try that. She looks like she does but she's really caring and kind about all living things." Mai defended her partner.
"I'm not looking forward to training..." Hibiki looked about as motivated as a deflated beach ball was for a game of volleyball.
"Oh come on, she'll help you figure it out." Itsuki fed Hibiki another orange slice.
"Easy for you to say. You already got a vision of your goal."
Itsuki groaned internally. "You remember how dead tired I was last night and how tired I still am now, right?"
"I know, I know." Hibiki slouched even further into her chair. "I just… I just got no vision at all. I got no idea what to do with my powers. I can back up Ako and apparently sometime in the future I turn to karaoke powering me somehow, but… ugh..."
"Why not turn to Karaoke now?"
"Fat chance. Look at how bonkers everyone's abilities were. There is no way I can just work something like that out now."
"Maybe not as strong as you had in that one battle. But you wouldn't just develop a fighting style like that and be immediately super powerful."
Hibiki sat up, looking ever so slightly intrigued. "You really think this is where I figure out to be Cure Karaoke?"
"You know, calling it that is kinda..."
"What would you call it?"
"Melodic Beat Power?"
"A third of that is Ellen's name."
"Okay, I am not great at this either."
"I can't exactly ask Ako either..."
"Why not?"
"Would you ask Yuri for what to name your new thing?"
"Fair."
"Symphonic Gestalt Energy Amplifying Receptor." Mai came on with a super high speed curve ball. "Do you want me to explain what it means?"
"No, I don't think I can even… Symphonic Curia… Gewalt…" Hibiki tried to even just say it.
"There is a term called the Gestaltzerfall, and Gestalt is based on that. See, by using your own song to power yourself-"
"What if we shorten it?" Itsuki interrupted Mai, who crushed the bread roll she was holding between her fingers.
"Like… SGEAR? That sounds a bit weird though."
"W-What about Symphonic GEAR?" Mai still tried to be helpful.
"Symphonic makes it sounds kinda… Ako-ish." Hibiki shrugged.
"What if you shorten the Symphonic?"
"To what? SymGear?"
"Symph… Symphony…. Sympho? Symphogear?"
"Oh, not bad. Symphogear. Symphogear. Yeah, I like it. Symphogeah!"
Mai's bread roll was going through unimaginable torment at that precise moment. There's no teaching art or music to girls like that… if I ever have kids with Saki somehow I will teach them about proper classical music and fine art!
"I need to go tell Kanade."
"Bragging?" Itsuki grinned. "Be careful she doesn't steal your shtick."
"Steal? She probably has no idea what to do either. Both of us are way behind everyone else so I'm gonna ask her to work with me on this. We can both be…"
"You didn't already forget it, did you?" Itsuki snorted.
"No! We can both be… Symph… Symphygear!"
"Symphogear!"
"Symphogeah! Got it!"
"Your pronunciation needs work."
"Eh? It's fine. Right, Mai?"
"I'm not talking to you two anymore." Mai shoved her disfigured bread roll into her mouth through a lot of effort, got up and walked away.
"What'd we do?" Hibiki wasn't sure what ticked her off.
"I think we kinda acted like philistines."
"Like what?"
"People who don't get art beyond some shallow surface level." That'll be fine as an explanation.
"But we used her suggestion!"
"Well… kinda."
"Anyway, I'm off to catch Kanade!"
Watching Hibiki run off, Itsuki smiled to herself. She was so unmotivated just a little while ago. I'm glad she and Kanade are back to being friends. Honestly, I'm a little jealous because they get to do the whole training thing together, but… I'll live.
"Someone's excited." Komachi was walking by – with Karen following a little further behind – and sat at the table opposite to where Mai was, within speaking distance to Itsuki. "Did you invite her out to a date?"
"Not this time. She just found her spark for what to do with her powers, I think. Not sure if it'll work out but Hibiki's tenacious." Itsuki turned her eyes to Karen. "You two are as inseparable as ever."
"We used to be like this too back when we went to school and fought as Cures for the first time." Komachi looked happy. "I'm glad we're back to normal."
"Normal, huh… with everything around us changing constantly it's hard to say what's normal."
Komachi stuffed a piece of rectangular sliced cheese into her mouth. "If the world makes no sense, just focus on each other."
"You seem kinda different."
Komachi reverted back to old Komachi for a moment. "Is it weird? It's weird, right? I'm trying to be more… confident but I don't really know-"
"It's fine." Itsuki smiled. "I like this better than wallflower Komachi."
Blushing because she was happy that it worked as intended, Komachi grabbed Karen's hand, who switched her fork to her other hand and continued with a morning salad.
The salad was more like a green mountain than a normal salad. "I dread my next training session." Sighing, Karen hung her head. "This is so different from how I originally developed my powers."
"You mean slowly over time? Yeah, the intense training is… certainly asking a lot. But if you think about it, this is more effective, what with having a coach of sorts and all." Itsuki knew where she was going but she had no idea how to close the distance between where she was and where she wanted to end up. "I'm still sore all over from yesterday."
"My head still hurts when I so much as look at a glass of water." Karen hurriedly filled her mouth with tomato slices, cabbage, rasped carrots and cucumber rings.
"Is there a schedule somewhere? I don't want to be late." Komachi's cheese, bread and orange juice breakfast built a stark contrast to Karen's mountain of salad that was at least a triple or quadruple serving.
"Not that I know of." Itsuki shrugged. "I'm sure Ayumi will come fetch you when it's time."
"Is she already training someone?" Karen was curious.
"Rikka, Regina and Ange were walking towards the arena with her earlier. So probably those three." Itsuki paused and then leaned back in her chair. "Regina and Ange I get, but if Rikka gets any stronger then I'm not sure how any of us mortals are supposed to beat her."
"She's a heavy cannon." Karen got some words out between acting like a starved bunny. "Extremely powerful, almost certainly lethal shots, but there's a big delay between shots. Most of the time."
"Doesn't help she likes to team up with you or Alice." Itsuki directed that at Komachi who just smiled awkwardly and killed the smile quickly by drinking some juice. "You know, I totally pegged you for someone that eats day old rice balls or sandwiches or whatever is left in the fridge for breakfast."
"Yeah, that is a thing of the past. I'm not letting her ruin her body like that anymore." Karen sounded almost angry and Komachi visibly shrunk a few centimeters.
"I should make Hibiki eat better too… it's not like we don't have the food here."
"Exactly!" Karen pointed her fork at Itsuki, with a bit of carrot stuck to her lower lip. "We are exerting a lot of energy here and we won't know when we get back to earth. We need to watch how we eat."
"You being a health nut is surprising, Karen."
"Really?" Karen stopped eating. "I had to travel around a lot. And you can't really get good or healthy food during train or airplane rides. Hotel food also varies in quality. I had to cook myself at home and was usually too exhausted to make much. So eventually I just started to eat the healthiest stuff I could find no matter where I am because I didn't want to have a broken body by age forty."
"That makes a lot of sense. Ugh… I don't even make my own meals most of the time. My brother likes cooking and… he's so good at it that I never even try. It's gonna be a catastrophe if I ever live on my own somewhere."
"You don't plan to live with Hibiki?" Komachi, with no hesitation, brought up a really dangerous topic.
"I mean… if things last, and I hope they do, that's certainly an option. But there are a lot of steps between here and there. Heck, even a lot of steps between being out of this place and living together. I have no idea how to even tell my parents I like girls."
"Are they biased?"
"I don't think so. Not really. It's more… my brother's constitution is not the best and my parents are probably expecting me to have kids to continue the family line." Itsuki grabbed the glass on her table and drank some water to drown the worries.
"Just have kids with Hibiki." Komachi dropped a bomb.
Water went flying through the air and if the sun had been shining into the room, there would have been a rainbow. Coughing and hacking, Itsuki couldn't quite recover.
Karen gave her girlfriend a big look and nudged her with her elbow. Komachi returned the look as if to say What? I'm right, no? And Karen again returned the look with That's not the point.
Itsuki finally got herself back to working order and took a few deep breaths to make it stay that way. "You say that like that's just an option like ticking a checkbox somewhere!"
"There's so many Cures and Ayumi is so powerful, there's bound to be a way somewhere." Komachi was again nudged by Karen.
"You think so?"
"Yeah." Komachi stuck with it. "I'm sure that Urara and Ako have similar worries, what with Ako being a princess and having to inherit a kingdom and what not."
"I never even thought about having kids…" Itsuki sighed. "I think I'd make a terrible parent."
"You won't know until you're one." Karen seemed optimistic.
"So you two are going to want kids?" Itsuki returned the favor and it was not without effect. Karen stopped eating and gradually turned more red by the second while Komachi focused so intensely on her cheese that it was about to melt. "At least be able to take the question you asked first!" Itsuki was kinda upset that this was their reaction.
"I… want kids." Komachi bridged her fingers and all the confidence displayed earlier was vaporized.
"I told you that's fine but I first want to see what the world is like after we get back… maybe a couple of years to settle in. We have plenty of time."
Oh I think I stepped on a landmine here, Itsuki thought. "I never even thought about what I would name any kids I have." Just get their mind off of their own kids. I don't want to be responsible for an argument. "I'm from a pretty traditional family, so my parents would definitely push traditional names…"
"What about Tsubasa?" Komachi suggested one.
"Hm, that would fit both a boy and a girl." Itsuki tilted her head left and right in turn. "How would you write it?"
"The kanji for camellia and bloom." Komachi was an expert at things like this.
"Oh, I like it. It's pink, like Hibki, but it's also a flower, like me."
"Finally someone who appreciates my naming sense!" Komachi turned to Karen and gave her an angry look. "Not like a certain someone who should have my back!"
"You think way too hard about those!"
Oh boy. "Western names can also be good. My family won't be happy, but Hibiki might like it. Something like..." What am I doing, I don't know anything about western names. What was the name of that foreigner girl in that novel? "Like Chris."
"Chris? A boy's name?" Komachi looked distracted. "Although it could also be short for Christina, that'd be a girl's name."
Saaaaafe. "Yeah, that." Although I'd definitely prefer a more traditional name. Tsubasa seems nice but I always liked the name Ran. "My mother's name-"
"Oh, whaddya talking about?" Erika showed up in the absolute worst possible moment and Itsuki felt like running away.
"What we would name our children if we get any."
"Fiore!" Erika fired without even thinking about it first. "Right, Tsummi?"
Tsubomi was right behind her and already groaning first thing in the morning. Setting down a tray with an extremely typical Japanese breakfast all the way down to miso soup and natto, Tsubomi broke her chopsticks and started eating without humoring her girlfriend.
"Don't mind her, she's just tired from yesterday. So what kinda names would you three pick?!"
And I had just started to move them away from that landmine.
=== DISSONANCE ===
It was the first time that she had seen Mamo like that. Sitting on a bench outside her store, holding a blue plastic blue close to her, resting on her legs, she was keeping it like her life depended on it. And judging by how frequently she bent over and threw up into it, that didn't seem like an exaggeration. Her hair was disheveled, the store keep uniform nowhere to be seen, only a big black shirt with long arms and black, comfortable pants. No make up at all made her, strangely enough, look younger than she usually did.
"Okay, this should help." Makoto had just finished tying Mamo's hair into a high-up ponytail and doubled up. It looked silly but it stopped the hair from getting into her face, and more important, from getting into the bucket. "How long have you been feeling this way?" She had learned a lot of medicine from Rikka and this was clearly not just having had too much to drink.
"Sometime early this morn-" Mamo's answer was interrupted by another wave of nausea.
"I didn't know you… facility staff could even get sick."
"Neither did I… We never really had… well… you know."
"I don't. You never what?"
"Had needs. Eating. Drinking. We did those things but it was just for fun."
"And now you feel hunger and get thirsty?"
"Yeah- hurk!"
The smell was getting to Makoto a little but she had endured far worse than this back on her earth. "The system does appear to have gone through some major issue. Everything is physically connected now and- I am getting you something against the throwing up."
Walking into the store on her own, Makoto grabbed a few things that one normally wouldn't associate with stopping nausea. Dry biscuits, bottled water, crisp bread and a few other things. When resources became scarce on earth, they learned to improvise. This reminds me of that time Regina got really sick after drinking from that river. We could smell her throughout the entire ship. Rikka has my undying respect for getting through that without getting sick of Regina being sick.
"Eat this."
"I feel sicker just looking at food-"
"Eat it." Makoto switched over to being Cure Sword, a clear sign that she wasn't taking no for an answer. What she offered to Mamo were wet, round clumps of something clearly made from some kind of dough but otherwise unidentifiable. Mamo gagged as she took the small, wet sphere into her mouth and chewed. About to spit it back out, Makoto covered her mouth by force. "This is for your own good."
Forced to swallow half a doze of those spheres, Mamo seemed to feel more nauseous than ever but the vomiting stopped for the time being. "What… what did you make me eat?" Forget me being a villain, that was downright evil.
"There's no real name for it. Mana came up with them when Regina was really sick and couldn't stop throwing up to the point where she was in serious danger from dehydration. They act like a plug. It will make you feel worse, but it will stop the vomiting for a while."
"What's wrong with me? I never had problems like this back then."
"I think the system glitched and all those things you never had to take care of are no longer optional for you. Without some medical equipment and tests I can only make a guess but… I think you're just properly alive right now instead of being an extension of this world's system."
"Everything you just said… I hate all of it." Mamo leaned into the bucket and gagged but nothing came out.
Makoto heard noises of someone else throwing up and looked behind her. The cobblestone path that now linked Mamo's store, located just a little ways south-east of the hotel, back to the hub was dotted with large trees to either side and leaning against one of those trees was Sasorina, who had seen much better days but likely not any worse ones.
"I'm gonna need help."
Twenty minutes later, help was brought in – Tsubomi for her healing powers, Reika for her general knowledge of self-sufficient care, and Inori, because although she was not a human doctor, she understood medical science. Rikka was still caught up in training with Ayumi and in no condition to care for others.
The crowd of sick people now not only included Sasorina but also Majorina, Mizushita and a girl called Regine that almost nobody had ever met because the transfer system was largely unused. The presence of both Majorina and Sasorina together was worrying but at the moment they had bigger problems. Kintolesky, who resided in the mountains, was nowhere to be found when they had asked March to go and check on him.
Mizushita's living quarters was big enough to accommodate all four of them, although the waiting area's recliners had to be brought in. The women got worse and Makoto had her hands full just trying to figure out what was wrong with them. Getting them to stop throwing up and making them take in some liquids helped a bit but the nausea was not the only thing that was troubling her. All four of them developed a fever at almost the same time and they were starting to have hallucinations.
Inori and Makoto were sitting together on a wooden bench near the entrance while Reika and Tsubomi kept an eye on the staff members. "This is a bit out there but do you think your initial diagnosis was wrong?" Inori was glad the bathhouse had a strong smell of its own and that the vomiting had stopped.
"What do you mean?" Makoto opened up a can of coffee she got from a vending machine. Handing the opened can to Inori, she opened a second one for herself.
"The geographical changes, both sides being forced together, those weird creatures Ayumi blew away. If these four are extensions of the system and all of these events are symptoms of the system breaking-"
"Then by being part of the system, they might be breaking too. That would explain them getting sick, but what about the sudden need to eat and drink, etc?"
"When a system is compromised, biological ones especially, it starts to scale down usage of parts that are less than essential. When we get sick, we don't want to eat-"
"I know, because the body wants to use all its energy to fight the disease or problem, and not use energy for digestion. It's a bit of a contradicting measure because no digestion means no new energy."
"They're not essential for the system to function. They're basically humanoid interfaces for us to engage with. Their getting sick might be a symptom of the system falling apart."
"That has to be a new record even for us."
"That was a poor choice of words." Inori turned the can of coffee in her hands. "If it was really falling apart then I think we would be seeing greater adverse effects."
"Greater than the other side collapsing?"
"The facilities on this side work fine. Other than the geographical changes and these four getting sick, we haven't really seen any big problems."
"In a way, being able to transform on the spot again seems like an improvement."
"The geographical mapping probably consumes less energy and processing power than the fog setup we had before."
"You think the system is self-repairing?" Makoto remembered technology like that from her own time.
"It might be. Changing overly complicated and energy intensive setups to be simpler and requiring no maintenance."
"A learning system… I mean that much is obvious if you look at how much it changed since we first came here. Something is causing a disruption and the system has taken measures to keep itself alive."
"But what?"
"We'll find out eventually. If we had someone capable of technomancy… that's a type of magic that lets you manipulate, analyze and talk to machines."
"This place is probably not a machine. Or alive. It's something beyond what we understand." Inori sighed. "For all our magic powers, just think about what it would take to create something like this. I can't even imagine it."
Makoto looked up at the ceiling. "We still need to figure out what to do with those four. They used to be enemies but… well, even Regina used to be our enemy."
"Setsuna was the same. They're not Cures, but unlike Northa or Poisony, they are trying their best to fit in with us. I won't call them one of us but they absolutely deserve being saved. Especially so for their efforts."
"Should we call Hikari and see if you can dive into their mind?"
Inori bit her lip. "If their condition gets much worse, I will consider that. But if they are still part of the system, if what I am diving into is the system itself… I have absolutely no idea what will happen. To begin with, [Domination] is not made for something like that. Kaoru might have better odds."
"Let's avoid scenarios that end with you in a coma." Makoto looked towards the backroom. "I'll go check on them."
"Hey, Makoto."
"Hm?"
"Where did you learn so much about medicine?"
"Ah, you wouldn't know about that. Rikka aspired to be a doctor. She was well on her way to be an excellent doctor, but-"
Inori felt like someone punched her in the gut. "She was blinded."
"Yeah. It took a while for her to recover and come to terms with it, but… eventually she started teaching me medicine. I wanted to learn, both to be useful to the others and also to ease her pain a bit. Mana and Regina both didn't have the aptitude for it."
"I'm sure she appreciated you doing that."
"She did." Makoto smiled. "And I'm glad I did."
"How are things?" Miki had entered the bathhouse just after Makoto left the big entrance room. Looking at Inori, she noticed the can of coffee in her hands. "Tough going?"
"We don't know exactly what's wrong with them." Inori sighed. "It's like trying to figure out what's wrong with a sick alien."
Carrying a basket, Miki put it down on a coffee table that was placed where the armchairs had been. "Some rations for the sick squad."
"Thanks. I didn't think you'd be the type to bring food."
"Full disclosure, Hikari and Kurumi made them. They're worried."
"I'll thank them later." Inori got up and walked over to the basket – it was tightly packed full of sandwiches. Are they trying to feed an army? "How's things outside?"
"A few of us are going around making a big map of the place. The beach is to the south, the mountains to the north. The garden has moved behind the hotel. Mamo's store is just a little south-east from the hotel and right now we're north-north-east from the hotel, in the bathhouse."
"The Arena is still perfectly opposite from the hotel, I know that much. What happened to the theater and band rooms?"
"We haven't found them yet. Least not that I know of."
Inori grabbed a sandwich that smelled of tuna and mayonaise. This is actually making me hungry, even though I ate a pretty big breakfast… "Any word on Ayumi?"
"She turned up briefly to repair a dimensional crack-" Miki saw the look on Inori's face. "Diamond caused that. She repaired it-" The look kept going. "I know what that sounds like! Ayumi is way too strong! Anyway, she said that we should wait and see. Carelessly messing with something we don't understand is a great way to make things worse, she said."
"That's true but we can't just do nothing. For the time being we got them to rest but they are still running a fever. I'm not that worried as long as we have Tsubomi here."
"And Reika, right?" Miki smiled in a way that made Inori uncomfortable.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"Come on, how long do you think we've known each other? You and her are a thing now, right?"
Inori tried to play it cool but she knew full and well that there was no tricking Miki on affairs of love. Not after how many failed dates she complained about to her. "How in the world do you even know about this? We just… starting dating last night. We didn't even eat together this moring."
"Hm. That's actually a good question. I just kinda know? Now that you make me think about it, I honestly don't know. You think I'm awakening to some kind of prophetic skill?"
"More like a skill to put your nose in other people's business."
"Aw, come on."
"It actually freaks me out a little."
"Wait, really? I'm sorry."
"What freaks me out is that somehow you know. There is no reasonable way you could know. Even if somehow you figured out I slept-"
"You slept together on your first date?"
"Not the point, Miki!"
"Right, right."
"Even if you figured out I slept with someone… and that is already some really big ask, how could you possibly figure it is Reika?"
"Well, only Akane, Nao and Reika are available, so it would have to be one of those three."
"It could have been a drunk accident."
"Well, yeah, but of those actually available, those three, that's it. Akane is still boiling in her own misery and rage, Nao seems like an emotional mess and Reika… honestly also seems like an emotional mess. But I just knew it was Reika. I can't explain it."
"Just don't tell anyone else, okay? Not Love, not Setsuna, not Nao, not Akane, not Yuri. Nobody."
"Okay, okay. Wow, I didn't think you'd react so strongly."
"Beside being really freaked out by you just knowing something you had absolutely no way of knowing… I'm trying really hard to stop being the one girl left behind alone."
"Yeah. I'm sorry. I won't tell anyone."
"I'm sorry too, I don't want to be angry at you or snap, but… it really freaks me out."
"You said that so much, now it's freaking me out too."
"Can we please just catch a break from happenings?" Inori sighed. This feels like it'll be a long day.
=== DISSONANCE ===
"Can you believe we are doing orientation meetings now?" Kanade was complaining to Rin, both of them on a little walk through the mountains to the north of the hotel. "The fog being gone, our powers being sort of back to how they used to work, Sasorina and the others being sick, Ayumi's schedule for teams to join her for training… my school days weren't this hectic or complicated!"
"Weren't? You are going back to school when we go back to the real world."
"Gonna be so hard to just go back to… normal. Even the normal of here is way abnormal compared to before. I can't even picture just waking up in the morning, eating breakfast and going to school."
Rin grabbed Kanade's hand and pulled her just enough to make her shift her step out of the way of a rock that stuck out of the ground. "Going back to training after all of this is going to be a hurdle for me too." If we even get out of here. And then there's the question of what the world will look like.
"I wonder what a train ticket to..." Kanade stopped dead in her tracks. "Rin, where do you live?"
"Huh? You don't know?"
"It never came up before!"
"Rokubaracho city."
"Where is that?"
"A little ways south-west from Sendai."
"Uh..."
"Miyagi prefecture." Seeing that Kanade still didn't know, Rin looked around and picked up a stick from the way of the trail. It took some effort but she drew a simplistic and slightly incorrect Japan into the dirt. "This is where Sendai is. Well, roughly."
Kanade nodded twice and hummed to signal she understood.
"Tokyo would be around here. Niigata is to the west there. So when you go a little south-west from Sendai, that's where you find Rokubaracho." Rin put the stick down and judged Kanade with a stern look. "I never considered it but are your grades in-"
"Everyone has their weaknesses!" Kanade got defensive immediately. "My grades are much better than Hibiki's or Ellen's! I just don't like geography!"
"You should still know where Sendai is. It's the capital city of Miyagi and-"
"I can't hear you!" Kanade covered her ears and in response, Rin rolled her eyes so hard she felt a bit dizzy. "I'm just no good at remembering places on maps. It's different when I'm there in person!"
"Maybe it is better if I come visit you instead."
"W-Who said anything about visiting?"
"What, you were going to ask about a train ticket to my town just for fun?"
Kanade opened her mouth and realized just in time she was falling back into old habits. "No. I wanted to come visit you." She received an approving head pat in return for being honest. "Geez, stop it!" She started to pout, then pout harder, squeeze her eyes and stomped her feet. "Aw, don't stop it!"
"You are such a handful." Rin smiled as she petted Kanade who acted like a cat. "You're still a student. I have a job. I won't be able to get away much but I will come visit you."
"Thinking about going back to my parents and all my friends should make me happy, but…" Kanade hung her head low. "I don't know. Somehow, even with all the crazy stuff happening, I kind of want..." Her face turned really red and she pretended to see something interesting at the way side and turned away. I kind of want to stay here with you. I finally became friends with Hibiki again here… I met you… everyone is able to stay together. I miss my parents but… I will miss this place too.
Kanade perked up when Rin hugged her from behind, arms over her shoulders – which Rin could only do thanks to the brown leather boots with heel she wore. "This place started out like a prison but it's kind of become another home."
Starting to overheat from the hug, Kanade collected all of her girl power, turned around, got on her toes and kissed Rin under the rustling leafs of the autumn mountain trees. Looking at Rin's face felt pleasant to her. I feel like… as long as I'm by her side, I can become my ideal self. Ah, why does she look so handsome when she half-closes her eyes like that?! My heart's not gonna last!
Stupid sneeze… Rin wasn't making bedroom eyes at Kanade intentionally. Turning her head away, Rin covered her mouth best she could and avoided making a loud noise – she wasn't tone deaf to the moment.
Before she could even say anything, she noticed Kanade frantically moving her arms. Looking back, desperate to wipe her nose on something, she couldn't help but smile; Kanade hurriedly put her long hair into a ponytail. She must have thought it was her hair that got in my nose and made me sneeze. She can be so adorable. "You look really-"
"Stupid? I look stupid, don't I? This is something Hibiki would wear, not me." Kanade self-destructed before Rin could finish her sentence.
To prevent any further behavior like that, Rin grabbed both her cheeks and kissed her with a lot more fervor than before. Lasting long enough to make any lingering self-destructive impulses fizzle out, Rin felt her own stomach being filled with butterflies when she finally stopped. "Listen. The only stupid thing is you calling yourself stupid. You look very cute this way."
"Hmghm… huh?" Kanade was having trouble parsing language. "Cute?"
"Yes. I think you should try and incorporate that into your look as Rhythm."
"That's way easier said than done!"
"I'm pretty sure that Hibiki wouldn't give up before even trying."
"You meanie! I know what you're doing, using Hibiki against me!"
"But it's working, right?"
Kanade hissed and stomped her feet. "It is!"
"I'm looking forward to the results."
"You're a villain, Rin!"
"Does that make you the princess I kidnap and take back to my lair?" Rin did her best evil laugh – which was not very good – and picked Kanade up. "I'll have to watch out for any fat plumbers coming after me."
I have no idea what she's talking about but this is so nice! I always wanted a handsome… prince to carry me. I'll happily settle for my handsome villainess! Putting her arms around Rin's neck, Kanade loved the feeling of resting her head against her girlfriend's shoulder. I never thought I'd go for an older girl though. I always saw myself as the mature partner… hm? Kanade noticed something. What's that? Between the trees, a few meters off the trail, Kanade looked at something she couldn't quite place. It was like trees, bushes and everything surrounding it didn't line up properly. Like a single picture, cut in half, and then put back together incorrectly. "Rin." Kanade looked up at her girlfriend. "Do you see that?" Looking back to the spot and pointing at it, Kanade could no longer see it.
"See what?" Rin peered in the direction Kanade had pointed, having to turn first, but couldn't see anything either.
"There was-" Kanade's eyes strayed just a little off course and there she saw it again. "There!" Pointing to Rin's left, she kept her eyes on it. "It's like…"
"I see it." Rin looked straight at it and had a bad feeling. Is this related to Echo? Or the system issues? Are these mountains unstable? "It looks like someone folded space incorrectly."
"Like forcing together two puzzle pieces that don't go together." Kanade blinked and she lost track of it. "Where did it go?"
Rin had also blinked and couldn't see it anymore. "We're leaving." Without letting Kanade down, Rin turned away and hurried back the path they came without breaking into a run. "The beach was fine but these mountains are much bigger. If what Inori said is right, this whole place might have some issues."
"You think it's dangerous?" I don't feel like anything is too dangerous while she holds me like this… when did I become such a damsel? I can protect myself! Just… maybe I'll let Rin enjoy playing villain a little longer. It's not like I want her to carry me all the way back to our room or anything.
Fleeing as hard as she could, Rin grew more worried by the second. A brisk walk evolved into storming back and finally into a jog and a full on sprint as the bad feelings and worries grew bigger and bigger. We should have been out a while back… Her hair and eyes changed colors as she transformed and Kanade was finally ripped completely out of her fantasy of being a princess. "Kanade."
Switching over to be Rhythm because Rin called out to her that way, she got Rin to let her down without saying anything else. "We… didn't go this far into the woods, did we?"
Rin felt chills. "No. Not even close. It's like… we're on a treadmill. The faster I go the faster we come back to this same spot."
"This spot? We've been here… before…?" Kanade looked down and noticed what exactly they stood in front of. It was the crude map of Japan that Rin had drawn into the dirt. "Rouge, was Passion up for training?"
"Her training isn't related to a spatial warping like this I think… this is something else." Do I tell her about Echo? No, it'll just unnecessarily worry her more than it being some glitch in this world. I still have a few ideas. "Rhythm." Warning her that way, Rouge picked her back up. "Hold on."
Running as hard as she could, using her powers to the maximum she could draw out, Rouge left behind marks of scorched earth as she ran. Her eyes darted to the ground as often as she could without putting them at risk of running into something solid and breaking every bone in their bodies.
This isn't good. The two of them cane to a slithering hold, messing up the ground, and Rin was visibly out of breath and struggling despite it only having been a couple of minutes of running. We have our powers… but it's like letting energy flow without any control. Looking down, Rouge let Rhythm down but held on to her hand. "In absolutely no scenario let go of my hand."
Rhythm knew better than to be embarrassed or enticed in a situation like this. "Why can't we get out?"
"I intentionally scorched the ground with my steps… but look down."
Rhythm let her gaze fly across the trail and realized what Rouge was getting at. "No marks."
"The trail is resetting, with us on it." Rouge felt goosebumps on Rhythm's hand. "We still have a few ideas left."
"I want to try something too. But you need to cover your ears."
"With this going on I am not letting go of your hand."
Without argument, Rhythm just reached up and stuck her index finger into Rouge's right ear. Rouge covered her left ear by herself. Taking a deep breath, Rhythm was quivering and shaking. She wasn't good with scenarios like being lost in the woods. Not since Hibiki dared her to watch that one movie. Rouge is trying her best… I'm a Cure too, not just a damsel for her to protect.
"[Unsynchronize]!"
A horrible noise of pure musical cacophony blasted through the woods, outward from Rhythm's mouth. Trees shook, pebbles on the ground dances, leafs were ripped from bushes and trunk alike. And within seconds the noise echoed back at her from every direction. It was her own attack and that was why she was fine, other than enduring the actual terribleness of the attack's lack of musical harmony.
The noise would not pass. Rhythm had barely opened her mouth to signal to Rouge that it was safe when the attack echoed back a second time, every bit as strong as the first. This is real bad. She knew right away that if this kept going, Rouge would suffer serious damage. Just sticking fingers in ears was not enough to block a Cure powered sound attack. There's about three seconds between waves…
Waiting out the last bit of the second echo, Rhythm acted with extreme speed and precision. Removing her fingers, grabbing Rouge and reversing the carrying situation from before, Rhythm jumped as hard as she could. The trees and the ground around them vanished in an instant and they could hear the echo come around a third time below them, but they were outside the effect range now.
"What about the landing?!" Rouge immediately worried about that. Jumping up was one thing but a fall from that height was the purview of their defensive powers – which they did not have.
"Blast the ground with heat!"
"That'll cook you alive!"
"Throw me up!"
"Then how are you going to land?!"
"You catch me!"
"That-"
"I trust you!" Rhythm looked absolutely serious.
Rouge felt the pressure coming down on her but she nodded. "I'll catch you. I promise."
Wanting to kiss Rouge to seal the promise, Rhythm held off on it. Because things went from bad to worse to unimaginably bad. As they reached the highest point of their jump, the peak of altitude, the forest was both above and below them simultaneously, like someone had just trapped them between two mirrors showing the same thing.
Trapped in the air, not ascending or descending, both forests closed in on them and aerial pressure was hitting the, making the air grow thin, robbing them of precious oxygen and most of all causing turbulence that made them started to spin around each other, losing track of which forest had originally been up and down.
"Don't let go!" Rouge yelled through the turbulence and considered using her powers – she couldn't do that with Rhythm so close, not without her protective outfit.
"I won't!" Thrown through the air like paper planes in a storm, the two of them found themselves trapped between two encroaching forests. The mountains in the distance started to meld together, forming a bizarre double triangle shape as it looked like the sky was falling down on them.
"I'm gonna throw you! Trust me!" Rouge used just enough heat to act like propulsion – she couldn't use this to fly, but it was enough to give her thrust when in free fall. Starting to whirl about in the air, Rhythm was like a ball and chain, building momentum in Rouge's hands and then being launched upwards.
Spreading her limbs as far as she could, Rhythm increased her air resistance. It hurt all over her body but she was sure that every bit of slowing down was important to give Rouge the time to get past her. And within seconds she felt the heat wave that radiated out from Rouge, who flew past her at breakneck speed. "Rouge!" That's too fast! She's gonna die! I have to… I have to do… Rhythm swallowed hard and looked straight ahead, at the rapidly approaching forest. I have to trust in her. She knows her powers better than I do.
Rouge's landing was a bad one – using her full power to blast the forest when she first hit the same height level as the tall trees, she incinerated dozens of meters of vegetation around her and set several trees on fire. The heat wave that came back evaporated every single drop of moisture on her skin and if she hadn't closed her eyes, she would definitely have lost her eyes. Landing on the ground like she fell from a bicycle, she forced herself up despite numerous bruises and scrapes. Scanning the sky for Rhythm, she found her. A white dot high above her. I can't jump too early. Otherwise we'll both land and break bones… Not yet… not yet… Her heart was racing. Seeing Rhythm fall towards certain doom if she missed or jumped too late was the most pressure she had ever felt.
Now. Jumping at an angle, Rouge shot into the air and grabbed hold of Rhythm slightly above the crown of the trees. Holding her close with one arm, Rouge braced for impact; they were on intentional collision course with a large tree. Hitting the crowd, smashing through branches and foliage, they quickly emerged from the autumn bounty and hit the ground, rolling over, refusing to let go of one another.
"I can't believe we're still alive..." Rouge groaned. "Mostly alive..." Her legs and her arms hurt like she had jumped full force into a wall. Moving at all seemed impossible with how much pain she was in. "Rhythm, you okay?"
"My face hurts a bit, but… yeah. I need to get you to Blossom." Getting out of Rouge's protective embrace, Rhythm looked up and froze. No matter where she looked, all around her, the world was stitched together badly, incorrectly. And there was a strange sound in her head. A… clock?
=== DISSONANCE ===
Training group number six consisted of Peach, Berry, March and Black Lily. The last of those was not especially happy to be there without Moonlight or Rosetta and it showed on her face. March, as well, didn't look particularly motivated, although her issues were more than she was in no mind space to focus on something like this.
"Let's start with Peach." Echo was standing in front of four sitting Cures and Peach got up to see eye to eye with her when she was called. "Do you have a vision of where to go already?"
"Yes! I had this really awesome technique in the last big fight that let me soak up punches and kicks like a sponge- oh it still hurt by the way. But it let me soak it all up and then I squeezed and it went all flying and hit my opponent. That was Heart by the way."
"That is a very advanced application of your ability to shuffle things around. I think to develop that you will need to understand what exactly damage is and what effect it has on the body. For today you should practice trying to swap energy between your right and left hands." Echo raised her right hand and created what looked like a miniature sun, not just popping into existence but actually a coalesced, pressured mass of gasses suddenly igniting and spewing forth fire. Without so much as a motion the sun disappeared from her right and reappeared in her left. "As you can see, creating this requires a startup fusion of natural elements and yet it appeared fully formed in my left. That is what I meant. You won't just cease the energy in your right hand and redirect it through your body to your left. You will move the energy's spatial and temporal signature of existence from A to B. It is a really hard task and the goal is not to master this but to get a feeling for what it is like to sense isolated energies in contact with other energy and then attempt to move said energy."
Peach nodded very slowly. That is… a sun, right? "I don't understand all the details but I think I know what you want me to do. You said for today, so what is after today?"
"In-between sessions, please talk to… hm, I suppose Makoto would be the better choice. Rikka will be too technical and I am worried about putting you and her in close proximity without anyone else present."
Berry burst out laughing. "She's on to you, Peach!"
"Eeeeeh?! What is that supposed to mean, Echo!"
"Nothing. Just that you have no handle on your own charisma."
"Wha-!" Peach was literally left with her mouth open. I… I can't deny it! Setsuna told me the same thing before!
"In any case, please talk to Makoto before our next session and ask her to explain to you in detail what exactly happens when you are punched or kicked, when you receive bruises or scrapes or broken bones."
"Gotcha." Peach sighed. "I'm not that great at studying though..." Peach started to wander off and created a small sphere of pink energy in her right hand.
"Moving on… I get the impression you know what you want to do, Berry?"
"Sadly that isn't the case." Standing up, she stretched very briefly and looked up at the sky. "I always thought that [My World] was fool proof and a great asset but it's nothing like that. I figure my only choice is to focus on my impact series and-"
"You're giving up?"
"Huh?"
"You're giving up on an ability where everything about it screams out Cure Berry. To focus on something that basically anyone of the others could develop with enough time. The final evolved form of your impact series would be something like this, some day." Echo turned around and eyed a large pillar that was over two hundred meters away. "Impact!" It was like a minuscule amount of air was displaced in front of her hand and nothing happened for a whole second – then the pillar was blown to dust by something going off internally. "But even with my powers I can't just easily emulate your ability [My World]."
"U-ugh..." Being told off this brutally… I haven't been scolded like this since… I cannot even remember when! Not even Inori takes that tone with me! Not even Yuri!
"So your ability has flaws. Overcome the flaws, reinvent the ability until you are absolutely sure there is nothing further beyond. If forced observation doesn't work, then just go beyond that."
"Like… forcing them not only to look at me but also be… obsessed? No, that would just cause stalker like behavior… enticed? No..." Berry pinched her chin and started to walk in uneven circles, getting further and further away.
"Is that okay?" Black Lily pointed at Berry who seemed to be so deep in thought that she didn't see Peach – seconds later the two collided and the energy sphere that Peach was holding exploded and both of them landed face down, butt in the air in the dirt. "Uwah..."
"Hm. Probably not, but they can definitely handle themselves." Echo looked like she was going to have to avert disaster later. "March."
"Yes?"
"I know you're dealing with a lot, but pouring yourself into an entirely different project can help you get through it, you know?"
March sighed the way only someone with a broken self-esteem could. "I brought this on myself-"
"If you are going to sit here and mope, I will have you be my sparring partner."
The idea of that was so terrifying to March that she stood up in an instant. "I really haven't thought at all about what kind of ability to pursue."
"For starters, your reliance on speed is bad."
"But it's my strongest asset."
"Yes, and it is also easily exploited and quickly runs into issues of mental processing limits. Even if you can move at mach speeds, you can only process your surroundings so quickly. The faster you go, the simpler your paths become to avoid crashes. That leaves you wide open to exploitation."
Thanks, now I feel even worse. "Everyone else on your team, excluding Miyuki, has a favored element to use. I think that you are severely underestimating the capacity of wind based techniques."
"Like blowing someone away with a big gust?"
"No." Echo raised her hand to the sky and within seconds massive black clouds covered the sky. "[Winds of the Radiant]." Clenching her fist, the entire area turned into a phantasmal scenery of calamity – massive tornadoes descended from the black clouds, roaring and trashing the area and the wind was so strong that it was difficult for March and Black Lily to even remain sitting or standing. Echo snapped her fingers and the area returned to normal, accompanied by two girls screaming as they fell out of the sky. "Whoops." Clearing her throat and ignoring Peach and Berry crash landing, Echo turned to March. "Your elemental affinity is wind. Running fast is just an amateurish application of that. Lots of other girls here can run really quickly. Pine. Rouge. Egret. To name just the fastest. And they all have different, big aces up their sleeves. Speed itself shouldn't be your ace."
"Brutal." Black Lily clapped lightly. "I thought Berry got demolished, but that was brutal."
March could only hang her head in defeat as she listened to this. "So… I should aim for something like Akane or Reika?"
"No. Fire and Ice have very different applications from each other. You are tall and you are well adjusted to moving very quickly. While that wasn't a great use of your ability, it is something you can build on. I suggest you actually try and emulate what I did."
"Eeeeeh?!" March took a step back and then three more steps. "Impossible, no way, absolutely no way! What even was that?!"
"[Winds of the Radiant]. It takes control of the atmospheric pressure in the air to cause a controlled storm system. There is actually a second part to this ability called [Howl of the Radiant] but I didn't want to demonstrate that. Aim to create a small, stable tornado for starters."
"For starters?!"
"You're more powerful than you think. You are so focused on speed that you neglected other aspects like energy control, but your powers are there, just latent. If this sounds too hard for you, there is always sparring-"
"I'll do it, I'll do it!" March walked away with widened eyes, mumbling to herself at a very high speed.
"And before I forget! You're not allowed to run! Find a spot and practice! If I see you move around too much I'll take that as a sign you want to spar!" Echo shouted after March and she nearly jumped into the air because of it.
"Wow, I can't wait what kind of crazy training you want me to do." Black Lily looked excited.
"You're going to be shooting at me. To build a special ability you first need a solid basis and unlike everyone else here, you didn't have years of practice. So we are going to give you combat experience. You have sixty seconds to land a hit on me before I send you flying. We'll repeat that until you can hit me ten times in a row without getting sent flying."
"You're gonna be standing still for this, right?"
"Of course not. I will match my speed to that of Pine, Egret, March and Rouge."
"That's all the fast ones! That's impossible! That's even more impossible that the thing March is supposed to do!"
"We are Cures, impossible to us is the same as Tuesday."
"… Seriously?"
"Seriously."
"You're kidding, right?"
"Do I look like I am kidding?"
"..." Black Lily stood up, silent, and summoned her bow. "Let's do this then!"
Sixty minutes later, Black Lily was falling out of the sky for the eighth time and regretting picking a bow. There's just no way to hit something that moves that fast… it's impossible to lock on. I have to figure out something or I'll spend the next hour falling out of the- Kaboom. sky all over. She had landed.
Meanwhile, Peach was face down in the grass a few hundred meters away and taking it easy. She succeeded in moving the energy away from her hand but it ended up in all sorts of other places and kept exploding because she completely lost all control over it. After the third sphere exploding on her butt, she couldn't even sit down anymore.
"Going badly?" Someone was talking to her and by the sound of the voice, it was Berry. The rustle of grass meant that she sat down next to Peach.
"Everything hurts. I want Passion and Beat to pat my booboo." Peach felt her spirit more crushed than her body. "I kinda get how I'm supposed to do this… but it's like trying to think of four things at the same time."
"Not going too well for me either. Nagisa asked me this morning how it was going and I said ugh because I had no idea where to go, but… now I really feel like ugh applies." The grass rustled again and Berry presumably laid down next to Peach.
Turning her head just enough to see to her right, Peach saw a very normal looking Berry. "What's the issue?"
"I'm going to need a partner for this. Without knowing the effects of what I am doing has on others I can't adjust and proceed with trial and error."
"Does helping involve any kind of combat?"
"Probably not. I at least worked out a rough idea of what I want to do."
"Oh?" Peach moved up and got on her knees – her butt was still a pretty pained zone.
"You know how Pine can take over people completely?"
"Please tell me you're not also doing that."
"No, I want something that is more me. Instead of just forcing everyone to look at me – which is basically mesmerizing someone – I want them to become so infatuated with me that I am seen like their queen. They won't hesitate to fall on a sword for me, for example. Absolute, boundless infatuation."
"So you're charming your way to victory."
"That's… a pretty plain way to say it. But I can't say it's wrong."
"Can I just sit here and you do the thing? I still need a bit more of a break before I blow myself up again."
"If I can charm you it should work on everything so that will be great." I wonder if Echo thought this far ahead by having both of us be in the same group.
At the end of the two hour training session, as everyone was leaving, – that was the standard length of the sessions but some groups could stay on while others joined – Peach had to be kept away from Berry due to residual effects of her new ability's development process. March looked like she had taken a walk through a storm system for a solid two hours and she was confident it was enough to give every hairstylist on the planet a heart attack. Black Lily was visibly fine but extremely grumpy about the results of her training.
Lunch break was a rather noisy time with close to thirty people being in the dining hall all at once. "No, no greasy stuff." Makoto directed Reika. "You might be able to handle that but it is not good for you. No rice either. Noodles would be okay but only with thin sauce. Soup will be best. Gruel will also be good. Avoid heavy creamy soups however. And get some of the more well baked bread. It will gets crumbs all over but well baked stuffs better."
"Someone taught you well. I'm glad to have a human doctor around." Inori was stacking two trays together and turned into Pine to carry them better.
"Rikka is the real doctor. I'm just…"
"I get that there's baggage I will never understand for you six but… I'm an apprentice vet. You studied medicine for practice on people. If you studied that at a university or if you got taught by the smartest person here doesn't matter. You know what you're doing, right?"
"That's kind of you to say."
"I'm not just saying that." Inori glanced towards Reika. Not a single moment to ourselves since this morning. But I'm kinda used to that. How many times have people had pet emergencies at five in the morning?
"You know..." Makoto leaned in towards Pine and smiled a little. She was talking hardly louder than whispers now. "If you want to hide you like her, you shouldn't let your eyes so obviously. Have you told her yet?"
My eyes…? Pine tried very hard to avoid blushing. "Not here." She was not successful.
"What, what, what, dirty talk?!" Erika had the ability to appear at the absolute worst possible time with absolute certainty. "Makoto telling you dirty secrets about Ange?!" Erika found herself lifted up by an iron grip – Makoto didn't even need to turn into Sword to hold up someone as small and lightweight as Erika. "Give, give, give!"
"Did you know that you can make soup with a base stock of sea water and if you dilute down the salt content and use vegetables to soak it up, it is a really healthy thing?" Makoto had the capacity to say some very scary things.
"Can you please not eat my girlfriend?" Tsubomi caught up with Erika, holding a tray that was so full that it made Pine feel stuffed just looking at it.
"How are you holding up?" Makoto let Erika down, who hurriedly hid behind Tsubomi, pulled down her left eyelid and stuck out her tongue, tempting the grim reaper.
"There wasn't much for me to do, so I'm fine. I'm still a bit tired from yesterday."
Makoto, Inori, Tsubomi and Reika were the nurse squad that took care of Mamo and the others. Keeping an eye on those four right now, while the four got food for themselves and the sick, were Hikari and Kurumi, who had volunteered to help out. Although it had been Hikari who volunteered first and Kurumi jumped in right after her without hesitation.
"We're no closer to figuring out what is wrong with them than a few hours ago. It vexes me." Makoto frowned. "Back in my time there were a number of incurable diseases stemming from the curse energy that..." Makoto took a small breath. "That blinded Rikka."
She doesn't want to run away from the fact that Rikka is probably never going to see again. I can't imagine what that must feel like… if Miki or Love or Setsuna were to go blind and I couldn't do a thing to help them… "You think this is related?"
"Not at all, but the principle of discovery is the same. We are dealing with a potentially unknown disease… although I sure hope not."
"Would be nice if they just got sick because of unhealthy lifestyles." Pine grinned. "Ready to go?" Looking past Makoto, Pine reacted with wrong awe. "Reika… who is supposed to eat all of that?"
"When I become sick I feed my body with as many nutrients-" Reika could not even finish her line in the face of their faces. "Is this not the right way?"
"You seem to have a pretty unique body..." Makoto's comment caused Pine to blush again. Thankfully there are no nurse uniforms here. Otherwise who knows if Pine could keep her hands away from Reika.
Returning to the bathhouse, just a little ways north from the hotel, Makoto found Ange waiting for her. "Ange!"
Waving to her girlfriend and looking like she had just come out of the baths herself, Ange sat next to Regina, the two of them holding hands while drinking some hot canned drinks. "My idiot sister was all I have to go see Makoto so here we are." Regina grumbled loudly and winced when Ange stomped on her foot. "You stupid oaf… argh!" Trying to stomp back, Ange dodged and Regina stubbed her little toe on the extra arm chairs that had been brought in from storage. "Gaaaaaaah!" Regina's scream could be heard all the way to the hotel.
Makoto's smile was as lethal as a pot of liquid mercury. "You two." She looked at Ange and Regina. "Out."
"Makoto, it's not my-" Ange tried to defend herself.
Makoto turned to sword, stacked the two trays she carried on top of the two Pine was already holding and stepped forward. Seconds later, Ange and Regina were physically dumped outside the door with nothing but bath towels to cover themselves.
"Makoto!" Ange got on her feet and knocked wildly on the door. Within a second the sliding door flew open and a lethally mad Sword stared at her. "I didn't mean-"
"There are sick people here. There is no difference between them being sick and Mana being sick. If you think it's okay to make a ruckus just because they used to fight against us way back in the day then I don't want you in here at all." The door slammed shut and Sword stepped away. No more knocks came.
"Are you sure you should be treating your girlfriend like that?" Pine wondered about that.
"Ange knows better than this." Sword looked seriously pissed off. "She understands I don't do this out of pity for Rikka or something like that. When one of us got sick, the airplane was always quiet like a library. Even Regina understood that. It's rude, irresponsible and most of all a direct insult to a doctor's oath to help everyone to come here just because she's my girlfriend and make a ruckus like the people here don't matter."
So you do think of yourself as a doctor. I'm glad. Pine smiled. "Can you take back some of these? I can't really see where I'm walking." Pine was not the tallest so four stacked trays obfuscated her line of sight.
In the backroom, four of the five sick women were fast asleep. Out of the four that were resting, Regine was snoring loudly into her pillow, sleeping face down. Mamo was the only one that was awake. "Pine, can you handle Sasorina and Mizushita? Reika, can you take care of Majorina and Regine?"
Delegating, Makoto took one of the trays, soup, a small portion of pasta with a light mushroom sauce, some bread and a bowl of salad lightly dressed, to Mamo. "I know you're not going to feel like wanting to eat, but you'll be sick much longer."
"It's so weird to me to have you take care of me." Mamo still looked terrible but less so than earlier that morning. "We used to fight and… I know it's all in the past but I wouldn't have been surprised if you enjoyed this."
"After we beat the Selfish we fought something much, much worse than anything you and the others ever did. It put in perspective that you were just… selfish, not the kind of evil we dealt with later. I learned medicine from Rikka and I swore a doctor's oath… even though the world I did that in isn't there anymore. But even if I saw you as an enemy now, I would still help you. A doctor doesn't pick and choose patients like that. At least not me."
"Makes me feel terrible for all the stuff that happened."
"It's been eleven years for me." Makoto pushed a spoon in Mamo's hand. "Start with the soup to warm up your body and stomach. Wait a little bit before you hit the noddles. Save the salad and bread for after."
"There's something I gotta tell you. I'm absolutely, definitely not supposed to, but… with everything that's going on, I don't care about supposed." Mamo glanced left and right, as if she was worried someone was watching her. "It's about where Mana ended up."
=== DISSONANCE ===
"How the fuck did this happen…?" Bad End Happy groaned and looked at the black starry sky and squinted. "Fuck." I can still see it. And I thought our troubles were on hold for a little while. But nooo, the universe hates us. Sitting outside, she was alone, frowning, grumpy and annoyed with everything. Not even Dark Dream tried to cheer her up.
"Is that… really okay?" Nozomi pointed at Bad End Happy and looked worried.
"She'll be fine. She has her phases." Yume sighed. "Not that I'm a fan of it. But trying to force things instead of letting her anger slowly simmer down will only make it all explode in your face. Well, I can understand her being frustrated. This is… some serious development."
Yume and Nozomi both looked up at the starry sky. "You think I could pass over if I jump high enough?" Nozomi flipped a switch and turned into Dream, which made her and Yume look too similar for anyone's taste.
"If you don't and you fall, that'll be the end." Yume pointed over to the circle of stumps that served as seats, arranged around the big black pot. "And I don't think you have her healing powers, right?"
"Definitely not." Dream turned back to Nozomi and sighed. "If Mana can't do it, I definitely can't either."
Over by the stumps sat Mana, healing her broken legs. "I'm glad Rikka isn't here… she'd tear me a new one, ha hahaha… haha…" Mana sighed. "I'm just glad I offered to try before Nozomi did. She would have died."
"Yeah yeah, enough about that!" Bad End Peace sat in front of Mana and was staring at her like a snake would stare at a hamster. "What about me, what about me?!"
Mana looked at her for a long minute, closed her eyes, hummed, tilted her head and then came up with something. "Namaki!"
"Hm… that's kinda normal. What about something like Dengekiko?" Namaki didn't seem too happy with it.
"You heard the woman, move." Mirage Sunshine picked Namaki up and carried her away.
Yume and Nozomi had been watching this process. "I'm surprised everyone wanted Mana to name them." Nozomi felt a little passed over.
"She doesn't know any of us and she seems very nice and strong." Yume patted Nozomi on the back.
"I'm nice! I don't know about strong though..."
"You're strong too, but you look just like me. Especially for my team that would be weird."
"I get that, I get that! But… I wanted to name someone..."
"You gave me my name, didn't you?"
"Well, yeah..."
"And I'm glad. Real names, names that server the final remnant of the darkness that connects us to our past as villains… they're a treasure to us."
"Now I feel even more jealous…" Nozomi glared towards Mana. "Gunununu… Mana!"
"Okay, that's enough jealousy, come on, we have a crisis to manage."
"But-!" Nozomi was dragged away by Yume.
Getting to their house – which had changed a lot since they had gone to sleep the night before – Yume looked up. "Hey! Anything?!"
Dark Lemonade, who now went by Miho – according to Mana this was written with the characters for Not yet and Sail which was then read as Not grown up yet – peeked over the edge of the roof. "I'll ask!" She turned around and they could all see under her skirt. "Reina, anything?" They couldn't hear the answer but Miho turned back around. "Nothing!"
"I feared that was the case." Yume scratched the back of her neck, more so because she needed to keep her hands busy than any other reason.
The house they lived in was now a three story building. It didn't have plumbing or electricity, but it had separate rooms and was made of stone, which meant no more leaky roofs. The ground floor was taken up by Tsubomi's group, the second floor belonged to Happy's group and the third was occupied by Yume and her group.
"This place keeps changing so quickly. Ever since we made contact with your side, it's been one mess after another." Yume noticed what this sounded like and raised her hands. "Sorry, I didn't mean to say it's your fault."
"Leaving aside whose fault it is-" I sure hope this isn't my fault like it was with the mirrors. "Where is Echo?"
"That's the big question." Yume looked around, knowing full well she wasn't just going to find a missing person that easily. If she is a person. That power was basically godlike… "Akane, Nao and Yuri are gone too. That is undoubtedly related."
"Would those three really just leave?"
"If there was some emergency that didn't allow for time to wake the rest of us… maybe. But more importantly, someone as strong as Echo just disappearing for hours and hours. The phrase I hope nothing happened comes to mind but is there even anything that could actually threaten Echo?"
Even as the Rose Guardian, that power was… impossible. It's like swimming through a lake for the first time and thinking you can go anywhere now and then you discover the ocean. It's an incomprehensibly large difference in ability.
"Three big problems. Echo is gone. Akane, Nao and Yuri are gone. And..." Yume looked straight up at the starry sky. "And that."
Nozomi followed suit and she felt uneasy. A world in the sky, looking down… like two planets facing one another. That was definitely not there before. A loud scream caught their attention and they turned around to see Miho hanging from one of her golden chains off the edge of the building, Bad End Beauty – Reina – holding her up. "Her name is really on-point." Yume groaned. "What are you doing?! Take the stairs!"
Although they had their old clothes from the past, they were not afforded the same protection as Cures. They were just clothes. Offensive and utility powers were all that was given to them. Miho landed down on the ground and yelped when she hit her butt. Scrambling to get up, she went on all fours for a couple of meters before launching into a sprint. "We found it, we found it!"
"You found what?" Yume waited for Miho to come to a screeching halt, burst into a coughing fit and recover all in the matter of thirty seconds.
"The building Nozomi and Mana described! The skyscraper!"
Nozomi lunged forward and grabbed Miho's hands. Uwah… if I did this to Urara, she's sock me one. "Where?!"
"In the sky!"
Yume bonked Miho on the head. "Of course it's in the sky you dolt! That's what Reina's been looking at! Where in the sky?!"
Miho opened her mouth to answer, then her mouth stayed open, it closed and she turned around. "Reina! Where in the sky?!" Miho ran back to the building.
How… Yume bonked herself on the forehead. "Is yours like… this?" Yume gestured at all of Miho and Nozomi burst into laughter.
"No, she's actually a lot like Kokoro." That was Bad End Happy. Kokoro and Yume really sounds great together. "Our Urara is really, really tough. Maybe even tougher than Kokoro. And she's really snappy. But she's still a good person. She's been getting nicer lately though!"
"Can we trade? I already manage one perpetually angry hottie."
"A… hottie? You think Miho is hot?"
"In a… hot idiot way."
"Does Koko-"
"Don't you dare tell her. Secret between… you know what, I was going to say friends or ally but with the way we look… uhm… would you be against it if I called you..." She mumbled the last word and her face took on a color similar to that of her hair.
"Hm? Call me?"
"Call you my… sister."
Nozomi burst into a rainbow smile. "Absolutely!" Her voice was so loud and her tone so powerful that Yume nearly shrunk a few centimeters.
"I didn't… think you'd feel that strongly about it."
"Having a twin sister is great! We could dress up together!"
Dress up for what? "A-Anyway, it's a secret between sisters."
"What is?" Miho had appeared out of nowhere.
"Gah!" Both Yume and Nozomi reacted the same way to her. "You scared me!" Looking at each other as they spoke in one breath, they also started to laugh simultaneously.
"I don't get the joke. Anyway, the skyscraper is roughly..." Miho pointed at the sky with her finger. "Over there."
Yume looked at Nozomi and said See what I am dealing with here with just her eyes. Nozomi replied Don't be so hard on her. "I'll just ask Reina. Nozomi, can you go find Ibaraki and ask her if we're doing lunch even without Nao?"
"Uh… that was Tsubomi, right?"
"Yeah. You'll get the hang of it soon."
"How are you so good at it?"
Yume smiled. "They're my friends and family. I try my best."
=== DISSONANCE ===
"Not. a. word." Kurumi was breathing like an enraged bulldog as she walked out of the arena in full armor and right past Honoka,who was shoveling gummy bears into her mouth by the handfuls. Every step was a loud clang on the ground.
I can't blame her. That was some fiasco, Honoka thought and kept chewing the gummy bears. I need something with more sugar content. Turning around, she put a few more coins into the vending machine and got something called Yabai! Ultra Deluxe Energy Rocket which had a suspiciously caramel looking color. It was shaped like a chocolate bar and she put away half the bar in one bite.
"C-Can I have one too?" Hikari was just coming out of the arena, looking like she had ran for a million hours without food.
Giving the remainder of the bar to Hikari, Honoka got two more from the vending machine. "I've never been this exhausted."
"S-Same..." Hikari just leaned against the wall next to the vending machine and slowly slid down until she was sitting on the ground. "I can't even power a lightbulb anymore..."
"I couldn't even fight a Zarkenna right now." Honoka joined Hikari on the floor just as Echo walked past. "Echo."
Stopping and looking down, Echo didn't seem to even notice them at first. Then she did and looked quite worried. "Are you two okay?"
"Do we look okay? I haven't been this tired in… ever before. And I once endured eighty hours of quarantine during which I couldn't go to sleep." Honoka stuffed a second bar into her mouth and bit off as much as she could chew. She didn't care for the taste – it was disgusting – but her body was screaming for anything to be converted into energy.
"Me… tooooooooo..." Hikari leaped into a yawn as she said it and then leaned back against the wall. "I wanna go to bed..."
"Did Kurumi leave already?"
"What do you think?" Honoka was in a terrible mood. "After two hours of getting beaten up by you I'd not be surprised if she doesn't want to see your face for a while."
"It is-"
"Yes, we know. Part of training. Understanding the logic does not mean we like it." Honoka finished the bar and gave the other one to Hikari who seemed on the verge of falling asleep sitting there. "No surprise that Nagisa was that exhausted after her session."
"What exactly were you expecting?" Echo gestured as if this wasn't an obvious outcome. "Training is supposed to be stressful and pushing you to your limits."
"To the limits. Not over the limit." Honoka squinted. "I can't even switch over to my powers. Never mind put this outfit away."
Wearing their Cure form clothes but without actually being transformed, they had both run out of energy completely. Putting the clothes on was as easy as using a little magic on the complete set in the wardrobe and it triggered a proper transformation. Taking them off worked in the same way but they didn't even have energy for that now.
"It'll be fine." Echo smiled and walked away.
"I don't like her." Honoka grumbled and hungered for more chocolate bars. Standing up, which felt as monumental an effort as lifting up the sky, Honoka got three bags of potato chips. This is gonna make me poor. And I can never let Nagisa know I ate all of these. "Hikari-" Hikari had fallen asleep with a bar still in her mouth and Honoka looked around, took the bar and ate the rest. Kurumi is gonna kill me.
Meanwhile, Makoto had finally figured out what was wrong with Mamo and the others. Looking at the cause of their sickness, she was covering her mouth and nose. This is disgusting. I'm honestly surprised they're not dead. If they were normal humans… just how… I mean… this is some otherworldly…
"Makoto, you're in the way." Shoving her girlfriend out of the way, Ange pushed past her and into the chaos.
Mamo's private room was, in one word, the embodiment of filth. Vermin was everywhere. Piles and piles of dirty clothes, spoiled food and all sorts of things that would make a person sick beyond all measure were just forming mountains of disease waiting to happen. Ange joined a group of two others – Reika and Tsuomi – who were heavily masked, in rubber boots, gloves and aprons, cleaning the room with industrial grade agents and stuffing just absolutely everything into the biggest and most resistant garbage bags that they could find in Mamo's store.
All five women afflicted were so embarrassed that they could hardly look at each other, much less Makoto. From food poisoning to bacterial infections to parasites, they had contracted just about everything one could get from a terrible lifestyle. Converting the smallest bath in the bathhouse into a sterilizing bath, Urara had volunteered to help with getting them clean, in the truest sense of the word.
"It burns! Ahhhh!" Sasorina tried to escape the bath for the second time and the golden chain came flying like a homing device, grabbing and throwing her back into the chemical bath. Karen and Inori were there as well, one for the ability to blast high pressure water, the other because she was used to dealing with big, stubborn and resisting living things that would rather face nuclear fallout than a bath.
"You dipshits only got yourself to blame! I've seen cra-" Urara stopped for just a second. "Crashing stars with more common sense than you idiots!"
Reika and Tsubomi were not the only ones that were doing clean up. Yuri and Miki were taking care of Mizushita's mess. She was the least bad of everyone and the filth hadn't immediately stuck out because it was focused around storage, the back of the bathhouse and also the reception desk. Love, Setsuna and Ellen, together with Itsuki and Hibiki, were daring to challenge the horribleness that was Majorina's and Sasorina's rooms, accessible from behind the lobby reception.
"This is worse than the worst I've seen… anywhere we traveled!" Setsuna scoffed when she picked up a stack of at least twenty empty, partially spoiling and partially fermenting, cup ramen packages and threw them into a huge bag.
"I thought I was bad about cleaning my room..." Hibiki forced the covers from the bed and saw something. Everyone got startled when an explosion send feathers flying everywhere and a frantic, panting Melody stood in the center of what used to be a place to sleep. "S-Sorry… I saw something crawling and… reacted."
"That's my girl." Itsuki sounded very proud. "Try not to break the entire room though, there's… gonna… beeeeeeeee!" Itsuki screamed when something crawled up her arm – something very black and not that tiny.
The shock wave of Sunshine crushing whatever it was with her extra thick rubber glove – two layers worth – sent everyone's hair flying upwards. "I hate… things."
"Ellen, can you take the rambo couple and go get some more garbage bags and cleaning stuff? At the rate they are destroying the room, there won't be much left."
"Hey!" Hibiki complained but couldn't really refute it too much.
"It's fine. The other room is just as bad as this one, we're going to need fifteen, maybe twenty bags." Love tried to mediate. "We'll fumigate the room first so there's no more crawlers."
Hibiki and Itsuki visibly shuddered and Ellen gently pushed them out of the room. Halfway through the lobby, Hibiki turned around to Ellen. "Are they gonna be okay?"
"They will be fine." Seconds after Ellen said that they heard Setsuna scream in an incredibly girlish voice and Ellen blushed and lowered her head. "They'll be fine!" Saying it again to convince herself, Ellen pushed on ahead. A second scream followed, again from Setsuna, that only preceded Love's frantic shouting and then Love and Setsuna screaming as one. "They'll… be fine!" Ellen's face was a tomato now.
"You three have really grown close." Hibiki was very amused by the little incident in the lobby. They were out on the plaza now, on the way to Mamo's store where Ange, Reika and Tsubomi were still working on restoring the garbage dump back to a room.
"Really?!" Ellen perked up upon hearing that and immediately realized she overreacted. "I-I mean-"
"It's cute that you're happy about it." Hibiki looked at Itsuki. "I'm happy I get to call this hunk my girlfriend, too."
"Hunk?" Itsuki snorted. "You know, back when I went to middle school with Tsubomi and Erika, I was really popular among the girls for my boyish look."
"Well, that train's left the station with those melons." Hibiki poked Itsuki's breasts without hesitation.
"Perv. What about Ellen? I'd imagine a girl like her would be really popular."
"Surprisingly, not really. There were some interested parties, but there were also a lot of rumors that she'd only date someone with instrument experience or that she had two girlfriends at the same time."
"Two girlfriends? Don't tell me-" Itsuki was smirking wide – not that anyone could see it under her mask.
Ellen hung her head and sighed. "Because I always hung out with Kanade and Hibiki and they have this… aura about them."
"It's really strange, too, Kanade used to be way into this guy in middle school… what was his name again?"
"Ori?" Ellen guessed. "I don't remember either."
"Something like that. O-something!"
"That really narrows it down, thanks." Itsuki snorted. "But no way, Kanade liked a guy?"
"I don't think she had figured out that girls are the way to go."
"So, Ellen. Tell me the truth. How terrible are Hibiki's grades?"
"Hey! Ellen, don't you dare say anything!" Hibiki playfully hit Itsuki's shoulder.
"They're normal." Ellen looked right at Hibiki. "Normal terrible." Dashing away at normal human speeds, Ellen was quickly chased by her friend.
"Ellen! Get back here you traitorous cat!" Chasing her friend with her arms raised to the sky, Hibiki and Ellen nearly collided with Yuri, who just came out of the store dragging a huge blue garbage bag.
While Ellen was still playing tag with Hibiki, Itsuki met up with Yuri. "How's it looking in there?"
"Let's just say that when I tell Makoto about this, Mamo will be shouted at so loudly that we will probably still hear her deep in the mountains." Yuri groaned. "I know for a fact that I am showing Yami this… this disaster zone before it is all cleaned up. Just to make sure she never, ever turns out like that."
"How did they even produce so much garbage? We haven't been here that long." Itsuki knew that they were all asking themselves that.
"We're going to have to ask them that."
Makoto was not going to yell at them. Out of the bath, clean and very much humiliated, Makoto stared down the five offenders with such an intense glare that not even her fellow Cures would dare approach. Regine, not knowing Makoto, made the grave error of opening her mouth. "Can we-" There was a blazing glimmer of rage in Makoto's eyes that shut her up right away.
"Aren't you going to get out of here before she explodes?" Inori was not looking forward to the scolding storm that was inevitably going to come.
"You kidding?" Urara looked like she was about to get an all expenses paid vacation on a tropical island for free. "I didn't fight any of these dumbos but I sure will enjoy them getting shouted to pieces."
And it started. "Are you five out of your mind?! System staff or not, there is only so much one should be willing to endure!" The volume of Makoto's voice was beyond anything Inori had expected and she quickly fled. The five offenders cowered in the face of an angry doctor.
Outside, Inori kept flinching when Makoto kept going, yelling about personal hygiene and other tidiness and health hazards. "I haven't heard her be this angry in several years." Rikka showed up with Regina, who looked like her soul was escaping through her mouth. "The last time it was because Mana ignored her orders for bed rest and got caught trying to heal herself in her room. Mana's ears were ringing for hours."
"Is she from some kingdom like Ako?" Inori stepped further away as the next wave hit.
"She was a professional songstress once." Rikka smiled. "She is a beautiful singer. But as you can hear-"
"If I hear one more excuse for that… that mountain of filth that was found in every. single. one. Of your rooms!"
"I heard from Regina. Was it really that bad?"
Inori blew raspberries. "There was this one time a customer came to us with a particularly large mixed bred dog that had explosive runs and the dog went off in the practice. Ah, if you didn't know, my family runs an animal clinic. That was not nearly as bad as what those are look like. I honestly feel the greatest respect for the others who volunteered to clean that." Inori looked at Regina and back to Rikka, repeating that process a few times. "What… happened to her?"
"I had a few things to say about busting in on Makoto and the sick." Rikka smiled.
She's definitely just as scary as Makoto. I didn't think human doctors were like this. I guess they can get really mad about things like this. Although I sort of get it. If I was helping my dad do surgery on a big dog or something and someone made a ruckus in the lobby, I'd explode on them, too. "It's… gotten quiet."
"I do wonder, how long have they been living like this that their rooms were such dens of filth?" Rikka posed a really good question.
"We'll have to wait until Makoto vented her anger to ask them. If any of them live though it with their hearing intact." But something about that is iffy. It looked like months of garbage in there. Filth like that doesn't just appear over night or in the course of a week. And we haven't been here that long. So what exactly happened?
=== DISSONANCE ===
"Why is this happening to us?" Mamo was standing there in full military gear, a camouflage vest, pants and helmet, carrying a battle rifle.
"Shut up." Sasorina, who was wearing the same clothes and carried four pistols holstered to a girdle, stood next to Mamo, hissing at her. "Do you want that demon doctor from hell to get up our case again?" Sasorina nearly peed herself when Makoto, standing more than ten meters away, suddenly turned around and looked at her and Mamo with a rather intense look. "Just shut up about it, all right?!" Sasorina hissed and felt her lifespan shortening.
"How did you ever fight them?" Majorina looked like a big bad wolf had chewed her up and spat her out. "That made even Beauty look easy to deal with… I'm so glad there weren't any purple colored Cures on my end."
"Don't be such wusses." Mizushita tried to put up a tough front but she was actively terrified of Makoto. "I'm gonna recycle from now on..." Mumbling to herself, she shivered imagining having to deal with Makoto as an enemy.
Two hours – Makoto had lectured them for two hours, not letting them stand up or get a word in edgewise. At the end of it they had been so worn out that they plummeted to the ground, feeling worse somehow, mostly emotionally and mentally, than they had at the start of the whole ordeal. After that, their spirit had been broken and when Makoto decided on their punishment they couldn't believe the chewing out hadn't been punishment.
Mamo tugged on her camouflage pattern vest and sighed. "I wish this was a little more stylish..."
With everything that had been happening, a number of girls decided it was time to get some resemblance of normalcy back into their lives. A meeting was held and no conclusion could be reached within thirty minutes of arguing back and forth. Various suggestions of parties were made but in the end that didn't feel right. The solution came unexpectedly from Komachi, who simply pointed out that there were a number of activities with actual reward still available – the board, for lack of a unified description they could all agree on, was still hosting various activities.
The one that had been picked was the survival game with airsoft guns in the mountains. Mana was still missing and on top of that, both Rin and Kanade were nowhere to be found either. Ayumi withheld from participation as well on grounds that she was neck deep in planning everyone's training curriculum and didn't have time to play. That left them with thirty-three out of thirty-seven people. To compensate for the missing four individuals – they had to meet the number of two teams after all – they roped Mamo, Sasorina, Majorina and Mizushita into it. Two of them each on one team.
Upon accepting the activity, a small unmanned shop was found near the entrance to the mountains, hosting all sorts of weaponry. The board has specified Airsoft Guns but there was a lot more available than that.
"Honoka, look." Nagisa juggled four of what were essentially paint containing hand grenades.
"Don't blame me if you blow yourself up and get disqualified early."
"I won't, I won't! This is totally sa-" Nagisa was bumped into by Kurumi by accident and all hell broke loose.
Grenades were suddenly in the air and homing hard towards the ground, with Nagisa and Kurumi frantically trying to catch them mid-air. Catching one, they stumbled or bumped into a station hosting weapons and dropped it again.
Honoka walked away before the disaster became a catastrophe. Nagisa was sweating cold pearls when she had finally all the grenades safely back in the big crate that contained them.
"All right, time to decide teams, then we can pick weapons!" Makoto was still in taking charge mode. The shop was so full with girls trying to pick their weapons that nobody could really move, much less move safely. Collecting outside, they were quite a crowd.
After nothing happened for a full minute, Makoto frowned and turned to Mamo. "What are you waiting for?"
"Me?!" Mamo looked like she had just been told to fight all thirty plus Cures at the same time. "You want me to pick?"
"Right." Makoto pointed at Sasorina. "You and Sasorina will pick the two teams."
Sasorina's brain didn't seem to work anymore and she just stood there, frozen for a solid minute. "Wait, you mean me?"
"Is anyone else here called-"
"No. No, no no no no! You're just gonna blame me for if or when the team I pick loses!" Sasorina wildly shook her head.
"That's right." Makoto confirmed her suspicion.
"At least deny it!" Sasorina stomped her foot on the ground and immediately regretted that because she saw a familiar, dooming look in Makoto. "I-I mean..."
"Ohohohoho, is someone scared of miss purple over there?" Itsuki was standing right next to Sasorina, mocking her.
"You'd be damn scared too if you were on the receiving end of her lecture." Sasorina hissed at Itsuki. "F-Fine… if Mamo-"
"No. Way!" Mamo crossed her arms in front of her. "Impossible. Super impossible. I have a hard time picking my nail polish already! Something like this is totally impossible! I can't! Nope!"
"Those who don't pick teams will be issuing orders as the general protecting home base." Makoto informed them.
"Me! I'll pick!" "I'll do it!" "Let me!" All three remaining staff members were nearly falling over each other and their own feet trying to get out of the actual worst job.
"Was Makoto always this scary type of person?" Karen was standing behind Ange, asking in a quiet voice so Makoto would not hear.
"Normally, no. Sometimes there is a thing that sets her off and it takes a while for her to calm down again." Ange smirked, although Karen couldn't see it. "It's been a while since I saw her like this. It's kinda hot, right?"
Karen just politely smiled. Hot? I mean… Komachi taking charge is kind of exciting, but for someone that didn't have a big presence to have such a turn of personality is quite alarming actually.
"Don't worry, I won't become that." Komachi was by Karen's side, having heard the conversation and guessing at Karen's thoughts. "I get why she thinks it is hot though. If you suddenly acted like that it might be… fun."
"I won't." Karen frowned a little, still smiling. "And don't you try that either. I like you the way you are. Not with a general commander switch."
"Everyone get in line as your name is called!" Makoto's voice came from up ahead.
With all three women competing over who got to take the slightly less terrible job of picking teams other than Sasorina, Majorina had won out in a rock paper scissors showdown. Who knew that watching Peace would come in handy like this?
"Sasorina didn't act like a baby and so she gets first pick." Makoto calmly walked into the crowd, including herself into who could be picked.
"Great." Sasorina groaned. "Mari- I mean Erika."
"Coming right up!" Erika strutted out of the crowd and took her spot by Sasorina's side.
"Nao." Majorina's first pick was her old enemy.
"Who'd have thought we would be fighting together?" Nao looked amused and smiled for the first time in what felt like days. Lowering her voice, she whispered to the beautiful witch. "Don't let Makoto get to you too much. Since it doesn't matter who wins, nobody is gonna do much blaming."
The picks went in order from there, starting with Sasorina and then switching back and forth; Itsuki – Reika – Yuri – Akane – Yami – Yayoi – Tsubomi – Miyuki. Completing the teams of their respective enemies first to ensure smooth teamwork, the picks after that were more interesting.
Sasorina eyed the crowd. "Saki."
"Eh, me?" Saki seemed surprised she wasn't among the last people to be picked.
Mai pushed her out of the crowd by a hand firmly placed on her back. "I told you."
"You sure? I'm a big target."
"A big target that can lug around weapons with ease that weight as much as two Erikas." Sasorina seemed to know what she was doing.
"Hey… I think!" Erika didn't know if she should complain or not.
Majorina heard all of that and felt a little bit panicked. "Michiru."
"I saw that coming." Rolling eyes, Michiru joined the camp that opposed Saki. "One heavy to counter another?"
Majorina looked put on the spot and just averted her eyes so she wouldn't have to admit to it.
"Regina." Sasorina's next pick was another out of the blue one.
"Urara."
"Miki."
"Hibiki."
The picks went on and on until only four of them were left; Makoto, Hikari, Rikka and Alice. In order of picks it went Nagisa – Love – Honoka – Ako – Setsuna – Kurumi – Komachi for team Sasorina and Ellen – Karen – Mai – Inori – Kaoru – Ange for team Majorina
Nobody said anything but Rikka was so obviously handicapped to an impossible degree for an event like this that neither team wanted to pick her. Regina was visibly agitated over this to the point where Saki was keeping tabs on her to avoid an incident.
"I have a proposition." Makoto was also visibly annoyed she hadn't been picked yet, but this wasn't about that. It's pretty obvious why nobody wants to pick Rikka or Alice and it's kinda pissing me off. The winner of this game doesn't even get anything so what's the harm in picking them not dead last? "Given the large scale of the area and that we are now capable of accessing some of our powers while also being able to transform without our clothes-"
"Wait, wait, wait, using Cure powers is gonna turn this into a whole different type of fight!" Sasorina was afraid of that, justifiably so.
Makoto looked straight at Sasorina who seemed to be in the process of melting right after. "As I was saying, some of us are clearly more suited to this activity than others. To even the field, why don't we tie the ammunition count to our energy stock. No abilities are to be used." Rikka's visor that lets her perceive her surroundings is not an ability, so that will be fine. "All in favor please raise their hand."
A good three quarters of the groups raised their hands – the playing field was really unbalanced now, with the physical types like Saki, Nao, Itsuki and so on having an extreme upper hand over everyone else. What they made up in physical attributes, even without powers, they lacked in magical energy reserves.
"Eh… and I thought I'd have easy pickings for once..." Saki looked so pointlessly smug that it was clear she was joking but she received a punch on the shoulder from Kurumi anyway.
"I'm going with Hikari then." Majorina picked the one girl who had likely the most raw energy out of everyone. A loud, bellowing Noooooo was heard from the opposing camp and Kurumi slumped to her knees. "Uwah… Uh, Sari, you wanna trade?" Majorina didn't see this ending well.
"Don't even start with this now. Kurumi, get a grip."
"But!" Kurumi looked like she was told to jump off a cliff.
"Rikka." Sasorina continued the team picking.
"Alice."
Makoto sighed. I can't believe they left me for last. I should give them another lecture… "That means I'm over here." Makoto walked over to Sasorina and everyone looked at her weird. "What?"
"You're left over." Komachi was counting people. "Including Mizushita and Mamo, there's eighteen people on each side. You'd be one too many."
"It's because Regina and Ange counted as one with the rooms." Kaoru was having trouble not laughing at Makoto's stunned expression. "Who picked one of them first?"
"Me." Sasorina raised her hand. "I got Regina."
"You need to switch teams, Ange." Makoto was very annoyed that this had happened.
"I always looking forward to shooting Regina, though." Ange sighed a little and earned a hateful look from her sister. "Don't give me that, I know you were gonna shoot me first chance you get!"
"Still going to." Regina looked devious and was promptly put in her place by Rikka, who grabbed her ear. "Ow, Rikka, I was-"
"Joking? Oh I know you were not. I will be asking around on how Ange has been shot and if-"
"I know, I know! I won't! No friendly fire! Okay, okay!" Regina was wincing just from Rikka pulling on her ear a little.
The teams separated. There were some logistics and chain of command issues to be worked out first. "To make things more fair, I'll take my group back to the plaza and you can pick your weapons." Majorina offered that up and started to lead her group away.
"A brilliant move." Reika was impressed by her old foe's wisdom.
"Huh?"
"We all were able to assess the weapons before, so we will know what they will pick by comparing the amounts before to what will remain after they have gone."
Majorina needed a second to make sense of that. "Right. Just as planned."
"Would you say Keikaku-" Yayoi beamed with joy as she started up and was denied by Michiru, who picked her up like a pet.
"That's enough attempted memes for now." Michiru felt Yayoi struggling fruitlessly for a little while and then just resigned herself to her fate.
"Who do we put in charge of organizing everyone and giving orders?" Hibiki had barely just asked when everyone turned to Reika.
"Oh no. I used to work alone. I am terrible at delegating." For Reika, being in charge was the worst job possible.
"If she doesn't want it, I will-" Urara started up and was immediately drowned out by Alice raising her hand. Tsk. Stupid rich girl.
"I will not be able to move around much and I plan to pick a heavy mounted minigun for stationary defense of our base." Alice took the small ear piece out and smiled. "Thanks to these I will be able to relay orders and strategical advice to everyone."
"Finally someone tells me what these are for." Miyuki's ear piece looked kind of damaged, there were teeth marks on it, and wet. She did not tell anyone why this was.
"How are you going to keep track of everyone?" Hikari was curious about this. She kept looking over her shoulder. I hope Kurumi is doing okay… she seemed really sad we can't play together.
"Can everyone please look at their ear piece? It comes with a built in microphone. The quality and distance will not be of great quality, but you can report back to me that way. I will split everyone into smaller squads to better facilitate a chain of command. Each squad will have an assigned leader who will answer to me and who will be able to issue orders on the ground as the situation unfolds."
Everyone was taken aback by Alice's explanation. Most of them didn't think much about the fact that she and her group had lived through actual warfare. And then they not only saw but felt it. The change in expression on Alice and Makoto.
Snapping back to normal, Alice looked almost embarrassed. "My apologies, I am sure that everyone simply wants to have fun-"
"No. Do it. Lead with expertise. If it's not bringing back bad memories for you, go for it. It's a fun event, sure, but everyone wants to win!" This came unexpectedly from Ellen, who looked raring to go.
"Does anyone have a problem with that?" Alice wanted to make sure.
"The other side has that doofus Regina, Ange and Rikka. They got a plus one on actual war vets on us, so we better crank this up all the way if we want to cream them." Urara had a special expression that could only be described as excitedly murderous.
"I will then." Alice closed her eyes for a moment, took a deep breath and changed. Her shoulders rose a little, her posture got more aggressive, her eyes were narrowed, her brows furrowed and her very expression spoke of military operations.
"We will be operating in four cells of four, plus one stationary rearguard of two, which will be myself and Hikari. Vanguard One will consist of Nao, Hibiki, Makoto and Ellen. Makoto will serve as your CO. Vanguard Two will consist of Akane, Urara, Inori and Mamo. Inori will serve as the CO. Mobile Strike Force will consist of Yayoi, Kaoru, Michiru and Reika. Kaoru will serve as CO. Mobile Assault Force will consist of Majorina, Miyuki, Karen and Mai. The commanding officer will be Karen. Hikari and I will consist of the rearguard, protecting a base of operations atop-" Alice turned around and pointed at what was a small mountain. "There. I will now explain each squad's role. Refrain from talking as the role of other squads is just as relevant to you as that of your own."
While Alice was structuring her army of soon to be air-soft equipped soldiers, Rikka and Regina were doing the same thing, putting everyone into a mode of awe and great seriousness. While it was just an air soft battle, or rather especially because it was just an air soft battle, they all wanted to win.
"Vanguard One's primary purpose is to secure territorial gains and act as an ever encroaching line of last defense against which the other side has to retaliate before it is too late."
Rikka was explaining things now, her hair turned into the bright blue of Diamond and a visor covering her face that made her look even more imposing than her words did. "Nagisa, Saki. Both of you have trained bodies that will let you wield large caliber arms but you will suffer from ammunition shortages. Your primary job is to lay down imposing cover fire, forcing the enemy back, not defeat them. Miki, Setsuna, you will be their covering agents, securing that they are not flanked while they advanced towards the enemy. Both of you should focus on multi-function arms that allow for close combat and mid-range combat purposes. As their CO, it is your job to make judgment decisions in the field, Miki."
Miki stopped herself from saluting and instead stood as straight up as possible and nodded with the most serious face she could make. This is shaping up to be a way bigger thing than I expected, she thought.
"Vanguard Two will act in conjunction with Vanguard one and provide a fallback position for Vanguard One for joint operations. Additionally they will lay down suppressive fire to discourage formation breaking rogue agents that attempt to slip by Vanguard One. Your job is to kill on sight every unidentified unit. Nobody but Vanguard One should ever approach from your front but you are expected to be familiar with the faces and hair of every ally present. Sasorina, Tsubomi, you will act as flanking agents for Komachi and Kurumi. Do not be hesitant to call a tactical retreat. A dead soldier is a useless soldier. Claimed territory can quickly be regained but replacing fallen forces in the field borders on the impossible without a cascade effect taking place."
"Understood." Komachi was their CO – originally, Rikka had declared Kurumi CO but not only she did not want that job, Komachi volunteered herself. The team consisted of Komachi, Kurumi, Tsubomi and Sasorina.
"Mobile Strike Force – your primary objective is the targeted and opportunistic execution of kill orders. While Vanguard One and Vanguard Two will push the enemy lines – and knowing that Alice and Makoto will no doubt take the reigns of command over there – you will operate outside defined mobility parameters and strike when the enemy is deemed vulnerable, either through a tactical retreat at the hands of Vanguard Units or by forcing our Vanguard Units to retreat and them giving chase. The enemy is at their weakest when they are operating outside known strategy, which is what both scenarios amount to. Do not engage hostiles during a lock down or mere exchange of fire. Your job is to be highly mobile and be available to drop whatever you are doing to return to base and pick off enemy combatants on your way."
All four members of Mobile Strike Force stood at attention and answered in unison, pumped for the upcoming operation. "For the Empire!" Their side had decided that they were the Empire while the other side was the Federation. A number of star wars comments had been made. Love, Honoka, Itsuki and Ako looked forward to putting their skill to the test. Out of those four, Honoka served as commanding officer because Ako didn't feel it was a good idea for her to give orders.
"Mobile Assault Force – your objective is chaos."
"Hell yeah!" Erika and Yami shouted together and were immediately hit in the head by their CO.
"As our final squadron, your objective is to disorient the enemy, smudge the lines of advances, bait them, make them mad. You will fulfill your mission if you give Mobile Strike Force windows of opportunity and enable Vanguard One and Two to do their jobs. Never engage an enemy for long. Destroy their concentration. Run like the wind. Attack from angles and positions they never expect. Litter the battlefield with traps. Destroy their strategy and tactics. Regina is your CO and so her orders will be absolute out in the field. Refusing to follow them is unacceptable and will be met with severe punishment. No but or if and other arguments."
Itsuki pounced on Erika. "I'll help Regina keep those two in line."
Rikka nodded at Itsuki. "The other side must believe that allowing us to obtain weapons first will put them at an advantage by being able to compare the store's contents before and after – we will exploit this." Rikka already had a counter to Reika's plan. "Sasorina, let me reconfirm-"
"Yes, if you blow up the store it will basically come back untouched, with full storage. That's a really mean spirited way of doing things, you know?" Sasorina felt taken advantage of, divulging details like that.
"We are not stopping there." Rikka raised her voice. "Upon selecting your weapon of choice, you will select a second weapon which we will summarily erase from the game before beginning, fooling the opposing team into believing our arms lineup is something it is not. Strike and Assault team, you will have a single use window of opportunity of ambushing the enemy with arms they will not expect you to possess. Make good use of it."
Rikka was a very capable strategist but she tended to think inside the box too much. "They're planning to obfuscate what weapons they are going to use by torching the shop, having it return to original state and then take weapons that they won't use." Yayoi reported to Alice, who looked amused.
"You always had a problem with the dirtier parts of war time operations, Rikka." Alice tensed up. "Operation Breakthrough begins in five! Everyone to position!" Marching back towards the mountain was quietly as possible, with not a single word being said, they reached the far edge of visible terrain from where the other team was.
"War doesn't wait for the starting bell, Rikka." Alice gave the order by raising her hand and switching on her powers. Commence Operation Breakthrough.
A vanguard consisting of Hibiki, Nao, Akane, Michiru and Reika rushed forward, physically crashing into the opposing team, pushing them down, out of the way. Line a single fired arrow, several others from the Federation rushed after them, into the store, grabbing everything they could carry, lugging around entire armfuls of weapons as they made a run for it.
By the time the Empire had recovered from the sudden physical assault, it was too late. Even those who were quick to get back on their feet were psychologically stunned. They had just been integrated into a chain of command and they were suffering choice paralysis between waiting for orders and acting independently, causing them do just stand there, delayed for just long enough so that the other party could make their get-away.
"That wasn't all of them!" Rikka shouted, getting back on her feet. "There's a detachment of them somewhere else! Check the perimeter! The clock is ticking now, everyone step back from the store!" Rikka utilized her full powers – the game hadn't officially begun and using them had always been her plan from the start. "[Reduced to Zero]!" Annihilating the entire ten by ten by five meters ahead of her, Diamond watched with surprise as the shop just popped right back, like she was playing a game of whack-a-mole. "Weapons, now! They could come at us any-" Rikka paused and then became frantic. "Cover!"
Everyone was spurned by the urgency in her voice and jumped to cover and not a moment too early. Right in the middle of the big clearing that was in front of the shop impacted a rocket propelled grenade, covering everything in five meter radius in deadly colorful shrapnel. Deadly only within the context of the air-soft game.
"Sasorina! What's going on?!" Itsuki was shouting from cover as a second RPG flew right over their heads and covered most of a tree in goo.
"I-I guess they started! There's no official starting signal and stuff, so… so I guess they just went and said it's on!"
"Tell me those things!" Rikka bit her lip. I miscalculated. I thought that with Regina on my side this would be a fairly head-on conflict what with Makoto running things over there, but this is definitely Alice's handiwork. She always threw ethics and guidelines right out the window and used every means necessary to finish a mission. This is just like that time she physically crushed an entire island to stop a curse weapon manufacturing plant underground we couldn't get to. "Stick to cover!"
A third and fourth RPG hit the shop and covered it in goo and then there was silence. Why aren't they rushing us? We are unarmed and pinned down. If they use machine guns and battle rifles to lay cover fire and use grenades and rocket launchers to cover a wide area, then a highly mobile force could easily come in and eliminate us right now. What are you planning, Alice?
"She's probably confused why we are not killing all of them right now." Alice was not embarrassed in the least over riding on Mamo's shoulders.
"And we're not doing that why?"
"They haven't picked weapons yet. That means they are not actually part of the game yet. Firing at them makes them think they are already valid to get shot, but they really aren't. They could take one of those RPGs to the chest and while that would hurt, it wouldn't take them out of the game."
"That's a pretty creative interpretation of the rules… I don't know about that myself actually and I'm staff here."
"Those who write the rules are most susceptible to the loopholes contained within. Rikka is a very careful, strategic and inside the box thinker. If we fire at her, she will think it is a genuine attack. By the time she figures out that even if we do hit anyone, it won't matter because none of them picked up weapons yet, we're long gone and set up a heavily fortified base. The rules of this fight are very sparse – it never mentioned we can only pick a single weapon."
"It's no wonder I lost to you lot, you're devious."
"Thank you." Alice put her hands on top of Mamo's head. "I am glad I did not have to argue with you about carrying me."
"It's a bit humiliating but after that lecture Makoto gave me, this is nothing much. Where are we going?"
"Base Point Alpha."
Mamo turned, then turned again when she remembered where Alpha was, and started running. Seeing that, the RPG cover fire station scrambled – consisting of Hikari and Michiru, the former supplying the juice, the latter supplying the muscle power to lug around an anti-tank rocket launcher without it slowing her down.
They're not coming? A diversion? No, there would be no point. We are unarmed… I've been had. "Break cover! Ignore enemy fire, arm yourself, break the back wall of the shop and take cover in the forest! Proceed to gathering point alpha!" Rikka shouted and bit her lip. I can't believe I fell for this. They can't attack us because we haven't armed ourselves yet. That is what properly started their participation. Alice circumvented the rules by using brute force to get us out of the way to kill my plan to confuse them with misleading weapon counts. They didn't attack us physically, which should be against the rules, because at that point they hadn't yet officially started. As fearsome as ever, Alice. But I won't be outdone.
Within ten minutes of the initial assault, Empire and Federation had separated by more than two kilometers – Rosetta Federation was holding the very top of a mountain that was now as heavily fortified as an actual military base, with mounted miniguns, rocket launchers and a number of high powered sniper rifles, it was a veritable arsenal at the fingertips of Alice and Hikari.
Other than the group surrounding Mana, almost nobody had ever even touched a gun before, possibly a water gun, but the objects they were holding now were as heavy, sturdy and functional as the real thing.
Squatting near the base of the mountain was the Federation's Vanguard One, waiting for orders. Vanguard Two was on the opposite side of the mountain while the Strike and Assault teams were doing reconnaissance. The Diamond Empire had dispersed its forces immediately after arming them. Even with the mobility of the Mobile Assault Team led by Karen it turned out to be impossible to track them.
"Assault, status." Alice's voice came in over the ear pieces.
"No change." Karen was a quick study but even she had issues keeping up with all the code words and abbreviations that Alice was throwing at them.
"Strikers to base." Kaoru's voice came on now. Every squad could hear the transmissions of every other squad, within their own team that was. "Unknown sighted in quadrant one."
"Confirmation?"
"Affirmative."
"Status?"
"Lost."
"Proceed to hibernation. Lookout on all four."
"Orders on encounter?"
"Acquisition, if impossible, termination."
"Acknowledged."
Yayoi was looking at Kaoru with big eyes of admiration. S-She's like the heroine of a military manga! Like Rebecca in Trails of Blood! Or Valna in Midgardsormr! S-So cool!
"Yayoi, focus." Michiru pinched her cheek hard enough that it hurt and killed all fantasizing that Yayoi was about to do. "You can be impressed by her later. How are the mines coming?"
"I'm working on it! This is a lot harder than it looked in Girls und Panzer! This goes here and… a magic charge here and… setting the mechanism and… the proximity range… and… this is really hard!" Yayoi, for her small frame and low strength, had opted to carry mines – powerful explosives that sprayed magic paint in a massive radius when triggered. Covering them with leafs and dirt made them nearly impossible to detect but it also meant that there was the prospect of friendly fire. That was why the Mobile Strike Forces stayed out of the way of the Vanguard teams and worked with the Assault Team to coordinate paths taken.
"Keep working on it. Our orders are to remain here for the time being. If we encounter the enemy, we're supposed to capture them if possible." Kaoru laid down on the ground and looked through the scope of her battle rifle that resembled a German maker. This feels real in more ways than one. I've never held a real one before but this weight, this material… it even has recoil when firing. The triathlon was strange and the test of courage was unconventional but this has a really strong touch of real combat.
"You confirmed that you saw an unknown. Not an enemy?" Reika was with them, part of the squad, inquiring about Kaoru's report.
"I saw something. It was gone too quickly to be certain it was a person and not some kind of animal or light breaking in a strange way out here, causing a reflection or mirage." I honestly don't know what I saw. It was like the world didn't line up properly for a moment and where one uneven edge bordered another there was something there. But when I looked properly, it was just the forest.
"Didn't expect we would be squatters in a forest. This is a pretty big place, how are we know if someone is nearby?" Michiru asked. She wielded a shoulder mounted rocket launcher and additionally had a battle rifle strapped to her back. Yayoi had commented that she was like Rambo.
"By being quiet." Reika didn't mince her words and when Michiru said nothing in return, she knew that the girl understood. She wielded two weapons as well, a sniper rifle with an adjustable scope that allowed up to three times magnification and a semi-automatic pistol that was light-weight, had a large magazine but was not very accurate.
Sitting, laying and rigging mines in complete silence, they all felt the tensions rise with every minute. This must be what real soldiers feel. What Alice and her team felt. Just for them it is even worse. If we fail we simply fail – we won't die. I don't know who is off worse, those who still have the memories of the Masquerade slumbering in their heads or Alice and the others, who have memories of years of war. This is a bad habit, trying to compare who is off worse. Even Yayoi is doing her best out here, building mines, even though she is much more of an indoors person. I should focus on the now, not on the past.
They were not the only team on standby.
"I didn't think we'd just be sitting around," Hibiki whispered to Ellen. Whispering because Makoto had already reprimanded her once for talking at normal volumes and potentially tipping off enemy combatants to their location on top of making it more difficult to hear approaching hostiles.
"We don't know where the other team is. We can't just move around randomly," Ellen whispered back and both of them returned to be on the lookout when Makoto turned her head to stare at them.
Hibiki used a standard issue small caliber battle rifle with full auto that had stabilizers that reduced recoil but significantly slowed the rate of fire. Ellen on the other hand had no gun at all and instead had three large brown bags hanging from her – on her hips and one on her back that was even larger. Inside were grenades. Playing guitar a lot gave her an equal lot of nimbleness in her fingers, which made her a good throw she had realized after Alice made her throw a grenade on a hunch.
Nao was thankful for the quiet – of course there was no peace here, that would have been great, but at least there was quiet. It gave her time to think. I should at least apologize to Akane. It was mostly her fault but… I didn't handle it well. I could have explained at least or… I should ask someone for help. I'm so bad at relationships. I botched things with Reika and Akane… and then I look at Mana or Love and they can wing having two girlfriends and they are even into each other. I couldn't even handle one at a time. Spying something up ahead, Nao pointed her gun in front of her and looked through the scope. She had excellent motion vision and depth perception, so she grabbed a large rifle that was only semi-auto or manual, fired bursts of three but had good accuracy and a scope.
A rabbit? There's wild animals here? Following it with her scope, it vanishes behind a tree and didn't come back out to either side. Is that where its burrow is? "Makoto. There's wild animals." Nao was speaking in a hushed voice.
Makoto didn't turn her head and there was no visible indication that this surprised her. "Are you sure?"
"I followed a bunny with my scope for several seconds."
Makoto tapped her ear piece to activate it. "Vanguard One to all units. Advisory: Wild Animals are in play."
"Assault to base." Karen's voice. "Enemy spotted at sector eight-two." Sectors were a surprisingly easy system. The mountain itself served as sector zero – and outwards, numbering twelve sectors corresponding to where numbers were on a clock, from north onward, they simply assigned numbers clockwise. A sector was about three hundred meters and Alice had used some rough landmarks to label where sectors ended. From there it was just more numbers tagged on.
"Confirmation?" Alice's voice inquired.
"Positive."
"Vanguard One, Vanguard Two, proceed under high alert to sector eight."
"Affirmative." Makoto turned to the others. "Stick to cover, be aware of your surroundings. Avoid open spots between trees, they will have snipers. It's possible this is a trap to lure us to sector eight."
"It's like we're real-" Hibiki nearly froze when Makoto suddenly raised her hand and made a fist, the military signal to stop. They stood perfectly still for a few seconds before Makoto turned around like a whirlwind, grabbed Hibiki and Ellen and pulled them down to the ground. Less than a second after that, paint bullets pelted the trees around them.
"Vanguard One to Base! Ambush in sector ten!" Glancing around with such speed that it looked like her eyes were spinning, Makoto rolled over and was now on her back. Lifting up her rifle only, hit the trigger and rapidly spun her weapon around, firing in every direction. "Nao! Cover fire!"
Nao had taken cover behind a tree just in time to avoid being shot – but her upright position allowed her to tell that the bullets didn't come all from one direction. "Six, no seven! Seven and four!" They were coming from their south. Popping out of cover, Nao attempted to lay down some cover fire and if not for Makoto throwing a rock at her, missing but causing her to fall over backward, she would have been been more colorful than a circus clown.
"Don't just come out of cover!" Holding up her gun again, Makoto now fired in the proper directions. "Ellen!"
"R-R-Right!" Ellen was so nervous, her hands were shaking. "I can do this, I can do this, I can do this..." Gripping the grenade tight, she aimed, and let go too early, a live grenade landing on the ground right behind her. Ellen frozen with shock.
Grabbing the grenade without hesitation, Hibiki aimed roughly at where Ellen had aimed and threw it with her full power.
"I-I'm so sorry- I-" Ellen looked like she had just dropped a real live grenade and Hibiki had saved her life. For the second time it would have been.
"Stupid, we're here to clean up each other's messes. Not everyone can be super soldier Makoto!"
"Less talking, more shooting!" They've closed in fifteen meters. Eighteen. Nao's returning fire now, they stopped advancing. From the volume, spread and sounds, they have at least two rifles and something I can't place but very powerful and heavy. A minigun? If so that would mean that is likely Saki and a number of others out there. "Ellen, Grenades to seven-thirty and three-thirty. Pincer them."
"I can't-"
Makoto didn't even let her finish. "Did you bicker like that when it was time to save your home, save the world? Protect your friends? Did you go I can't do this and give up? You're a Cure, aren't you?"
"Hey! There's no need to be that harsh-" Hibiki took offense to that.
But it had the desired effect. Ellen bit her lip, gripped a grenade tight and threw it, grabbed another and threw it as well. They had a satisfying boom sound when they went off, and the air was quickly filled with booms.
"How many of these did you bring?"
"Seventy." Ellen threw another one.
"Seventy?!" Hibiki couldn't believe it. "They must weigh a ton!"
"Not much difference from lugging around a guitar for several hours." Boom. And another boom.
"Nao! Hibiki! Thunderwhip!" Hibiki hurriedly handled her rifle and together with Makoto and Nao popped out of cover and just fired in the same general direction as Makoto and Nao were. "Echo!" Makoto gave another order and they stopped shooting, each of them counting to three seconds in their head and then firing again, over a wider angle. Makoto suddenly stopped, grabbed Ellen and dragged her along with strength that completely belied her rather thin look. "Cover!" Hibiki was right behind them, looking like a hunted hare, and the three of them rushed past Nao, who saw what they were running from, took aim and shot an approaching RPG out of the air with one try.
I hit it! Nao was confident in a number of things, including her vision but she was fully prepared to take that blast and die. She had not even opened her mouth when Makoto rushed past her, followed by Hibiki, who had twigs and leafs stuck in her hair, and behind them, Ellen, lugging a grenade with all the skill of a professional baseball player.
The opposing party had not been ready for their RPG to get shot down mid-air. Heavy fire was laid down from the four o clock direction that broke the advance of the federation and forced Makoto & co back into cover but from the stray of the bullets it was clear that this was a retreating gambit.
"Vanguard One to Assault. Incoming on sector four to three." Makoto passed on information.
"Roger that." Karen acknowledged.
"Base to Strikers. Move to sector six. Prepare for combat and attack to kill. Vanguard One, move to sector seven, push back the enemy. Vanguard Two, move to sector Two, prepare for combat, repel the enemy."
All involved parties accepted their orders.
On the Empire's side, Rikka was adapting to the situation in real time, sitting in the crown of a particularly large tree, stabilized by use of both of legs, looking at the situation through the four times magnification of her sniper scope. That must be Makoto's unit. There is no way they would punish back Vanguard One like that if they were amateurs. They made sure to stay out of sniper aim as well. I could try and shoot through the trees but chances to hit are extremely low and it would give away that I am sniping. "Vanguard One, retreat to collection point. Assault, Strike Team, Abort mission." Alice is definitely moving after this. I wanted to pin down their team and force them to send backup and intercept that. I didn't anticipate that Alice would have Makoto out there. "Vanguard Two, proceed to mission."
"Vanguard Two to base, we are under enemy fire." That was Komachi's voice.
Who would be out there? Did Alice read my move? That's unlikely. Coincidence? That is even more unlikely. They do have Inori, Kaoru, Reika and Karen on their side. Did one of them grasp the situation and the flow of my squads moving? That would be masterful insight. I don't think Inori and Karen have the war instinct for that. Kaoru… is too unknown. Reika… it's possible. Depending on which team she is part of… "Base to Vanguard Two, can you identify the enemy?"
"Negative. They are firing at us from the tree crowns. Middle-heavy weaponry."
"Can you retreat?"
"Negative. We are pinned down. The area has been trapped with mines."
Mines? Who do they have that could get mines working other than Makoto? I don't know enough about them. A blunder. "Assault, move to assist Vanguard Two."
"Watch the ground Assault." There was a massive explosion in the background while Komachi spoke. "The mines are extremely powerful. Four to five times the power of a grenade. They appear to be anti-vehicle devices."
"Moving on double." There was something unintelligible from Erika in the background followed by Erika wincing loudly.
"We re backed into a corner." Komachi reported. "There are mines everywhere. We can't move. We've taken shelter behind a large rock but enemy forces are moving through the trees."
Who are they up again? Mines, moving through the trees… those are incredibly advanced maneuvers that very few could pull off. That is something I would expect Regina to do. "Vanguard Two, any ID on the hostiles?"
"It's Reika!" Tsubomi was shouting and then loud pistol shots filled the air, drowning out her voice. "Reika's attacking!"
Reika. The undoubtedly most troublesome enemy beyond Alice and Makoto. If they are employing tactics like that… Reika is probably heading their MSF or MAF. Either way, Komachi is dealing with a highly mobile and skilled unit. There is no way that even Reika can keep an entire squad in check by herself and mine the area. That the others have not been seen either and that Reika was the first to be discovered… it's a trap. They are employing psychological attacks. "Vanguard Two, make like moles. Assault, ETA? Strikers, Assault orders copy echo."
"Understood." Honoka replied over the com.
"EP ETA Seven." Regina reported in and from the sound of her voice it was clear that her squad was moving at more than march speed – they were running.
"Vanguard Two, can you hold out?" Rikka worried about losing one of her squads this early on.
"I can't say. We stopped the enemy from taking the trees to our flanks but-" An enormously loud shot echoed through the mountains, hit the crown of a tree nearby and twigs and leafs started raining down as the colorful bullet shredded through the thin wood and green.
"I have taken the liberty to assist." Yuri's voice came on over the com.
I wanted to keep Yuri up our sleeve but… tsk, there's no turning back the clock. "Fire at will."
"Affirmative."
Yuri was on top of a nearby hill, lying flat on her stomach, feet backed against a large rock, a mounted sniper rifle in front of her that no human being could have held and fired without breaking both arms. It was an anti-tank rifle that would definitely cause heavy bruising or even a cracked rib or two if aimed from close up, even with paint bullets. Each shot took a lot out of her. It was like someone attached a vacuum to her mind and it tried to suck out her soul, her thoughts and all her energy. But the destructive power and range of the rifle was second to none. Yuri was likely one of only three or four people total that could effectively use a weapon like that.
Back on the Federation side, Kaoru ordered a tactical retreat. They must have called in all their forces by now. That should give the other squads some room to maneuver. Putting her fingers to her mouth, Kaoru whistled really loudly and for just a moment all firing died down – and then resumed with synchronicity, making it impossible for their enemies to even peek out of cover, much less move.
A loud thuk caught their attention – Michiru had lugged an active mine at them that sent all of them scattering. Using the explosion as cover, Kaoru's team retreated. Yayoi had never been part of the assault at all and stayed in hiding. Escaping from the trees, landing, rolling out the impact force, and quickly bursting into a sprint, Kaoru, Michiru and Reika moved like a well trained unit.
Komachi was covered in dirt and was staring down some mushrooms on the ground when the dust settled. "Count!"
"One!" Sasorina shouted, halfway to being upside down against a tree.
"Two!" Tsubomi was next to Sasorina, her face precariously close to Sasorina's chest.
"Three!" Kurumi was the only one who had dove to safety right by the rock, throwing herself flat on the ground – mines explodes upwards and outwards, not inwards and downward, which meant that she was safe right beneath the mine. But having the state of mind to think of that was something not everyone had.
"Rikka." Yuri's voice was on the com again. "I spotted them while they were retreating. They moved too quickly to get in a shot but I have an ID. Kaoru, Michiru and Reika."
That's the worst possible squad to get attacked by. Smart, strong, cold, experienced. I wish I could direct them. "Heading?"
"Unknown. Lost in the trees."
"Fourth?"
"Unknown."
"Good work still."
After the initial skirmishes, things calmed down a little. Squads moved around, on the lookout for each other. Alice feverishly searched for the sniper on the other team but couldn't find her – Yuri had moved away from the hill and taken refuge in a small cavern from where she could see the valley but it was a much smaller field of view than before.
Now that Alice knows about the existence of our rearguard, she will be looking for her. Her attention is divided, one should think. But that is not the case with Alice. She can easily lead a search and command four squads of people. I'm at a disadvantage here. I have to assume that Kaoru, Michiru and Reika plus one other comprise one of Alice's mobile squads. I know her, she wouldn't give up on tactical advantage just to create an irregular squadron. She's is someone who values efficiency. No, she is definitely using the same squads as I am. Two Vanguards, one Assault and one Strike Force with two rear guards. She's largely immobile, like me, which means she is one of the rearguards. The problem lies in who the other one is. There are some real horror scenarios for that one, primarily Yayoi and Hikari. They are both types with immense power reserves that could power basically anything from a rifle to a car mounted anti-aircraft cannon. They lack skill but Alice can probably direct their output. I have to be careful about that. Rikka's thoughts were racing. My next move… I'll let Alice move first. She is great at anticipating the moves of others and so am I, but when it comes to pure reaction, I am more skilled than she is. Her greatest asset is her ability to move everything according to plan. But if I don't move, it doesn't matter.
Alice was thinking along those lines. Rikka will try to limit my options by restricting herself to a reactionary method. That does limit my options but it's backing yourself into a corner, Rikka. If your only plan is to react, then I will just have to come up with a plan that won't give you time to react. Or a plan that leaves damage control as your only way to react. Destroy your enemy before they realize you are there, before they realize you are their enemy as well. That's how I dealt with monsters in our world, you know that. So… are you going to expect me to act on it? Plot a course of action that relies on your habit of reactionary response? It could be a trap. Or I could be trapping myself. In business, safe is best but great risk nets great reward. "All units resume regular operation." For now I too will wait and see for a little while.
"Sounds like we missed the action." Rikka had issued a standby order and Love was a little disappointed. "We're supposed to catch them unaware and… what's the word? Surgically strike them?"
"From what this sounded like, Komachi's group was in really hot water. There being mines out there makes me paranoid about where I'm walking." Itsuki was flipping the safety on her large caliber handgun on and off. "I get it's all very serious, but I do want to see some action. Just not step into a mine though."
"You two are certainly relaxed." Ako was talking to them from up in a tree, surveying the area with her sniper rifle. There were a lot of snipers in the Empire because Rikka favored them quite heavily. Long range, very powerful, hard to catch. "Honoka, something is not right with this mountain."
"What is it?" Honoka was down below, carrying a military grade pump action shotgun capable of firing six shots without reloading, each shot a devastating impact.
"They're only there for the odd moment but I keep finding spots where the environment doesn't line up. It's like someone folded reality like there is a fold in a piece of paper, right in the middle, cutting out the center piece of an image."
"What the heck?" Itsuki looked right up. "That's scary as hell."
"The area is probably still stabilizing from being all stuffed together." Ako looked at one of the irregularities right that moment and felt a chill. That felt just like… it was looking at me. I really need to go to bed early today. Maybe cuddle with Urara.
"Possible. We should call it in regardless." Honoka tapped her ear piece. "Strike Team to base."
"Listening."
"Ako has observed numerous irregularities in space here in the mountains." Honoka gave the intro explanation.
"They appear to be anomalous folds in space. They only persist momentarily but I have observed eight of them now. The last one I looked at gave me a really bad feeling."
There was a brief moment of silence. "Continue observation. If one appears close by, throw a rock at it or shoot it and report back what happens. If they're dangerous, we are aborting all of this." Rikka was not about to risk anyone's well being on a game, no matter how seriously they were taking it.
"Got it." Honoka looked up.
"There's another." Ako aimed and fired. The shot would give their position away to anyone within two to three hundred meters, but they could just move. It… went through it? The trajectory is slightly off. But I can see the paint splash on the ground, so it wasn't erased or anything. "I wouldn't call them harmless but it looks like it really is a fold. Walking into one of these will most likely make you lose your step or walk into a tree. But the bullet was left intact, just the trajectory changed a little."
"How much is a little?" Honoka tried to gauge it more accurately.
"About as much as moving my cross-hairs half a millimeter to the side."
"What distance?"
"Eighty meters."
"That's not much of a warp then."
"Like I said, the area is likely still stabilizing. That's why these anomalies don't last."
"Keep an eye on it. If trees start going missing or rocks start having holes-"
"So far every single fold I have seen was just in the air. No trees, rocks, not so much as a twig."
"That's a relief."
"I get that you two are bonding over weird space anomaly thingy stuff, but what about our fight with the federation?" Love had taken her rifle apart and was currently slightly worried over how to put it back together. Leaning towards Itsuki, she whispered to her. "Little help?"
"Go in reverse order from how you took it apart." Honoka didn't even need to look. "And please do not take your weapons apart again Love."
"Heh… hehe… got it." Setsuna is so gonna roast me if she finds out.
Over at the Federation side, things were also rather calm. "I am so glad I am on the same team as Kaoru and Michiru." Mamo looked relieved beyond all measure. "Having to worry that every step you take might be the step that gets you blown sky high, nuh uh, that's not for me."
"Stuffing those two, Yayoi and Reika into one squad makes me think of nothing but trouble." Inori was worried in many ways. I hope Reika is getting along with them okay. This is kinda her element, but… well. She isn't the best at being a team player. "Luring the enemy into a minefield is devious but effective."
"The other side has some kind of super long range sniper." Urara wiped some sweat from her hands. Damn I should have picked something lighter. She was lugging around a heavy rifle that was capable of rapid-fire, full-auto and had a large magazine. The recoil and weight of the gun were extraordinary though and Urara was sweating like a horse in the summers of Kyushu carrying that thing around. "That's going to be a problem with how many vantage points this area has."
"You wanna go and hunt her down?" Akane was carrying something rather unique – a flamethrower, albeit it spewed paint, not flames. The range was several meters and walking into the spray meant instant death. She suffered from the same issue as Urara though, the gear was heavy to the point that she had to put it down when they were on standby.
"We are Vanguard Two. Hunting an enemy sniper is the job of the Strike or Assault teams." Inori, their CO, shut down that idea right away. "Not to mention we're under orders."
"I didn't sign up for this to follow orders." Akane got up, as a sign that she was going to go anyway. She didn't get very far. One of the two medium caliber pistols that Inori carried was pointed against against Akane's thigh. "You seriously gonna shoot me?"
"If you desert your post and unit, yes. Having a rogue agent running around spells nothing but trouble." Inori liked to have fun but she also stuck to agreed rules. "If you had trouble with Alice being in charge, you missed your chance to complain."
"You seriously gonna lug your shit around randomly across the mountains with no direction, no backup and no idea where you're going?" Urara shot Akane's idea to pieces. "I'd say that's even worse a fate than getting shot."
Inori agreed and lowered her weapon. "If you want to get hopelessly lost and not encounter any enemies for hours and then it's suddenly over, go ahead."
Akane grimaced, clicked her tongue and sat back down. "Like I'm that stupid."
"The rules don't really say how this ends." Mamo realized that that was a pretty big oversight. "I guess it'll be over when the commander is shot. Or the sun goes down and whoever has more survivors at that point. I'm not staying out in the mountains at night." Mamo saw the about-to-mock-her look on Urara's face and preemptively did it herself. "Oh are you afraid of ghosts? Of course I am, ghosts can possess you and stuff!"
"I think that's demons." Akane picked up some binoculars and started scanning the area. The heck is that? "Ey, Urara, take a look at this." Akane pointed in the distance, between a particularly huge boulder and two trees that stood close together.
"Enemies?" Inori ducked and grabbed her own binoculars.
"No. Would I tell her to look if it was enemies? Come on, I'm not a moron." Akane was still dealing with a lot of anger but she was starting to come around to the idea that blowing up others because of it was only going to make her unpopular. "You wanna look too, sure, over there." Pointing again, Akane tipped Inori off to where it was.
What is that? Inori looked at something that reminded her of air mirages that happened in the desert or during extremely hot days in the city. It's nowhere hot enough for that.
"You girls keep your eyes open, I need to… visit the bathroom." Mamo left her weapon behind – a double barrel shotgun that fired paint shrapnel – and excused herself quietly.
"What do you think that is? Someone having a barbecue?" Akane was joking.
"It looks like some kind of-" Inori blinked and it was gone. "Did it disperse?"
Urara hadn't bothered to check it out so far, sighed and finally picked up binos to take a look. "You two making up ghost stories to scare Mamo? What are you, ten years old?"
"Ghosts existing in this world would not surprise me. Magic, curses, cosmic powers are all real after all."
"If I get nightmares I'm going to set your ass on fire." Akane was better than Nao at dealing with ghosts and scary things but that was still a far cry from great.
"Want a night light?" Urara mocked her and scanned the area. "I can't see anything."
"Shut your trap." Akane blushed because she was thinking exactly that, wanting a night light, but could never possibly admit to that. Thankfully, for her, nobody could see her blushing because of the binoculars.
"I found it again. Or maybe just another one. About zero point three clicks due relative east of where the first one was."
"Right, show of hands who doesn't know what a click is," Urara said and immediately lifted up her hand. Akane did as well.
"A click is thousand meters. You two have no sense of immersion at all." Inori frowned.
"I like to immerse myself in music, alcohol and Ako, that's about it." Urara shrugged and searched for the anomalous thing. "Found it. Looks a bit bigger than before. Maybe?"
"This is pretty weird so I am calling it in." Inori tapped her ear piece. "Vanguard Two to base. We're detecting anomalies in the air, about a click out from our position. We have counted two so far and one has dissipated."
"Acknowledged. Remain on standby, they have been deemed spatial anomalies that are harmless. Assault Team has reported the same thing." Alice took great care to not be too confusing with her code speak so she issued orders and relayed information the most civilian way she could.
"And here I thought we'd have a little excitement." Urara bemoaned the situation. "So, we just sitting here and twiddling thumbs for the time being?"
"The enemy Assault and Strike teams are most likely out there looking for us." Inori scoured the area really quickly. The longer this waiting game goes on, the more uneasy everyone will become. This group will become hard to control.
"You think?" Akane turned over and laid down on her back, looking up at the trees. "I hope they find us soon, I wanna test how effective this baby is." Tapping the tank of her flamethrower, Akane felt her shoulders ache. "Although carrying this around is way tougher than I expected."
"It's not that your head is empty, but you aren't using it enough." Urara was probably the only person around that would talk to Akane like that.
"Picking a damn fight, are you?!"
"Both of you shut up and cut it out." Inori was not very imposing physically, but for at least Urara, the prospect of Inori ratting her out to Ako was a threat. So she indeed dropped it.
Spending a good ten minutes in silence, Urara eventually looked puzzled. "I don't know about you but where the hell did Mamo go to take a leak? All the way back to the hotel?"
Inori perked up and looked at Urara. "You're right, she's been too long."
"Probably got killed out there." Akane shrugged. "Maybe we can finally see some action soon."
Inori was not so easily convinced. "We would have heard gunfire or at least Mamo's scream."
"Dead people don't scream." Urara figured that Mamo would play by the rules.
"If someone caught you unaware while you were peeing, you'd scream, rules or not." Inori was absolutely sure of that.
"Well, yeah." Urara shrugged this time.
"So why haven't we heard anything?" Inori got more and more suspicious. "Vanguard Two to base – we lost sight of Mamo. Are abductions within parameter?"
"No physical attacks, including abductions." That was Majorina's voice, unprompted.
A moment of silence – everyone assumed that Karen was chewing out Majorina for speaking up at random – and then Alice confirmed it. "She is correct. Abductions are outside allowed parameter."
Inori got up and peered between the trees. "Something isn't right."
"You wanna go look for her?" Urara already grabbed her gun, ready to leave.
"No. We're not moving. I don't trust this situation." Inori was getting slightly paranoid now.
"Fine, whatever." Putting her gun back down, Urara sat on the forest floor and wished she had something to drink to starve off the boredom.
Something isn't right. Mamo wouldn't just up and disappear on us. I can't shake this bad feeling… like this isn't the first time someone went missing on my watch.
"Tell you what, now I need to take a leak so I'll go check out whatever direction Mamo went to." Akane got up and was stared at by Inori. "Relax, I'll leave my gun here."
"And what are we gonna do when you go missing?" Inori didn't want to lose any more squad members.
"I won't. What do you think is out there, bears? Mamo probably got scared by some wild animal and ran off."
"That would be nice. I have a really bad feeling about this."
"What, you want me to pee here or something?" Akane looked like she really didn't like that idea.
"Fifteen meters should be enough to erase the sound and be out of sight behind a tree."
"Seriously…? Do you believe in ghosts or something?" Akane sighed.
"Not in ghosts, but my instinct is telling me I shouldn't let you go far."
"Fine, fine. If it keeps a lid on your paranoia, I'll just go over there." Akane pointed at a big rock that was about ten meters or so away. "Be right back. Don't complain because I won't wash my hands."
With Akane walking away, Urara looked right at Inori. "What's got you so spooked? I don't know you that well but this seems unreasonably paranoid for you."
"No idea. Usually I am not anywhere this worried but something about this just seems so off that I can't shake this bad feeling I have. It's like… not exactly deja vu, but more… as if I have seen this in a movie and know where it is headed and not it is happening in reality."
"And now I'm sufficiently crept out too." Urara looked at where Akane had gone. "Hey Akane!"
"Shut up, I'm peeing!" Akane shouted back.
"At least she's still there." Urara looked mildly relieved. She turned her head, reacting to a sound that really didn't belong in the forest. "You hear that?"
"Hear what?"
"It's like a clock on steroids."
Inori listened intently and she couldn't hear it still. "You sure?"
"Course when you actually listen for it, it goes all silent. Go figure."
"This isn't the time to mess around."
Urara sighed. "I swear I heard stuff. Maybe your paranoia is infectious."
A voice came in over the com. "We have movement in sector eleven." The one reporting was Karen, the CO of the Assault team. "We identified an enemy squad, led by Regina."
"Retreat. Regina knows. Ambush." Alice sounded incredibly serious.
The com went quiet and from the distance, gunfire could be heard. Alice was right – Karen had walked right into an ambush. Regina's squad had moved deliberately against orders and in such a way that they would be discovered. What Karen didn't know was that she had met up with the Strike team and changed up the squad composition.
"Move as planned. Rogue Two, on my sign." Regina stopped, grabbed her gun and sat down, peering through the scope in the exact opposite direction of Karen. Rikka is gonna have my hide for this later but this is how wars are won. Rikka's also a strange kind of scary cute when she gets mad so this is doubly worth it.
With Regina were Honoka and Mizushita, they couldn't see the fourth – Honoka belonging originally to the Strike team and even leading it. Karen was already moving to retreat when Regina gave the sign – she flung about, pointing her gun at exactly where Karen's squad was and started to fire. Honoka and Mizushita both started to lay down cover fire as well and Karen's planned retreat turned into a catastrophic dive for cover.
"Stick to cover!" Karen shouted and hurriedly tapped her ear piece. "Assault to base! Ambush in progress! Initiating retreat!"
On the other end of the line, Alice cursed. If they are actually attacking first then this isn't just any ambush. Regina was always the most devious and crafty out of us. That time she turned the Americans on themselves was a genius plot. As much as I loathe to admit it, she has me beaten when it comes to playing dirty. "Fight! Second ambush imminent! Third wave possible! Take out as many as you can!" Alice didn't hesitate to tell them to die martyrs. If Regina knows they were there, she has others hiding to ambush them while they are fighting squad versus squad. That's one of her staple maneuvers and it is really hard to counter. But it only works once. And Assault is by definition our weakest squad. Losing them will hurt us in recon but Regina – you are not getting out of this in one piece. "Strike team, juggernaut is go."
"Acknowledged." Kaoru's voice was briefly on the com.
Pinned down from both sides, the Federation was in a really bad situation. Covering behind trees, they were halfway across a slope that left them wide open for fire from above. Luckily they had Miyuki with them. "Fire at will!"
"Gotcha!" Miyuki had a weapon that was wholly unfitting for her. It resembled a grenade launcher but what it fired was much more devious than that. Most weapons were purely for killing – with paint – but hers was to inhibit the enemy's capacity to move. Firing the first volley high in the air, the small spheres burst and emitted what looked like a mix between confetti and glitter. The team that worked with Regina from upwards the slope found out what that did the hard way.
Trouble putting one foot in front of another or holding her gun, Erika stumbled over her own legs and hit the ground. "Arrgh, what's this?! My arms and legs suddenly fell aslee- ow, ow, ow, cramp, cramp! Ow!" Erika twitched on the ground for a few seconds before the feeling wore off. And then a second volley of glitter hit them in the face and this time it wasn't just Erika who went down.
Miyuki was a binding expert and not really someone who wanted to shoot at people, not even in a game. So she picked a strange weapon that demanded a lot of energy and couldn't even be used to get rid of enemies. In a wild battle royale this would have been a terrible weapon no doubt. But in the squad based combat that Alice and Rikka used to destroy each other, it was a powerful device.
What the weapon actually did was temporarily cause muscle spasms very similar to when one sat too long or put pressure on their limbs and they fell asleep. In combat that was obviously a horror scenario. It didn't last very long at all, which was the big flaw.
"Mai." Karen held her rifle's nozzle up and immediately after paint bullets soared by. "Miyuki can only keep one side in check. Instead of fighting on two fronts, we're going out with a bang."
"I like that." Mai was using two silenced pistols that were not that accurate long range but it was possible to shoot someone only a few meters next to their ally and they were none the wiser until the body dropped. Being part of the Assault team made that a lucrative choice for her. "Miyuki, delay the volley after the next by about twenty seconds."
"They'll be able to move after seven or ten." Miyuki aimed and fired again. It was taxing – in terms of energy drain, her paralyze powder grenade launcher was just as harsh as a rocket launcher or a mounted minigun.
Mai rushed forward the moment Miyuki fired, jumped over a big fallen tree and saw that there were only three people up there; Erika, Love and Itsuki. Where is the fourth? Come to think of it, we didn't see everyone down… crap. Mai threw herself to the ground and two loud bangs echoed right after and bullets were straight through her large ponytail and splashed on the trees. They were expecting someone to do a charge and they have snipers. But the bullets came from different directions. Rolling to the side, Mai aimed with her silenced gun and fired in the direction of Erika.
Trying to hit Erika was like trying to swat a mosquito mid-flight with your bare hands. Recovered from the paralysis, she jumped, dove, rolled around like a veteran acrobat at a circus. Mai didn't let up and it became a contest of whether she could predict Erika's next dodge. The snipers were still shooting at her so she couldn't stay still for long either. Help came in the form of Majorina, who had finally got her bearings after the sudden assault. The top of the slope exploded in colorful green and someone that had been in hiding escaped at the last second.
Erika was distracted for just a moment, like a cat that had been chasing a mouse but then saw a red dot move about. And this temporary distraction was her doom. Hit thrice – twice in the leg and once in the chest, Erika stood there, pouting really hard. It took her a couple seconds to throw an exaggerated death spasm, her arms going high into the air, then one hand grasping her chest, then falling to her knees, belching, then raising her fist at Mai as if to say I curse you and then falling over face down.
She was not the first and not the last casualty. Karen had been shot dead by the sniper that Majorina forced out of hiding and she looked rather annoyed with herself for dying to something like that. Miyuki and Majorina did their best to keep things going but they had long reloading times and slow firing rates. The team up the slope had lost Erika and Majorina kept chasing the sniper around that eventually ran out of unpainted cover and was out in the open.
Mai saw the face of one of her assailants for the first time. Yami. I should have known. She's an Archer. Aiming ahead of where Yami was running to, Mai limited her options. "Mari!"
Majorina looked annoyed. "It's Majorina!" But I know, I know! We are so going to die, you know? Standing up, rocket launcher on her shoulder, Majorina dashed forward, ignoring the bullet hell that was flying past her from below.
"I gotcha!" Miyuki turned about and faced down – firing at Regina and the others, who had not yet seen the power of her gun.
Love and Itsuki tried to retaliate but Majorina was amazingly quick for someone her height and proportions, not to mention carrying a rocket launcher.
"Why can't I hit her?!" Love ducked behind a rock when bullets flew past her again. Dang it, where did Mai go? I was totally confident I could pick up where everyone is by bullet sounds but hers make no sound!
Itsuki on the other hand was more reckless. Charging at someone that held a rocket launcher could only be considered suicidal but there was method to the madness. Itsuki was incredibly quick on her feet in terrain like this – where most people had to watch their step her naturally and trained superior sense of inner and outer balance let her sprint like she was on a level street.
Majorina fired not at Itsuki but Love and found herself facing the end of a nozzle seconds after. "Not the face please."
Itsuki very quickly lowered her gun and fired three times on Majorina's big chest. "I'm not a monster." Her smug smile and cool demeanor in the middle of a fire fight set Majorina's face on fire.
"Itsuki!" Love shouted and Itsuki ducked on instinct alone – and fell for Mai's trap.
I knew that if I ran right at her, Love would see and try to warn her. She can't lay down cover fire unless she also wants to hit Itsuki. When someone is in a fire fight, they will take cover when someone shouts their name. So all I have to do is exploit that natural reflex that is undoubtedly even stronger with her than most people. Itsuki was hit twice in the chest, one on her right shoulder and one in her face.
Mai twitched. "You okay?!"
Majorina knelt down to help Itsuki get her bearings. "Did it get into your eyes?"
"I'm fine. And dead." It had only hit her cheek and she had already closed her eyes from the impact on her chest.
"End of the road." Love put a gun to Mai's back. The little incident had caught some of them unaware and startled them but Love was tougher than that.
Mai slowly raised her arms and dropped her gun. "That was a good strategy, getting at us from two sides. Just don't shoot Miyuki too hard. Also I didn't mean to shoot Itsuki in the face so please don't hit me in the head."
"I know that. I'm not gonna shoot you in the head." Love totally dropped her seriousness for a moment.
"Also..." Mai slowly turned around. "I'd rather not be shot in the back like a total amateur. Although… I am..." Mai cringed a little at herself.
"No problem." Love aimed at Mai's chest and fired her gun once and when Mai didn't look too happy, she fired a second time, leaving two really large paint splatters on her clothes.
"Thanks." Mai smirked like the devil. "You are far too nice, Love."
"Huh? Oh n-" Love tried to jump out of the way but it was too late. Mai was knocked over by a RPG hitting her in the back – not only did she crash into Love, the RPG splash also completely doused both of them head to toe in paint.
Mai was groaning on the ground. "Holy… that hurt a lot more than I thought it would… like getting hit by someone throwing a two liter bottle of cola..."
"That was crazy..." Love was also on the ground, covered in green paint. "Using yourself as cover so I can't see the approaching rocket..."
"Never doing that again..." Mai kept groaning. "I think… I need a little help..."
"One second..." Love left her gun on the ground, got over to Mai and pulled up her vest, then shirt, to look at her back. "Yeah, that'll bruise. A lot."
"Saki's gonna kill me..." Mai tried to get on her knees but her efforts were preempted when Love picked her up. "I-I can walk."
"You shouldn't."
Majorina had been shut and shot down both by Yami, who had sniped her right after she fired at Mai and Love. The only surviving member of the Assault team, Miyuki, was just hiding out behind a big rock. All on her own she couldn't really do much and running away from so many others seemed like it wasn't gonna work. She had fun and although it was a little early, she was ready to be give up.
But that was not in the cards.
Miyuki watched with big eyes when a dead Majorina sort of levitated past her – held up by Michiru, like a human shield. Physical attacks were not allowed but nothing said that one team member couldn't carry a dead one. If that happened to work like a human shield, well, that was convenient.
"And you call us villains." Majorina complained to Michiru, who held her one-handed by the back of her collar, as she got shot over and over, her height and proportions keeping Michiru safe from almost all bullets.
"What the hell is Yami doing?" Regina didn't bother taking cover and started retreating. "Everyone fall back!" I didn't think someone would go this far. There's very little we can even do against this. "Epsilon four!" Regina shouted.
"We don't know all of your maneuvers!" Honoka shouted back. Ako is backing us up from further down there… she probably can't get an angle unless we turn the enemy around.
Regina angrily clawed at her hair. "Ange, Flying Hound!"
"Are you crazy?!" Ange groaned.
"Just do it!"
"You are crazy!" Ange stopped near a tree, dropped her gun and took position. Regina charged at her in full sprint and they executed one of their more reckless maneuvers.
Grabbing Regina's hand, Ange whirled her sister around, circling on just her heels, until the entire area around her was a singular blur. Feeling pressure from Regina's thumb, she let go and Regina went flying into the air like she was shot out of a circus cannon.
Once I'm above her, I'll take down that cheat- Regina had the special skill that she never got dizzy no matter how much she spun around. And that was exactly why she could see the face of evil. A blue haired demon that sat in the trees, looking like she ate children for breakfast.
Regina bent the rules to avoid a very painful landing and rolled out her speed and impact force and then stopped moving. She had been shot four times at close range. I didn't think there'd be anyone even more reckless and devious than me. Sitting in the trees, using human shields, waiting out the perfect chance to catch us off guard when we thought we won… Those sisters are crazy.
While Ange was still disorientated from flinging Regina like a Frisbee, Michiru rushed past her, didn't turn and just fired at Ange blind, hitting her three times, twice in the head, sending her tumbling down.
"Retreat!" Honoka gave the order now that Regina was dead. "Yami, Ako, scatter and await instructions! Misha, give us cover!"
"Why me?!" Mizushita looked like she was ready to cry, having to go up against Michiru of all people. She carried a grenade launcher that wasn't going to be very useful at the steadily closing distance between her and the human shield using red-haired devil. Firing once, Mizushita's jaw dropped like she was in a cartoon. Without dropping her human shield – who looked like the unhappiest person in the world right now – she put her foot under the grenade, flicked it upwards, caught it and threw it back at Mizushita.
Honoka was joined by a very frantic Mizushita moments later, running for her life. "No way can I even buy you time! She's a monster!"
"Misha you idiot, if you're not holding them back our snipers won't have time to move from-" Honoka's complaint was cut short. Both she and Mizushita were rocked off their feet in a paint explosion that covered both of them in immense amounts of yellow goo. "What… what the..." Honoka was halfway to being upside down on the forest floor and wondered what had just happened. "I didn't hear a rocket or anything… mines? They mined the area right behind us while we were fighting their allies?!"
"I… hate all of you..." I just want to go back to running my bathhouse… no more crazy Cure antics.
"Oh give it a rest, Misha."
"Don't call me that!"
"It's just a little nickname."
"Mizushita is already a nickname!"
"So what's one more?" Honoka sat up and really wished she had some paper towels to wipe her face with. "I need a bath..."
"You lot are gonna ruin the tiles with all that paint! I won't let you in like this!"
"Do you want me to call Makoto over?"
Misha grumbled, defeated and backed into a corner. "I hate you. In a non-villain way."
"Raijin to Fujin. Status?" Michiru had finally stopped but not yet released Majorina.
"Come on, let me go. I tried to get rid Miyuki's entire team and I wasn't this evil or abusive!" Majorina wanted to struggle but strictly speaking she was dead.
"Shut it corpse." Michiru listened for Kaoru's report.
"Birds have gone south." Much further up the hill, having moved from tree to tree like a monkey and scaling the rest of the hill, Kaoru had arrived at where Yami had been. "Fujin to Izanami." There was no reply for ten seconds and Kaoru tried again. "Izanami, respond."
But Reika couldn't. She was sitting at the base of a tree, her right shoulder covered in very dark yellow pain. "Well done." Reika congratulated her adversary.
"Are you kidding?" Ako took off her glasses and wiped them clean. Her entire face plus her hair was covered in goo. "I got lucky. What are you, a comic book hero?" Ako rubbed her face on her sleeve.
With a lot of casualties, the engagement died down. Against all odds, Miyuki had survived and took the open spot that presented itself on Kaoru's Strike team.
Peace didn't last for long. About two kilometers away, hostilities broke out not a minute after. Rikka had lost so many people that she was busy reorganizing and Alice capitalized on that chance to push her back. But she had miscalculated a little bit.
"Does she never run out of magic?!" Inori was stunned by just how much output Komachi had. I knew she was strong, she'd have to be to fight using barriers, but this is ridiculous. She and Urara were cowering behind a medium size rock.
Two squads charged each other and Komachi proved to be a terrible foe. Carrying a large rotating minigun, it was too much for her to carry alone and Sasorina helped, she just kept on firing endlessly. Akane had suicide charged her, but against the hail of bullets there was no winning.
Sasorina, Tsubomi and Kurumi were trying to flank the remaining two, but Urara was a surprisingly amazing shot. Tsubomi was down on the ground, staying out of the line of fire the best she could. Kurumi and Sasorina were behind trees a few steps behind her.
"Hey Tsubomi!" Urara shouted.
I probably shouldn't… but she knows where I am anyway. "What?!"
"That's where Mamo took a leak earlier. And let me tell you, that woman drank a lot of water."
A Hiiii of disgust was followed by Tsubomi pushing herself up on reflex – and was immediately shot dead by Urara, who just held her gun out from behind the rock.
"That's a dirty trick!" Tsubomi got up and out of the way. "That's so gross!"
"She actually peed."
"Ew!" Tsubomi tried to clean her hands on her clothes.
"Not over there though."
"Urara!" Tsubomi was about to blow a gasket.
"Everything s fair in war." Urara was mighty proud of herself. "Hey Kurumi!"
"I'm not falling for any of your garbage, Urara!" Kurumi peeked out from behind a tree and the bark was suddenly colored yellow. Why is she such a good shot?!
"Where did you learn to shoot?" Inori was genuinely curious. She was nowhere as accurate. Most of them weren't.
"Play a million rounds of darts and voila."
"I was sure you were gonna say the name of some video game."
"You could play a billion hours of video games and you'd still hit nothing." Urara shrugged. "But Tsubomi being a little too naive not withstanding, we got a real problem. Komachi is like this really huge battery. She's not gonna let up. And we can't keep those other two from flanking us. There's nowhere to run or hide."
"That's what I thought." Inori fiddled with her weapon. I honestly don't know how to get out of this alive. Maybe we just can't.
"So I got an idea but you'll have to die for that."
"That better be a good idea then."
"A good idea? Right now? I wish. This is reckless garbage but it's all I got."
"Gimme." Inori didn't see any point in trying to hold out for backup. The Assault team was toast already and Vanguard One was way somewhere else. The Strike team was out there but who knew if they could make it here in time after their skirmish with the Empire.
"Alright, listen up."
Kurumi was trying to spy on them but too far away and she could at best see the very top of their heads if she stuck her neck way out. And with how good of a short Urara was, that was suicide. "What the heck are they planning now?" Gripping her shotgun tight, she fired at the rock. That of course had no effect, but she had hoped it would scare them or startle them. Tapping her ear piece, Kurumi reported in. "They are planning something Komachi, they got all quiet."
"They can't do anything like this. Move when you think it's safe." I know you Urara, you probably want to do something crazy to turn it all around but I won't let you! Nobody in our team except Ayumi can hold a candle to me when it comes to magic power! Eat my bullets! Komachi was proud of herself for knowing that line. I wish I could shout it but what if I stutter? I don't want to embarrass myself in front of Kurumi, she'd definitely tell Karen.
Kurumi fired her shotgun again and then started running, firing at the rock as she sprinted to the next tree, about four meters away. Four meters was almost nothing when sprinting but against a shot like Urara, it was like trying to run across town being someone trying to hand you pocket tissues.
She stumbled and nearly dropped her gun when Urara and Inori came out of hiding and ran right into Komachi's bullet hail. Her mouth wide open, Kurumi reacted too slowly at what she was seeing and dove for cover when Urara opened fire on her blind. If she had actually been looking, she would definitely have hit her. "Wh-Wh-What are you doing?!" Kurumi managed to blush despite the situation.
Inori was holding on to Urara with arms and legs both. She was like a living shield for her, covering everything from head to her hips. The only thing that was clearly visible were Urara's legs and she was bent over so far to the front that the bullet hell from Komachi couldn't reach. And then it clicked. Komachi!
Jumping out of cover and taking aim, Kurumi cursed and ran after them – she was too far away to hit accurately with a shotgun. I really need to start putting in some leg hours… how is that stupid alcoholic so fast?! I-I wish Hikari would hold on to me like- No, Kurumi, focus! Hit her! Shooting while running, Kurumi missed by a longshot. Argh, why is this so hard? They make it look so easy on TV!
"This is probably cheating." Inori's back was pelted with so many bullets that she was certain she was going to be unable to sleep on her back for two or three days.
"Probably being the key word here." Urara reached forward, right past Inori's sides, and fired at Komachi, mostly blind. The bullet hell swayed. Almost. "Oh nice boobs by the way."
"You do know I can control minds and stuff, right?"
"And?"
"Just checking you know what you sign up for."
"I'm dating Ako, if getting into trouble scared me I'd not last five minutes being myself around her."
"Fair point. Left." Urara jumped to her right and a shotgun bullet hit the grass where she had been a second later. "Your left."
"Doesn't matter. Kurumi shooting me in the back doesn't matter." Urara inhaled sharply. "Karen! Double around to the back!"
K-Karen?! Komachi looked to her left and left herself open. She realized that it was another of Urara's dirty tricks too late. Out of six bullets that Urara fired at her, four missed, one hit her gun and one hit her squarely on the legs. Aw… come on! "That was dirty, Urara!" Komachi complained loudly.
Kurumi was hot on Urara's trail and aimed again. But Urara was also now aiming at her. Crap, crap, crap, crap, cra- The bullets hit her right in the chest and one in the face.
"Get her… pffft..." Sasorina spat out paint and fell over, having jumped in the way of the bullets just in time to protect Kurumi.
A single shotgun blast hit Urara's legs and she dropped to her knees. "I told you, you should have taken off your jacket."
"I'm not letting you carry me around in underwear! And that's taking the whole rule bending a little far." Inori let go of Urara and stood on her own feet. "Good shots, everyone."
Komachi walked over to Urara, with an enormous angry pout on her face, and then walked right past her, ignoring her.
"Oh man, she's pissed." Kurumi took a look at where she hit Urara. Man that was lucky… "Where the heck did you learn to shoot a gun?"
"Tiny little bar two streets down from where I live. Has a really obnoxiously big bartender and way overpriced booze. But the company is good. Lots of girls. Well. Shooting a gun and throwing darts is pretty similar. In both cases you wanna hit bullseye."
"Wonder what Ako thinks about that." Kurumi tried to tease Urara but she was way out of her league.
"What was it… Sounds like a terrible place that I will not set foot in under any circumstances. That's what she thinks about it. But I wonder what Hikari will think about you trying to get one over on me like this."
"Ako's gonna grill you if you give Kurumi a hard time." Inori groaned when she stood up straight and stretched. "Holy crap, I never wanna play this again."
Urara just looked smugly at Kurumi and walked away.
"W-Wait! You're not really gonna tell Hikari, right? Urara!" Running after her, Kurumi was the sole survivor of the Empire and the Federation having their Vanguard Two units meet.
"You know, aren't we forgetting something?" Inori turned around and looked back over their tiny battlefield.
"Like what?" Urara kept a begging Kurumi at arm's length. "Give it a rest, I won't tell Hikari a thing, how fucking petty do you think I am?" Urara was glad, and annoyed, when Kurumi finally went quiet.
"Where's Akane?"
Urara turned around and looked at the battlefield like she had to be there. "She got gunned down by Komachi. Did she bolt when we started our charge? She probably ain't happy she got her face smashed in by paint."
"Sasorina, Kurumi, did you see where Akane went?" Inori was worried. This is the second member of my squad that vanished into thin air.
"I was pretty occupied trying to shoot Urara." Kurumi hadn't paid any attention to the corpse.
"Yeah I saw." Sasorina was still trying to wipe paint off her face. "You could have aimed for not the head, you know?"
"I'm good, not so good that I got the luxury of picking target spots." Urara shrugged. "Come here, idiot."
"Who are you calling an idiot?" Sasorina went over to her anyway and Urara really rubbed her sleeve all over Sasorina's face, so much so that it hurt the staff worker quite a bit.
"Better. You know, you'd look pretty good with a tan." Urara had removed – and turned into smears – most of the pain on Sasorina's face.
Sasorina looked put off, looked away and then distanced herself from Urara. A tan… huh… I wonder if Mamo would be into that. "Oh by the way, which team is Mamo on?"
"Technically this here." Inori looked incredibly I hoped nobody would ask when Sasorina inquired about her coworker. "She went to the bathroom and didn't come back."
"She probably got lost. Her sense of direction is awful." That makes her kind of cute though. Sasorina didn't look worried. "If she can't find back she'll just return herself to her store."
"What?"
"We do get certain privileges and powers." Sasorina belched when she could taste the magic paint. "Ew… we don't do it much but we can basically teleport ourselves to our station. I'm fine sticking around until this is over though."
"I'm kinda relieved." Inori slowly exhaled. "Mamo's probably back at the store then and making a mess of her room again."
"Probably not that last part. None of us want to get yelled at by that demon doctor again."
"Achoo!" Makoto sneezed and cursed under her breath. Damn, I can't believe this crap. Her entire squad was soaked to the bone. One moment they had been crossing a huge fallen tree over a river, the next they were all lying in said river, soaked to the bone. I'm gonna kill whoever put mines everywhere. Mines. I hate mines.
"What are we gonna do now?" Nao was pretty cold and equally eager to take off her clothes, slip into some comfortable pajamas and get into bed with a jar of nutella.
"Tough it out." Makoto grimaced. Easier said than done. They're not soldiers. They fought their respective villains but they never fought other people in true life or death situations. They don't know war like we do. And I'm so thankful for that. I wish there was nobody like us across the entire world. "At least for a bit. Base, come in."
"This is base. Still alive and kicking?" Alice tried to lighten the mood for the not so experienced girls.
"Tell Strike Team to stop putting their damn mines everywhere. We nearly got blown up and landed in a river because of it."
"This is Fujin. Where are you?" Kaoru joined the call unprompted.
"Sector Ten-Three."
"We have never been there. That mine is not Ikazuchi's work."
Makoto went from grumpy and wet to super alert soldier in one second flat. "Everyone sharp. Clover formation." They were barely out of the river. Back to back, all four of them, they scoured the surrounding area. "Base, do we know if the Empire has a demo?"
"Unknown. Miyuki reports heavy enemy casualties. Vanguard Two has gone silent. It's you and Strike team now." Alice had lost control of the situation. Having Rikka on the other side is a problem. And we are running out of time. I don't know how many, if any, enemies have been taken out by Vanguard Two. I also loathe battles of attrition. They leave a bad taste in my mouth. The sun is going down too. We have maybe an hour to ninety minutes before it's dark. And with these soldiers, fighting in the dark would be insanity. "Assume you are outnumbered. Move at your own discretion."
"Just like old times, huh?"
"Don't bring that up." Alice paused and they all could hear an exasperated sigh. "But yes. Like old times."
"Keep your eyes peeled. That mine exploded with a pretty loud boom. Whoever put it there is probably pretty close by."
Moving as a unit, very slowly because they were not used to it, they got some distance between themselves and the river. The war game let her focus on the here and now. If not for that, she would still be thinking about the conversation with Mamo she had earlier.
"The place Mana is at?"
"This place… the hotel, my store, everything, it's just a tiny, tiny piece of this world that's been created. None of us know for absolutely sure how big it is total, but it's big. And most of it is just undisturbed nature. Trees, rivers, animals, all that stuff."
"So Mana is somewhere else? Not a different dimension, just… in another country?"
"More or less, yes."
"Did you tell anyone else about this?"
"No."
"Then don't."
"Shouldn't I tell at least Rikka and Regina?"
"And what do you think they will do when you tell them that? Hurry off and try to find a way to get to Mana. From what I heard about past incidents here, trying to get outside where this place wants us is not a good idea."
"That's a good point… but are you sure keeping this a secret won't make them really mad at you?"
"Rikka's a very clever girl. When it comes to Mana, she gets very emotional, and she knows that. Mana is her big weakness so if she knew that I know, she'd want me to not tell her so she doesn't overreact."
"When you put it like that… I feel bad not telling them."
Makoto snorted. "You feel bad?"
"What? I can be empathetic!"
"You really have changed, Mamo."
"Wow, like you're in any position to say that!"
"Do you hear that?" Hibiki had the best hearing among all of them. "It's like… a clock ticking." Taking step after step, Hibiki bumped into one of her companions. Looking around by instinct, she was face to face with Nagisa. Both of them reacted with a complete lack of comprehension. After a moment of being completely stunned, they pointed guns at each other. "Where are the others?! What did you do with Makoto?!"
"Where's Miki?! Where's Saki?!" Nagisa bellowed at her.
"How would I know! You ambushed us!"
"What are you talking about! You were suddenly right behind me!"
"Don't move!"
"You don't move!"
Both of them were completely freaked out by what had just happened. Hibiki tried to get a handle on things first. "They said no powers. Is this Setsuna's work? She controls space, right? Is she on your squad?"
"Setsuna wouldn't do that. And why move only me? You sure this isn't some trick by Kaoru or Miyuki?!"
Hibiki kicked a pebble on the ground, it flew and hit Nagisa's trained legs and bounced off without so much as a scratch. "Crap, you're real."
"That's my line!"
"Let's calm down for a moment." If Hibiki learned anything from her fights with Kanade and being with Itsuki then it was panicking and letting your emotions go to your head was a bad decision during a crisis. "If you didn't get here on purpose… then where are the others?"
"I have no idea."
"Let's lower our guns on three. One… two..."
"What tells me you won't shoot me?!"
"Nothing. But I'm gonna lower my gun anyway, so if you want to score a cheap kill, there's your chance." Hibiki took a deep breath. "One… two… three." She lowered her weapon.
And Saki was gone. "What the hell?! Did I hit my head somewhere?" And she heard it again.
Tick-Tock.
"Hibiki! Ellen! Nao!" Makoto shouted, turning and twisting all on her own. I didn't drop my guard. I was completely alert. Not even if they used Cure powers could they have taken them all away like this. But in just one blink of an eye, they're all gone? Erased. Whisked away. Something is going on out here. It must be the anomalous space pockets. Did they get worse? If so… where am I? Is this still the same spot I was at just a second ago? If so, where did the others go? Were they moved through space? "Vanguard Two to base, come in."
Static.
That's not good. That means I am not where I was just a moment ago. That poses a much more pressing question. If not there… then where? Switching on her powers, Makoto jumped and landed atop a nearby tree. Dumping her gun in favor of a blade, she suddenly felt dizzy. Everything… is spinning…
Holding on to the tree, she felt her center of gravity all over the place, like intense vertigo. It was sickening. And then she heard.
Tick-Tock.
"Do you think the enemy is close by?" Ellen sounded worried they were going to be ambushed.
"That's why you need to stay sharp." Makoto read her mind. "A number of us are dead but more than likely the other side doesn't have a lot of soldiers left either." What is this strange feeling? It's like… something's not right. Ambush?! Makoto scanned the surrounding area like a hawk. No… so… what is it? Sniper? No, they would have shot us already. So what is it?
"I'm sorry Makoto, but I'm not getting a cold over this walking around the mountain with the sun going down." Nao sighed. "I don't want to quit right now but can we at least head back towards the starting area?"
Makoto opened her mouth to chew Nao out but after seeing the miserable faces of sympathizing with Nao's comment that Hibiki and Ellen were making, she reconsidered. "Yes. We can. But stay sharp until we're back. That's all I ask."
"Aye aye, commander." Nao raised her gun again.
"That's for navy personnel." Makoto smiled a little. "It's Yes, Ma'am."
"What about Roger that?" Ellen asked.
"Airforce." Makoto smiled a little more. This little game really shows me that those days are over. I can still fight but… when I look at them, never feeling this might be real at all, I can relax knowing that our world was the anomaly.
"Anyone else suddenly really hungry?" Hibiki's stomach growled.
Ellen reluctantly raised her hand. "I want some grilled fish."
"Because we fell into a river?" Nao asked.
"Nah." Hibiki laughed. "You see, Ellen here used to be a cat. And obviously- ow! Hey!"
"Do not make fun of me for that!" Ellen had kicked her friend in the behind.
"Feisty Ellen." Hibiki grinned. "I like it."
"Okay, you two can flirt more later, we're moving. Two by two. Nao, Ellen, you have our six."
"That means…" Nao couldn't keep up with the military slang.
"Hibiki and I watch the front, you two walk while looking over your shoulder. Mostly. Normally you'd walk backwards but without real training and experience you'll just stumble and fall." Makoto instructed them and tapped her ear piece. "Vanguard Two to base. Magpie."
"Acknowledged."
"What does magpie mean?" Hibiki was curious.
"Magpies steal shiny objects and take them back to their nest. It's our code for returning to base."
"Under most circumstances I'd be impressed or call it cool and what not… but..." Hibiki looked like she couldn't quite find the right words.
"You know it's not at all like that. And knowing that is at odds with what you thought for a long time before learning about that."
"Yeah, that! Wow, you're good at this."
"Same boat, same troubles." Makoto chuckled. "I'm just glad that none of you were Cures in our world. Or rather… that we were the only ones. That means we six are the only damaged ones."
"Calling yourself damaged..." Hibiki had pity written all over her face.
"You can't work through a problem or issue until you acknowledged there is one. It helps being around people who don't treat us like we're damaged. So don't start now."
"Got it. Honestly, this conversation makes me really uneasy. Like I'm always just one step away from stepping on a giant un-resetable landmine."
"I still wanna know… actually, are there any yellow Cures on the other side?" Makoto started to think.
"Only Itsuki." Hibiki remembered that pretty well.
"Unless she made that mine, this had to have come from Yayoi." Makoto concluded that. "It was spraying yellow goo everywhere and the paint color is based on our Cure color."
"Hm, I don't think Itsuki would use mines. She's more the charge straight ahead type."
Ellen didn't say it but she was imagining Hibki and Itsuki in bed together and Itsuki very clearly dominating. The red on her face wasn't missed by Nao, who very quietly inquired about what was causing it and then blushed herself when Ellen shared.
"You two, get your act together. You can be horny when we're back home." Makoto didn't even need to look back to notice what they were doing.
"I'm not-!" Nao tried to defend herself but it would be useless, she knew it. The blush on her face was strong enough that she could feel it being there.
Hibiki shuddered. "It's the middle of the freaking mountains and we fall into a river. It's like something out there hates us specifically."
"There is definitely nothing out there!" Nao very quickly moved to kill that idea. Pushing Hibiki and Makoto from behind, Nao forced them to speed up. "Come on, we're all cold, let's hurry back to the base."
"It's okay to say you're afraid of ghosts, Nao." Ellen tried to be supportive but it had the opposite effect.
"No such thing as ghosts!" Nao as almost frantic.
"Yes there is." Makoto looked slightly over her shoulder. "Back in our time, people that died from Leviathan particles mutated and became semi-corporeal monsters called Envy Wraiths. The only things that could hurt them was other not quite corporeal-"
A branch cracked when Hibiki stepped on it and Nao hugged Ellen so tightly that she started to turn red, then blue.
"Calm down Nao. There won't be Envy Wraiths here."
"You can't just say ghosts are real and then tell me to calm down!" Shaking Ellen and almost screaming, Nao was escalating.
"Hey!" Someone was shouting from about ten meters out. When they looked, they could see Kurumi, flanked by Miki and Saki, just leaving the thick of the forest. "All of you still alive?! Jeez, lucky!" Kurumi was very nonchalantly not even bothering to grab her gun upon seeing the supposed enemy. "No wonder the Federation won!"
"We won?!" Makoto was slightly suspicious. Approaching Kurumi, she kept her gun ready to fire. "When did that happen?"
"About twenty minutes ago? Kaoru, Michiru and Yayoi kind of blew up Nagisa and we got into a shootout. Time was called because it's getting dark and you won because you got more players left. You didn't hear the announcement over com?" Kurumi reached for her pocket and took out her ear piece.
"No." Makoto took out her own ear piece and sure enough, it was broken. Did the water damage do that? But I called Alice after we fell into the river. "Where's Alice?"
"Haven't seen her yet. This was pretty fun but I really want a hot bath now and get this goo off of me. I can't believe I got shot like two dozen times at point blank range. Kaoru's just a bully." Kurumi rubbed her arms. "Stings a lot..."
Oh well. At least nobody in my squad died. Though I didn't think we were that close to timeout. I was sure we had like an hour left. "What was the payoff for all of this again?"
"Apparently they're adding a library. I came across Sasorina earlier and got talking. She's excited to meet the caretakers for the place." Kurumi started walking and Makoto followed her pace.
"Ah… I guess there'll be more people then." Her squad was walking past her now and she switched out of soldier mode. "I hope everyone had fun at least."
"It was okay. Not something I wanna do again, but the experience wasn't bad. Thankfully we didn't do it in summer! The heat would kill me in this outfit. Not to mention carrying around heavy stuff."
"War in tropical regions is a very, very bad time. If you want to hear someone really complain about it, ask Regina." Makoto suppressed the urge to laugh but a little bit trickled through. "That should prove very enlightening. Just make sure you got time."
"Jeez. That bad?"
"However bad you think it could be, it'll be worse." Makoto smirked. "Oh yeah, make sure to ask her about Okinawa."
"Why Okinawa?"
"You'll see." Makoto was just openly laughing now. Ange is gonna be so mad I set this up. "Is everyone on their way to the bath?"
"Misha threw a fit and banned everyone from the bathhouse until we clean off most of the paint. So bathroom showers it is."
"I guess we on the top floor need to take turns. Not that I mind."
Kurumi looked left and right. "Do you and Ange… you know."
"Sleep together? Yes. She's my girlfriend."
"No I mean… shower together."
"Oh. Not usually, no. Ange has really long hair and she has a little bit of a habit where she shakes her head like a wet dog and that really long, and wet, hair goes flying everywhere. Bathing is fine, but showers with Ange aren't great." Makoto paused and then smiled. "You plan on showering with Hikari?"
"Hu- uh- wa- ha- eh- why- wha- uh-" Her face turned into a lantern and words no longer came out in any order that could be called language.
Oh no, I broke her. "Don't worry about it. Even Mana likes to shower alone. I don't think she'll expect you to shower together anytime soon." Seeing Kurumi leave crisis mode, Makoto turned her eyes back towards the front. There's the exit. I still can't shake this weird feeling. She turned around and looked between the trees. Like someone is watching me. Or something. Now I'm believing in ghosts, too. As she turned back towards the exit, she could not hear the distant screams for help.
=== DISSONANCE ===
Coughing, panting, Rin bent over, out of breath and almost out of voice as well. She stood atop a particularly steep and rocky hill and had been facing skyward. They can't hear me. "Fuck." She didn't curse much, but the current situation really brought out Urara's influence in her. Kanade is going to freak out. And what is it with those eggheads playing war games when we're nowhere to be found? Do they have any awareness of the situation we are all in? Just you wait until I get back over there…
Looking down the hill, she observed the girl that had been assigned to lead her around and watch over her so she doesn't get lost. Why her? Ugh… Hinako was a lot better than Akane so I was kind of holding out hope but… ha…
"Hey~!" The girl down below, sitting on a big tone slab, kicking air and whistling to pass the time. "Going again?! I'm good!" Falling back and taking it extra easy, she enjoyed the relative darkness of the sky and yawned heartily. This is great. I get to slack off while she tries to do… whatever. I think she's trying to get the other side to notice her or something? No way that'll happen though. Yume would have stopped her.
"Why is my dark version like this?" Rin sighed. And Natsu? Who named them? Feeling dejected, Rin sat down and lightly massaged her throat. This is pointless. Honestly, I knew it was. There's no way they'd just hear me shout. But as a Cure, I have to try even if it seems impossible. But this is really impossible. I kinda wish I had tuned my powers more akin to Sunny, so I could shoot a fireball but who knows how far it would have to go before… I don't even know what I am expecting. Was… was I like that when I first became a Cure? No way. Nope. Definitely not. I wasn't this impulsive, air headed… Rin stopped before she had to face a harsh realization. So what now? How do we get back? Mana and Nozomi said they don't know either. I kinda saw on Nozomi's face that she didn't think this would work.
Sitting down, Rin stared at the sky. This is so weird… the other world… the other place, phasing in and out of sight. It's like the sky is a moving camera with an ultra-wide lens. Almost like we're being taunted, as if it's saying 'so close, yet so far'. I guess for the time being- Her thoughts stopped when she felt someone put their hand on her head. "You're here?"
Kanade sat down next to her, powers active and thus her hair and eye color changed to those of Rhythm. "No luck." The tone of her voice, her expression, none of it was like what Rin expected from her. She didn't ask, she already knew that her girlfriend had come up empty. "Nozomi was looking a bit worried."
"That busybody." Rin slowly took in the clear air and then exhaled all her worries. "Looks like we're stuck here for the time being."
"It was kind of a shock that there were dark Cures living out here. I mean I kinda heard a snippet or two already but to see them in the flesh was really weird."
"First time I ever saw someone fai-"
"I didn't faint! I just got dizzy from using my powers and jumping and everything!"
Liar. "Uh huh. So you're not worried they might attack us?"
"Never even crossed my mind. I mean… after the first impression she made-" Kanade looked down at Natsu and smirked. "I will forever remember the look on your face."
"It's not my face."
"Totally is."
"Just looks like mine."
"Eh, splitting hairs now, Rin?"
Grumbling under her breath, Rin frowned quite heavily. "I'd wanna see you if your doppelganger was such a… I can't even call her an idiot because it feels like I'd be calling myself an idiot!"
"I think she's cute."
"You what?"
"Were you like-"
"Absolutely not."
"I didn't even finish asking!"
"That… that birdbrain version of me!" Rin scoffed at nothing in particular. "She just makes me mad."
"Because she's living free and without a care about the future?"
"When did you get so insightful?"
"That's a secret." I can't tell her I was worried and talked a whole bunch with Nozomi and Mana… "Natsu looks like you and despite the harsh life she has over here, she's carefree and lively. And it reminds you a little bit of what you were like back then."
Rin looked at Kanade for a long time. The wind was blowing through their hair and the gazes of eyes were entangled together likes branches of two trees that met underground, unable to ever be separated again. One hand found another, fingers joined together and shoulders moved closer. And finally, Rin smiled. "I'm going to kill her."
"E-E-Eh?! Who?! Natsu didn't-!" Kanade was so taken by surprise that she didn't know how to react.
"I know you Kanade. I saw you at your worst. I saw your fears, your insecurities, and I also saw how you crawled out of that hole. I saw your strengths, your willpower and your desires and how you rose above them. But that's how I know this isn't you. You're not this strangely insightful yet blunt girl that… that I love."
Being told that straight to her face made Kanade tense up and whisked a red tint on her face. Her mouth opened to reply, to tell Rin that she loved her, too, but before the words came out, her lips were welded shut by the slightly coarse and chafed lips from her girlfriend.
"Nozomi babbled, didn't she? She put all these thoughts in your head and you didn't want me to know you talked to Nozomi. You were worried, right? I thought it was odd you'd just show up here, all calm and ready to comfort me."
Kanade let out a big sigh. Like a carefully planned theatrical play had fallen apart in the opening act. "I just didn't want to offload my stress on you."
"You're cute. But acting like everything is fine is really not like you, so that makes me think something is going on that I don't know about."
"Same old Kanade, always messing up." Looking a bit dejected, Kanade broke eye contact and looked down at the ground, at her feet. "I should-"
"Have done nothing differently. It was a very cute thing to do. But you ought to have known I would figure it out." Rin squeezed her girlfriend's hand. "You laid it on a little thick though."
Drawing lines on the harsh rock surface with her left index finger, Kanade avoided looking directly at Rin. She makes my heart beat faster in a totally different way than Hibiki ever did. Not… better or worse, but… I feel like… like just being with her, I don't have to try to be better. I just am. Like every time I step back into that dark room where all my insecurities and bad habits are, Rin is already there and turns on the light and everything bad retreats to the shadows that shrink every time we are there.
Rin turned away from Kanade and sighed. "I was wondering if you felt the same way about me, but getting all quiet-"
"I love you!" Kanade shouted it so loudly at Rin that she quickly covered her mouth in surprise and blushed with the embarrassment of a thousand teenage girls. Fretting and tears of embarrassment emerging in the corners of her eyes, Kanade swallowed what felt like hot iron. "I… I love you, Rin. I don't know why but… I mean I know why I love you! I mean I don't know why I never said it until now! My heart's about to explode and I think if I stop talking then I'll start crying or worse and I don't know where I am going with this because this is the first time I actually-" One hand behind her head, firmly in the back of her neck, another on her cheek, Rin silenced her with another kiss.
The hand from her cheek moved to her chest, not groping or feeling her up, but resting right above her heart. When Rin parted ways with Kanade's lips, she spoke quietly. "After seeing Karen and Kurumi's relationship fail, seeing Nozomi become an oprhan at heart, witness Urara become a completely different person and sort of know about Komachi's longing in solitude… I was afraid of falling in love. In fact, I didn't think I would ever fall in love. But being with you made me realize that I was doing all those things I berated you for. I ran away from emotional risk while lying to myself about it. Realizing that, I confronted my feelings. That's why I can say it out loud. That I love you."
Kanade could not reply anything to this. Why am I like this? Why can't I say anything?! Stupid Kanade, stupid, stupid, stupid-
"Shouting at me was unexpected, though." Rin chuckled. "I bet none of the girls here, nobody we know at all, has ever been confessed to like that."
"I'm so sorry..." Kanade hung her head. "I can't even confess right."
"What are you talking about? Unless you ask someone like Love or Mana, most of the others wouldn't shout out their love like that."
"You know I only did that because… because..." The words wouldn't come out.
"Because you were afraid if you said it quietly and I didn't hear it, you would run away from saying it again."
"And everyone thinks Inori is scary. You can totally read minds too."
"My mind reading power is limited to you."
Too embarrassed to keep going and dig her own grave, Kanade pivoted with everything she got. "I asked Natsu and she said she'd let you have her room."
I shouldn't push her right now. "I can't believe she's with Nao."
"Is that… your type?"
"Not even close. For starters, I'd never want to date someone that also plays soccer."
"Uh huh..."
"Also I don't want anyone taller than me."
"Oh." I hope I don't grow a whole lot more. Probably not but… maybe I should leave out some vitamins.
"I like boobs but not giant watermelons."
Kanade started to smile.
"Long hair or short hair is both fine with me but since I have short hair already, I'd lean more towards long hair." It's cute how she doesn't even notice she's going through her own hair with her hands. "But most important I want to be with someone that knows it is important to be honest. That learned the hard way that lies and eating up your feelings will make you explode in a bad way."
"Jeez, you're just making stuff up now!"
"No. If you hadn't come along, if you hadn't tried so hard to overcome yourself, I wouldn't be in love with anyone."
Ahhhhhh, how are we back to this?! "I didn't see the rooms, I hope the bed isn't tiny..."
"You do toss sometimes."
"Do not!" Kanade flew into a fit of overblown pouting to drown out the maelstrom of feelings that was threatening to pull her in and never let go.
"When I hold you, no, that's right." Rin's smirk aggravated Kanade and she punched her shoulder with all the strength of a stuffed animal come alive.
Before they could continue flirting with each other, a sharp whistle caught their attention. "Hey!" Turning around, they saw Mana and Natsu, the latter of the two having fallen asleep on the slab of stone and still asleep now, after Kanade shouting and Mana whistling. "Tsubo- Ibaraki's saying that those who don't work, won't eat and there's apple trees that won't harvest themselves!"
"Time's up." Rin grabbed Kanade's hand and stood up, pulling her along. "You've come a long way, Kanade. Even if I didn't love you, I would be proud."
A sniffle was the prelude to a hiccup that was trailed by tears. "T-Thank you..."
"What did you do?" Without warning, Mana was suddenly up on the hill, freaking out Rin.
"Where did you even- when-" She stammered. "Actually, forget it." Just gonna freak me out more. Freaking superhuman.
"Did you say something upsetting-" Mana suddenly grit her teeth and winced. "I take… take that as… as a no..." Kanade had stomped on her feet with her full strength and Mana looked like she was ready to pass out from the pain. Kanade wore knee high, light brown leather boots with a decent heel and had hammered down right on Mana's toes.
"Let's go!" Kanade went from one emotional turmoil into another. Why did she have to show up now?! She totally ruined the moment! Stupid Mana!
While Rin and Kanade had been away, Nozomi and Yume had finally arrived at a conclusion regarding a very important matter. "Any objections?" Most everyone was lined up in a circle, briefly taking a break from work – Ibaraki was not happy about this – to hear what the de facto voice of reason among their leadership had to say.
A few of them shrugged. "I doubt Yur-" Himari, Mirage Sunshine, corrected herself. "Tsukiko probably wouldn't mind."
Learning about the situation of Sunny, Moonlight and March, equating to Himari, Tsukiko and Midori, from Rin after the initial shock had worn off, everyone took to adapting their names to using them.
"Okay then. After a few rejects, we have settled on a name then." With the growing number of visitors to their side, Yume had consulted Nozomi on whether they should decide a proper name for themselves, for the place they were living in.
The first suggestion, from Kokoro, Bad End Happy, had been 暗黒 – Ankoku. That had been immediately deemed inappropriate by Yume and Nozomi and declared no good. The second one had been 魔界 – Makai, from Miho, Bad End Peace and was rejected immediately. A few others followed.
"Feels good to have this figured out." Yume looked proud of herself. "Thanks for helping out, Nozomi."
The name they arrived at was 日陰. Hikage. The place they lived in was now called 'Hikage'. They were not the darkness of their originals. They were not their demons. But the shadows, attached irrevocably to their originals but different entirely. They were the shadows, living in the shade of the real world. And so it was Hikage for the world they lived in and them as well.
"Okay, everyone back to work!" Ibaraki cracked the metaphorical whip. If she had a real whip, she would definitely have cracked that one too. "We don't know what kind of crap is going to hit us next so no breaks until you break!"
"That's a real change from the Tsubomi I know..." Rin had just returned with Kanade, Mana right behind them.
"Without her we'd all succumb to laziness." Yume stretched, tilted her head left and right and took a quick, deep breath. "Okay, I'll better do my part too."
"Ibaraki has everyone working tirelessly in case another big change hits. She thinks food reserves won't just disappear." Nozomi was telling Rin about how things worked there. "I'm so glad you're here, Rin. Finally someone that gets me!"
"I don't count?" Mana looked at Nozomi as she walked past and grabbed a big basket. Those had been put together by Ibaraki, Himari and Umi. It was too ineffective to harvest apples and make countless runs back and forth to Hikage.
"That's not… I mean..." Nozomi struggled.
"You're new to all of this and Nozomi doesn't really know you. I've been friends with her forever." Rin took the burden from her friend. "Although I don't mind if we switch places, Nozomi can complain so much."
"Hey! I do not!" Nozomi defended her honor by rejecting that absurd accusation.
"See? Already complaining."
"That's not fair!" Nozomi complained again and saw how she was never gonna get out of this.
"Rin, stop bullying her." Kanade couldn't really tell yet whether Nozomi and Rin were joking around or not.
"Yeah, stop bullying me!" Nozomi smiled wide at Kanade's aid. "Listen to your girlfriend."
"Her L-o-v-e-r!" Kanade proudly proclaimed and hugged Rin's arm. "I'm not just her girlfriend!"
"Wow, someone is getting serious." Nozomi covered her mouth in fake surprise.
"All of you are going to be in serious trouble if you keep standing around clucking like a bunch of chickens." Ibaraki had come back and her tone of voice was unlike anything they had ever heard out of Tsubomi. It carried serious authority and an equally serious threat of consequences.
"Going, going!" Mana disappeared first and Nozomi hurried after her, then came back in full sprint to grab a basket and sprinting again after Mana, only to stumble over a ditch in the ground and slam into the ground. She was back up on her feet in seconds but it was very clear that that had hurt quite a bit.
"Some things never change." Rin snorted and felt Ibaraki's threatening glare on her back. "What should we do?"
"Same thing as them. There's a massive plantation of apple trees over that way-" Ibaraki pointed and kept pointing until Rin and Kanade had both looked and acknowledged that they understood basic directions. "So get harvesting. Apples are healthy, filling and don't spoil easily. And they can be processed, too." Going into the apartment and shouting at someone, Ibaraki left Rin and Kanade behind.
"Wow, that is quite the scary lady." Kanade looked after Ibaraki and jumped on the spot moments later when Ibaraki somehow magically knew she hadn't picked up a basket yet and shouted at her to get going from inside the building.
"And I thought my team's trainer was harsh. If she trained us I'm sure we'd become the new national team." Rin didn't startle easily but when Ibaraki suddenly looked out from a window, both Rin and Kanade were exactly that; startled. Five minutes later they joined Mana and Nozomi at the orchard. It looked well maintained. Well trimmed grass, trees planted in formation. Just no sign of ladders, which meant a lot of tree climbing.
Rin plucked ripe apples from the branches and dropped them down below with pinpoint accuracy into the basket that Kanade held up. "How're your arms?"
"I'm not that weak! Baking takes some serious stamina and strength!" Kanade was confident in not being a fragile wallflower. "I bet I can beat Hibiki in arm wrestling any day!"
"Doesn't she go to the gym?" Rin threw two more apples. This is killing my butt though.
"Still!"
"That confident, huh? How about Nagisa?"
"No way!"
"Not that strong then, huh. Itsuki?"
"Uh..."
"Saki?"
"You're just being mean now!"
"Am I?"
"So you can run faster than Nao?"
"Nice try but I don't mind being second or fifth fiddle." Rin smiled, pulled herself up and switched to a different branch. Kanade followed suit.
"I wish she'd wear a skirt..." Mumbling to herself, Kanade underestimated how good Rin's ears were.
"You can look all you want later."
Kanade just opened her mouth, said nothing, closed it and blushed.
"They're so cute." Nozomi watched the whole thing unfold from a couple trees away. She couldn't hear, but Kanade's expressions spoke for her. She threw down an apple and it hit Mana in the face. "O-Oh, I'm sorry, I-"
"It's fine." Mana put down the basket, picked up the apple and put it away. "They are cute together. Rin reminds me of Makoto just a little bit."
"You must miss Rikka and Regina."
"Oh, sure, but from what Rin told me, they know I'm okay over here, so they'll be okay too. I was worried Rikka would try something crazy like erasing a portion of space to create a gateway here."
"She… she can do that?" That's scary.
"I don't wanna say I'm smart but I had good grades in school. But Rikka's powers are just-" Mana stopped and shook her head. "They are so hard to understand that they're basically science fiction. But it's okay. Rikka is super careful with her powers."
"You just said-"
"That was if she didn't know I am doing okay! Actually I love meeting everyone here. It's like there's a dozen Reginas."
That sounds like a horror movie to me, Nozomi thought. "But we should try to get back."
"Yeah, we just don't know how. I know jumping doesn't work."
I'm amazed you even tried that… something is really wrong when I'm the one thinking that. Nozomi had enough self-awareness for this at least. "Everyone is confused about what is happening so… maybe we should just look for a way to get back instead of trying out ways."
"Normally I'd be against that but you're right. Nobody can make head or tails what's going on with the two Echos either. It's strange though that we haven't seen her. It's like she's avoiding us."
"Maybe she got lost out there?"
"A super powerful ancient Cure with no sense of direction?"
I feel like that is somehow incredibly likely… Nozomi couldn't really figure out why she thought that. "You never know!"
"A month ago the idea of there being more Cures seemed pretty absurd and then all of you showed up. And now-" Mana stopped when another apple hit her in the face. "You aren't doing that on purpose, right?"
"I'm sorry!"
"Not that I do not trust you, but do you think we could switch?" Mana was not eager to repeat this another thirty times before the day was gone.
"S-Sure." I wasn't that comfortable being in the trees anyway. Trying to get down, Nozomi slipped, fell and found herself suddenly extremely comfortable in Mana's arms. Somehow… this is really calming… and she smells so good. And-
"Are you okay?" Smiling and asking, Mana saw Nozomi's face turn redder with every passing second. Putting Nozomi down without waiting for an answer, she remembered Rikka's rules. If a girl blushes while you're carrying her, put her down immediately. I still don't think girls are that easily flustered around me, Rikka always exaggerated the effect I have on other girls, but it probably can't hurt.
"Yeah. Thanks for catching me." Wow… I like Miyuki but for a moment there… she really made my heart flutter.
Mana didn't so much climb the tree as she sprinted at it, jumped, kicked the trunk, bounced backwards, grabbed a particularly huge branch and did an acrobatic air roll to get on top.
Are you kidding me with that routine? I couldn't do that with my powers! "You… are pretty fit."
"Working out helped me clear my mind, and, well, we all have our coping mechanism."
I shouldn't have asked. Stupid Nozomi. "Sorry for making you-"
"All six of us remember it with or without someone bringing it up." Mana picked three apples and three them down into the basket without Nozomi even holding it up. "Don't beat yourself up over it. Walking on eggshells whenever it comes up just makes it weirder for us. Sorry if I'm being really direct but… if we don't treat it as just part of our lives, if we make it into this great tragedy and act like it, it'll be really bad."
I really shouldn't have asked. "I… I don't know what I should say."
Mana stopped what she was doing, put her arms really tight to her sides and jumped down, fitting right between two branches. "You regret bringing it up, right?" Mana smiled, took Nozomi's hands into her own, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I can tell. It's a problem for everyone outside my group. But there is nothing we can do to make you feel less bad for bringing it up. But just know that it will hurt more if you act like it's a taboo topic. If you really want to apologize, then..."
"Then?!" Nozomi saw a way out.
"Tell me about Miyuki."
"Miyuki?"
"You like her, right? Not Kokoro, but Miyuki."
"I… yeah, I like her."
Mana smiled, walked up to the tree's trunk, put her right foot against it, pushed herself off it while jumping at the same time, holding on to the same branch as before and just pulling herself up like she weighted nothing. "How did you come to like her?"
Nozomi blushed just a little bit. "That's a good question. Before I knew it… I felt that way about her."
"You also went through a lot of bad things, right? The ordeal with Nightmare and everything that followed. The way you tried to protect everyone from fighting."
"Did someone tell you that?"
Huh? Yeah, did someone tell me that? I don't really remember. "Must have. I don't remember who, though."
"Then it was probably Urara. She can be so tactless!" Nozomi pouted.
"So she should not have told me?"
"No, that's not it. I just bet she was real mean about how she told it! Like I was the stupid one for trying to stop everyone from fighting!"
That's not how this feels. "It was probably Rin or Komachi or someone else then." Why can't I remember? It's not like me to forget something this important.
"Miyuki helped me when I was doing really not okay."
"She was your Rikka."
"Probably." Nozomi felt kind of flattered. "I didn't really, you know, look at girls the way everyone else here does. Not until Miyuki."
"So that's your type. She is cute."
Somehow I feel threatened… "I bet you say that to all the girls."
"Rikka used to complain about that actually!"
"So you did!"
"What harm is there in telling a cute girl that she is cute?" Mana grinned and climbed a little higher.
"Normally, none… but when someone as handsome and hot as you says it..." Nozomi's voice grew smaller with every word.
"What? I couldn't hear you."
"How do you manage being girlfriends with both Rikka and Regina?" Change the topic, change the topic…
"You know, I actually used to sleep with Alice, Makoto and Ange too, back on the plane."
Nozomi just stood there, silently, as her soul quietly left her body. This woman is ridiculous in every way. "D-Don't treat me like I'm stupid!"
"I'm not. We were all there for each other but for some weird reason it rotated around me."
I'm new to all of this and even I know the reason is super obvious. "But you're not going out with those three anymore, right?"
"Just Rikka and Regina now. But they also love each other, so they're fine with me gone for a little while."
"Isn't it hard?"
"How do you mean?"
"Balancing who you spend how much time with and what not."
"We used to take turns but now it's just kinda… how we feel like it. Sometimes Regina just wants to spend the night with Rikka alone and it doesn't bother me. I can sprawl out all I want in bed then!"
"You're amazing, you know that?"
"Hm? Amazing? Because?"
"I can't tell if you're teasing me or not."
"I'm not!" Mana chuckled. "Why do people keep assuming I am teasing them?"
"Just thinking about sleeping with Miyuki makes me anxious and you were able to juggle five people? That's amazing."
"Then you're amazing too."
"Me?!"
"You stood up for what you believe in even when nobody supported you. I always had Rikka by my side, even before everything took a bad turn. I never had to fight all on my own like you did."
"Is that really so special?" Nozomi didn't see how that made her amazing.
"Both of you are going to get thrown into a dungeon or something." Rin walked by with a full basket, Kanade right behind her, with another full basket. "All that time and you have half a basket? Ibaraki is gonna kill you."
Mana exchanged a worried look with Nozomi and they both thought the same thing. She's right. Hurrying and picking up the pace, their conversation died down for a little while. "Did Rikka ask you out first?"
"Regina actually beat her to it. But Rikka followed suit and they wanted me to pick one of them. That's not who I am, so I said I would go out with both of them. Rikka especially wasn't happy about it. She and Regina used to really not like each other."
"Wow… I never would have figured. Even though they love each other now?"
"You know, circumstances and everything. Regina had her phases of being kinda hard to stomach and Rikka had times where she was so overbearing and controlling I wanted to get away. They both grew out of that mostly thanks to each other. Those two falling in love was a surprise to me too."
"You and Love have a lot in common that way."
"Not the first time I hear that." Mana smiled and kept up her pace by jumping to the next tree over, Nozomi hurriedly picking up the basket and following. "Are we really that similar?"
"Well… you're both really forward, really strong women that have two girlfriends. You never hesitate to help someone. You are both pink Cures that are at the center of their team. You're both blonde, too!"
"Only as Cures!"
"Still counts!" Nozomi grinned. "One of your girlfriends used to be someone you fought against…" Huh? Is that right? No, I'm confident that's right, but where did I even hear that? "And the other one is a blue Cure!"
"Ellen and Rikka are very different though."
"You do have different taste in girls though!"
"And your taste is just Miyuki? Anyone else you find attractive?"
Nozomi started coughing without warning and felt her face heat up. "Y-Y-Yeah! Just Miyuki!" I can't possibly tell her that I suddenly see attractive ladies everywhere I look… it's like I opened a window and now the dark room I was in is suddenly filled with light and I can see everything clearly.
You are a terrible liar, Nozomi, Mana thought. "I did used to sleep with the others in my team but if we're talking about actual feelings of love, it's just Rikka and Regina. Are you sure there's nobody else?"
If I keep denying it it'll only make me suspicious. "W-Well… you can't tell anyone though!"
"That won't be a problem."
"Tsubomi is really cute and nice."
"That's not what I expected." Mana snorted a little. "I was going to guess you'd pick Yuri or Love."
Oh no, she's making me think about hot Yuri is… "W-What do you think everyone is doing over there?"
"Well, we know what Rin told us, basically." Mana paused for a little bit. "I can't really figure out which Echo is lying without being face to face with them and even then… might be hard. But they both seem to be helping people, so maybe it's all a big misunderstanding?"
"The one over here has been mysteriously absent though…"
"I don't get the impression we would get a lot of answers out of her even if she was around." Something about her just seems off. I can't put my finger on it, but I know I'm not wrong. It's one of these things that is staring me right in the face but I can't see it. Like that one time Rikka and Regina made chocolate for me and I shared it with the others… I didn't know what I did wrong until Alice explained it to me and then the realization hit me like a hammer.
"But she really is powerful." Mana looked right up, at the conflicting sky. It was dark but at the same time it wasn't. It was like the night sky – that was present during the day – was giving off light like the day would. Rikka would have so much fun trying to explain to me how this is happening.
"As the Rose Guardian I am pretty strong too but nothing like this. I don't even understand how magic can do this."
"According to Rikka, magic powers are just mentally directed applications of property changing types of energy that allow the physical and meta physical states of matter, cause and effect as well as atomic speeds and vibrations to be influenced and controlled."
"What?"
"That was my reaction as well. It's not easy to explain what exactly it means. For most of us it's just feeling our powers and developing them with what we imagine, right? Rikka's not like that. She sees it all in terms of actual science she can mostly explain."
"Mostly?"
"She's having a little difficulty with powers like those of Luminous or Muse."
"Oh. Because they're not originally humans?"
"Maybe? You'd have to ask Rikka."
"She didn't explain to you?"
"Oh, she tried. But if you thought what I said about magic was complicated..."
"So it's too much even for you?"
"Rikka has spend thousands and thousands of hours thinking about this sort of thing. Being cooped up in a plane with no real hobby does that to you. I don't think we'll ever meet another Cure that has an understanding of magical science like she does."
"Somehow it feels comforting that there is someone that can explain these things, even if I don't get a word of it."
"I know what you mean!" Mana sounded really happy. "I don't get most of it either but knowing that Rikka has a handle on it all means that it's not just this big unknowable mess!"
"Most of it?"
"I do get some of it."
"Wow..."
"I did go to university! And Rikka's tried to teach me a lot about it..."
"And here I was struggling with becoming a teacher."
"You want to be a teacher?"
"Yeah. I like helping people and I wasn't a great student and I thought… it's not my fault. The teachers weren't very good. So I want to become a really good teacher that helps especially the bad students, like I was."
Mana jumped down from the tree, nearly knocked over the basket, and flew into a flurry of hugging Nozomi really tight. "That's so admirable! I wish Regina had had someone like you as her teacher!"
Your face! It's close! Too close! Ah, she smells so goo- No! Nozomi stay strong! You withstood naked Kokoro! Well. Kinda. Sorta. Argh, I really didn't, did I?! B-B-But that's because she's Miyuki! Yeah! I can withstand- Your boobs, Mana, your boobs! Screaming in her mind as Mana was entirely too close to her in every possible way, Nozomi felt her legs start to give out.
"Hey."
Both of them froze solid upon hearing that single word. Separating like they had been caught in the act by their girlfriends, Nozomi and Mana didn't even make excuses and just went straight back to work, as quickly and as silent as they could.
"I already saw you." Ibaraki was there and walked up next to Nozomi. "Harumi is starting to make dinner so haul your butts back to Hikage." Harumi was Dark Mint, her name composed from the kanji of spring and kindness. "We still don't have plumbing and we're short one of our heaters-"
Calling Hinako a heater is kind of hurtful, Mana thought.
"So your Rin is going to help out with that. Nozomi, you're gonna go and help Yume clean up the interiors. It's all dusty. Mana, you… just check how you can make yourself useful." Ibaraki was much in control of everyone as Yume and Kokoro were. Some of the others thought of her as the shadow ruler, the one who really pulled all the strings.
"You came out yourself to tell us that?" Mana jumped back down from her position in the tree.
"Of course not. I need to check how much we harvested and I can't exactly leave that to someone else."
This Tsubomi is really, really mean. She'd eat our Tsubomi for breakfast. I don't like her. Nozomi had very few people she disliked but Ibaraki's super pushy attitude was not earning her any points, even if she was cute, like Tsubomi.
"With all these apples I assume we'll be eating apple products for a while?" Mana was actually happy about this. Fresh fruit… I know we had them at the hotel too, but picking them yourself and getting to eat them… it's something I couldn't even imagine the last few years.
"Nothing goes to waste. We don't have a luxurious hotel to call home after all." Ibaraki looked at the trees and then started walking, as if her doing that made it clear that the conversation was over.
On their way back to Hikage, Nozomi looked a bit miffed. "She's… really not friendly. And her group are the closest to their originals, too. What happened?"
"Maybe it is because Tsubomi is such a sweetheart that her shadow is this tough business first girl? She reminds me of Alice."
"Isn't Alice really polite?"
"Not if you make her mad or know how to interpret what she is saying into what she is thinking. She can be really mean and vicious when it comes to business."
"Really?!"
"You wouldn't know about it, but in our world there was this company that let people record very short videos called Vines and the CEO kind of pissed off Alice at a high society gathering and so she went after the company until it went out of business."
"Uwah… scary..."
"Alice is not someone you want to make mad. She is really a nice person but if you do piss her off, you should lower your head all the way to the ground and beg forgiveness."
"Have you ever..."
"Oh yeah." Mana exhaled very deeply. "Alice warned me about a hundred times not to get involved in a certain dispute and I stuck my nose in anyway and I was the most sorry person in the world for the next two weeks."
"What… what did she do to you?"
"I'll… tell you another time, over drinks."
Normally I'd say I'm not old enough to drink but with everything that's going on… I don't think it matters. "Take it easy on me! I never had drinks before!"
"Don't worry, I'm not like Regina. Just a couple of beers or a small glass of something else."
Returning to Hikage, they found Rin and Natsu being berated by Kokoro, Bad End Happy, which was a very surreal sight, considering they had the same face and all. "I don't care which one of you is better at starting a fire! Start a bloody fire already!"
Noticing Mizuki, Dark Aqua's new name written with the kanji for ocean and moon, a little off to the side, Nozomi went towards her. "What happened?"
"Hm? Oh, your Rin and our Natsu got into an argument over who knows better how to start a fire by using their powers. Normally that would be… uh… what was Sunny's name again?"
"I think it was Hinako?"
"Normally Hinako would handle that but since she's stuck over there, we gotta use our backup."
"Weird for Rin to get into an argument like that."
"Natsu was bragging to… what was the name of the blonde with Rin again?"
"Kanade."
"Yeah, she was bragging to her and then Rin got into it with her and they sort of almost got in a fight and then Kokoro blew a fuse."
Nozomi sighed. "I'll talk to her."
Ten minutes later a fire was finally heating up the contents of the pot. Harumi, Dark Mint, was making apple beef stew. The beef had been supplied by a hunting party consisting of Miho, Dark Lemonade, Namaki, Bad End Peace, and Reina, Bad End Beauty. Tie up, stun, kill in one stroke, was their motto.
There were some other big news as well, coming from Umi, Mirage Marine. Not too far from the orchard, in a spot where they had been a very thick and yet somehow mostly dead forest, were now vast grassy hills. And those hills were yielded an incredibly important resource.
"You found cows?" Yume was dealing with the news after she had put Kokoro in the time out corner before she exploded. Her temper was going to be a long time project to fix.
"Lots! Baby cows too!" Umi gestured at the size of a calf and then gestured with way more gusto when she described the big cows. "Brown, white and black ones!"
"Nozomi! Come over here for a sec!" Yume waved her progenitor over and brought her up to speed. "It's a bit strange, we didn't really have any domesticated animals before."
"You also didn't have-" Nozomi turned around and pointed at the slab of apartment complex that was just sitting there. "All of that before, right?"
"It's true that there's rooms for everyone and beds, but other than that it's basically an empty building." Some clothes would have been really nice… please bring back as many as you can carry, Himari, Midori, Tsukiko. Enough for everyone. "But a building is different from cows."
"How many are there?" Nozomi directed the question at Umi, who had been growing restless not being able to talk more about this.
"A lot." Umi smirked wide. "I ran around for a bit and there's a whole lot. Maybe over a hundred?"
Yume's eyes widened. "Over a hundred cows? I'm surprised we didn't notice that immediately."
"Milk! Real beef!" Nozomi put her hands together and then saw the very off putting look in Yume's eyes. "What?"
"Nozomi, do you know how to butcher a cow properly?"
"B-Butcher..." Nozomi saw flashing images of Cows being taken apart and turned into the meat products that the average Japanese person consumed and felt faint. "N-No..."
"We don't know how many of them can be milked either. This is big news but it is also a big challenge." Yume smiled and patted Nozomi on the back. "We'll check it out tomorrow."
"You wish." Ibaraki walked by, having approached with all the stealthiness of an invisible person, and made everyone felt like the work day had just gotten a lot longer. "Whatever you were planning to do tomorrow, you are doing today. We're not going straight to bathing after dinner anyway."
"Resting is important too." Yume tried to turn things around.
"You helped establish the motto here at Hikage, Yume." Ibaraki briefly stretched and then seemed to mentally put together a group for whatever Yume had been talking about. "You can bring me up to speed and rest your weary body while you do that. That'll be enough rest."
"Slave driver."
Ibaraki didn't see the point of fighting Yume on this. "As long as we're clear who's in charge of food. Nobody is forcing you to work."
"If I don't work, I don't eat." Yume regretted giving Ibaraki total control over food matters.
"Okay, okay, no fighting! I'll take some of the others and Umi to see the cows."
"Cows?" Ibaraki saw her interest piqued.
While all of this was going on, the three missing members of the Hikage were in dire straits.
"This… this was a mistake… a big… mistake..." Hinako, Bad End Sunny, was on the ground, unable to move even a little bit. The light tried to fade from her eyes but she fought valiantly against it.
"I told you this would happen..." Tsukiko, Mirage Moonlight, was in the same situation, unable to move and about to pass out. "But you… wouldn't listen."
"Both of you are idiots..." Midori, Bad End March, was the only one that wasn't completely wrecked by her own decisions.
"S-Shut up..." Hinako didn't want to hear it.
"Yeah… shut up..." Tsukiko agreed.
"You could always just have exercised some self-control and this wouldn't have happened." Sitting on the ground, leaned against a palm, she too was fighting the desire to pass out, but without the added effect of not being able to move.
"How could we?!" Hinako rejected that idea.
"It's much weirder that you didn't end up like us..." Tsukiko burped.
"The food was good but not to the point where you two had to stuff yourselves like you wouldn't see another meal for two weeks." Midori was pretty full herself and she definitely couldn't have handled a dash of any kind.
"But we won't get another chance like this where they're all gone!" Hinako thought she had been responsible in eating her fill but she had way overshot her goal.
"You do know that we can just ask those who do know about us for help? Like getting delivery." Midori didn't let up.
"That's not the same." Tsukiko rolled over and felt like she was gonna burst at the seams. That last… three servings was too much.
"We could just sneak in at night. Rin said she'll talk to the receptionist for us." I wish I could feed our Rin some of this stuff. Not that we don't try our best to make something good back home but this is definitely on another level.
"I'm jealous they all get to live here..." Hinako voiced her true feelings.
"Live and beat the ever living crap out of each other on a daily basis." Midori put it in perspective. "They might get restored to normal after it's over but I for one would not want to have to do that."
"I get that." Hinako knew why Midori didn't want to do that. "Fighting Cures once was plenty."
"Also we totally couldn't keep up with them. They'd destroy us instantly." Tsukiko said it out loud even though they had all been thinking it. "They're no Echo or whatever, but…"
"Yeah. I mean the three of us saw Rin in action. Our Rin is not even close to that. Actually still scares the hell out of me." Midori shuddered a little. "We should probably avoid raiding the dinner hall again."
"Lest we piss them off and they come over and exterminate us?" Tsukiko was two for two with the horror scenarios now.
"Hm, honestly I used to think that could happen but there's at least three of them that know about us and from what they were saying, there's a few others similar to us that would sympathize. It's still better to be careful but I think that they won't just show up and attack to kill." Hinako was someone who saw things logically, albeit she was not immune to making bad choices for herself.
"Speaking of those three… those two, Kaoru and Michiru. They sort of scare me in a different way than the other Cures." Tsukiko remembered the look in Kaoru's eyes. "It's like… they know something. Like there is a big meteor coming at us and we are all oblivious to the fact that we're as good as dead."
"You're so dramatic. I think that's just the way she is. Not all of them are gonna have hearts the size of mountains like Nozomi does." Midori sat up a little more and regretted it immediately.
"Yeah. Rin was about to turn us into charcoal when we met her." Tsukiko just couldn't shake that flair for the dramatic.
"That situation was crazy in every way." Hinako tried to put some context to it. "It's not like someone finding out about us would be like that."
"We haven't been alive for that long but it sure has been a crazy time." Midori burped quietly. "I do hope we find a way back soon." She tugged on the shoulder straps for her swimsuit. "I really wanted some other clothes but walking around in a swimsuit all day is kinda…"
"It's way embarrassing." Hinako added.
"Are you two kidding me right now?" Tsukiko glared at them like she was a hungry wolf. "What am I supposed to say?" Grabbing her magically increased chest, Tsukiko squeezed and cupped her breasts. "Reika is gonna dump me!"
Hinako and Midori burst into laughter for a few seconds, followed by heaving and gasping breathing, mixed with intense regret. "Who do you think you're kidding?" Hinako looked so smug that it shouldn't have been possible for a human. "You think I am deaf or something?"
"W-What is that supposed to mean?" Tsukiko rolled to the side and sat up, a blush starting to appear on her face.
"You really thought I wouldn't hear you masturbating when you're that loud?"
"I'm not loud!" Tsukiko reacted without thinking. "You… I did not-!"
"Amazing that you kept going even though I was watching from behind. You were totally getting off to those melons you suddenly got."
"N-No such thing happened!"
"Do you want a demonstration of what I saw?" Hinako put her hands on her own boobs, ready to start at any time.
"Can you two drop it?" Midori looked mighty annoyed. "Hinako, stop giving Tsukiko a hard time. And you, stop acting like we're stupid. We both know you really like this look. I can't disagree either, you are hotter this way. I don't know if Reika will agree, but just tell her that big boobs are a symbol of beauty or something and she's on board."
"Reika isn't… isn't..." Tsukiko gave up. "I know. She's that simpleminded." Tsukiko was a morosexual.
"Why are you trying to cover up how much you enjoy it anyway?"
"Because..." Tsukiko glared at Midori. "I don't want you to think I'm jealous of you."
"Say, Tsukki, how was your first night with huge boobs?"
"Huh?"
"Sleep okay?"
"I… guess?"
"Heh. You'll sing a different song soon enough. Not to mention-" Midori poked the top of her shoulders. "Have fun maintaining a workout routine because these huge melons will kill your shoulders and back. There's a reason my original looks like a professional athlete."
Tsukiko looked to Hinako who just shrugged. "She's right, you know? The moment your fascination wears off you'll be left with the reality that huge boobs means huge workouts."
"It's not that hard." Tsukiko was sure that they were exaggerating.
"You ever pay attention to what I do when I'm not working my ass off?"
"Not really."
Midori put her arms up and flexed – and then slowly turned halfway, revealing some not insignificant shoulder muscle on top of some decent arm muscle. "Because we don't have much in the way of underwear I train so my neck and back don't kill me a year from now." Doesn't help that I'm usually on top in bed with Rin and with how tall I am…
"W-Wow..." Compared to that, I'm not much…
"I kinda wanna feel them." Hinako looked straight at Tsukiko, who covered up her rather large chest the best she could. "Relax, I'm not gonna. Komachi would cut me in half."
"That's what you say now, but Komachi isn't here!"
"If I can't bear it anymore, I'll throw myself at Midori."
"Like hell you are." Midori grimaced. "I'll sock you one."
"Oh, scary."
"I'll show you real scary if you try so much as cup a feel."
"Wow, calm down, I was joking."
"That didn't sound like a joke to me."
"I can't tell if you two are seriously fighting or not..." Tsukiko sat up straight, no longer covering herself. "Messing around is fine to ease some stress but this isn't the time or place to fight among ourselves."
Hinako slowly exhaled and lowered her head. "Sorry, guess that was a little too far."
"I wasn't really gonna sock you one."
"How about you hold her down-" Hinako nodded at Tsukiko. "And I go to town?"
"I'm gonna beat both of your asses." Tsukiko was done playing around.
Although they could act like they had nay a care in the world, they were in truth three rather serious people who just suffered from a lot of stress and couldn't handle being serious all the time right now.
Hinako grinned and then leaned back. "So what are we gonna do for the rest of today?"
"I don't know about you but I'm gonna masturbate and sleep." Tsukiko was very upfront about that now that they knew anyway. "And I really will beat you if you try something."
"Probably same." Midori was rather full herself. "Just a nap though and then I need to do some runs and a few training routines later. We have no idea how long we're gonna be stuck here so I have to keep it up."
"You two have no dreams at all." Hinako scoffed at them. "I'm gonna go explore."
"Are you crazy?" Tsukiko asked her coldly.
"She's right. What are you gonna do if Akane sees you?"
"I'm not gonna leave the beach, calm your jets. This place stopped being a tiny, isolated location, right? I'm gonna swim around a bit, check out the thickets, the cliffs, everything. Unless someone specifically tracks me down it's not like they will realize I'm not the real Akane, right?"
"They did say our swimsuits match the original… but you need to be careful either way. Your hair doesn't match up at all. Neither does ours." Midori preferred to err on the side of caution.
"Didn't you see them earlier?" Hinako pointed in the air. "Those two that Rin brought in. The way their hair looked."
"Now that you mention it… Rin was matching our Rin, too." Tsukiko recalled that.
"As far as appearances go, their latest fiasco is actually an advantage for us." Hinako hoped those words would not come back to haunt her.
"I'm still gonna stay here." Tsukiko grabbed her boobs. "It's not like I'll have these forever, so I don't need to bother with working out."
"You're not gonna keep the swimsuit?" Midori looked curious.
"If I can, sure, but what are the odds we just get to go home all easy and with new clothes on our back?"
"Fair." Midori conceded.
"See you two later." Hinako got up and stopped. "Wait, if you are both going to masturbate, wouldn't it be easier to just-"
"In your dreams." Midori looked very pissed. "The only one that gets to touch me like that is Rin."
"You need to get your own head in order if sleeping with us is the only thing you keep coming back to."
"Right, right." Well, I won't lie and say that Midori doesn't kinda do it for me. She's not Komachi, but she's kinda close. If she wasn't so high-strung about only doing it with Rin I'd push my luck a little.
Waiting until Hinako had left, Midori slumped down and breathed a sigh of relief. "Finally."
"What?" Tsukiko didn't get it.
"She was totally thinking of doing it with me. She was staring everywhere."
"You mean staring at me."
"That was a feint. I could feel it. My boobs, my legs, my face, she was seizing me up like prey. If I had played along with it she would definitely have tried to get it on and just ride the train of both of us being horny all the way."
"Aren't you reading too much into it? She loves Komachi."
"Komachi and I have a lot in common."
"You're serious?"
"Hinako's good at handling everything logically but what happens if there's no logical choice to make? What if the entire situation is crazy?"
"So… she doesn't know what to do?"
"I think so."
"Think she's gonna come on to either of us?"
"Not unless we invite it by fooling around too much." Midori stopped and sighed. "The crazy part is that, honestly, I kinda considered it for a bit there. Hinako is hot and while she and Rin are totally different personality-wise, masturbating is kinda not doing it for me."
"You're not gonna say we should have sex, right?"
"Really now? Do I look like your type?"
"No." Tsukiko said this in the mostly dry way possible.
"Same here. You're really not my type."
"All fourteen of us have been together since the start, it's kinda hard for just us three to be out here. I kinda get why Hinako is so messed up. I do miss Reika."
"Same, I miss Rin."
"Well, there is a Rin over here."
"Are you kidding me? I'd take Hinako before I went with that Rin."
"How come?"
"Looking like my Rin and then that ridiculous shift in personality? Oh hell no. Would you want a Reika that is like our Miyuki?"
"I'm gonna puke."
"See?"
"Point taken." Tsukiko slowly got up and felt like she was gonna throw up. "It's like I ate a beach ball."
"Going for a rub and sleep?"
"Don't call it that, grosses me out."
"So tell me honestly. How's it feel to go from pretty much nothing-"
"I didn't have nothing."
"-To big bouncy melons."
Tsukiko held her breasts up by folding her arms beneath them. "I gotta admit it feels pretty nice."
"Wasn't kidding about the workout routine and stuff, you know."
"I can imagine. Honestly not sure if I would pick big boobs like this over my usual figure considering how much trouble it brings."
"You really think Reika would dump you over it?"
"Of course not." Tsukiko shrugged and smiled when that let her chest bounce. "You know, these are the same thing our originals got, right?"
"So your original also got a boob inflating magic swimsuit? You think she's as happy about it as you are?"
"I bet she wears it all day under her regular clothes."
"You make her sound like a pervert."
"She's real inhibited. The one time we met it wasn't that bad yet but I get the feeling that it got worse since then. She's kinda a prude."
"Why would a prude wear it all day then?"
"Because everyone has a breaking point and having this tasty treat dangled in front of her..."
"She can't resist."
"Exactly." Tsukiko smiled smugly and turned away, slowly walking further into the thicket. "Don't follow me."
"Like I would." Midori laid down and felt tired. I think I'll just sleep now, work out later and then have some fun.
With the three of them split up, Hinako was just out on the beach, stretching. The Cures will be back pretty soon so I should probably explore the thicket or the cliffs first. But I am so damn full I really just wanna walk it off for a while. I should still be good for a couple hours at least. Not like any of them will wanna come to the beach right after doing… whatever it is they are doing in the mountains.
Taking a comfortably slow stride, Hinako tried to get used to actually walking around in the sun. It's nice that we're not punished by our bodies for being awake during the day or exposed to sunlight over here, but… I can't help but feel restless. It's a riot, really, being Bad End Sunny and being this averse to sunlight. I should punch myself for even thinking that.
Watching the ocean and her own footprints in the sand, Hinako felt hopeful that one day they could all live in a place this good. A beach, mountains, living comfortably in a hotel… I don't dislike what we have out there, but this is just so much easier. Well, if we don't have to fight anyone, that is. I don't wanna become a sandbag for someone. She was ripped out of her own world when someone put their hand on her shoulder.
"Akane. We… we need to talk."
Turning around, Hinako nearly threw up – a flush of hot and cold hit her all at once, she could feel cold sweat come out of every pore on her face and she thought she was going to faint. Nao?!
"I know I'm the last person you want to see right now but… just listen to me." Nao looked very dejected, almost as if she didn't know what else to do and her only choice was a terrible one.
Awkwardly standing there, not saying a thing, Hinako was in a state of complete panic. What… what do I do? If I shoo her off, who knows what possibly catastrophic… but if I don't, she'll figure me out, right? That'll be even more catastrophic. Either way it'll be a disaster!
"Akane… please." Nao looked like she was as sincere as she could be, just short of begging.
Aw, come on, if you make a face like that… "S… Sure." She averted her eyes. I'm screwed. I am so screwed.
"I know we… no, I ended things, but I didn't do it right. I just dropped it all on you and… I didn't even consider how you must feel."
Oh no, I thought this was about a fight or something they had. I'm not who you should have this conversation with!
"Honestly I'm not sure how I feel about all of this myself. I kinda… I kinda knew I couldn't just keep going the same way I had been. Everything including my feelings was coming apart, our situation was totally crazy… there's so many things I should have talked to you about. Mostly little things that made me feel bad… over time they became big things and now… I just don't know."
Hinako started to slowly walk away. Don't follow me, don't follow me! She cursed by squinting really hard when Nao did follow her, walking right by her side.
"We shouldn't get back together. That hasn't changed… I think. I know you're angry with me, you probably want to punch me in the face or something. I just went, up and dumped you with barely any explanation. I… I know that was wrong."
"Yeah." What am I even supposed to do or say here?! I have no idea what happened between you and Akane! I'm not Akane! But I can't tell her that! Argh!
"Akane." Nao grabbed her ex-girlfriend's hand. "I'm sorry. About… about how I ended things. About not trying to fix things when they still could be fixed. I wish I had done things differently." Lowering her head, Nao's hand started to shake. "Losing both of you… Miyuki has Ayumi, Yayoi is always doing her own thing… I don't have anyone left. Even… even if we can't be in love, I… can… can we try… being friends again?" Sobbing, little hiccups in her speech, Nao was on the verge of breaking down.
Before she had full control over herself, Hinako turned around and hugged Nao. And because bad decisions rarely came alone, she looked straight in the eyes of the taller girl. Something deep inside her drove her forward, drove her to try and console her. "Don't beat yourself up. Nothing is ever just a single person's fault." She shouldn't have said those words.
Nao, encountering a reaction from Akane she had never thought possible or expected, felt old feelings surge to the top, breaking through layers upon layers of disappointment, temporarily rekindling a flame in her heart that had long since become cold embers. Before she knew what she was doing she was kissing Akane, the redhead's eyes wide with surprise. I don't care if it's wrong. I don't care if I'll regret it. I… I know I will. But… but! It's so unfair! For her to look at me like that! Kind and understanding! And to say those words that I wanted to hear more than anything else! You will… you take responsibility for these feelings, Akane!
She would not let up on the kiss for several seconds and grabbed hold of Akane's arms when she finally did, rapidly dragging her towards the waterfront. If… if she feels like this now. If I can make her keep feeling like this! There is a chance! I can still… I can fix something I thought was irrevocably broken! As she dragged Akane with her, she turned on her powers to match her ex girlfriend. And now there was no stopping her.
The water played around their feet when Nao pulled harder, pulling Akane deeper and deeper into the water until the ground vanished into the depths beneath them. "Akane!" Grabbing her ex tight, Nao pushed another kiss on her. I… I can do it. I can still turn it around. I don't know where to go, I didn't know if I could go anywhere. Maybe… maybe I just had to try harder with Akane. Maybe this… this breakup was what I needed to realize that I had to pick one of those two. And maybe Akane needed it… to realize that she did wrong by me, too.
Pushing her body, her chest, against Akane, Nao sealed her in a lewd embrace as she pulled up Akane's top, unknowing that the girl in front of her was not Akane at all.
=== DISSONANCE ===
"This… isn't good." Eternal sat in a chair that floated high above a canyon.
In the early hours of the day this canyon had not been there, but now it was a gigantic scar carved into the earth. Down below, three thousand meters beneath, the myriad squirmed, distorting time and space to levels unrecognizable. One moment the shadows of night covered the land, another the sun blazed down with swats of intolerable heat. Looking left, a stream of magma flowed out of thin air and vanished into the same. Looking right, deep frost and ice that would take centuries to melt. In one corner, bones and rotting corpses of creatures that none had ever seen before. In another, blackened scraps of an unknown metal, to persist until the end of time.
"You ready?" Echo was by her side, across the small coffee table, looking down with what one could very well call her sister.
"It would be much easier if we had Entity to monitor the chronostatic noise for us." Eternal grabbed a cup on the table, moved it closer to the small sugar container and poured eight spoonfuls of sugar into her cup.
"That's disgusting. And we don't know where Entity has gone. Her role might be finished or she is simply staying out of our way. We don't know if this is a true anomaly or not."
"If this is within her plans then… you know, they have an expression for this."
"They? You mean those girls?"
"Yeah. Someone whose plans are so complex that it looks like they are making moves beyond your imaginations. They are playing four dimensional chess."
"Ridiculous." Echo groaned. "They don't even understand what dimensions really are."
"Come on, you can't blame them for that. I think it's funny."
"You sympathize with them too much."
"What's the problem with that? It's not like she is going to kill them or anything."
"I'm not going to make any guesses as to what she is planning."
"Well, yeah, I mean, I don't know either, but we know what she is like. She might destroy a galaxy or two, but she would never kill one of our kind."
"I know that."
"So-"
"How long are you going to blab?" Echo held out her hand and impatiently gestured for Eternal to do the same. "We need to get rid of these things. And then we need to discuss what we are doing about the out of control composition of sides."
"Ugh… yeah." Eternal looked like someone spat in her coffee. Drinking the whole cup in one go, and looking mightily unrefined in the process, she sat the cup down rather crudely and grabbed Echo's hand. "Using our full power like this, though… been a while."
"You ready?"
"Ready as you are."
Locking hands, the chair and the table disappear – and so did the guises of Echo and Eternal.
Burning away in perceivably limitless power, white sparks of truth emerged, gears turned within fate and those that were deep within the truth emerged in the sky, crying the howl of destiny. The air boiled, the clouds fled and the ground shook as their true faces were revealed to the lands below. The myriad, the legion, quivered in the face of the powers that the gods wielded. Time shook and space rumbled by their presence, a mirage of equilibrium shattered into innumerable fragments of nothingness.
Undoing a seal of unimaginable power, returning to their full might from a journey of falsehood, they revealed themselves.
"Il ven tias tari-" "-Il tari tias ven."
"Il rashe valmur-" "-Ul rashe lami."
"Il shivis ralike-" "-Shi mu'ra va'shi."
"Ky'Rua all shi vas mali defarum teia silcarvi – Ky'Rua Valrashe."
"Ky'Rua all shi vas mali umertis teia freival – Ky'Rua Shafera."
To the left, a woman with pure white hair which would defy all attempts of order. Spiked, brazen, crazed and unkempt her hair extended downward like a waterfall that found a new cliff to break but found itself broken instead. Her skin was the color of baked bricks, weathered like veterans of the sea and the people of the south. Lines of pure white magic covered her skin top to bottom – an onlooker whose mind might have survived the sheer pressure of magic in the air could have thought it to be a tattoo but it was not. Eyes of deepest red stared at the object of her destruction, lips of darkest black gave rise to words of a language that died before civilization begun.
This woman – Ky'Rua Valrashe – was clad in clothing pure and simple. A white, form-fitting dress that bulged confining a toned body, white boots that reached just short of her knees with heels like knives. Gloves of white covered her arms up to her elbow, leaving her fingertips bare.
To the right, a woman with pure black hair, deeper than the night. Each hair following a perfect order, a perfectly arranged symmetry, like a black waterfall viewed from great distance, beautiful and serene, ever unchanging. Her skin was the very white of summer clouds, a miracle child born of alabaster and marble, not a blemish to be found anywhere. Lines of pure black magic covered all of her, from the tips of her toes to the heights of her forehead. A human mind might have seen these as a tattoo, mistakenly so. Eyes of brightest yellow gazed down below at those she would vanquish, lips of golden shine formed the sounds that were home to a land that had been no more.
This woman – Ky'Rua Shafera – wore clothing of plain design, of the deepest black the night could offer. Fabric that stuck to her body whole, leaving neigh air between skin and design, it accentuated every curve and form of her body, smooth and without flaw. Sandals of impossibly intricate design enveloped her feet, heels that mimicked the pillars elevating her. Gloves of pure black covered the arms so white, leaving free fingers to weave spells of grand design.
"Rashe velmir'ki Val-"
Rashe velmir'ki milrar"
"Rashe Iami lor'mi-"
"Rashe re'rish'mi-"
"Sha'ri zalmer'du shi defa-"
"Sha'ri helva'mordus shi mur-"
Their magic was a shining beacon in the sky, drowning out the sun and the azure, drowning out the horizon and enrapturing even that which had no eyes to see. Time and Space stood still as they put forth their empty hands.
"[Record of the Secret in the Deep]!"
Their power gushed forth and for another moment the world stood still. Then it resumed – without the legion of flickers beneath. Trapped in a moment of eternity, time and space sealed away, eternally unmoving, eternally trapped without time or space. Lost to the depths of memories of none like their home, they had sealed the canyon of that moment in time and space away, never to be again.
Valrashe – Eternal – released her grip on Shafera's hand, flesh and blood ripping as the magic had burned their hands together, like a gaping wound that had been sealed by fire. Skin tore from their hands, fingers were stretched unnaturally and they grimaced as they separated their hands. "I hate using this."
"Other magic was not going to work on those things." Shafera – Echo – looked at her partner and scoffed. "What are you staring for?"
"I forgot how hot you are."
"Spare me the crap." Clasping her hand, Shafera winced. "It's silly that she can use this on her own with the scale of an entire planet and we not only need each other but the magic even burns our flesh."
"We just have a fragment of her power after all." Valrashe shrugged and watched her hand finish regenerating. "What now? We go back, pick up any stragglers and continue following her plan?"
"What else?" Shafera grimaced and looked down. "Nothing can escape from there but I still have a bad feeling. There were far too many of them. Thousands and thousands more than I created."
"You think they multiplied during the sea of dreams?"
"Without time and space? How?"
"You're asking me? You made them."
"The Time and Thought Eaters I made merely interfered with the chronostatic noise of life. They had no self-awareness or anything like that. Mere machines of magic. These things… they had independent thought. It's like this universe gave rise to something corrupted based on my design."
"We need to keep an eye on things. They can't affect us, but it doesn't hurt to be careful."
The black haired woman briefly glanced at her partner from the corner of her eyes. "Yeah. We don't know if this is part of the plan or not."
"Speaking of the plan." Valrashe – Eternal – sat back down on jer chair that reappeared out of nothingness. "What are we doing about those girls?"
Shafera sat down on her own chair, appearing right as she needed it to. And as she sat, the coffee table appeared anew, with a pot of steaming hot coffee in the center, surrounded by two cups and cup dishes as well as smaller containers for milk and sugar. "Nothing. Let them be. If anything, doesn't it play right into our hands?"
"Some of them are smarter than you give them credit for."
"So what do you want to do?" Shafera – Echo – poured herself some coffee and enjoyed the smell for a few seconds before partaking.
"You have Dream, Heart, Rouge and Rhythm over there right now, yes?"
"What of them?"
"Send Rouge and Rhythm back to my side tomorrow. Having them gone will cause a commotion."
"You are having too much fun training them."
"The environment is fitting for it. And idle hands will start to snoop and doubt."
Shafera emptied her cup of coffee and refilled it. "I'm still not sure what to do about… that girl."
"Is she causing you problems?"
"It's the opposite. She is too much of a calming influence on them."
"Would help if we actually knew what the end goal is so we could decide what to do about her. Lock her up, send her back, and so on. The plan only told us to separate her from the others."
"You think she'll issue revisions?"
"We haven't gotten any yet, so… unlikely." Valrashe shrugged and went for her own coffee cup. "This whole show has only gotten started and we already have a slew of issues."
"There's no quitting."
"Nobody said anything about wanting to quit. If anything, this makes it more interesting. Although I could do without some of these problems."
"Like what?"
"They're snooping a little too much over on my side. Bright and Windy. I had to faux reveal myself to them and fed them a story about having to fix everyone's memories."
"How's that working out for you?"
"Eh, you know, if I really wanted to fix them up I could do it pretty quickly with [Lunatic Kingdom's Legacy], but I do that and I have to come up with new excuses."
"Be careful about lying too much." Shafera – Echo – put down her cup and looked down at the canyon. "If they catch on to you, it'll put the entire plan in jeopardy."
"The truth is something too unbelievable for them. If I wasn't part of it, I wouldn't believe it either." Valrashe – Eternal – smirked and put down her cup as well. "It's kind of refreshing to be in our real forms for a change."
"If they saw us like this there would be uncomfortable questions."
"Well, yeah." Standing up from her chair and floating high in the sky, Valrashe took a breath. "I'm busier than you are, so I'm going on ahead." Creating a round mask that would cover all her face in her hands, she hesitated. "Can't say I'm too fond of the whole Eternal look."
"I think it suits you."
"That's why I don't like it."
"Go die." Shafera grimaced angrily and got out of her chair as well.
"You wish." Valrashe put the mask to her face. "[Hopeless Masquerade]." The mask snapped to her face, merging with it, spreading like a membrane all over her, enveloping, devouring her, vanquishing that which was Valrashe and leaving behind only Eternal. "See you later." With no sound, no spell, no incantation, she was simply gone.
"Finally." Shafera breathed a sigh of relief. "I should get started then."
=== DISSONANCE ===
"This is way, way, way, way stupid and impossible!" Marine was rolling around on the ground like a radio controlled racing car that was completely out of control. "It's already super duper hard to copy abilities! This is maximum zettai muri! c'est stupide! Je ne peux plus! Ça pue!"
Complaining up a storm in French, Marine was being a nuisance to the other trainees. The distraction was big enough to disrupt their concentration and an enormous kaboom followed as Peace exploded and left the ground around scorched with electric energy – not that there was anything left after a dozen explosions already. Falling over like a mannequin that had been pushed, Peace just laid face down in the grass.
She was not the only one that fell.
Hitting the nearby lake for the fourth time, Egret had just barely managed to redirect and break her fall. Out of everyone that had taken to training so far, she had made the most headway – at a surface glance. Her ability in development were wings – large white wings that provided free and powerful flight to everyone she bestowed them on, including herself.
And while she succeeded in creating wings very quickly – actual prolonged flying proved to be a total crap shoot. Just attaining lift off, the very basics of basics of flying, was a problem already and required significant running speed. Maintaining her own wings was another problem, eating up far too much energy to even think about giving wings to someone else. And those were just the bigger issues.
Climbing out of the lake, without wings, Egret looked ready to break someone in half. It took a lot to get on her nerves to this point, but Marine was very much a nuisance that went beyond all limits. "Marine! Shut! Up!" It was exceedingly rare for Egret to angrily shout at someone but her patience had run thin after lots of failures and Marine's almost constant complaining.
Marine sat up and pouted so hard that her face looked like a hamster had been stung by a bee. "You just gotta fly, that's easy!" Marine flapped her arms like she was a chicken in fast forward. "This is much harder!"
Egret stomped towards Marine who saw that she was in actual serious trouble and as a precaution fell on her back and showed her stomach to appease the hungry predator. "You don't hear Peace or me throwing tantrums like this, do you?!"
"You shouldn't bottle up your feelings, you know? It'll make you explode." Marine pointed right at Egret's face when said face was about to bite her head off in fury. "Like that." Rolling away, like a rolling pin down a hill, Marine got out of the way, knocked the ground and landed on her feet, doing a victory landing pose like someone who had just scored first in hurdle high jump.
"Enough." Echo appeared out of thin air from behind Marine and grabbed her by her waist like she was a sack of potatoes. "If you are going to be a bother to the others I am throwing you out and you will be the only one among everyone here that won't have a fancy new ability."
Struggling – to no avail – Marine ran her mouth like a machine gun. "Tyrant! Abuse of power! Dictator! Napoleon! Baguette Thief!"
Even Echo looked annoyed and finally decided Marine needed a timeout. Throwing her with significant force, Marine disappeared and the lake suffered the impact of a small missile.
While this was going on, Peace started up again. She felt not very motivated about all of this because unlike the others, she wasn't really coming up with a new ability – she was evolving her already highly specialized [Deus Ex Fabula] in every possibly way. And the first step to that was to optimize her own power output, capacity and threshold for overloading. Concentrating and staying at the borderline to going beyond what she could safely control was supposed to give her a better handle on her rather massive energy reserves. So far she had exploded a number of times and the ground around her was just electrically scorched wasteland now.
This is… really hard. Like drawing an extremely complex single page panel without the right type of pencil and then applying screen toner with some crude knife instead of a mini cutter and then… thinking about it, it would be even harder to try and cut tone before hand with scissors and then apply… maybe? Or would it be harder to try and do exact work without an exact knife… hm, I wonder how Kamikita-sensei are doing it? They probably normally-
Egret watched from the distance as Peace exploded again, discharging enough electrical energy to power a lightning storm that would keep everyone confined to their houses in fear. Guess it's not going so well for her either. I heard from Honoka this would be exhausting but after getting the wings right so quickly I kinda got my hopes up…
"At your current step both you and Peace will simply have to build up enough practice hours to get it under control." Echo tried to encourage Egret.
"It's frustrating… and Marine is not helping." But seeing her get thrown into the lake like that was satisfying. "We're all frustrated it isn't going as quickly as we thought."
"Highly specialized powers and applications of magic require equal levels of training. Of course this won't go quickly or be easy. But that's the same for everyone." Echo smiled and patted Egret on the shoulder. "Just keep going for a little longer, we are getting close to calling it quits for today."
I feel like I'm gonna eat an entire salad bar and then an entire barbecue lineup on my own. "I know. I know. And yes, I'll keep going." I don't want Saki to think I can't put in the effort!
Peace was down on her back and looked at the sky like a manga character after losing a battle. Ow… I keep getting distracted… Peace was tired and most of all, frustrated. This is worse than that one time my editor kept asking for revision after revision of those two pages and after fifteen revisions they said I should just start over the entire chapter! I wanted to bite off their head! Well… it did turn out for the better, the readers were super happy, but still! Sitting up, Yayoi touched her hair and sighed. I hope this doesn't leave lingering effects on my normal hair. But one more time first…
Marine had, in her opinion, the hardest job of everyone. Developing her [Copy Cat] into [Thieving Cat] was a hurdle so high that even if she was Spacemarine she wouldn't have been able to get over it easy.
The theory made sense. Instead of copying the power and storing it within herself – which was already a pretty fantastic ability – she would take someone's power and store it in a copy of their clothes, which could then be used by herself or someone else. But that was much easier said than done. Echo had created a small crystallized copy of Egret's powers because they were not all that specialized and gave it to her for practice.
So far she had not succeeded in even making a copy of Egret's clothes, much less a copy that held her powers. This is definitely not possible… copying clothes like that is barbaric! Inhuman! Third-rate designer practices! Dripping wet, Marine sat by the edge of the lake and stared into the water. Making a copy and storing the powers… copying the powers is not that hard but storing them… it's like I have to make a copy of myself too because I'm the one storing the power but that's not possible. I can't be clothes… or can I? Hm… if I became clothing… Maybe...
Copying Egret's powers with [Copy Cat], Marine then focused on herself. Okay, so the powers… I put them there. Or maybe there. Not all throughout me to use, but all bundled up, like accidentally swallowing a whole candy. That way I can move it. But move it where? I guess… hm… maybe… "Argh, why is this so hard?!" Marine flailed, fell over and landed in the water again. I wish I was Cure Comfy instead.
"You're trying too hard to do it in some unorthodox way." Echo gestured with her finger and Marine slowly levitated out of the water. "It's fine to want to be special and do it in some unique way but not everything needs you to reinvent the wheel. Being stifled by the need to be do it with a big impact just makes you miss the mark. Think about it this way; this is something you will have to use in battle, at a moment's notice."
Marine was put down on the grass and shook herself like a wet dog. Her long hair whipped Echo right in the face and left a big wet mark. "So you're saying it should be like clothes you can wear every day, not a once in a lifetime special dress that is extremely fancy and needs three people to put it on you?"
"Something like that. And you should apologize when your hair-"
"Oh, I've been going about this all wrong! It's designing down, not up! The lines should invoke simple elegance, not complex grace! It's harmony between function and design, not a carnival for the eyes!"
"I don't know what you're talking about. Also, apolo-"
"Thanks, I got a pretty good idea about this now!" Marine looked very enthused and ran off, leaving Echo behind.
Said Cure clenched her fist and her expression alone could have ended a nation. "Apologize, dammit..."
Egret crashed again and was fed up. This is… really hard. It's like learning a new painting style from scratch. I constantly fall back into old habits of really pushing the output but that's not how I'm gonna stabilize this. I need to give it just enough power to work – minimum supply to function. The more I give it, the more it uses, but at no actual benefit. But that's not at all how I powered my abilities until now… it was all dangerous fights and such so I had to go all out. To suddenly temperate my output… maybe I can get Bloom to help me with some independent training later. Resting on the ground, she flapped her lips. Honoka really wasn't exaggerating. This is bone breaking and soul crushing. I feel like one of those comic characters going through a training montage but without the montage element.
Peace was reaching her limit too. Not energy wise but she had developed a really bad headache. "I'm done… I need aspirin… lots..." Her face resembled the state she was in when a deadline was moved up or she forgot about it and she had to crunch for three days straight.
While the eighth group was finishing up their training, a small delegation of those that had gone free – or in some cases had just already survived their training – were checking out their newest acquisition; the library.
They consisted in total of three couples; Ako and Urara, Love with Setsuna and Ellen, and lastly, Yuri and Miki. "What a team." Urara shrugged and felt like she stuck out like a sore thumb.
"Nobody forced you to come with." Ako never sugar coated things for Urara; one thing she loved about her that even when she was snarky, or sarcastic, or mocking, or just generally not the most nice person in the world, Urara didn't mind at all and even welcomed it.
"If I didn't wanna be here, I wouldn't." Urara gave Ako a cocky look and was promptly ignored which always, no matter how often it happened and even when she knew it was coming, caught her unprepared.
"One day she's gonna leave you." Miki tried to mock Urara a little and felt just a very tiny itty-bitty amount of intimidated when Urara stared at her somehow through the back of her head.
"Not likely." Ako didn't even turn around to say this and just raised her left hand to swat the notion in the air in a way only someone from an actual royal family could. It was that very special obnoxious-yet-expected gesture that was the exclusive domain of snobs and snob related people.
"Really?" Yuri looked at Miki like she had seen a dog poop, stopped and then took a decisive step ahead and hammered down on it with her feet fully knowing it was gonna a particular way but yet somehow expecting something else.
"Whose side are you on?" Miki was not very happy about this lack of trying to defend her the way Ako defended Urara.
"The side of not willingly stepping onto landmines." Yuri was still giving Miki that same look and took her hand. "I am on your side but that doesn't mean I will ignore facts before me."
"Why thank you." Miki's sarcasm was dripping really hard from her lips there.
"Can we go in now?" Setsuna had been a little to the side, keeping Love from storming the fortress all on her own. She was the modulation to her boundless energy and enthusiasm. Ellen on the other hand was playing a game that was familiar to every single person that owned a cat. Go. No wait. Go. No wait. Go. No wait. It was an inescapable labyrinth of limitless recursion that no intelligent being could surpass.
"I thought we were waiting on you." Urara turned about and watched Setsuna quite literally use a cat's tail, they grew all around there by the side of the road, to tease Love who acted a lot like a cat – which infused Setsuna with a certain sense of surreal something.
Yuri grimaced, stepped forward and not so gently pulled on Miki's hand so she'd follow her. "Not playing But we were waiting on you like musical chairs." Pushing open the door – the door to a big building that was almost entirely covered by huge bushes, vegetation and overshadowed by enormously growing trees.
This building was located to the north-west of the plaza, a three minute trek over a stone pavement that emerged halfway there on one's way to the mountains proper. The front was solid gray bricks and invoked a feeling of victorian western architecture, resembling churches and the oldest buildings still standing found in places such as London. Despite it being new it looked weathered, thick green vines covered the edges and framed it all within a picturesque mystery, beckoning adventure and strange encounters.
Obscured by endlessly branching trees – and very much so the branches themselves – was the roof, with only a smidgen of dark red ceramic showing beneath the leaves. There was but a single large window at around where a second floor would be and it extended upwards far enough that Miki and Yuri could have stood shoulder-on-shoulder and still be wholly visible from outside. An ornate wooden frame held it in place with symmetrical branches of itself meeting in the center, dividing the window into sixteen square blocks of darkened glass that made it near impossible to see far within.
The door that Yuri had so crudely shoved open without appreciation was rich with carefully carved wooden intricacies that covered it top to bottom – or once covered it, many of them having worn down over time, leaving behind a puzzle map of the building's age.
"Oh, welcome." A woman with no makeup at all greeted them, her pale pink hair tied into a medium length ponytail and frameless glasses resting on her nose by itself. She wore a medium level conservative red suit that offered a lot of leg freedom from her knees down and she showed just a hint of cleavage from an above average sized chest. She had a small spider tattoo on her cheek that had a life of its own – quite literally so, as it crawled away to hide further down her body the moment the guests walked in.
Her eyes and Urara's met. "It's been… a long time."
Urara looked at her with the expression of someone that had just returned to the office after summer break and couldn't recognize any of her coworkers because instead of learning their names she insisted on identifying them by which desk they were at and now all the desks were shuffled. "Yeah." Like hell I am opening myself up to Ako mock-
"You know her?" Ako had a sixth sense for this.
"Old enemy." That's the only possible outcome here anyway. You're not getting to me that easily.
"I see. And here I thought you absentmindedly staring at her meant you completely forgot. My mistake. That would have been so humiliating and embarrassing to forget the face and name of an old adversary like that, right? I mean, I couldn't live with myself-"
"Hate you so much right now." Urara groaned. "Fine! I don't remember her name!"
The woman looked over the visitors and stood up. "I'm Arachnea. I was originally part of the Nightmare."
"Oh. Yeah. There was someone like that." I still have no clue who this woman is. Does she have any idea how long ago this was?
"Don't worry about it, she still has no clue." Ako lightly nodded at the woman. "Nice to meet you."
"Hey." Urara lunged to grab Ako's hand but the princess' hand mysteriously evaded her repeat attempts with ease.
"It's… fine." Arachnea looked somewhat annoyed. "It's been a long time after all."
"So many books!" Love had run up ahead, skipping introductions because Urara and the woman seemed to have a past together. And she was promptly reigned in by Setsuna. "I know, I know, ssshhhh." Shushing at no one but showing she understand she shouldn't shout, Love grabbed Setsuna's hand, lunged past her, grabbed the hand of a very surprised Ellen, and dragged them away. "Let's explore!" Whispering, but the loud whisper that was more like an intense hissing, Love pulled her girlfriends along with all the force of a raging river that just couldn't want to run face first into someone and so that was exactly what Love did.
Books went flying. Bodies hit the floor. Someone said Ow very loudly and there was an annoying grunt and a very strict no more running look being directed at Love shortly afterward.
The woman they functionally run over was down on her butt, rubbing her chest and looked all around like she had just been tackled by a bailiff for getting too close to the judge without permission. Ellen – who had avoided a total knockdown by wiggling her hand out of Love's grasp like only someone who used to be a cat could – took a good look at the victim of Love's enthusiasm.
Medium, perhaps it was a little dark, purple hair that was extremely long to the point where the long ponytail at the back of her head was folded over and even folded over reached all the way down to her butt. Her face was very much the embodiment of what one would expect of a librarian – a stern and educated look with no makeup other than the darkest shade of red before it became indistinguishable from black. Framed by two long strands of her purple hair, which look quite smooth but the very tips of which showed signs by curling that she likely spent a long time smoothing it out.
She wore a green office suit that had no sleeves and looked all around very lightweight. A black girdled fastened the suit around her stomach, and the suit's mono color gave her a rather calming presence. At the same time she also very much gave off the impression that she were to sneak up on loudly speaking people and shush them with just the worst of hisses. The dress ended after where a short length skirt would begin that reached not quite to her knees. Beneath those her legs revealed that she either wore stockings or legging, Ellen couldn't quite tell the difference right there. Rounding out the outfit would have been short heeled pumps in most circumstances. But not here.
Adorning the woman's feet were heelless boots that reached just above her ankles and looked extremely soft. In fact, they had to be as none of them heard the woman approach just before they ran her over.
"I'm sorry about this." Setsuna started to pick up the books, of which there were four. "Love."
"I am very sorry." Love lowered her heard for a moment and then helped the woman stand up. "I'm Love. Do you also work here?" It's unusual… so far it's been one person per location, right?
"Already making moves on the staff, Love?" Miki was just joining the scene of the crime now.
"Not!" Love raised her voice and looked embarrassed and awkward both when she felt Setsuna stare at her from behind. "Miki, shut it."
"Nice to meet you." Miki casually waved towards the other employee and so did Yuri before they passed the group of four, walking hand in hand and being very glad that the interior was carpeted.
The building was a lot bigger inside than it appeared from outside, thanks to the vegetation. Miki's casual estimate of the floor was about twenty-five width to forty meter length and about five floors judging by the building's height, with the top floor likely being half height.
"Please be more mindful of other patrons when visiting the library." The second employee coughed very quietly. "And of the staff, if you could."
"Definitely." Love still felt Setsuna's ire over causing an incident thirty seconds in and as their first impression. I am so getting lectured. This is even worse than that one time where I ordered ten glasses of drinks instead of one… I only got the words mixed up but she was really about the budget...
"I am Anacondy. You must have met Arachnea at the front desk already. The two of us maintain this library." Receiving the books that Setsuna picked up, she adjusted her glasses and held them to her chest. "Thank you."
Back at the front desk, Arachnea was growing increasingly exhausted. "I don't want to be rude, what with these changed circumstances and all, but… you are nothing like what I remember!"
Urara looked like someone was slapping her with a cold fish. "Uh huh. Have I got news for you, sister." Noticing movement of someone incredibly beautiful right behind her, Urara magically managed to take hold of Ako's hand this time. "Leaving me here? Are you kidding?"
"I wouldn't want to get in the way of two changed people catching up." It was not really clear to Urara if Ako had any real intention of leaving Urara behind or not, but the ex-idol was not going to risk that. The truth was, however; she was just messing with Urara.
"Karen and Komachi can catch up with her." Refusing to let go of her girlfriend's hand, Urara happily followed when Ako sighed in the most controlling girlfriend way possible and gently pulled on her hand as a sign that they were going.
The inside of the library was indeed based around five levels, with bookshelves reaching as high as the ceiling, which was technically the floor of the next level, which made it kind of cozy but also very hard to remember which way one came. Love had dragged Setsuna and Ellen all the way to the third level from where they looked outside through the grand window. There was another one to the back of the building – it turned out to be slightly asymmetrical in its foundation and some levels extended further than the base level in just one particular direction like someone had accidentally torn down a wall and in rebuilding it added too much extra floor and ceiling.
Categories were labeled on the head and rear ends of shelves, which made finding a particular book just very marginally easier.
"Love, please calm down. It's just a library. You've been to dozens before." Setsuna was worried that if Love kept going like this she would eventually knock over a shelf and start a domino avalanche of shelves.
"A library in a world of magic. Aren't you excited to find out what kind of fantastic books we'll find here?" Love couldn't calm down, not when this much adventure was possibly around the corner. "I'll try my best to not be a bother."
"Hah… that's all I'm asking." Back to smiles, Setsuna looked for Ellen, who had been captured by the closest shelf. What is that label? I… I can't read that. Is that even language? Abandoning the window and leaving it to its glassy lonesome, Setsuna went towards Ellen. "What are you looking for?"
"This shelf is full of Majorland books..." Ellen picked one out and the pages were just filled from one end to another with symbols that looked like total gibberish to to Setsuna. "It's all written in Hymmnos."
Setsuna made it a habit of knowing about things that were important to her loved ones. "The language that you use to sing the special Majorland songs? How do these end up here?"
"I'll go ask Anacondy." Love had been behind Setsuna the entire time, picked out the book that was right next to the one that Ellen had taken and took off, walking at a brisk pace but not so much so that she'd collide with another person.
"Is Love always this excited when going somewhere new?" Ellen felt almost intimidated by the sheer force and magnitude of Love's feelings.
"Not this much. I'm a bit surprised a library would entice her like this." Setsuna sighed a little and looked closer at the book Ellen was holding. "You can actually read this?"
"Hm. There's a few kinds of Hymmnos. There's the Major Standard Key. That is basically like proper, dialect free Japanese. Then there's the Forte Key. That's basically the same. Majorland used to speak that until a few hundred years ago." Ellen paused and blushed. "We do have history classes and education and stuff in Majorland."
"I didn't say anything."
Ellen looked slightly embarrassed. "I didn't go to earth school nearly as much as you and Love, so..."
"Nobody thinks you're uneducated, Ellen." Using her right hand to swipe – and hold up – Ellen's bangs, Setsuna kissed her on the forehead. "You're probably smarter than Love."
Feeling much better, Ellen continued and pointed at a different book. "That as far as I can tell is the Fortissimi Key, but we never learned that in school."
"Is it like academic Japanese?"
"Uh… Uh..." Ellen racked her brain trying to remember. Was this the one the royal family learned…? No I think that was the Crescendia Key. Uh…
"It's okay if you can't remember. There's so many things from school I don't remember anymore."
"N-No, I do know this… I'm… I'm pretty sure the Fortissimi Key was designed around being for offensive Hymmnos but because there was very little use for that sort of thing outside of the royal family… right, right, it is basically a dialect that we have but nobody uses because it wasn't needed. Also I think it had really stupid execution..."
"Majorland must be really peaceful."
"We have Queen Aphrodite – her majesty, Ako's mother." Ellen looked suddenly depressed. "I've been so chummy with Ako even though I'm just a civilian and she's the princess..."
"Ako does not strike me as someone that would be mad about that."
"Just a little difficult to get used to."
"What other dialects are there?"
"The dialect that's unique to only the royal family. It's kinda… it's not right to call it a dialect, really. It's called the Crescendia Key and it's basically… it's hard to explain. They translate emotion and thought directly into words through Hymmnos and through their power the Hymmnos is understandable to us even without knowing the words. The words they use convey the emotion and thoughts. It's apparently really, really hard to learn. I wonder if Ako was already taught it."
"Do you think she'll be bothered if we ask her?"
"We can try. I'm a bit curious too."
"Is that all the languages?"
"There's more but I only know the names, I don't even know who speaks them or if anyone uses them."
"This is really interesting to me."
"Really?"
"I swear."
Ellen beamed a little. "There's the Octiva Key and the Impriavo Score. But they only got a footnote in our textbooks."
"That's because one is the language of our Kingdom before it became Majorland and the other is the designated language of the royal guard." Ako had seen them and somewhat unintentionally sneaked up on them from behind. "A shelf of Hymmnos books? That's really unusual. Giving a little lecture, Ellen?"
"Setsuna asked and… What do you mean before Majorland became Majorland?"
Ako looked slightly confused. "Do you not learn about the founding queen in school?"
Setsuna felt slightly out of place but she soaked up every tidbit of knowledge eagerly. This was Ellen's heritage and identity and other than the few things she told her every now and then, this was the first major deep dive into what it was all about.
"We do… but not a whole lot."
"Hm… what do you remember? Don't worry, I won't be disappointed. Not after Urara was immediately enraptured by the section about rock star autobiographies."
Poor Urara, Ellen thought. "Let's see… several thousand years ago, the exact time has been lost, the founding queen Musica established Majorland after arduous travel across the wastelands of other worlds until she found an unclaimed world that could be inhabited. She and her followers settled down and the kingdom of Majorland was born."
Ako's left eyebrow rose unnaturally high and she clicked her tongue. "I will have a word with mother about this." She sounded mightily unhappy about what Ellen told her. "First of all, while we really do not know the time of founding exactly, we do know it was over five thousand years ago."
That is a really long time, Setsuna thought. Five thousand years and they still have a prospering monarchy? They must have been really good about keeping their people happy.
"Secondly, Musica did not travel the wastelands of other worlds. That which we inhabit is a world created by her through the power of [METAFALICA]. The version that she sung is beyond the power of even royalty now and was in the truest, purest form of the Crescendia Key, but she did not merely find our world, she made it. To add to that, I have a question for you. Did anyone even ask your teacher where Musica had come from?"
"Not that I remember. And wow, she made Majorland?!"
"Back then it was called Melodiam. The name Majorland does not show up in records until about two thousand years ago. About First Queen Musica's origins… mother will not be happy with me for telling you, but Musica did not come about as some amalgamation of people's songs or whatever you hear experts theorize. We know that she came from another country… on earth."
"What?!" Setsuna and Ellen were both too surprised to keep their voices down and they quietly shushed each other with a big smile on their faces. "From earth?"
"That is why we Majorlanders look like humans. We are not entirely human, we can use Hymmnos after all, but without some extremely deep probing, nobody can tell the difference."
"I never knew… what about us song fairies though?"
"You are technically not descended from the human looking population. That you can take a human shape is thanks to one of the royal Hymmnos that causes all song fairies to be born with that latent state of being. It's a bit complicated." I don't want to tell her that I did not do so well in those lessons. "Musica having come from earth is supposed to only be known to the royal family because it could cause friction and a lot of questions if the general populace learns about it. They might want to start an open borders relationship with earth and I honestly think it would end as badly as what we saw in the timeline that Mana lived in."
"Where did she learn to use Hymmnos though?" Ellen had no idea where to start guessing.
"We don't know that either. The oldest decipherable records we have allege to Musica encountering something called the Fantasia but we don't have any idea what that is. We can only assume that gave her the power of Hymmnos."
"So the Octiva Key is what Musica used?" Setsuna asked this, surprising Ako a little.
"Musica introduced the Octiva Key because the Crescendia Key was too difficult to handle for those who settled the land with her. I am… I am not that good at using it either. Mother did say it took her twenty years of study to master it."
Twenty years… that's my entire life. Ellen was smashed by the sheer power of the phrase; twenty years of study. "The royal family is really impressive..."
"Do you know why Majorland has had ruling queens and crown princesses for as far as our records go back?" Ako smiled a little. "We are Musica's direct descendants. Unlike most bloodlines, her power was so great that it basically takes dominance over everything else introduced into the lineage. That's why mother looks a lot like what the ancient records describe Musica looked like. And why through thousands of years of offspring we have never lost or felt diminish the ability to use the Crescendia Key."
"An overpoweringly dominant gene… you said you only have ruling queens and princesses, does that mean that those born into the royal family are always female?" Setsuna was fascinated by this discussion.
"There is no record of any princes ever being born. I do think that I will be the first queen to rule with a queen-consort by my side however."
Setsuna whistled very low key. "So you're that serious about Urara?"
"Hm? I never mentioned Urara, did I?"
"Eh? But-" Ellen's mouth flapped open and close like a goldfish.
"I am joking. Yes, I am that serious about Urara. But I have a long road ahead of me regarding that so I would appreciate it if you would not say anything about that matter to her."
"You come off as pretty distanced and aloof. It's nice to see a more honest side of you." Setsuna was absolutely not afraid of treating Ako like she was just another Cure, another person.
"That is mostly who I am. Urara is always very honest about her feelings so I have been making an effort."
"I'm happy for you, Ako."
"Enough about me." She hid it well but Ako was a little embarrassed. "The Impriavo Score is something the royal guard is taught for six years after delivering their oath of fealty and service to the queen. Different from regular Hymmnos, the Impriavo Score uses a subset of rapidly executed language that devises its power directly from the reigning queen and Majorland itself. It can't really be used for any of the bigger Hymmnos, but for smaller offensive and defensive effects, it serves effectively as the royal guard's primary weapon. This is actually not a secret, but the general populace isn't taught about it because we want to avoid people trying to imitate the Impriavo Score. Imagine someone carelessly using it and setting someone on fire."
"I feel like I could ask you questions all day and there would still be more to learn." Setsuna hugged Ellen from behind and looked straight at Ako. "Ellen will have to explain a lot of things about Majorland to me."
"I'll try my best!" Ellen tried to sound enthused but she mostly managed slightly stressed and worried if she'll be able to hold up.
"There is actually one more type of Hymmnos, but the exact purpose and nature of it has eluded even the royal scholars. Since we are already talking about this-" Ako paused and leered at a nearby reading table. "I do not mind answering a few more questions. But standing around is a little inelegant."
"What do you think, Ellen?" Setsuna's tone of voice was very clear that she wanted to hear more but not at the expense of Ellen.
"Getting private tutoring by the princess? When I see Hummy again, she'll be so jealous." Ellen smirked.
"Go easy on her."
Sitting down by the table, Ako sat as elegantly and gracefully as possible to do her position as princess justice. Normally she didn't care, but in front of Ellen and her girlfriend she just enjoyed playing the role.
"That last, forgotten dialect of Hymmnos is the Reyvia Measure. A few texts of it exist but they are utterly unreadable for even the Royal Family. Unlike regular Hymmnos, we have cataloged a hundred and twenty eight unique symbols. From context and usage alongside hand drawn images, we can infer that each symbol is split into two opposing meanings. Light is the same symbol as Dark, and Life is the same symbol as Death. At least that is the current scholastic conjecture. But we lack any and all insight into how to define when, which meaning is to be used. Not to mention that something like this to be used for Hymmnos is beyond incomprehensible."
"Do you think Musica used it?" Setsuna was extremely curious about this sort of thing.
"Some scholars think so but then why would we have the Crescedia Key? Other scholars think that this Reyvia Measure is the origin language of Hymmnos entirely, the one thing that predates the Crescendia Key and that it is the actual language of the country that Musica came from."
"I wonder if it could be some shoot-off of ancient languages like hebrew…." Setsuna was thinking out loud.
"About that… Well, this is actually a state secret so please only share this with Love."
"Where is Love?" Setsuna looked around and could not see her.
"We know extremely little about the circumstances of Musica leaving her origin country. There's only a single text called the Elico Arton and that text is all written in the Reyvia Measure."
"Do you think Noise had anything to do with it?" Ellen wondered about that.
"We have records from the time Noise first appeared. In general, scholars are agreed that whatever happened on earth back then was severe enough to make Musica seal away the connection Majorland has to earth. It took thousands of years for that seal to weaken and finally be weak enough for us to travel between worlds."
"There was a meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs but that was millions of years ago, not thousands. I wonder if it was a disease or something." Setsuna had learned about that not in school but on a science channel on TV.
"It's an object that the scholars at court debate endlessly, but it is possible that one of the ancient texts that we can read is alleging to this disaster by name."
"This is making me want to find out what happened." Setsuna felt her puzzle solving blood boiling.
"In one of the old, untitled texts, Musica reminisces about her country. A land of green hills and plains, of people that were protected by gods walking among them. I don't recall most of the details but at the end there is the much debated paragraph and I remember that one. From light it springeth dark, flowth the endless solitude of hate, she who bringeth forth ends of all, destroyer she once guardian, god among gods, mighty smite the betrayers, us fulleth still of scorn. She who hath nay equal nay love nay all yet hate; Kar'Rua ralike'fai'sha Ky'Rua." Nailed it, Ako thought, proud of herself for remembering that archaic segment. "That text, and really everything of similar age, has been debated to death by our scholars and there's never going to be a real unified opinion."
"The way that is described..." Setsuna felt it hit kinda close to home. "It sounds like someone insanely powerful was betrayed and turned evil. What do the words at the end mean?"
"We don't know. It's not written in the Reyvia Measure but we assume it is the language of whatever country she came from. There are a few other segments using that language in other texts."
"Ako, with all these books here, do you think there's any on translating the Reyvia Measure or that other language?" Ellen was infected by Setsuna's desire to know.
Ako took a quick look around. "I suppose that is possible."
"I'm going to ask the staff about any books on very ancient languages." Setsuna got out of her chair, took Ellen's hand, kissed her fingers and left.
"Looks like I am not the only one who is serious about her new girlfriend."
"They're both so good to me. I feel almost like I don't deserve it." Ellen looked down at the table.
"It's not about deserve or not deserve. Do Urara and I deserve each other? Probably not. But neither of us cares. There are a myriad of problems awaiting me back home. I will be queen and yet I love Urara, so what am I going to do about an heir? I have to produce a direct bloodline descendant."
"There's still many years time before you have to think about that!"
"I am thinking about it now so that when that time comes, I will already have a solution."
"You really are the princess." Ellen turned almost blue. "N-Not that I was ever doubting that or anything!"
"Ellen." Ako sighed heavily. "I don't look at you and see just another subject I'll have to rule over. You're one of my closest friends. You, Hibiki, Kanade, the three of you are the only people who both know who I am and treat me normally. Well, within my relative age group at least."
"I'm glad you think so."
"Ellen."
"What?"
"I'm glad you're my friend."
Ellen blushed intensely at the very forward statement and Ako smirked, as if it was exactly what she had planned.
Further up in the library were Yuri and Miki, having found historic records of their own. "Wow, this one talks about the founding of the Kingdom of Sweets." Miki was skimming pages of a thousand page book that weighted easily as much as a full grown pumpkin. "It goes way back. Never thought they had such a long history." Miki flipped page after page and arrived at an illustrated one. "Ominous. Yuri, look at this."
Yuri had been browsing the shelves for a book on the tree of hearts after catching a reference to such a book existing in the book about the Desert Apostles she had found. "What is it?" She walked over to Miki by the reading table – a chunky furniture of ornate dark wood with four enormously thick legs and a plate that was as thick as both their arms put together. "What is that?" She looked at a hand drawn illustration of a figure floating over several other humanoid figures that were either fleeing or dead. There were black clouds and black lightning bolts surrounding the figure.
"It's talking about why the progenitors of the Kingdom of Sweets escaped to another world. Lemme read real quick." Miki skimmed phrases and lines and then hit on something big. "Wow. According to this… Inori is gonna freak out."
"What now?"
"In the Kingdom of Sweets, all the fairies basically look like ferrets. This explains why. Apparently they originally lived on earth."
"What? Fairies don't live on earth."
"Lemme read this out loud. And upon bountiful gifts, benevolence abound, speech and wisdom was given to our people and we became as those that lived above us. Praise be to Fantasia. So I guess… they were Ferrets and someone basically made them fairies."
"How did they get to another world?"
"Over here." Miki pointed to the bottom of the page. "Grandest of rage, the heavens dimmed. Fear is great for the world might be naught the days to come. But not all is lost. Through the paths of hope we travel, to find anew a place to be home. And so we abandon these lands that must soon feel the wrath of the grand one."
"That's not terrifying at all." Yuri was putting in so much sarcasm because she felt a chill hearing that. "You were fighting Setsuna's people, right?"
"More or less, but specifically an evil AI that was abusing them. Why?"
"That means whatever this is talking about was not Setsuna's people. Or at least it's really unlikely. Maybe it's talking about Dune."
"The one you fought?"
"Very same."
"That'd be a huge coincidence."
"Like there being over thirty Cures who are all within a few years of each other in age?" Yuri was still being sarcastic.
"Good point." Miki flipped the page and felt disappointment. "The heck is this? This isn't Japanese or English."
Yuri leaned over and looked at it. "No idea. That's the Alphabet though."
"I mean this just looks like… Alphabet soup. How do you even… Veiri'shal'mu shi Kar'Rua? I need to ask Love and Setsuna, they traveled all over the place, they'll at least know what language this is."
"You're leaving me here on my own?"
"Not now. I'd never dump my date."
"We're on a date?" Yuri put down a particularly worn book and sat down. "That's news to me."
"Everywhere I go is a date if I' with you." Miki channeled some of Love's power and it had an effect.
Blushing, Yuri focused on the book and calmly ignored Miki slowly moving over with her chair for as long as she could. Which was not very long. "Miki, just stand up and come over, you're ruining the carpet. The staff is gonna kick you out for life."
"What are you reading?" Miki looked at the book and she was relived to see that it was in fact Japanese and not more Alphabet soup.
"Bundled records about encounters with Dune and his Desert Apostles. This one goes back over three hundred years..."
"I'll refrain from making jokes about being old as dirt."
"Miki."
"Sorry not sorry."
"He appears, is fought off, returns, is fought off… I found something strange. See this phrase here? The grand one's merciful embrace for our fallen friend. And then, much earlier, there's this. She that she would rule the world, savior to us who gave life and soul. That almost sounds like they're talking about the same person."
"How much time is this apart?"
"I can't really tell, but these all look like Dune was defeated or on the bring of defeat and retreated at least. Tsubomi's grandmother, Cure Flower, fought off Dune alone and it took fifty years for him to return. If we assume it takes at least fifty years each time and these are in chronological order… about four hundred years."
"That's a bit long for it to have been the same person."
Yuri flipped the page and the reports continued, then looped back around to much earlier writings and she had trouble reading it at all. "This seems to be still about the Desert Apostles, but not Dune… I never considered he might have a predecessor. That's worrying."
"Because they could come back now?"
"That and now I have no idea how far back this could have possibly started. Other leaders might have needed more or less time than Dune, so my fifty year average won't really hold above water."
"Hey, I think this is about that person again." Miki pointed at the last report, at the bottom of the new page. "Alone I remain, shattered, broken, mine companions slain, dust, life no more, this I thought with all of my being. But nay, it was not truth. From between nothing, light approached, white and pure, she, grand and almighty, return to life they I so believed no more. Kindness, I cried out, awash with glory. Again my beliefs wronged, kindness, nay. Salvation, they all gone, gone with her, the wind, for she was more than life, more than I can imagine. For all the days that remain, I shall wait, await, long, for ye words; I have come for you. Holy smokes, I don't know if that's nice, depressing or terrifying."
"I don't know how much we can believe this report. It's really old, the language is kind of archaic, and whoever wrote it seems to have gone through intensive trauma. But if this is the same person… that'd be crazy."
"You're not talking about someone living that long. This is about someone having the power to be around that much, to have the power to… bring back the dead and not do anything about Dune. Or all the other sealed evils and what not."
"Here's another one." Yuri pointed at another report. "Alone now I stand witness, the sands demise. My soul it quivers, shakes, glimpsed, edged, into the truth. Before me, in light, to claim my love, she came, from beyond. One who is many, who is as the black sky, a countless sky of stars, hers in command, hers forever. And with this I know, with this I have seen, that it is but a game of balance, to save, to destroy, it matters not. I await her." Yuri paused and felt slightly nauseous. "I knew being a Cure wasn't easy, but if these are all real reports then things used to be so much worse. These reports are talking about people dying."
"They're long gone, Yuri." Miki took Yuri's left hand between her own and very lightly squeezed. "I know you're sensitive to this sort of thing but this was hundreds if not thousands of years before our time."
"Miki."
"I know, it's not that easy-"
"No, look." Yuri pointed at the very first paragraph on the next page, that had an illustration in the center section. "This looks like the same language that you encountered."
"Eh, no way." Miki looked closer, squinted, and got up because her own book had been out of arm's reach. Grabbing it, sliding it over the table with quite some noise, she sat back down and compared the scripts. "No way, it is. But the things we fought and the fairy worlds we went to have nothing to do with each other, right?"
"Look at the illustration." Yuri pointed directly at it.
A woman in profile stood before others that were genuflecting before her, worshiping her. That was the left half of the image. The right showed a very different image. The woman had her hands raised to the sky and by her feet was another woman, while others were seemingly running from her.
"I don't know about you, but that's making me real uncomfortable somehow." Miki couldn't tear her eyes away from the image, as if it was about to come alive any moment now.
Meanwhile, Ako and Ellen had taken to the shelves. Setsuna and Love returned with a whole pile of books – while they had found nothing on translating that unknown script, there had been a small section entirely about Labyrinth and Setsuna just could not pass that up.
"I remember this one." Ellen held a book that spelled On Hymmnos and the Sounds of Nature out on the front in the Major Standard Key dialect. "I read this years ago. It really helped."
Ako noticed the title of a book that she had read two-thirds of as assigned by her tutors and promptly skipped past it. I am not in school here. Searching the lower shelves required squatting down and because Hymmnos books tended to have rather long titles, she just sat down entirely. I'm thankful there's carpet here.
"I need to copy these and bring them back home." Setsuna was just flipping through a book called History of Meiro which was a history of her world from before it became called Labyrinth. "All of this is information we don't have anymore. The timeline is a bit difficult, but… here." Setsuna pointed at a paragraph and Love looked up from her own book. "Winter's Child the twenty-seventh: Today we celebrate the invention of what our lady is calling the engine. She says it is a mechanical construct of iron that will make the lives of all the farmers easier." Setsuna looked up and her mouth refused to close. "Once upon a time we had farmers, Love."
"Maybe you can get them again. If there were farmers once, you can probably restore the ground to fertility somehow." The book that Love was reading was Labyrinth related but not directly about it. "This one is super interesting too. Apparently you used to have direct trade relations with the Kingdom of Sweets."
"Tarte's kingdom? Labyrinth did?"
"Listen to this. Today the Meiro came again. We look forward to meeting them every time. They look just like the old ones described in legends. Maybe a little paler. But they are really smart. They invent all sorts of things. But my father, King Marzipan, doesn't trust them. That old fool. Can he not see that without them we are resigned to never advancing? We will never capture the glory of the land of beginnings. They are totally talking about people from Labyrinth coming there. There's talks about trading and stuff here."
"Tarte would get an identity crisis." Setsuna chuckled a little. "I am definitely going to find a way to open friendly relations with his kingdom again."
"We're going to Labyrinth?"
"We?" Setsuna felt that slip out, even though she knew better. "Yeah. We. I do want Ellen to see where I come from."
"Cute. So cute!" Love reached out with her right foot and played a little footsies under the table with her girlfriend.
"Love, this is a library." Pulling her leg away, Setsuna looked back at the book.
Ellen and Ako were scouring the shelves through and through, but whenever Ellen found something promising, Ako knew it as some kind of limited availability book. On the other hand, Ako was surprisingly ignorant about the more commonly accessible books and Ellen beamed with joy when she got to explain things to Ako.
"Love. Ellen. Ako." Setsuna called all three of them. "Listen to this." She cleared her throat. This was a passage from a different book than before. "This day we remember, when the sky fell and the world burned in darkness. This day we fear, for we know that she will never perish. And so we left the world of old, our lands of the beginning. This day I say goodbye to my good friend Musica, who is setting out on her own. And as I promise to see her again, I so truly know I will not. And too my good friend Glucosia I say goodbye this day. If the fates align we shall meet again. This day, we shall not forget. This day we convict ourselves, for we all carry fault and sin. This day we pray not, for now we flee from her." Setsuna paused and felt her stomach turn. "It's signed Meiro. I think that's the founder of Labyrinth."
"No way." Ellen looked at Ako and then both of them looked at Setsuna. "So… if your ancestor knew Musica, which is our ancestor-"
"Everyone might not be related, but that means Labyrinth, The Sweets Kingdom and Majorland can all be sourced to this land of beginning." Love blurted it out. "But that's not all. Listen what I found. Today the people of Meiro have given to use a great gift – a power of light, fragment from the land of beginnings. A power to call upon should calamity come. I know not of which calamity they speak, but I do know that mother was frightened the likes I had never seen before. She and the emissary of Meiro spoke long into the night. And in curiosity, I overheard them speak. Much of what they said I did not understand. But they spoke about the gift, given to use. The gift of light. I did not hear well but they called it the Light of Cure. Is perhaps a sickness coming to this land?" Love stopped.
"What is that about?" Ako was not privy to details about Love's and Setsuna's past.
"Apparently my people gave the power of Cures to Tarte's kingdom to keep it safe for when calamity came. I can't believe that in the end calamity came to Labyrinth and because we gave that power away..." Setsuna looked incredibly bitter.
"You can't blame yourself for that." Love tried to help.
"I'm blaming my ancestors."
"If not for those ancestors, Love, Miki and Inori would have never become Cures!" Ellen did surprisingly better than Love. "You would have never met. Even if we had met… we probably would not be together now."
"Thanks, Ellen."
"It's a bit much to be coincidence. Musica, Meiro, Glucosia… I assume that last one is the one who founded the kingdom of sweets then?" Ako was trying to put it all together.
"From the name, yeah, probably." Love agreed with that.
"So they all came from the same land. Musica came from earth, that means-"
"My ancestors are also from earth." Setsuna sat back and let that sink in. "I never would have guessed."
"It does explain why you look exactly like a human. The same is true for us Majorland people." Ako stepped back and turned around. "Who knows how much else is connected to this land of beginnings?"
"I'm going to keep digging. I want to know what happened that spread all these people across entirely different dimensions and worlds." Setsuna felt like there was more to this than the books had been telling her so far.
"With all this information, there must be a book on the Reyvia Measure here somewhere. Ellen, can you-"
"On it!" Ellen was very motivated. She didn't get to talk about Hymmnos much so this was a welcome change of pace. And Ako of all people was asking for her help, how could she say no?
Long seconds of silence turned into minutes, interrupted only by pages turning. Setsuna was the first to found something else. "It's another passage signed Meiro. Let's see… My people have now forgotten that which was once in our past. I have grown old, grown weary. Thousands upon thousands dwell within these lands now. I alone stand between their happiness of forgetting, their ignorant utopia, and soon I will no more. These are my final thoughts. And I impart on future generations a warning, in the words of origins." Setsuna stopped. "I can't read the rest. It looks like haphazardly assembled Alphabet."
"Let me see. It might be Hymmnos." Ako took a look and found herself completely out of her depth. "Or not. I have no idea what that is."
"Just try reading it out loud. Maybe it's like a spell that will summon a ghost to tell us all about it." Love tried to lighten the mood with a joke.
"Tarishi'ul'ura mir, yot'ri ka umertis'ro." Setsuna read the phrase out loud. "I have no idea how to properly pronounce any of that. I don't know of any Alphabet using languages that work like that."
"Doesn't sound like a Hymmnos dialect either." Ako couldn't quite put her finger on it, but all the way in the back of her mind she thought she might have heard something similar somewhere, once.
"Until we can find a book that deals with translating this script, we'll have to make do with… you know, it is weird that the books are all in Japanese. Especially, most of it is just plain modern Japanese." Love wished she had a detective hat. "You think the library is just putting it in Japanese because that's what we know best?"
"And the inexplicable gibberish?" Ako was not going to call it anything else for the time being.
"Maybe it's so old that even the library doesn't know?" Love was just guessing blindly now.
"I want to say that is silly, but after what we found so far, it seems probable." Ako turned away to face the bookshelves again. "I refuse to believe there is nothing on the Reyvia Measure though. I still have some time before Ayumi is going to call me in for training."
"Wah… I forgot all about that." Ellen was in the same group as Ako for obvious reasons.
"I'm going to keep looking into Meiro and how we became Labyrinth. I'll help you two later." Setsuna didn't want to leave Ellen hanging.
"Hm, that's okay. This is Hymmnos related research and it would be really hard to explain to you what to look for. It's more of a feeling, I guess? I'm sorry, Setsuna."
"More time to look into Meiro." Love grinned, grabbed a book, slid to the edge of her chair and used the book as an extension to rub the corner against Ellen's back.
"Kyah!" Startled by that, Ellen turned around, huffing and puffing. "Love!"
"Can you keep the flirting to a low noise level? I don't want to get kicked out." Ako mostly ignored them but was serious about not wanting to get removed for being loud.
Down on the bottom floor, Urara was asleep at a table. She wasn't too much for reading, and it was very quiet in the library, which she didn't experience too often. Passing by her were Yuri and Miki, with questions for the staff.
Showing Arachnea at the front desk the book with the impossible to parse passage in what might as well have been alien script, they hoped she could help them out. "Hm, this might be difficult. We don't know everything the books here contain. And we don't really know too much about how the library affects patrons either, yet. You are our first patrons after all."
"So you don't know what this is?"
"I'm afraid not. But." She paused and got out of her chair. "If there is a book in here that you can use to translate this, it will be in the section for assorted materials. That is basically where everything goes that we cannot properly sort, either due to lack of affiliation or being outside standard classification. A book on a language that is this unrecognizable should be in there, if there is such a book at all. I'll take you."
"Thank you." Yuri politely answered and followed along with Miki.
"So… what's the deal with you and the other lady?" Miki had seen her from afar, moving books from a cart to an empty shelf.
"Anacondy?" Arachnea just very slightly turned her head to acknowledge the question. "Why do you ask?"
"It's no secret that all of us Cures are into women-"
"What?!" Arachnea was so surprised she stumbled over her own feet and nearly crashed into a bookshelf as she fell. If not for Yuri catching her, it would have been chaos. "M-My apologies. That was just surprising-" She looked at Yuri as if she was trying to gauge if Miki was telling the truth. "You really-"
"All of us, yes." Yuri helped Arachnea stand back up. "It's been a while since I've seen someone be surprised by this."
"Just so you know, this dashing lady here is all mine." Miki hugged Yuri from behind and was glad she couldn't see the no doubt annoyed look Yuri had on her face.
"I see. Well then. That is certainly not at all what I expected you Cures to be like."
"Hm? What did you think?"
"Well, the ones I fought, Urara's group, seemed surrounded by men, so my assumption was going that way."
Miki snorted. "That Urara, with a man? I can't even imagine."
"Yes, I kind of… got that she is not the same person anymore." Taking a corner, Arachnea stopped. It was a pretty dimly lit corner of the library, fit for looking for ancient texts and the likes. "These eight shelves-" She pointed at the half-circle formed by the eight shelves that was like a pocket in the pathways. "Contain pretty much all the assorted materials. If you can't find what you're looking for, I will try and check if there is another relevant section."
"Thanks." Miki walked up to the first shelf and was immediately lost. "What… is all of this? I can't make out even the titles." Most of it was written in various kinds of near indecipherable nonsense, at least to Miki.
"Find something you can read, we go from there." Yuri started at the opposing end of the eight shelves. "I was hoping the librarian would just know but the odds weren't good."
"This looks promising." Miki pulled out a book called Fableian History and Language. Flipping through the first few pages, then more, Miki made a disappointing hum. "It's for translation but not what we're looking for. Some place called Fableland? It's talking about someone called Grimmi… who's apparently the progenitor to a line of queens?"
"Miki, focus. And I'm surprised you know what progenitor means."
"Please, direct your comments at Love, not me. I was doing pretty good for myself in school." Miki wanted to make a haughty noise but she got dust in her eyes and it instead became a pained groan.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, yeah… just dust. Ugh."
Putting the book back on the shelf, Miki kept searching. Searching for a few more minutes, she got lucky. It was a book completely without title and the contents seemed sort of haphazard as well. They consisted of short segments that seemed to have no real internal correlation. But Miki felt her guts tell her that there was something in this book. Something important. And she was right.
"Legends true, ages past, once heard, once perished, the rise of saviors, warriors of light, legends to come, they who defeat darkness, I behold it, source of magic, birthed by dreams." Miki read the part out loud. "Warriors of light, they who defeat darkness, source of magic. That could be about us, right?"
"Maybe. Is there more?" Yuri put her search on hold and joined Miki at the table, shoulder to shoulder, tightly pushed together.
Pity Yuri is too serious to get a little hands on here. "I think this part down here is connected. Force of forces, power begotten to us by none, three were chosen to defend us from those that bring death to us, merchants of chaos, travelers from the darkest of skies. The wise girl whose eyes see reason in all things, Ophati. The brazen girl, she who has courage to leap into the storm, Sherela. And she who unifies us, standing in the twilight, Falnea."
"That does sound like they are talking about the same thing. Is this still the nameless book?"
"Yeah. It's mostly stuff like this." Miki went ahead and read the next part that was unrelated to what came from. "The days grow short now but not does our joy – Musica has completed a new song – Her love has gifted to her that which only she could make – Words that are not words, words that are thought and heart, carried to us all – Truly Musica has found destiny in Reytali. It's just nonsense about someone making a new song."
"Keep looking. I'll go grab us some sheets of paper and a couple of pens to make notes. I'm getting to the bottom of this."
"The bottom?" Miki watched Yuri walk away, fixated on a particular spot. I'd like to get to your bottom. Ugh. I don't know why but being in here with Yuri turns me into a horny teenager. Looking at more texts, Miki couldn't focus and sighed. I'm kinda tired… and I wanna make out with Yuri. But she had this really serious look on her face so there's no way she'll be up for it. Leaning back and closing her eyes, Miki let some of the texts work on her. We really have no idea where Cure powers come from. Sure, it's magic and it's legendary warrior stuff passed down, but at some point they had to have been not legendary and just new. Would be pretty amazing if we could figure out where this all started. It's not gonna mean a whole lot, but it'd be neat to know.
Slumping in her chair, drawing another chair from across the table in close with her feet, she put her feet up. Yuri is gonna kill me but I can hear her coming so I can just quickly sit up. Looking up at the slightly dusty ceiling, Miki started to feel sleepy. This place is gonna be great to take a nap. And before she knew it, she was really taking a nap.
Meanwhile, the other group had hit a jackpot.
"I found it. I really found it." Ako pulled a brutally thick book from the shelf and buckled over when she had to carry it all on her own. Switching on her powers, she managed to stand up. "Ellen, come here." Lugging the absolutely massive tome over to the table – it had to weight at least twenty kilos and was thirty wide to sixty high, less a book and more a bludgeoning weapon. The front was covered in metal plating, with the title carved into it.
Love and Setsuna hurriedly cleared most of the table and stacked book upon book on the side so Ako could put it down. "I almost overlooked it because there was no title on the spine." Ako turned her powers back off and her eyes and hair went back to normal. "Dynamics in Tempo, A comprehensive Study on Hymmnos, From Major Standard to Reyvia Measure." It was a very long title that spanned four lines across the book.
"I can't read that at all." Setsuna was looking at it and couldn't even tell that it was a language.
"It's written in the Major Standard Key." Ako knew right away that Love and Setsuna would not be much help there. "Hopefully..." Opening the book, Ako looked disappointed. "No index or table of contents."
"How many pages is this?" Love looked at the thickness of the book and the pages.
"There's no numbering on it." Ellen looked like a student that was facing an entire year of homework to be done in one night. "So…"
"We just have to read all of it. We should take turns." Ako felt the overwhelming urge to give up but she refused. "I have never seen this book before. If it can provide even a little bit of translation on the Reyvia Measure, or even just how to read it, that will be an enormous boon for my country's scholastic efforts."
"I'll help. It's my country too." Ellen was not going to let a few thousand pages intimidate her.
"Love, help me pull up another table." Setsuna switched on her powers – she was not going to be able to even lift one of those heavy tables without them, never mind carry them like a dozen meters.
"Roger." Love did the same as Setsuna, turning on her powers, and the two of them went just down the hallway.
The building was really just a giant open space with thick concrete floors and a number of stairs that connected the levels. There were no walls in the middle of it; the shelves created a miniature labyrinth for patrons to navigate and find some privacy. The thick, solid dark wood of the furniture had a calming effect and prevented anyone from looking through an empty shelf.
Tables were far enough apart that even a regular indoor voices conversation wouldn't be overheard. "You think Anacondy is going to get mad at us for this?" Love-Peach was holding on to one end of a rather large table – about a meter across and two and a half meters long at a perfect reading height – while Setsuna-Passion had the other end.
"We are putting this back later, Love. We are also putting back the books."
"Eh?"
"What do you mean, eh?"
"Nothing. I just thought we… we were… gonna check a book out."
"Nice save."
"Thank, my lady."
"Cut it out." Setsuna smiled wide. "If you make me laugh and we drop the table, I will take no responsibility."
"So cruel!"
"Oooohohoho." Setsuna faked a laugh and now it was Love who nearly dropped the table. "See how that feels?"
"Point taken."
"Your girlfriends just can't stop, can they?" Ako was just the tiniest bit annoyed. "Please don't turn out the same way."
"I'll… try." Ellen knew that it was gonna happen but at least she could claim to have tried now. "I feel kinda useless just sitting here."
"You're my valuable backup. I may be the princess but reading endless passages of text in Hymmnos of any kind of dialect is taxing. Actually-" Ako rubbed her forehead. "I need my glasses for this. Can you take over for a while?"
"Happy to!" Ellen was really glad she could pull her weight. I bet I'll learn a lot.
With all of that research going on in the library, a different kind of research was being executed in the training grounds. The second to last team consisted of Bright, Blossom and Sunny. Heart was technically scheduled to be there, just like Rouge was supposed to be part of the team before them, but as they were nowhere to be found, they were excluded for the time being.
"So you already know what you want to do?" Echo seemed surprised when Bright showed initiative.
"A common problem is blocking, evasion and other means of damage mitigation. My powers don't lend themselves very well to attacks of mass destruction and all my specialization until now was into brute force while my sister covered mobility and non-kinetic ways."
"Non-kinetic?" Sunny couldn't figure out what that meant.
"Kinetic is stuff that is physical. Punches, kicks, throwing rocks, sending a magical storm of metal shards at you." Blossom educated Sunny. "You and I are both specialized in energy or non-kinetic fighting styles."
Bright covertly rolled her eyes. "A punch so strong, so destructive, that no matter how you hide, block or try to deflect, it will destroy anyone. That is what I am aiming for."
"That is a high bar to clear. Some of the others have excellent defense specialization."
"I'm aware. And I'm aware you knew I was going for something like this, which is why you wanted Heart to be part of this group, didn't you?"
"Very astute observation." Echo smiled. "For the time being, you can practice on me. But before we get to practical application, we should review the actual process of power amplification on a kinetic level."
"I'm thinking about using a battery infusion-"
"That'll just cause massive strain on your body. Not to mention, fighting at reduced capacity renders the purpose of training void."
"That is a valid concern. Then, an over limit charge?"
"Do you have experience drawing forth reserves that are normally off limits?"
"No."
"Then that will be very difficult and could possibly cause permanent damage."
"What do you suggest?"
"A punch can do more than just destroy whatever it hits."
"Like a destructive vacuum wave?"
"That is a rather specific scientific example, but yes."
"What about the power requirement?"
While this was going on, Sunny laid down in the grass, put one leg over another and closed her eyes. She didn't really care how Bright was gonna do her super punch thing.
"There is no issue in someone with your physical prowess being stationary. Not every battlefield will be suitable to you and so it is nonsensical to try and develop an ability that will work on every battlefield."
"I see. That is true."
"A situational weapon can be a great asset nonetheless."
"I will aim for a punch that can shatter a mountain then."
"A mountain…?" Echo looked like that was overshooting the goal a bit. "Is that-"
"These battles are often with allies by my side. Someone who can defend me will enable me to be both stationary and vulnerable, giving me the opportunity to charge my power into one explosive discharge of kinetic force. I am thinking… that about thirty seconds is the absolute maximum that is realistically possible."
"Thirty seconds of defense is quite a lot."
"I trust my friends." The look that she gave Echo went unnoticed by Blossom but it meant one thing. You are not my friend.
"For the time being you should practice the temporary hyper localized amalgamation of energy for the purpose of kinetic discharge." Echo deliberately described it as complicated as possible, it was clear by her fake smile.
"I will. And it is only super localized. I am not trying to develop a finger gun."
Echo's right eye twitched and Bright walked off to do her thing.
"Blossom, you're next."
"I… have thought a lot about this but I want to do something to compensate for my healing's biggest flaw."
"Your biggest flaw? Bringing back the dead-"
"Not a flaw in [Reborn], but in my ability to heal. I can only be at one place at a time, so I want to come up with something that lets me protect and heal people even when I am far away."
"For that I have a great idea for you."
"Really?!" Blossom looked very excited. I thought of all sorts of things but range and magic consumption always makes it a big issue.
"You can already instill your powers in others by healing them. Sidestepping the need to be there in person, what about creating something that will heal them in your absence?"
"I thought about that but a magic link-"
"Not a link." Echo reached behind her back and pulled out a big red rose. "A flower to keep the lady safe."
It was like a house in the dark suddenly plugged in a million yen worth of christmas lights inside of Blossom's head. "Oh. Oh! That's genius!"
"The actual execution-"
"I could… and then… if I scale it properly… it could even..."
"Uh… Blossom?"
"Oh. Oh! I'm sorry, I got carried away for a moment."
"I take it you already have ideas for implementation?"
"Lots! But I'll have to try some of it out… I'll need someone that gets hurt-" Blossom turned on the spot and started running after Bright. "Wait for me!"
"W-Well, that certainly went different than I expected."
"Finally my turn?" Sunny sat up and looked bored.
"Do you have any ideas?"
"Eh… kinda. I want to make a sun."
"I'm not sure you really understand just how big-"
"Not a full size one! I know that much. A small like. Maybe about the size of a small hill? Fifty meters or so? Big enough to shoot fireballs at everyone even when I can't see them. Also, not just fireballs but that really insanely hot stuff. What was it… no, magma was the molten rock thing… uh..."
"Plasma?"
"Yes! Burn them with plasma!"
"That will take a significant energy investment."
"I'm Cure Sunny."
"Yes. And?"
Sunny clicked her tongue. "Other than maybe Peace, nobody in my team has got nearly as much power as I do."
"Are you really sure this is what you want to go with? An ability like that is going to be very difficult to remote control and-"
"Why would I remote control it? Make it, put it in the sky, rain down destruction."
"What about your allies?"
"Hm, I guess that's a problem. I'm not gonna be this unpopular forever, so I should probably plan around that."
"Rigging the ability to avoid friendly fire should be possible if you are still looking to avoid minute remote control."
"Sounds good to me."
"This is a little less intricate than I expected from you."
"Why?"
"What?"
"Why intricate?" Sunny crossed her arms. "Because I'm not the punchy type like Bright?"
"No. Because I know you can do when you try. But I guess it's just too much of a challenge."
"Huh?" Sunny looked annoyed.
"But I guess you're satisfied with a second rate ability. Everyone else is gonna point and snicker behind your back but if you don't care-"
"I hate you." Sunny knew exactly what Echo was doing and she hated her for it. But at the same time she couldn't resist falling for it. Just like a cat could not resist a ball of yarn. "What do you think I should do then?!"
"Plasma is a neat idea, but you don't need some giant fireball in the sky. Smaller is better. You rush at someone and out of nowhere, a small sun floats up from behind you while they block your attack – and take a plasma shot to the face."
"I really hate you." This was because the idea sounded amazing to her. I could gloat so much if they fall for that. "A miniature sun-"
"Just one? Is that all you can do?"
"Oh give me a break! What do you want from me?!" Sunny stomped on the ground. Curse my damn competitive nature! "A dozen? Sure, why not an entire milky way?!"
"Four seems like an adequate number. Unless of course that's too much-"
"Shut up already!" Sunny hated how easily she let herself be manipulated. "Argh, why did I even come here?!" Grasping her own hair and making a mess of it, she looked at Echo was burning eyes. "So how do I even do his?!"
"Well, first you'll have to practice the focusing of your power to the point of plasma. Then you need to go to the next step and create a small sun. We'll have to discuss the internal workings of a sun and how one is formed to facilitate that better. After that, control the sun and make it emit plasma. And finally, make four of them simultaneously and control all of them."
"Is that all?!" Sunny felt like her head was going to explode. "If it's nothing else!" Stomping off without hesitation – because she felt she was going to get roped into something even more impossible – Sunny found an isolated corner, sat down and worked on the first step of what felt like an entire ladder of definitely not happening steps.
"Such a pain in my ass..." Echo sighed. "And the next group is going to be even worse. Why did we need to have Hymmnos users here? At least two of them are not going to be singing. I should probably delay session ten until Kanade is brought back, though." Talking to herself, Echo looked in the general direction of Bright and found her and Blossom to be working on their abilities together. This resulted in Blossom flying through the air just moments after like she was shot out of a cannon and a worried Bright ran after her.
While the real Akane was busy nearly blowing herself up over and over, her Hikage counterpart was in even worse trouble.
How… how did I let this happen?
Her hair was soaked with sweat and she really wanted a shower. Her neck and shoulders were covered in hickeys and a few scratch marks on her upper and lower back told the rest of a story that was definitely going to result in various forms of dying. And that was not all.
The hot body behind her was really no better off than she was. The bright green hair sticking to her scalp, a bite mark on her shoulder, hickeys right on her neck where they would be visible even as a Cure, and also the most satisfying expression a woman could have on her face. Other than finding the perfect pair of shoes of course.
"That was the best sex I ever had..." Wildly spreading her arms and reaching around Hinako, Nao completely ignored the sweat and her desire to shower was far outweighed by the irresistible desire to cuddle with her now once again girlfriend. "Where did all that stamina come from?" Hugging Hinako from behind, Nao rested her chin on Hinako's shoulder, very gently kissing and then nibbling on the redhead's ear. "Keeping our powers on the entire time… kinky." Nao had done the same and the enormous mess of hair she had as Cure March had shrunk down to a slick, wet, waterfall of ivy on her back.
How do I get out of here? Alive, if possible?! I have no idea how long this powers misunderstanding is gonna work. But for now I gotta use it. "Being just Akane… I feel like all my bad thoughts are overpowering me. But like this it's more clear to me that there's so many things I did wrong." Akane must be some serious piece of work if showing some common sense and courtesy makes Nao so happy. I feel almost insulted I look like her.
Moving one leg between Hinako's, Nao moved her arms down, around her girlfriend's waist, pulling her so close that despite the recent activities – which could only be described as two hours of non-stop crazed make-up sex – Hinako felt the heat return to her face and insides. "We can stay March and Sunny forever if you want. I bet we can cut our hair to make it look normal."
I'm so screwed. "Nao, I… really appreciate the affection but… it's been kinda a long day and I think both of us really need a shower. Separate showers." I need to get her off of me. Forget explaining this to Harumi, I need to actually get out of this in one piece without causing even more of an already no doubt cataclysmic incident.
"Why separate?" Nao sounded disappointed.
"It wouldn't be much of a shower if we just kept going. You take a shower, I'll fix up the bed and get a change of clothes ready. I take a shower after and if you don't mind you could find something to eat for us. And maybe we can just continue this later."
"Dumping you once was the best decision of my life. I love you, Akanny."
"Please don't compound those two. Narch." I'm going to feel so much guilt when I get out of here and she goes back to… Akane. Man, just how much of a selfish prick is Akane? I didn't get that kinda impression back then but wow the way she responds is just telling stories.
"Fair. That was… pretty terrible." Nao snorted. "You know, when you're this calm and everything, your voice is kinda a little deeper than usual. I love it. Makes you sound kinda handsome."
"Is that so?" Oh shit.
"Yeah. Say I'll be back."
"Come on." Hinako faked a chuckled. Is that some famous line on earth or something?
Kissing Hinako on the cheek, then the neck, her shoulder and finally her back, Nao sat up, completely without covering herself. She moved while filled with a strange sense of absolute self-confidence. Getting out of bed, she walked around it, leaned down in front of Hinako, putting her rather large chest on full display.
Playing along, Hinako levied herself up with her elbow just enough to kiss Nao. What should have been a quick peck was turned into an intense slosh of tongues and hot, almost coalesced saliva that mixed together as Nao used her tongue to invade her girlfriend's mouth. The whole ploy was put to a stop when Hinako very lightly ran her fingers over Nao's right hip and got her to shiver and back out. "You devil, how do you..."
"What do you mean, how? I could see on your face how much you liked that earlier."
Nao blushed and at the same time her expressed was pure bliss. "It's like being a few days on your own turned you into another person."
"Taking credit for not being a horrible girlfriend is not exactly something to brag about." Pretty sure calling Akane a horrible girlfriend is absolutely accurate.
Nao breathed in very slowly, smiled and went towards the bathroom. The door didn't close, which made things difficult for Hinako in a multitude of ways, but first things had to come first. Searching for a change of sheets she found them in drawers beneath the bed frame. Pulling off the old ones, she slammed the mattress a few times to get the sweat out, pulled open a window by just a little, changed the covers on the pillows and the comforters and finally cleaned up their discarded clothes. I can't stand chaos. Feeling a very warm, slightly damp and also very much one-sided extended towel rub against her back, she realized what she had done. I got so caught up in cleaning that I totally forgot to plan my next step.
"The room looks amazing… seriously, what happened these last few days?"
"Getting dumped made me realize there were a… few flaws I had to fix. I'm trying my best to be a better person." If I had known what a prick Akane is I would have shooed Nao off at the beach instead of trying to cheer her up and make her feel better… just thinking that hurts me on the inside though.
"Acing it, more like!" Grabbing Hinako, lifting her up and whirling her around once, Nao turned her around and undid the towel wrap that just barely kept her from being stark naked. "You know, we could always just keep the bed clean and-" Nao's eyes widened when Hinako quickly put a finger to her lips.
"Later. Flying into a flurry of sex without eating or taking care of ourselves is just gonna come back to haunt us."
"What do you want?"
"A shower-"
"To eat, silly!"
"Surprise me. I decided I won't be picky anymore. I'll eat whatever you think is good." Turning around to enter the bathroom, Hinako stopped. "And I think you look great."
Nao's heart was beating so hard she thought she was about to explode into pieces like a cartoon character. What is this, what is this, what is this?! What is this super good, considerate, nice Akane?! I need to keep her, I need to make sure she stays like this forever! Ah, calm down Nao, calm down! Like I could! She was so good in bed! I came twice before she even came once! Usually I'm lucky if I can get off even once by the time she gets bored! How did she get so good at using her tongue? And she was so careful with her fingers! The way she caressed my… no, bad Nao! Getting horny again! Food. I'm supposed to go grab food.
Throwing some clothes on in a hurry, underwear, shorts, sleeveless top that really showed off some cleavage, sandals, she hurried out of the room, closed the door behind her and then opened her room again to check if the shower was running. I'm not dreaming, am I? This is real, right? Akane is actually in there, right? Ah, I'm so lucky!
Almost floating down the hallway, Nao called for the elevator and when it came, found Kaoru and Yayoi in there. "Going down?" The question came from Yayoi.
"Yeah. Grabbing something to eat for me and Akane."
"Akane?" Kaoru perked up when she heard that.
"You two made up?!" Yayoi sounded as excited as Nao looked.
There was a big pause during which Nao's smile got bigger and then nodded, grabbing Yayoi's hand and bouncing up and down, wich was mesmerizing for Kaoru. "She's really turned over a new leaf! Considerate, nice, caring! It's like she's a different person."
"Our Akane?! I have to tell Miyuki! She'll be so proud." Yayoi paused and grinned. "And relieved."
Kaoru said nothing but her thoughts were processing at the speed of light. That's because it probably is a different person. Akane should be in training with Echo and Michiru right now. "Yayoi, you go on ahead, I left something in our room."
"You left something?" Yayoi asked innocently enough and Kaoru leaned down to whisper the answer to her. Yayoi stared at Kaoru's long skirt for a moment and then very quickly pressed the button for the fiftieth floor where their room was.
"Sorry about that." Kaoru apologized to Nao as the elevator doors closed and they all went up.
"It's fine. Akane's still in the shower. Listen Yayoi, you know what she did while I was in the shower?"
"Something… perverted?" Yayoi couldn't help but guess that, knowing Akane.
"She changed the pillow covers, the bed sheets, aired out the room and picked up our clothes and put them in the laundry."
"No way!"
"Yes!"
"Our Akane?!"
"Yes!"
"You're… not making this up?"
"Does this face lie?" Nao's smile had the power of a radiant star in the sky.
"Wow… You gotta tell Ako how you did that."
"Urara is gonna use you as bait to fish for sharks in the ocean, Yayoi." Kaoru said this so casually that Yayoi laughed, then laughed less, then looked very worried. "I'll stop her but you should avoid saying things like that."
"Uh… okay..."
The reached the fiftieth floor and Kaoru got off. "I'll see you downstairs in a bit."
The doors closed again and the elevator resumed its descend. Nao had to know. "What did she forget?"
"P… panties."
"Wow..." Nao was shocked but at the same time also impressed. For forgetting panties she sure looked calm.
But Kaoru was anything but calm. "That idiot doppelganger. How did she get involved with Nao?" Cursing, she rushed to her room, opened the window and looked down. That is a little too dangerous without my full powers. Slamming open her wardrobe, she started putting on her costume. Not a single quiet day in this place.
Her plan was simple. Go out the window, get into Nao's room, grab Hinako, get back out and get rid of her. That was to say, hide her on the beach, not kill her. Although she sure felt like the latter option could be justified with how volatile a situation this was.
There was just a small problem in her plan. Using her powers of air control to get down forty floors worked seamlessly – but the window was closed and with all the recent changes to the environment and the world space, she had no idea what would happen if she tried to force her way into a room she didn't normally have access to. Why is the window closed? Nao said that Hinako aired out the room. Knocking on the window, she received no reaction. I'm extremely exposed out here. I can't just stay here and have someone ask me strange questions later. If I go around messing with people's memories for every little thing it will explode in my face. But what do I do? Nao absolute thinks that is Akane in her bathroom. Bringing her in will make it obvious that it is Hinako. Things will no doubt go bad from there. Are there any less bad choices?
While Windy contemplated her options, she ascended back to her room. Of course she hadn't forgotten to put on panties but Yayoi's view of her was sufficiently colored that she could reliably use that as an excuse once, maybe twice.
Shit, this is really bad. Even if I get Hinako out of there, Nao will realize something is way wrong the moment she meets Akane or Hinako disappears. That really just leaves one option.
Hinako stepped out of the shower and heard almost violent knocking on the door. What do I do?
"Akane~." The voice was very obviously putting emphasis on the same because they knew it was not Akane in there. And Hinako also recognized the voice as belonging to Windy.
Stepping to the door, Hinako answered. "Y-Yes?" I can't be too careful here.
"Open the damn door." There was liquid poison in that tone.
Opening the door just a little, Hinako felt her blood freeze. "What-"
Kaoru – not Windy – forced her way in, turned on her powers and grabbed a barely towel covered Akane by said towel. "You absolute imbecile, do you realize how much of a mess this is?"
"I know! I knew you were all gone in the mountains and took a walk on the beach and Nao just found me and started to pour her heart out to me and before I knew it..."
"Have some self control!"
"I have no excuse here!"
"Tsk." Kaoru let go of Hinako – who hurriedly adjusted the towel – and groaned. "I hate how reasonable you are. Especially looking like that."
"What do I do? I'll do anything to get out of here alive."
"See, that's the problem. What do you think happens when you get out of here alive? What will Nao think?"
"Oh." That part of the problem finally became clear to Hinako. "Oh crap."
"Yes, crap." Kaoru pointed at Hinako's face. "This is absolutely not what I wanted to do but I'll… arrange for Akane to take a mystery trip somewhere else."
"Wait! You can't just do that! With no Akane-" Hinako stopped and she went pale. "I'm staying here?!"
"Yes."
"Are you crazy? One of your fights or that crazy training and I am dead."
"Don't worry, I'll do something about that. In fact, I already know how I am going to get rid of Akane."
"Get rid…"
"I'm sending her over to your place. Maybe she can take a course in not being insufferable while over there."
"Wait, wait, wait!"
"No."
"H-Huh?!"
"I am not waiting. I am not asking you. I am ordering you. You will pretend to be Akane until we have a real solution."
"How long-"
"I don't know. And don't even think about bailing. My sister and I are not like the others. If we have to, we will take drastic measures." Well, not anything that'd make Yayoi too sad, but definitely some level of sad.
Hinako gulped and quietly nodded. "I… understand."
"Can you do anything about your hair?"
"I really can't. It's been a huge worry this entire time… I told Nao that it helps me keep calm and be less Akane."
"Less Akane?"
"Yeah. How terrible of a girlfriend can you be, seriously? I love Harumi but I feel so bad for Nao I want to slug Akane in the face!"
"Keep that guilt. You're gonna need it."
"Eh..."
"If you have any objections-"
"This-"
"I am not hearing any, so you can shove them." Kaoru smiled with promise of a slow and painful death if Hinako didn't fall in line twenty minutes ago.
She's a tyrant… but what choice do I have? "Right..."
Kaoru left and not long after, Nao came back to the room, pushing a small food cart. "I got everything!"
Maybe this isn't so bad. And I don't really feel bad for Akane… Wait a damn second, I'm Harumi's girlfriend! Not Nao's!
While Hinako was having an early existential crisis, a completely different kind of crisis was occurring in the library.
"I can't..." Ako was slumped over in her chair so much that she was practically lying on the table.
"This is impossible..." Ellen sat across from her, trying to read the monster book they had found. Each page was just endless technical details one after another. They had gone through fifty pages and found nothing of particular interest regarding the Reyvia Measure.
They were not the only ones who were in despair, either. Miki and Yuri had cooling pads on their foreheads and were surrounded by piles of books ranging from three of them to ten.
"My brain's gonna come out my ears." Miki was so done with reading. "And we are no further than we were hours ago."
"I haven't read this many books since college entry exams..." Yuri wanted an energy drink or four. "You wanna pick this up tomorrow?"
"Kind of but at the same time absolutely not. Know what I mean?"
"Yeah… I refuse to be defeated by this but there's just so many books…"
"We should get reinforcements. Bring in Inori, Tsubomi, maybe Karen, Komachi, and a few of the others too."
"What about this being a date?"
"I love you so much Yuri but this is possibly the fourth worst date I've ever been on."
"The fourth worst? What in the world happened during the other three?"
"Another time. My head hurts so much."
And of course, Setsuna and Love were no better than the others. Love was face down on the table, sitting just far enough away that her back was always straight up even. "I don't wanna see another word."
"I thought with how lucky we were early on we would find everything we're looking for rather quickly." Setsuna groaned. "I have no idea how long we've been here… ten hours or something like that."
"Wouldn't Ayumi have come by to grab Ako and Ellen?" Love didn't raise her head to talk to Setsuna.
"Probably. That's weird..."
They were visited by Anacondy, who had heavenly news for them. "You can leave these books as they are if you plan to come back tomorrow. Oh and if you missed it, there is a concessions stand at the entrance. We don't allow drinks and food inside the library, but-" Everyone within earshot was already gone by the time she got to the end of that comment. "You can enjoy them outside..."
Arachnea had visited Miki and Yuri at the same time and they were huddled around an unmanned concessions stand that promised cool drinks, bags of peanuts and other highly sought after student fodder, as well as seating cushions for rental.
The woman with the spider tattoo came back first and opened up the stand. Five very hectic minutes later, they were all outside and couldn't believe what time it was. "How… I mean there is no way…" Setsuna didn't understand the time discrepancy.
The explanation came in the form of Anacondy, who was taking a break outside as well. "The time? Ah, yes, for as long as the doors are closed, the library follows its own, rather… unique, time."
"Unique?" Yuri emptied her glass and was ready to get a refill.
"Arane and I aren't really sure exactly."
"Arane?" Love looked super curious all of a sudden.
"Ah." Anacondy cleared her throat. "I misspoke. I meant-"
"All alone in that library, I wonder what you two get up to." Miki teased her.
Anacondy was very much not used to being surrounded by people like this, much less them also being Cures, to top it off all of them being gay. So she admitted defeat. "All right, Arachnea and I are dating."
"I knew it!" Love fist pumped and smirked wide. "Setsuna, pay up."
Setsuna groaned while smiling, stepped behind Love, pulled up her hair and kissed her neck. That sent shivers down Love's back and a not even blushing Setsuna returned to her spot between Ellen and Love.
"Can you describe what you do know about the library?" Ako ignored the stupid couple antics. Is Urara still in there? Or did she go back without me?
"The best we can tell is that once the doors close, the library sort of assesses what you are looking for and slows down time, up to a tenth of outside, I believe."
"It reads our minds?!" Yuri felt sort of uncomfortable with that.
"I think it only senses your intent." Anacondy tried to explain.
"I have a question." Love sounded very serious.
"Yes?"
"So you call her Arane. What does she call you?"
Miki just very quickly, very slightly shook her head in disbelief. True to her name, I suppose.
"Naco, if you must know."
"Cute. I give it ten points!" Love was really happy that there was love blooming between these rehabilitated villains.
"So we've been in there for a while and out here barely any time passed? That's crazy. Maybe we can use that for training." Yuri contemplated that momentarily and then saw Anacondy's unpleasant look. "I jest."
"Please stick to the official library guidelines. They're detailed by the entrance. No food or drink inside. No violent, loud or otherwise disturbance causing actions. No serious sexual activity of any kind." She put such emphasis on it that a number of girls averted their eyes, having thought about it. "If you are caught-" Anacondy stopped with a groan. "What is it Love?" The girl had raised her hand.
"What classifies as serious sexual activity?"
"Kissing and a little bit of getting touchy is fine but as soon as any liquids or sweat is involved, we will throw you out and you are banned from the library for a month. Damage the books, and we will throw you out." Anacondy smiled with the promise of no mercy.
"Iron Librarian…," Ellen whispered. So cool.
"That being said, the library is open from seven in the morning until eight in the evening and we welcome all patrons. Reading and checking out books is free of course. Concessions will have to be paid in cash and you cannot bring in food or drinks of your own. We will also not tolerate caches of food or drinks being stored here on the outside."
"I don't think anyone-" Yuri started up and was stopped by Miki. "What?" Miki just pointed at a kinda sour looking Setsuna. "Eh..."
"Excuse me for knowing how to budget." Setsuna had taken very good care of their money while she and Love was traveling. Mostly because Love was awful at it, but still.
"Have you met Mamo and the other staff yet?" Love was curious about their interactions.
"Not yet."
"How long have you been here anyway?" Yuri was curious about whether the library existed beforehand and just was not accessible.
"I'm not allowed to answer that." Anacondy looked at her wristwatch and turned to go back inside. "Please come back again. I know that we used to be enemies, but-"
"We hang out with the other staff all the time. We're way used to this." Love waved like she was trying to squash Anacondy's worries. "You should come by the bathhouse later and say hello to Misha." That nickname of a nickname had caught up with blazing speed.
"I'll talk to Arane about it. We can't really just go whenever, we have to be here at the library while we are open."
"Quick question." Ako spoke up. "Can you tell through magic or any other means how many – and if so, where – people are in the library?"
"We can to a certain degree. I can't tell you more than that."
"Follow up. If someone is still there when you close, what happens to them?"
"We take them to the entrance."
"And if they refuse?"
"I don't recommend that."
"Great." Ako smiled.
"I think I am done for today, though." Miki had gone in and out of the library to get a drink refill and was now on her third glass. "I think I'm gonna go for a swim to unwind. You coming with?" Miki was directing this at her girlfriend.
After visible reluctance, hesitation and outright annoyance all playing over her face in a matter of seconds, Yuri sighed. "Why not." I need to get over myself. I can't show a pathetic display like back then to Yami a second time or I'll lose all credibility and dignity as an older sister.
"I think I'm just going back and lie down." Ako took off her glasses and rubbed her nose bridge. "I really underestimated how much effort this entailed. And we barely made a dent in the book." She saw Anacondy perk up. "Not a physical dent. It's an expression."
"Librarian reflexes. You understand."
"I'm also done." Ellen felt like she was going to explode if she kept going. "One more line of Hymmnos and I'll start singing in my sleep."
"Okay, we're done." Setsuna took the glasses that Love and Ellen held, walked into the library, came back out and grabbed both of them by the hand. "As much as I love Ellen's voice, when we sleep, we sleep."
"I was kidding!" Ellen tried to explain as she and Love were being dragged off.
"One more question." Ako just recalled that one. "Where do these books come from?"
"We don't know either. The shelves came empty and there was an enormous amount of books in the basement storage. So we sorted them to the best of our ability."
"Are there still books down there?"
"The library seems to rotate books in and out based on whether they are needed. I think. I cannot tell you for sure."
"So you're saying if I keep looking for a particular book, you'll sort it into the shelves eventually?"
"That's our job, yes."
"That's all I wanted to know. Be careful when throwing Urara out later, she can be a handful."
"You're not going to wake her up and take her with you?"
"It's funnier this way." Also, I need some real peace and quiet without any books. Urara is no doubt rested now and is going to be horny. I am in no state to entertain that.
"We're going too." Miki waved goodbye to Anacondy and so did Yuri.
With everyone but Urara gone, the librarian went back inside. "I guess we can go and check out the other facilities later. That does sound interesting."
=== DISSONANCE ===
A scene not unfamiliar to Misha, who had under severe protest just resigned herself to that nickname stickin, was unfolding. The bathhouse was proving to be just more popular than private showers because it offered the additional boon of a cultural experience they were all missing on top of conversational partners to discuss the events of the day.
"Feels like this day lasted for weeks." Nagisa yawned and splashed some of the hot water into her face. "I'm just gonna crawl into bed after this. I'm up first thing in the morning for Ayumi's backbreaking training. I'm so not feeling waking up at like six in the morning these days."
"Getting old?" Saki joked but she felt the same way. "I thought I was training hard back in our world but this is somehow even worse. At least I'm not doing this on my own."
"Eh… I don't wanna see your face first time in the morning." Nagisa made a shifty expression and very slightly slid away from Saki in anticipation of physical retribution.
"Wow." Saki shook her head. "Poor Nagisa."
"Huh?"
"So I'd be the first face you see? Guess things with Honoka aren't going well." Saki looked so incredibly smug that Nagisa felt the smugness punch her and she slumped further into the bath while Saki leaned back against the wooden frame, her smugness increasing many fold to the point of almost lethal amounts.
"Manzai?" Itsuki was with them, the last of the trio of training group one. She had been rather quiet for a long time and her entire body was covered in light bruising. Everything hurts. Hibiki is gonna have to go without tonight.
"Walked right into that one." Nagisa sat back up and scratched an itchy spot on her right arm.
"Do that outside." Itsuki preferred clean baths, not ones filled with Nagisa skin.
"She's not a snake." Saki took Nagisa's side.
"Exactly." Nagisa let herself fall backwards, submerge herself entirely and then come back up, her hair sticking to her neck. "You know, a couple of years ago I grew my hair out but..."
"It got stuck everywhere because you're careless?" Saki tried to go two for zero.
"Someone is speaking from experience." Nagisa returned the blow with so much force it was like hitting a homerun on a live grenade.
"Ding ding ding, round's over, that point goes to Nagisa." Itsuki held it in but then a few snickers leaked out.
"You think Ayu 's gonna work us to the bone again tomorrow?" Saki pivoted. I'm not gonna push my luck. Mai's already a handful to deal with when it comes to retorts as of late.
"And then some." Nagisa wasn't keen on keeping the smack talk going either. "Are you gonna be okay, Itsuki?"
"Eh… Maybe. Honestly I haven't been this beaten up since that one time I held a free challenge at the dojo and just about everyone thought they'd have a shot because I'm a woman."
"You lost?" Saki asked.
"Hah, of course not." Itsuki chuckled and then twitched a whole lot. "I beat everyone but sixty-four challengers was a lot and towards the end they got some real hits in."
Nagisa and Saki looked at each other without really averting their eyes from Itsuki. "Well at least now we know-" Nagisa started up.
"Who lasts longer in bed between you and Hibiki." Saki finished for her.
"Yeah." Itsuki lightly tilted her head. "You'd think that'd be the case."
"Eh?" Saki thought she'd misheard.
"I'm not falling for this." Nagisa shook her head. "You just want me to go ask Hibiki about it and get splashed, punched or kicked or something like that."
"Hibiki isn't violent."
"Not yet. If she keeps dating violent-you then-" Nagisa flinched when Itsuki kicked her leg underwater. "Hey."
"Speaking of Hibiki, though, what are you gonna do?" Saki raised her arms out of the water and put them on the outer frame of the huge wooden tub.
"What do you mean?" Itsuki kicked Nagisa again, just to make sure her point came across.
"Are you gonna keep dating when we get to go home?"
"If I can, sure. For that we'd have to actually get to go home." Itsuki didn't sound like that was likely to happen anytime soon. "Why do I get asked questions like that and nobody asks you two?"
"Because we didn't hook up in this place. Both of us are already living with our girlfriends." Saki shrugged. "I don't mean that in a bad way or anything. Just that without ending up in this place you probably wouldn't have hit it off with Hibiki, right?"
"Well, that's true."
"So at least one good thing came out of it." Nagisa slowly moved over to Saki's side and leaned against the back of the tub as well. "Lots of good things actually."
"We all got stronger, too. Although I could really do without the life threatening catastrophes and what not. I never wanna see a doppelganger ever again." Saki sighed. "The mirror thing was enough to last me a lifetime."
"I'm more worried about what everything will look like when we do get back. The world Mana came from wasn't exactly pleasant." Itsuki exhaled very slowly. "We better not go back to something like that."
"That was definitely a mistake world." Nagisa didn't really know how to articulate that better. "This is all about putting things in balance, right? So we'll definitely go back to a decent place."
"Itsuki's right in worrying about it though. We'll definitely have to get used to a new home. What if in that new world I'm hugely into rap music?" Saki shuddered.
"Is that really your biggest worry?" Nagisa laughed.
"Anything could happen so I'm joking. If I start worrying about this in a serious way, I'll never stop." Saki made a valid point.
"World back home so far, with our destiny unclear, dark and light await us." Itsuki fit it all into a haiku and smiled. "You're right that fretting about it doesn't help. At least I'm resolute to make things work with Hibiki even if I have to move across the world and learn another language."
"Wow, someone's hard in love." Nagisa smiled wide.
"Wouldn't you do that for Honoka?" Itsuki got the wrong impression from Nagisa's comment.
"Sorry, I meant that as a good thing. You like her so much that you can say that with complete honesty, no embarrassment or blushing. Took me a long time to be that open about Honoka in front of other people."
"Ah. Okay. Back when I first met Tsubomi and Erika, I went through a bit of a difficult phase of eating up my real feelings and ever since I really don't want to do that. Being embarrassed is just worrying about what other people will think of you and I don't worry about that anymore."
Saki clapped very politely. "I still worry about it sometimes, especially because society isn't that nice to lesbians. The place Mai and I live at was our second choice. We kind of accidentally were a little too flirty in front of the landlord of our first choice and we were conveniently denied at the last minute despite being assured we were getting it."
"That sucks." Itsuki felt kind of bad for Saki.
"Oh, it turned out for the best. I heard from the people that rented the place that it was only superficially maintained. The place we live at now is a lot smaller and Mai kinda sealed off a corner of the living room to paint but I like that."
"I miss our place." Nagisa sighed. "Probably not getting it back with everything going on. It's always a little sad but also exciting to move to a new place. Honoka gets to fill it up with books all over again. Little sad all our trinkets will be gone."
"One thing I really want from going back is being able to marry." Saki looked at Nagisa. "You too, right?"
"Would be nice. And about time they allow it."
"You know, with all these powers we have, we could probably take over the government almost in secret or by force and just force it to be legal." Itsuki joked but the gag didn't land.
"Somehow…" Nagisa felt like she knew exactly how that would go.
"Yeah. That'd end badly. Not so much for us, but..."
"I was kidding!" Itsuki groaned and shook her head. "Why would you think I'm being serious? We're the good ones."
"We know that. I dunno, it just kinda felt like… not quite deja vu but more like I kinda know how that would go." Nagisa felt uncomfortable with this idea.
"After what happened with Mana, I am definitely in favor of keeping magic a secret even if we have to wipe a few minds though. But… you know, with Inori's powers, she could totally take control of politics." Saki didn't switch immediately.
"I bet this would make a good thriller. A bunch of magic wielding girls trying to take control of the country in the shadows." Itsuki tried to put an amusing spin on it. "Only one of their own can stop them, enter super politician Heart! A fierce struggle between those who seek to attain control of the diet and the prime minister and those who want to uphold the will of the people breaks out."
While group one was contemplating world domination with increasing detail of planning, group two was outside, in the open air bath, relaxing among themselves. Being split into groups that really had very little to do with who their actual teammates were was creating new bonds.
Mostly relaxing.
Yuri stared at Rosetta and Rosetta smiled back with a hidden lethality. Komachi had been practicing being more confident but she didn't quite have the courage to step onto a nuclear battleground like this. Setsuna on the other hand had no problem doing just that.
"Can you two stop that? Aren't you ashamed to behave like this as adults?" Setsuna scowled at both of them.
The silent and immaterial fight continued for a few more seconds before they both looked in different directions, burying the hatchet, for now at least.
Setsuna knew that this wasn't going to make it better so she ripped off the band-aid before it even had time to stick. "If this is about Yami the two of you need to talk about it. Because if you do not and it becomes worse, it will be Yami who suffers for it most."
Hearing that put a dent in Yuri's stubbornness and Alice's pride. In war, she who struck first often succeeded, and so Alice opened. "I have no intention of stopping dating Yami."
"She's barely-!" Yuri started up and then stopped herself. "She has no life experience! And you're just letting her do whatever!"
"And this is a problem how? I care about her, do you not think I would stop her if she tried to do something she would truly regret? And I'm not talking about eating terrible food or drinking or getting into trouble. You just want to keep her in a glass bottle, protect her from everything that actually gives you life experience."
Yuri knew that this was true and any attempt to deflect or deny this would end catastrophically for her. "I know! But she's my sister! A sister that returned from the dead! I'm worried about her, especially in this place!"
So much for a relaxing bath, Komachi sunk deeper into the water and hoped the others would just forget she was here. Oh no. I'm doing it again. This is the old Komachi's vice. "I have an older sister that is… can be a bit much." Komachi joined the argument unprompted and regretted it immediately but pressed on. "She let me live my own life and… on one hand I'm glad because I got to make my own decisions. On the other, if she had been there to push me when I needed a push with Karen, it might have saved me a few years of being lonely. So… so…" Komachi lost steam towards the end. "I think both of you are in the wrong a bit."
"Well said." Setsuna politely clapped for Komachi. That must have taken some serious courage. "Love took me in when I really didn't know much about Earth or Japan and everyone helped me. I did make some mistakes but Love was there to help me fix them when they needed fixing. As long as Alice is doing that for Yami, there's no problem with them dating, right Yuri?"
"I don't like it." Yuri pouted.
"I am not expecting you to like it. As an older sister it is your prerogative to be annoyed at the woman that is dating your sister." Alice was showing no signs of just making peace with Yuri.
"Can't you two get along?" Komachi looked a bit irritated now.
"Do not tell me that, tell her."
"Don't tell me that, tell her!"
Yuri and Alice answered near simultaneously and locked eyes again. This lasted for ten suspenseful seconds before they both dropped it.
Alice spoke first. "Yami can be quite a handful and I have no intention of shouldering all her troubles on my own. If you want to share in protecting her, we have plenty to protect her from that is not myself."
"Like what?"
"Erika."
There was something tangible in the air there, Komachi and Setsuna could both feel it. Like an invisible string that grew, swelled endlessly into a rope the likes of which could bind even the mightiest vessel to land. Connected by a threat that surpassed all they knew, they saw themselves suddenly united.
"She is learning all the wrong lessons." Yuri sighed. "It is not okay to ogle other women like Erika does or suddenly grope them or play pranks on them. Honestly, anything Erika does is almost a guidebook on how I want my sister to not be."
"We are definitely in agreement there. She is imitating that hyper behavior of Erika and it is quite… exhausting. One moment we are simply asleep, the next she is emptying out the wardrobe looking for some imaginary combination of clothing she thought up because she thinks herself an expert in fashion already because you and I both dress well."
"I was worried about that. Has she talked about designing her costume anew yet?"
"Luckily not."
"That is a lot of work and those of us who do that factor in years of training and specialization and sometimes even future specialization and team composition. It's not simply about looking stylish."
"Well said. I do think that you have very good style as Moonlight."
"T-Thanks." Yuri was caught off guard by the sudden compliment. "You do look elegant as Rosetta."
"I will manage elegance quite well at a social gathering as well, if appropriate."
Setsuna and Komachi exchanged looks, very subtly shaking their heads. This was definitely not what they had in mind.
"I recall you being rich or something like that?"
"Heiress to a large conglomerate."
"Yami is not going to have any sense of money-"
"I am counting on your expertise regarding that." I am self-aware enough that I realize that I too have little concept of money as far as normal people are concerned. Everyone else, starting with Mana and ending with Makoto, has told me as much.
"Uh… okay. Just don't buy her a car or something like that."
"Well, for the most part I have a dedicated driver."
"Guess I'll be teaching her how to drive then."
"I can easily pay for a driving school, should the need arise."
"We don't need charity."
"Would you label it charity if you worked a part-time job to send your sister to driving school?"
"No? I worked for it."
"I manage quite a number of aspects of the daily operations of Yotsuba Corporation."
"I see. Well, that's fine then."
"That being said… do we really want to put someone who has already taken so much influence from Erika behind the wheel of a vehicle?"
There was an awkward pause. "She can take the train and ride a bicycle like everyone else. That'll be a valuable lesson."
"Wholeheartedly agree. Not an option I personally would use however."
"That's fine. It's better she isn't reliant on you to get around. Or me! We're not chauffeurs."
"What are we to do about Erika?"
"We have to come up with a plan to mitigate her bad influence on Yami."
While Alice and Yuri were plotting the downfall of the little fashion designer, Komachi and Setsuna excused themselves and exited into the waiting area after putting on some bathroom robes. There were comfortable armchairs, vending machines dispensing cold drinks like chilled milk, and a what sounded like a radio playing old-timey Japanese music. They both wondered where the radio had come from or where it was even getting a signal but they knew better than to wonder about the little things by now.
Sitting down, Komachi had been greedy and was holding two bottles – one milk and one iced coffee – the two of them went back into a relaxing mood. "I didn't think they'd bond over Erika like that." Komachi felt like the conversation had at some point taken a problematic turn.
"Erika can probably handle herself and she can be a bit much. She's like Love without brakes." Setsuna pulled the paper lid from her milk bottle and really sunk back into the chair. "In here it doesn't even feel like we left Japan."
"You two went traveling right?" Komachi realized that she had never really just leisurely talked with Setsuna on her own before.
"That must seem crazy to you, what with us having no real savings or jobs and what not."
"I think it's super romantic. I wish I could do that with Karen but neither of us is the type to not want to go home after two days."
"Hahaha, I do sometimes feel like going home."
"You mean Japan?"
"That's what I consider home, yeah. Labyrinth is where I come from but Japan is where everyone I hold dear is."
"Must be crazy hard managing two people and never focusing on just one."
"I focus on Love or Ellen alone sometimes." Setsuna smiled and let the atmosphere flow into her. "It might seem logical that I would always try to treat them totally equal but that's really not a good idea. Sometimes Love needs more closeness and Ellen needs a little space. Other times Ellen needs more attention than Love does. It's more about paying equal attention to their needs, not so much always giving them equal attention themselves."
"Do Love and Ellen think the same way?"
"I think they figure this sort of thing out more by instinct, especially Love. She's not a dummy or anything, she's just got senses like a fox. One time we went out to eat and I had been really looking forward to eating a specific thing. I hadn't told Love about it because I just came down with that desire during work and we barely met up after work. Turns out they were sold out and Love just knew immediately that I was bummed out, even though it hadn't really hit me myself."
"Is she psychic or something?"
"When it comes to my feelings, and Ellen's, she might be." Setsuna chuckled. "Ellen isn't so good at it yet, and I mean that's normal. Not only is this her first serious relationship, it's also kinda unique on its own. Learning curve and all that."
"I couldn't do what you three do. If I imagine sharing Karen with Kurumi-"
"That's wrong."
"Sorry, what's wrong?"
"Love and Ellen aren't sharing me."
"Uh…?"
"They like each other as well. With us, everyone likes each other. In your case you wouldn't want to sleep with Kurumi, right?"
"Really not, yeah."
"Love and Ellen don't have the same kind of deep relationship Love and I have, but that's a matter of not yet, and not they aren't like that."
"Oh. Oh! Sorry, I didn't mean it like that."
"It's okay. I just don't want anyone to misunderstand how things work between us. I'm proud of Love and Ellen for being able to put up with my selfishness."
"Your selfishness?"
"I fell in love with Ellen and that caused my relationship with Love to go from just being us two to now including Ellen and making it us three."
"Are you sure you're not a few years older than me?"
Setsuna chuckled. "People sometimes ask me my age. But I have my childish sides too! I'm not all mature or anything!"
"Tell me one childish thing you do."
"I do silly little made up dances to anime openings."
Komachi started to cough from surprise. "I don't believe you!"
"I'll invite you over when we're back in Japan."
"I can't imagine how that will look…"
The world domination trio was just now entering the waiting area as well – still discussing means for how they would take over the world, all three of them carrying their clothes in baskets and wearing robes. They were just going to leave like that.
"Bring those back or next time I might forget to heat the water." Misha didn't even look up from the magazine she was reading, head propped onto her hand, elbow on table and generally looking like she stopped having the capacity to be bothered by anything.
All three of them responded with various kinds of Okay, stretched to the point of being barely believable, and then they were out the door.
"Want to go?" Komachi was looking to get some food into her – this was way after the time she usually ate. Eating a big dinner and then going straight to sleep had played out badly for her in the past so she tried to avoid repeating that particular mistake.
"I'll stay a little longer. I haven't been home in a while and this feels pretty close." Setsuna was in no hurry to go back to Love and Ellen – they would be there for her forever. Of course she would have preferred Love actually come with her to the baths but she insisted on eating first and so did Ellen.
"I know what you mean. Just missing the sound of wooden buckets being put down on the tiles a little too hard. And someone going-"
"Ahhhh~"
"Ahhhh~"
Setsuna joined Komachi for that and they both laughed. "See you tomorrow then?"
Sighing, Komachi felt the exhaustion creep up on her like a deadline while she had writer's block. "I appreciate how much effort Ayumi puts into this but I wish she'd consider not all of us are as indestructible as she is."
"I haven't been this tired since I worked as a waitress during the Indonesian independence day."
"One day you have to tell me all about your travels. I bet it would make a fascinating young adult romance adventure."
"Hm… are you gonna pay me royalties?"
"I would have to talk to my agent, but probably, yes."
I was kidding, but… "I really don't mind telling you, but Love should be there too or you will have only half of the story."
"Looking forward to that." Komachi smiled, waved and returned to the changing room. Unlike the three muscleheads she wasn't going to walk around outside in nothing but a bathrobe. "Bye~" Waving to Setsuna, and getting just the tiniest acknowledgment in the form of shifting eyes from Misha that she did everything right, Komachi left.
The dining hall was still pretty busy although most of the people there had finished eating a while ago and were simply too lazy or full to get up and walk out. As a result, conversation between unlikely people had sprung up.
The most unlikely of it all was a table beset by training group four – consisting of Karen, Urara, Makoto and Reika, all four of them conversing in English, impressing everyone around them. They all knew it for different reasons as well.
"We keep using more and more loan words in Japanese, so is not it natural to at least attempt to learn the language?" Karen's knowledge stemmed from her international travel and generally being sick of having to rely on translators. Most people in her business understood at least rudimentary English such as Bathroom where and Call Manager and other important phrases. She didn't half-ass things of course so she went all the way. She was far from perfect however.
"Is it not." Reika corrected her. "I am-" She glanced to her side, at Inori. "I'm not a fan of using so many loan words. Why use boss when we already have a perfectly good synonym for practically every imaginable position equivalent to that?" Reika's English was several levels above that of the other three and sometimes they had to piece together what she meant based on context. Her knowledge of English was based on many factors, primarily spying on criminals, understanding police transmissions and generally being able to make herself understood to people in foreign countries.
"That's happening in other languages too." Urara leaned back and burped, much to the dismay of the other three. "Pretty bad in Japan. 'special with music. And they can't the way to make words sound right." Urara had no idea what pronunciation meant. She was the oddest one among the four, having learned a whole bunch of English out of pure spite after a music review blog had called her English speaking level worse than that of a grade school student. A few months later Urara debuted a new song that was all English called Critical Failure.
"When I attended university with the others, by that time English studies were pretty much mandatory for many fields. It was only a select few lectures, but we had English presented courses available too." Makoto's English knowledge stemmed from Rikka, her work as a musician, their travels across the world to help people and primarily self study.
"Todai?" Reika was curious about that.
"Yeah."
"I considered going there myself. At one point I wanted to be a doctor." Karen joined in.
"You should be friends with Rikka. I'm sure she'll be glad to have someone that's interested in medical study." Makoto always looked out for her friends.
"Used to want. I went a different way. Lots of reasons." Karen felt like she'd let Makoto down.
"That's fine, I still think you could be good friends with Rikka."
"You really care about her, huh?" Urara sat back up, looked at the leftovers on her plate, picked up a cold chicken nugget and halfheartedly munched on it. "I mean I kinda get it."
"Having fun?" Komachi had walked up right behind Karen and then took a step to the side and up front to look at her. "So much English." Komachi used Japanese because she was absolutely not confident in being able to understand those four, much less say something correctly.
"That's my cue to leave, ladies." Still using English, Karen pushed her chair back and stood up. "How was the baths?" Switching back to Japanese, Karen led her girlfriend away, to another table that wasn't filled to the brim with leftovers and empty glasses.
"What now? We grab someone?" Urara looked after Karen, still using English.
"I'm finished too." Makoto was ever so glad she didn't have to put away her dishes. That service seemed to still be functional. "I promised Ange we'd go to bed early. We're both worn out and we really know how much it sucks to have to put forth maximum effort on not enough rest. Was nice chatting in English for a while, I was getting pretty rusty."
"Goodnight then." Reika pushed back her chair before Makoto did. "I'll also be done then."
Being left alone at the table, Urara kept munching on her leftovers until Ako came over. "Left behind?"
"And we weren't even drinking." Much. "What do you wanna do? Go back?"
Ako sat down next to Urara and looked over the table before crossing her arms lightly on the wooden surface. "Sleepy?"
"Not so much but tomorrow I'm going back to that hell Ayu created for us." Urara slumped in her chair and reached with her right leg towards Ako and found her foot, clad in lightweight leather sandals while Urara herself was barefooted. "Wanna go take a bath?"
"At Misha's?" Ako responded to Urara's clumsy footsies playing by pulling her chair closer to the table, close enough that if she slumped down she could have rested her chest on the table surface, her stomach less than a finger's width away from the edge of the furniture. "You do know she will throw us out if you start anything there."
"You think I would?"
"Would you?" Ako was not playing Urara's games.
Smirking, Urara managed to grasp one of the leather strings of Ako's sandals, catching it between her toes and pulling on it, trying to take off her shoes. "Nah. I'm not stupid." Or that horny. Or that into having an audience.
"What are you going to do tomorrow?" Ako pulled her foot back, used the chair's legs to pull off the sandal and without so much as showing the slightest movement above waist, she caught Urara's big toe with her now bare foot. While she was mature for her age and tried to act like an adult, looking around, looking at the actual adults she surrounded herself with now, this was totally fine.
"You wanna go on a date?" Urara reached forward with her second foot and fell off the chair, barely avoiding a disastrous crash by holding on to her seating with her hands – but she still landed on the floor. "Damn, must be nice being Yuri or Miki."
Ako shut her eyes not quite and breathed out with the exasperated air of someone that was used to having a problematic lover but hadn't yet grown so used to it that they felt endeared by displays of being klutzy. She didn't need to ask Urara if she was okay – if anything, treating her that normally would be almost insulting. Urara liked being tough and while she could kind and really was kind deep down, she wanted her tough exterior to remain intact. And Ako had long since picked up on that. "If you want to be taller that badly, you could try wearing heels."
"Hell no." Urara groaned and looked much more pained than Ako expected.
"Is there a reason for that that I don't know about?"
"Ugh, I really don't wanna tell you but you'll find out all my terrible secrets eventually anyway, so might as well get it over with." Getting back up, grabbing a chair and dragging it over the floor, Urara sat next to Ako but also faced her, putting her legs over Ako's lap – who moved away from the table just in time to facilitate that. Urara held up her right arm and formed a circle with her index finger and thumb. "Imagine that's just a segment of my chains."
I can already see where this is going, Ako felt bad for asking.
Urara raised her left arm and crossed her legs, still over Ako's lap. Using her index and middle finger to form to point, she showcased exactly what would happen if a heel got stuck in the empty space of a chain segment and either the chain or the heel tried to move at high speed. "Don't get me wrong, I like heels. A lot actually. I'm way into yours all the time."
"I know."
"But yeah, getting myself flung across and into a wall so hard it knocked me out once was enough."
"What about wrapping your boots in chains? That way you could use kicks in a protective manner as well when someone like Hibiki attacks you up close."
"Seriously, where were you back then?" Her eyes said something else. Never leave me.
Two tables over, Regina was sitting with Ange – who had been joined by Makoto a little while ago – and holding hands. It was a really slow and tedious process with just one hand but it cut down on the time required later. Rikka was there as well, asleep in her chair, her head resting on the table, on top of her folded arms. She snored very quietly, so much so that it was drowned out by the chatter of the room.
"I wish that were me." Regina felt just as drained as Rikka was. She had put forth a valiant effort all day, but the exertion from that morning – being trained by Ayumi – had finally caught up to her and she crashed hard the moment she let her guard down and her stomach was full. "But there is no way we can go to bed like this." Regina tugged on her shirt and it even felt gross; soaked through with sweat. "A change of clothes isn't gonna fix this."
"Going to the baths?" Makoto liked the sound of that. "Mind if I bring Reika and Karen?"
"Branching out?" Regina joked and nearly slammed face first into the table when Ange just about crushed her hand. "You gorilla, what the hell?!"
"You deserve that." Makoto looked with zero amount of pity on her girlfriend's sister. "They're in my training group and I figured this is a good chance to make some friends that aren't… you." Makoto looked at Regina specifically.
"Touched." Regina looked very much not flattered.
"I don't mind." Ange really was not the type to worry about Makoto's loyalties. "What are we gonna do about Rikka?"
"I'll wake her up. She needs a bath and I'm not about to hold her up in the shower or wash her like a small child. She'd get mad as heck." Regina winced a little. "You almost broke my fingers. What is wrong with you?"
"She's got a big mouth but she's still your sister, Ange. Seriously hurting her is too far."
"Right, right, my bad. Didn't mean to cause-" Ange groaned loudly and her head was flung back when Regina returned the favor. "You little-!" Regina had tricked her. Probably.
"You two..." Makoto's voice was like an encroaching horror from the depths of the abyss, instilling fear of rightful retribution and reprimanding in both sisters. Ange winced when Makoto grabbed her ear and winced more so when Regina let out a triumphant laugh.
Ange tried to go for payback by crushing her hand again and Regina just exerted as much strength as she could, the two of them practically arm wrestling.
Makoto was not impressed with this open defiance, got up, took two steps and now she had both Ange's right ear and Regina's left between her fingers and both of them were starting to be very sorry. "I got a question for the both of you." Makoto could be a really painful adversary when one behaved improper too much. "Do you see any of the others behave this much like children?"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Ange relaxed her grip and so did Regina, who had ears welling up in her eyes.
"Same! I'm sorry!"
"Somehow I don't believe you." Makoto, once angered, was difficult to calm down. Normally Rikka or Mana took care of that but one of those two was missing and the other was passed out on the table. What saved them was Makoto seeing Karen about to leave. "Karen!" Makoto glared briefly at the sisters and then let them go, their ears left with glowing red spots. "Don't you start fighting the moment I step away or I will be really mad."
Left behind to their own devices, Regina and Ange exchanged worried looks and declared a silent truce. "I still don't get how you manage her." Regina was very bad at dealing with Makoto when she became angry.
"Are you in any position to talk?" Ange looked past Regina, right at Rikka. "She's even scarier than Makoto."
"Her fuse is a lot longer. But… yeah. Point taken." Regina leaned back and watched Makoto waltz back over with a lot of spirit. "Guess we are going to the baths now."
Ten minutes later, Regina was full of regret. "Why did everyone suddenly decide to take a bath?" She was not quite squeezed into a corner, but she was shoulder to shoulder with Rikka in one of the baths indoors. The outdoors was stuffed full already.
"Ayumi's fault." Ange stretched out her legs – that much space was still available – and enjoyed the opportunity to sit right next to Makoto, who had a towel wrapped around her head and looked very positively relaxed and no longer like she was in her stressed mode.
While they were talking, Karen and Reika both waded through the water and sat down near them. The chatter in the bathhouse had now overtaken the volume present in the dining hall previously. "I didn't expect everyone to come here all at once. I should have gone with Komachi earlier." Karen had skipped on the towel for her hair. She knew she'd have to do separate hair care to begin with, what with how taxing training was going to be.
"I don't mind." Reika absolutely did mind and it showed on her face – her smile was so distorted and forced that present company felt too much pity for her efforts to tell her. Everyone but Regina.
"That's not what your face says." Regina winced when Rikka pinched her thigh underwater. "What? It's trrrrruuugh, Rikka!" Rikka was quite adept at pinching and could inflict major punishment.
"Crowds are not something I'm used to." Reika tried very hard to not let it bother her, but this wasn't fighting pain or going without sleep. This was a situation for which there was no solution. She just had to tough it out.
"They're not so bad." Makoto leaned to the side, using Ange's shoulder as a headrest.
At the other end of the bath, something curious was happening. Love was staring very hard at Miki's and Yami's legs, the two of them side by side in the bath and trying to determine who had longer, and more importantly, the more slender legs.
"Sorry Miki but Yami wins out when it comes to thinness." Love looked very amused and not at all sorry.
"I'm going on a diet." Miki was only half joking about that. "First thing tomorrow I'm going for a run."
"We do have training tomorrow." Love had long since learned – from Setsuna – how much was too much and when it was important to rest. "I'd hold off."
"Hehehe, I can't wait to tell Alice about this." Yami was very happy with the results and flaunted her legs by lifting them out of the water and into the air – giving everyone in the immediate vicinity a good look at various places. The one to stop her was Honoka – she was accompanying Kurumi and Hikari – who had been sitting nearby. This came in the form of pulling her arm, which caused Yami to lose her hold and slide all the way into the water. Emerging like a siren, with her hair sticking to her face, Yami looked annoyed. "What gives?!"
"You were flaunting a lot more than just your legs." Honoka tried to smile politely but she couldn't mask being just a little condescending. "Yuri would have had a heart attack."
"Eh, I don't believe you."
"No, she absolutely would have." Miki supported Honoka in this.
Kurumi was sitting behind Hikari and was still covering the blonde's eyes with her hands. "Kurumi? I think it's okay now?" Hikari sounded very entertained by this situation, much more so than she thought she'd be.
"Nah. Knowing that girl…" She froze when Hikari put her own hands on top of Kurumi's and slowly made her slide them off. "Hikari?"
"I've been to bathhouses with Nagisa before." When Hikari realized that not everyone knew Nagisa as well as she did, she elaborated. "She can be a little air-headed."
Nagisa would cry if she heard Hikari call her that, Honoka thought and would make sure to tell Nagisa later.
"Oh." Kurumi felt very embarrassed. "Still… while I'm here I'll protect you from any uncouth views."
"Uncouth?" Yami sat cross-legged now. "What does uncouth mean?" Of all the things she had to pick up on that little bit of conversation. And instead of asking Kurumi, she was asking Love.
"Uh..." Love shot a plea for help towards Miki, who just shook her head.
"It means Alice would be pretty upset." Honoka salvaged the situation. "Alice comes from high society so she's used to a certain level of class. Doing uncouth things is the very opposite of that."
Yami seemed to be mulling it over for a moment, then stared at Honoka's legs and mimicked the way Honoka was sitting. "I'll try to be couth then."
Miki didn't take kindly to this. "Why her? I literally fight by looking perfect!"
"Alice is real smart and Honoka's way smarter than you are." Yami had no filter whatsoever.
"She's got you there." Love rubbed it in.
"I'm smart too! I'm a blue Cure!" Miki tried to play the association card.
"Erika's blue. So's Ellen."
"Gununu..." Miki stared at Honoka. "Quiz, now!"
Honoka sighed. "The square root of negative one."
"Uh..." Miki sat up and all of her brain gears started going at the same time. You know this, Miki.
Love scuttled over to Honoka and whispered to her. "That's really mean."
"What is?" Honoka feigned ignorance for a moment.
"I know that there is basically no real answer to this."
Honoka's eyes widened in surprise. "How do you know that?"
"It was a trick question in a TV quiz I saw. I didn't get it then so Setsuna looked it up and explained to me that it's some silly math thing with no good answer."
"You know that I could beat her, so I fudged the contest a bit to make her back off." Honoka smiled. "Miki."
"Hold on, I know I know this!" Miki refused to give up but she really was getting nowhere.
"There's no answer for you to find." Honoka revealed her farce. "You're definitely smart but you shouldn't pick intellectual contests with scientists." Honoka couldn't help but address the look Love was giving her. "I have my pride."
Up front at the reception, Misha was getting company that made her actually look up. "Sorry, the baths are a little crowded at the moment."
"Is that so?" Anacondy and Arachnea, hand in hand, were visiting, carrying towels and a folded up change of clothes because they weren't really sure how it all worked in a bathhouse. "Can we wait here?"
"Sure." Misha pointed towards the seating arrangements at both ends of the long room. "So the two of you are the librarians?"
"That is us." Anacondy raised up Arachnea's hand for Misha to see. "After hearing that all of the Cures are basically like us we thought it would be fine to tell you, and them."
"Yeah, there's no problem with that." I have an eye on Sasorina myself. "So what's the library like?"
"Well, it's definitely far less lively than this place." Arachnea answered and let go of Anacondy. "Ooooh, vending machines!" She headed off like an excited school girl.
"Vending machines excite her?" Misha was a bit confused by that.
"Snacks do. You're the same as us, I take it?" Anacondy was still testing the waters.
"Everyone beside the Cures here seems to be someone they fought in the past. I was one of those that were fighting Cure Bloom and Cure Egret." Misha told her and then Anacondy froze and suddenly turned pale. "Everything okay?"
"Just bad memories. I didn't really go out in a good way." Anacondy looked over to Arachnea. "She fought the same Cures I did, just for a different organization. I was not doing that well when I first came to in that library and it's thanks to her that I'm okay now."
"Well, life here is fairly easy. The Cures have moved on, it's been years for them. As you can see, I run the bathhouse. Mamo runs a store. Sasorina and Majorina run the hotel reception. Normally two hotels but things are a little complicated right now."
"Do they come here often?"
"They'll probably swing by once the crowd clears."
Glancing at Arachnea – who was gleefully taking bites out of three different kinds of snack bars – Anacondy smiled. "I'll wait. It'll be nice to meet them. I'm also a little bit curious how our experiences fighting these girls compare."
"That's a sore topic for all of us. Obviously didn't seem like it at the time but we were all on the wrong end of the fight. Some of us got lucky and they're Cures now."
"You want to be one of them?"
"I wouldn't go that far, but… well, sometimes."
"She too." Anacondy nodded towards her girlfriend. "She has this recurring dream about doing barbecue with Cure Rouge where they grill up crab."
Misha snorted. "That's really something."
"Right?" Anacondy smiled wide. "I'm glad we finally get to talk to other people."
"Nice to have some new people here. But beware, sometimes they drag all of us into crazy stuff… earlier today they forced us to participate in a magic paint gun fight. That really wasn't fun." Looking at Anacondy's glittering expression, Misha felt worried. "I swear it wasn't fun."
"Being out in the wilds, only your own skills to survive… I want to try that sometime."
In the actual wilds, far, far away from the bathhouse and further still, Rin sneezed and then burst into a whole slew of follow up sneezes.
The whole of Hikage, plus their guests, were sitting in the big stone bowl that was their communal bath for lack of better facilities. There were unplumbed bathrooms in the apartment complex but that was just an unsolvable mess and both Mizuki and Reina, Dark Aqua and Bad End beauty respectively, refused to even entertain the idea of trying to fill a good dozen baths. Natsu crossed her arms and made a twenty second buzzer noise in regards to heating that many baths as well.
"Are you cold?" Kanade had been holding on to Rin's arm already and trying her very best to not be aware of all the familiar faces that were strangers – naked strangers – sitting near her. Now she hugged her girlfriend even tighter, pushing her not so average chest hard against Rin.
"Just something in my nose. We're out in nature and everything." Rin felt the appeal of Kanade all over. Her chest was one thing but their legs were close together and to Rin's surprise, Kanade looked insanely hot with her hair all wet and pulled back. It made her look older and also somehow incredible in a way she couldn't quite explain.
Sinking a little further into the water, Kanade following suit without question, Rin kept looking straight at Kanade from the side. "You look crazy sexy like this."
Having been slightly preoccupied this entire time, Kanade turned scarlet red when she heard Rin tell her that right to her face. "I do?" Rin complimented me, Rin complimented me!
"Kinda a… super mature, sexy star aura. Like a model in one of those seafront photos that get put up front on a magazine."
Kanade felt her head fill with woozy fluff until she couldn't think anymore and her mouth did the best imitation of a goldfish anyone had ever seen. Squeezing Rin's arm so tight that her chest basically wrapped around, Kanade felt arousal surge through her like never before. It wasn't like she hadn't slept with Rin before. But not since things had gotten more serious. So in a way, she still hadn't slept with her. It didn't properly count until now!
Rin wasn't doing any better. I wish we were in a bathtub back at the hotel. Or somewhere private. I don't want a gallery. She was breathing much harder than before. Her one arm was occupied and reaching over with the other would be really obvious. So she made do with what she had available. Setting her palm on Kanade's inner thigh, Rin tried her best sexy bedroom eyes look.
To anyone else it would have looked like Rin was in pain – she was very much not good at doing sexy looks – but for Kanade it really hit home and even though it was the opposite of what she wanted to do, she relaxed her grips on Rin's arm and instead reached around front and back, hugging her girlfriend, resting her head just north of Rin's modest chest.
Rin nearly felt her heart explode when someone spoke to her from behind; someone that was not Kanade. "You wanna go at it here, that's okay, but we can see pretty well in the dark so we pretty much know everything that's going on." It was Yume, who was just hoping to spare Rin and Kanade some serious shame. They probably thought we couldn't see them if they went further into the water because it is dark but we basically have night vision… poor girls.
Frozen in place, Rin and Kanade both just stayed like they were, feeling equal amounts of pull towards doing it anyway and dying of shame. "What are we gonna do?" Kanade's face was really telling that she was going to get over her shame eventually.
Rin couldn't see in the dark like the Hikage could, but she had ears. It wasn't everyone, but at least a number of couples were going at it in the water. One of them really close to her. That's Yume's voice. Nozomi's counterpart had left Kokoro hanging in the middle of things just to warn her. "Let's get out." Rin really didn't want a gallery but she also didn't want to just stop. They had been in the bath for about fifteen minutes and they could have easily gone for much longer than that, but this was more important.
"Let's do it here." Kanade could hear the other couples just like Rin did and although she really did want to go somewhere private, it was turning her on to showcase, to prove to everyone that Rin belonged to her and only her. Taking the plunge, her heart hammering against her chest and trying to escape from it so it felt to her, Kanade crawled on top of Rin, sitting on a still shifted lap.
Looking at Kanade sitting there, her upper body assaulted by the cool winds of the night, her skin shined on by moonlight and the water's reflections, her chest rapidly moving with her breaths, her incredibly sexy face, Rin overcame what inhibitions she had towards an audience.
Pushing herself up, she didn't hesitate to get as close with Kanade as possible, their chests touching, then squeezed, then pressed together so hard that they could feel each other's hardened nipples like little pebbles stuck between them. Seeing Kanade like this against the backdrop of a moonlit night, Rin's heart beat even faster. She wasn't a stranger to lesbian sex, far from it, but this was the second time she was nervous about it. Sinking her right hand like a claw into the stream of gold that erupted from Kanade's head, Rin kissed her girlfriend, her lover, on her lips, tasting a burning hotness of saliva through the thin layer of water.
A shiver of excitement ran over Kanade's skin so strongly that even Rin could feel it. Leaning into the kiss, she extended her tongue as far as she could, pushing between her love's lips into the warmth of her mouth, poking her tongue like it was time to play tag. Mouths opened wide, tongues went back and forth, meeting midway more often than not, leaving corners and lips burning with mixed saliva.
"I can't wait any longer~" Whispering to Rin, Kanade backed away just enough to run both of her hands over Rin's chest before she bent forward, covering Rin's shoulder with kisses before she went further down her right side, over her collar bones, then her breasts, sucking on her nipple so hard that Rin gasped. Letting go, her tongue traveled in an outward going spiral from there, over to the other side.
Had she been a vampire, Rin would have sunk her teeth into Kanade's pristine shoulder, pastel and marble, her skin so smooth it was like she polished it. But now she simply bit her playfully, then sucked with a kiss, leaving a huge and very visible mark just below her neck. Everyone would see it unless she wore a turtleneck or something similar. An act that screamed she's mine alone, and Kanade knew what it meant, that turning her on even more.
Reaching down, Kanade could feel how hot Rin was the closer she got to between her legs. "I've never been this turned on before… I love you, Rin." Managing to say it properly now – she had practiced saying it for a solid hour earlier – Kanade just touched onto Rin's flower and felt electricity run through her partner. "You're so sensitive."
"Yeah… normally I'm really not." Rin went for Kanade's ear, unable to fully tear herself away from being close to her face, kissed and caressed around it, then slowly pulling on the top with just her lips. "Don't make me beg. I hate that." Kanade answered Rin's request by slowly moving just a single finger inside of her, Rin reacted strongly and pulled on her ear really hard. "Use two."
Kanade was very skilled at using her fingers for various reasons. Moving her index and middle finger independently with near perfect precision was an easy feat for her – a feat that was shaking Rin so hard that she held on to Kanade's shoulders to support herself, panting heavily. I've never felt it this hard before. This is five times as intense as when I did it with Urara… maybe more.
Unable to wait any longer, Kanade reached to the side, forced Rin to lift her leg and touched her own flower to Rin's, both of them twitching and moving slowly and little by little. Kanade was feeling it so hard that she had her tongue hanging out for a moment before Rin gobbled up the opportunity and her lover's lips both. Kissing with such intensity that their saliva ran down the corners of their mouth and dripped into the water, they moved faster, only able to support each other by strongly holding on.
Without knowing, Kanade left huge scratch marks all over Rin's back as she started to moan into their passionate kiss louder and louder, all reluctance and shame having melted away now. Every scratch, every move of Kanade's hands as she desperately held onto Rin and refused to let herself be separated from the girl she loved, Rin shuddered from lust mixing with slight pain.
They were rapidly approaching an early, first climax, speeding up. Kanade's instinct took over and she bent backwards, looking almost straight up at the moon. Her arms still tightly wound around Rin's back, her bobbing chest was on full display for her partner. And the very moment Rin grabbed both of her breasts with lustful aggression, Kanade surged right over the threshold and came, biting her lip and still moaning loudly enough that no doubt everyone else in the bath heard her.
Rin followed right after, the act of seeing Kanade's orgasm happen in such a great view pushing her over. She's so damn sexy dominated her thoughts with such power that she didn't even hear or even notice the others anymore.
Sinking her filed down nails, her fingertips, into Rin's back, Kanade pulled herself back close, riding the excitement into a second round.
"They're really going at it." Yume was watching with Kokoro, both of them using their fingers to please each other. "I really shouldn't look, but..."
"Why not? It's really hot." Kokoro quivered when Yume hit her weak spot. "Right there." Biting her lip for a moment, she moaned loudly. "I missed you."
"So much so you laid your hands on Nozomi. Just be glad she's a literal angel." Yume flinched when Kokoro bit her shoulder, teeth and all, leaving a very visible bite mark. Yume was not so much into the pain, but she got a real kick out of Kokoro being wild with her. "Wow..." Yume watched Kanade dive underwater, her head going right between Rin's legs just before Rin arced up her back and threw back her head. "I wanna try that."
Kokoro pulled out her fingers and sat back. "Maybe you can give Nozomi some pointers so Miyuki has a good time."
While Yume explored some new ways to have fun with Kokoro, the bath started to clear out. And even Rin and Kanade stopped after their second wave; still horny and turned out a lot but also starting to feel dizzy from doing it in what was essentially an artificial hot spring.
They both staggered a little walking back, the full effect of what they had been doing catching up to their heads. "Should I style my hair like Windy in the future?" Kanade walked while holding on to Rin's arm like it was her lifeline.
"I would never be able to focus on anything ever again so please don't." Rin really feared that having Kanade pull off that look for good would destroy her ability to think about anything beside jumping into sex with her.
"You really like it that much?" Kanade had asked this four times now.
"Ask me to do a handstand like this and I probably would." Rin stopped, turned lightly to the side and kissed Kanade on the forehead. "You are so hot looking right now." Both of them wore only very plain underwear, shorts and a sleeveless tank-top – extras that the Hikage had provided because wearing the same clothes constantly would be a problem.
"I love you Rin." She had been saying that a lot.
"I love you too, Kanade." And Rin responded without fail every time. "I never imagined I'd fall in love with you but you really… you're irreplaceable to me now."
Kanade felt her heart do the samba at double speed. "Wanna… do it again in our room?" They had been given a room on the third floor. It was technically Yume's room, who was staying with Kokoro one level down.
Rin averted her eyes and actually managed to blush. "Yeah."
Kanade was watched that unfold with big shiny eyes. "You're… you're so cute when you act shy!" Hugging Rin's arm as hard as she could, Kanade felt truly happy. Getting dumped by Hibiki was the best thing that could have happened to me.
Continuing on their way to Hikage, Kanade was smiling so much that her face hurt a little when they got there. It was mostly quiet, with only the occasional distant – and sometimes not so distant – moan reaching their ears. The floors were all connected by a multiple sets of stairs, much like a school building's floors were. The hallways extended in both directions but ended much sooner towards one direction than the other. Yume's room awaited them, warm but with just a bed in it. Furniture seemed to be coming at a premium after all.
But after coming this far, exhaustion from that day's events caught up with them. Kanade tried her best to work her newly given immense sex appeal but found that yawning really loudly and having her eyes try to fall shut on her was a real problem.
Rin fared no better than her younger girlfriend, the infectious yawn jumping hosts really quickly. "Kanade-"
Lying down, Kanade kicked the duvet until it was down by her feet and then spread her arms wide. "I get it… but I wanna cuddle at least." No amount of being horny could ward off her sleepiness after spending close to fifteen minutes quietly and very slowly walking from the scene of the bath back to Hikage.
More than happy to oblige, Rin joined Kanade in bed and was immediately captured by the to her most lovable symbiotic life form ever. She had barely laid down and pulled up the duvet when Kanade was producing very light snores. Must have been… more tired than… I thought… Rin didn't have any energy left to think or worry and just fully embraced the comfort of her girlfriend as she passed into the land of dreams.
=== DISSONANCE ===
A single woman sat within the void, watching the pot of boiling coffee with great intensity. She did not turn away, did not look away, but she spoke. "Coffee?"
"Just one cup, then I have to be on my way." A second, another, sat down across from her, hidden away in the shadows of uncertain time and destiny. "Things are going well."
"Sugar?" The first was completely preoccupied with the coffee.
"Two. One has gone. One has betrayed the third. It will not be long before our plans bear first fruit."
"Milk?"
"None."
"Here." The first handed a cup of coffee to the second.
There was a long, strange silence between them.
"Through their eyes I saw that girl." The second looked at the swirling surface of the contents of her cup.
The first perked up, looking straight at the second. "She was here, too."
"A curious thing this is… seeing her..."
"It wakes memories..."
The second said nothing more, slowly turning the cup in her hands until the handle got in the way. Time had no meaning there where nothing was other than that which was left. And still so it seemed like eternity passed by in a flash, surging past like a river, swelling and drying up in seconds, aging centuries in the blink of an eye. "Even now I know not the outcome of this plan. These are the crossroads of my destiny." She looked up and at the first. "Our destiny. The time that eludes us still and will until forever's forever. I must see to it… I must ensure that the plan succeeds. Myself."
"The Echo of the Eternal Entity reverberating through all..." The first said it quietly.
The second stood up, drank her coffee and put the cup down before turning away, ready to disappear into a past unseen. "." And as she spoke the second became gone, vanished whence she had come from.
And left behind was the first, she who sat beyond the ends, she who was that which was left. "Good luck to you…" She looked at the coffee mug that had been left behind. "Make our dream be more than just a dream. Let the tragedy of Mu never pain our kind again."
=== END OF EVENT XXXVII ===
