The Astraea Record:

Side A:

Track 1: Dream On

What most people don't understand is that their beginning was neither glamorous nor dirty. They had their troubles, but it was nothing inspirational. First and foremost, the Swords of Justice was just a group of girls who enjoyed what they were doing. And that simple ability changed everything for the better.

- Gareth Landrock, Singer/Songwriter (Taken from the documentary: Beyond the Blade: The Story of the Swords of Justice)

Ryuu doesn't remember when she formally joined the band, just the moment where Alise took her by the hand and dragged her into the spotlight. The four of them, Ryuu, Alise, Kaguya, and Lyra, started when they were nothing but high school freshmen. Initially, it was just an excuse so that their parents thought they weren't sitting around being lazy. But then, to their shock and awe, they fell in love with the sound of natural rock and roll.

When Ryuu first accidentally played some shrill mishappen note, something deep in her body clicked into place. From that moment, she studied like a girl possessed. At first, she taught herself how to play. Eventually, with enough wheedling and a sound report card, her parents bought her a second-hand acoustic guitar. The wood was old, the paint was chipped, and the tuning pegs were more slippery than an eel. And Ryuu loved it like it was her first-born child. She played till her fingers bled and her wrists were sore.

The petite blonde AP English student wasn't alone either. Lyra became a demon of rhythm. She made her own drum set from whatever she could. And the tapping of beat became an incessant act wherever she went. Whether it was her desk, the pots and pans of her kitchen, or a fallen log in the woods, her music marched on.

Even snarky old Kaguya fell in quiet love with the steadfast bass. Eventually, her vibrating bassline rocked Ryuu down to her bones. Eyes closed, hair tied back, the Asian transfer student plucked away like it was nobody's business. Even when Kaguya's parents were the first to ban music among the quartet, Kaguya did not listen. Just like ever beating heart of the bass, she carried on.

And then there was Alise. Ryuu had heard the crimson redhead sing before. When she was doing chores or trying to study, Alise usually had a tune going on somewhere. What was happening now was different, though. It was like the girl had been reborn. The other three, Ryuu, Lyra, and Kaguya, had taken to music like fish to water. Alise was the water itself. Emotion ripped from her throat with every careening scream. Her presence was like a thunderclap-given form. It was electrifying.

So, they played through their first couple of years in high school. Mostly for themselves, occasionally for their families, and once in a blue moon, they played for the school. For the most part, they stuck to covers. They played through the entirety of the Beatles songbook, rocked their way through Jimi Hendrix, and even found their way onto the Dark Side of the Moon.

There were fights, break-ups, hook-ups, and a lot of Familial conflicts through it all. The biggest blow-up was with Kaguya's family, but even Ryuu and Lyra's parents weren't totally ok with how much Rock and Roll seemed to take over the two girls' lives. The only one who was in the clear was Alise. Her parents put their absolute faith in their daughter, no matter what.

"You know, we should really try to make something of this," said Alise one day.

They had gathered in Ryuu's family garage, all of them idly playing. Graduation loomed close, and they knew that they'd have to give all of this up pretty soon. Except for Alise, that is, she was the never-ending dreamer.

Ryuu looked up from the leaf-green electric guitar. She had been randomly plucking notes, fitting them to half-formed lyrics in her head.

"You do realize that you sound insane, right?" she said. "We're all going off to university."

Alise nodded. "Yeah, but we'll all be at the same uni!"

It was true. By some strange happenstance, all four young women had been accepted to Orario U., And all four had scored scholarships. Lyra was off to be an engineer, Kaguya to study political science, Ryuu for English, and Alise was on track to become a health care worker.

Lyra snorted. "We'll barely have time to see each other." She blew a pink bang out of her eyes. "Not to mention that for us to be a proper band, we'd have to stop playing covers."

Kaguya rolled her eyes, twirling a lock of jet-black hair on her finger.

"I don't know about any of you," she said. "But I don't think I've got the creativity in me to write original songs."

Alise gave them all a bashful grin. "Ok, but let's say that, hypothetically, someone had written up an original song that they wanted to perform?" She continued before the others could respond. "And what if that girl wanted to do it with her friends one last time for their performance at prom?"

Ryuu had almost forgotten about that, actually. As one final act of compensation for four years of torture, their almost former high school had booked them to perform for the prom. And hey, if Alise wanted to play an original song, who was Ryuu to stop her? Ryuu had written down a couple words of her own after all. It could be kind of fun, and it would serve as some sort of a last hurrah.

Ryuu didn't say anything, though. She wanted to speak, but her nerves got the better of her. Nobody had more trouble with it than Ryuu when it came to playing in public. It just went against everything that had been drilled into her.

Kaguya snorted. "Fine, we'll play your original song, and we'll see how it goes." She pointed in Alise's direction. "But I want more than one. If we're going to do this, I want enough original songs to fill a setlist."

Lyra rolled her eyes. That was Kaguya, though. It was in for a penny, in for a pound with her after all. But that was enough of a green light for Alise, who launched herself at her best friend. After much shoving and snide comments, the quartet got to work. Ryuu figured out some riffs, Lyra set the beat, and Kaguya managed to find the steady beat behind it all. The group was making their first song.

"Hey, what's this song's name?" asked Lyra eventually.

Alise brightened, "Oh! Its name is…."

Track 2: Ballroom Blitz

Honestly, I think that it was fate that I found those girls. Fate, and a whole lot of dumb luck. I mean, I was just at the stupid prom because my niece had forgotten her phone at home. I volunteered to drive it over and pass it on, but then those girls had taken to the stage. Their covers were good, but that original song set my heart on fire.

- Astraea, Lead Producer and Manager for the Swords of Justice

Backstage, the girls all took a deep breath. Their main set had gone as planned. Their peers always loved the girls' covers and seemed to appreciate the chance for live music versus some old DJ who was out of touch. And then came the magical moment. The four girls had taken a moment to pause between songs. Even the usually burning Alise grew suddenly apprehensive. But then Lyra, forever impatient, had struck up the drums. The next four minutes were a blur as they played their first original song.

Ryuu remembered how confused everyone was at first. Nobody in the school gymnasium seemed to understand what was going on. But then, something sparked. Soon, the entire senior student body was losing their minds to the new song. Ballroom Blitz was an unprecedented hit in that small corner of their small town. To Ryuu's great delight, everyone was having a blast as they listened.

"Do you want another one?" asked a sweaty Alise.

The immediate response was yes. The demands for another rock original were intense, and the little group of four responded in kind. They played song after song, all of them original. In the end, they had played a grand total of six pieces. Three were Alise's, two were Kaguya's, and one belonged to Ryuu. Lyra would later grumble at being left out of their most extraordinary concert, but it was always said jest.

After the concert, though, something incredible happened when the girls were backstage and trying to fix up their dresses. A woman that Ryuu had spotted in the crowd walked up to them. She glided through the throng of students like a gust of wind. With her chestnut hair, she introduced herself as Astraea.

"That was quite good," began the woman. "I mean, rough around the edges, and it's obvious that you're self-taught, but definitely some potential there."

Kaguya bristled at the initial comments, but it was Alise who spoke first.

"Thanks! Do you have any suggestions?" asked the redhead.

That sent the woman into a fit of giggles.

"No, none at the moment," she replied. "Besides, I was under the impression that this was your last concert? My niece says that you're graduating soon. Unless you plan on pursuing music in the future?"

Naturally, three girls shook their heads, and one nodded in the affirmative. That made the woman giggle again, her hair long hair bouncing around her.

"Yes, I imagine that you all will be quite busy in university. How about this then?" The woman produced a card from her coat pocket. "My niece says that you four are going to Orario U. As it just so happens, I have work around there. I'll leave an open-door invitation for you four to stop by whenever you want. I'm more than willing to give you some lessons."

Alise took the card, and despite saying they would not play, the other three peered over her shoulder. On it were the words Astraea, Music Producer and Consultant.

"No last name," said Kaguya with a sneer. "Wow, how pretentious."

She looked up to direct her comment, but the woman named Astraea was already gone. Ryuu remembered being puzzled, her mouth opening and closing occasionally. It was a strange moment, and she could never be sure if it really happened or not.

Initially, they all balked at getting lessons. But after much pleading and the powerful Alise puppy dog eyes treatment, the other three girls agreed to give it a shot. The condition was that they would only do it after they had settled in, though. They wanted to make sure that their education came first and that the music was still only something they did for fun. That was the deal they struck that the music was always fun for them.

When prom finally finished, and the quartet split ways, Ryuu and Alise walked home together. After getting pizza and illegally buying alcohol, the mood was high, and Ryuu felt a comfortable warmth settle in her body.

The next moment made it even better, as Alise threw an arm over Ryuu's shoulder. The redhead had eaten and drank more than all of Ryuu's other friends. But Alise was also handling it the best. It was evident that the girl had something important to say, though, because she stopped walking. And because of that, Ryuu was forcibly stopped.

"Gah!" screamed Ryuu in the dead of night.

"God, Ryuu," said Alise, ignoring her friend. "This just might be the best night of my life! Between the band, the mystery woman, and getting to spend a whole night with you guys!" She patted Ryuu on the shoulder for emphasis. "I don't think that there's a single thing I would change about tonight! Nope, never changing a thing!"

Alise stopped and looked to the stars. She mumbled something that Ryuu couldn't hear.

"What was that, Alise?" asked the green-haired girl.

Alise looked Ryuu dead in the eyes, and Ryuu felt her breath leave her body. The night was warm, but she was frozen still under the intensity of Alise's gaze.

"There's one thing that would make it better," said Alise.

Ryuu could barely speak the words.

"And what's that?"

For an answer, Alise leaned forward and captured Ryuu's lips in her own. After five blissful seconds, Alise pulled away, and Ryuu almost crumpled.

"This is your house," said Alise.

She ushered Ryuu inside without another word. That was the night that The Swords of Justice were found and saved from their small-town fate. That was the night that Ryuu Leon treasured most of all.

Track 3: Start Me Up

The name was nothing that anybody had expected. I mean, it sounds pretty childish and doesn't really fit with what we called ourselves at the time. Those girls never cared, though; they just thought it was funny. At some point, though, that name became who they were. It was almost like the name was the goal for who they were trying to be.

- Eina Tulle, Music Historian.

The first semester of uni was simple. Ryuu had ended up living with Lyra in a dorm, and the two of them figured it out from there. They would have fights about whose turn it was to clean things up, and they would go out and buy each other take out when it was exam season. The living was simple but fun, and Ryuu ended up enjoying it.

She had not forgotten about the night with Alise, but her friend had been surprisingly quiet. The redhead had said nothing for a while, but when Ryuu had finally gotten her to agree to lunch, she had acted like nothing had happened. Alise was as lively and boisterous as ever, but she had acted like the kiss had not happened. Ryuu pretended to be ok.

It was only after midterms, over a day-old pizza, that Ryuu confessed the kiss to Lyra. The young pixie-like woman had nodded along.

"I mean, she probably feels a bit weird," commented Lyra. "She just randomly kisses you one night? And then you two essentially go your separate ways?"

Ryuu sighed. "I guess so."

"I mean, how did it make you feel? Were you happy about it?" asked Lyra.

Ryuu struggled with the words. Honestly, it had never been something she had thought about. At an objective level, she knew that Alise was beautiful. Not a moment had gone by that Ryuu wasn't pointedly aware of how wonderful her friend was. Alise was unique in just about every way that mattered.

"I don't know," responded the young woman. "I mean, I don't even know if I like girls? Hell, I don't even know if I like boys!" Ryuu drew her knees to her chest. "I've always just focused on what came next, you know? I did school, and then we were doing the music, and now I'm in university. Figuring out all the boy and girl stuff…I just never focused on it, you know?"

Lyra nodded along. "You were always very driven, as a person. Probably what attracted Alise." She frowned. "Well, the first thing you can ask yourself is if you enjoyed it."

Ryuu thought long and hard about that question. In the moment, the kiss had been magical and everything she had ever wanted. Now, with Alise almost ignoring her, she didn't know what to make of it.

"Lyra, I don't know, but I might have enjoyed it," said Ryuu eventually. "Is that bad?"

Lyra shook her head immediately, her short pink hair bobbing.

"Don't listen to what any of those fuck faces have to say. Who you like doesn't matter; all that matters is that whoever it is makes you happy," said Lyra with a steady voice. "And remember that we all love you, no matter what."

Ryuu felt herself tearing up. It was strange, as if she finally understood that she was loved. Not just by her parents, which was almost a given, but by her friends too. Lyra rolled her eyes and pulled Ryuu into a deep hug.

"You stupid, green-haired girl, of course, I love you. And so does Kaguya and Alise," continued Lyra.

The moment was shattered when the girls' phones started to buzz and ring. They sparked apart and rushed to reach and grab their mobile devices. They both looked down, lips moving as they read the text. That led to them grabbing their coats and rushing out from their college dorm.

One metro ride and a walking block later arrived at Familia Studios, the music production studio. Standing outside were Kaguya and Alise. Kaguya wore a black pea coat with black leggings, and Alise wore a bomber jacket and jeans. Fall had settled in, the cold only just starting to become uncomfortable. Ryuu barely had time to throw on her hooded coat with its faux fur, while Lyra wore the standard Orario U hoodie.

"It's about time you two got here!" barked Kaguya. "Now, let's get inside! I'm freezing my ass off!"

She marched in, with Lyra chuckling behind her. That left Alise and Ryuu standing across from each other. The redhead was frowning, and Ryuu was suddenly subconscious. Maybe the problem was that she had cut her hair? She had wanted to try something new, so she kept the light green dye but had also cut her hair and made it choppy.

"So," began Alise. "I just wanted to say…that is."

Alise faltered and said nothing. Ryuu stood there awkwardly. Neither moved towards the door, and it was as if they spoke; their words would crack like fall leaves. But Ryuu wanted to talk. She felt the words burning in her gut. She wanted to scream and shout at the top of her lungs. She wanted to yell about how good Alise looked in her bomber jacket and how it played up the rugged charm the girl had. But Ryuu said none of this. She stood there waiting.

Alise summoned her courage. "I'm sorry for kissing you like that, without your permission and everything. That wasn't cool of me." She absentmindedly kicked her foot at the ground. "I mean, I don't even know…." Alise stopped moving for the first time in her life. "I mean, I know, but I don't know…." She looked up. "Can we try and make things normal?"

Ryuu nodded slowly, and Alise responded with a bone-crushing hug. Just like that, the redhead was back to normal, and she pulled her friend, just friend, inside the studio. Ryuu couldn't understand what her heart was saying afterwards.

The studio itself was full of instruments, hanging records, and photos. The photos were what caught Ryuu's eyes. Of course, there were album covers, but there were also more intimate photos of different bands with their arms around Astraea. In all of them, the people were smiling naturally. Ryuu even glanced at a picture of Astraea with Alfia, THE Alfia!

In the main room, Astraea was chatting with Kaguya and Lyra. She was asking questions about their background and how they got into music. Unfortunately, the two university students gave short, clipped answers. They didn't mean to be rude; it was just not to talk much in their nature. They also, unfortunately, had been given resting bitch face syndrome at some point in life. At least Lyra had it. Ryuu still thought that Kaguya chose to make that face most of the time.

"So, you girls really are self-taught?" observed Astraea. "Well, I must say that you are very skilled for having no formal education." She smiled. "It does explain some things, though."

Lyra pulled a face. "Oi! What's that supposed to mean, huh?"

Ryuu facepalmed at her bestie's lack of tact. Alise just sighed before marching forward. Despite everything, the redhead was able to pick up on when everyone else was rude, just not herself. Before Alise could start reprimanding the tiny drummer, though, Astraea surprised them all by laughing. She stopped, still smiling fondly at Lyra, and ruffled the girl's pink hair. Everyone was too shocked to do anything in response.

"That's some wonderful pride you have there; make sure to hold onto it at least a little bit," said Astraea. She turned to the rest of the girls.

"That goes for all of you." Astraea frowned. "I tried to ask around after your prom performance, but I couldn't seem to find what your name was."

Everyone refused to make eye contact. The four overly proud women had never been able to decide on a band name. They often spent too much time arguing. However, one firecracker of a girl seized on the opportunity presented to her.

"We're the Swords of Justice, of course!"

Before the other three could jump on her for the stupid name, Astraea clapped her hands. Apparently, she loved the name and said it presented an excellent ideal for them to live up to. Thus, the band was born in truth.

Track 4: Any Way You Want It

Those first months were rough; I'm not going to lie to you. The girls were good and had a lot of latent potential running through their system, but they also hadn't realized that they were allowed to think they could love music. They still juggled their classes but somehow found time to record and write songs. How they survived is some kind of miracle, but I was always so proud of them.

- Astraea

Now done her first year of uni, Ryuu entered the Summer. This meant that she was looking for two things, an apartment and a summer job. Before, living expenses had been kindly handled by her parents. They just wanted to encourage her education. Ryuu had not told them about the recording with Astraea.

Regarding the mysterious woman, though, Ryuu liked her. She held firm when she needed to, was compassionate to those less fortunate, and she was a woman who had carved out a space for herself in a field dominated by men. That last point had earned her some major respect points from the entirety of The Swords of Justice.

Ryuu cringed at the thought of that stupid name. When Alise had first said it, the others nearly jumped on her. But Astraea had liked it, and over time it had slowly begun to stick into place. The other members of the band had made their opinions on the matter very clear.

It was one of their last days before summer vacation began, and they were back in the studio recording some riffs and beats. The work was gruelling, but Ryuu chose to endure. For some reason, whenever she saw Alise smiling, it made her work through the pain. Weird, but Ryuu didn't think much of it. She was busy learning new guitar chords. That, and she was trying to write new songs.

Astraea had made sure to tell them that while covers were all fun and well, original pieces were the best way to attract attention.

"Make some original songs," she had said. "And I'll see if I can book you some small gigs. See if we can't get the ball rolling and get you on the local radio sometime soon. How does that sound?"

The others had blinked in shock and confusion but had set to their work with gusto. Obviously, Alise was the primary writer. She had so many ideas just absolutely exploding from her head. And all her songs reflected who she was. They were loud, somewhat cheerful, and full of life and wonder. Kaguya wrote songs, too, ones that were about rebellion and that struggled against norms and expectations. Finally, there was Ryuu. Her songs were romantic and showed just how much the girl yearned for her soul mate. The only one who did not write music was Lyra. When they asked her why not, she replied that it wasn't her style.

What Lyra did learn, though, was tech. She learned everything there was to know about instruments and composition. She also learned how to work the booth and recording table from Astraea's assistants, Neze and Maryuu. She was always there, supporting the other girls through her newly gleaned musical knowledge.

"You know," said Kaguya one day after practice. "We're supposed to be heading home soon, right?" She waited for the rest of the girls to nod. "So, how are we going to tell our parents what we've really been up to?"

Ryuu blinked, Lyra frowned, and Alise shrugged.

"I know it's different for you guys," she said. "But my won't give a shit. As long as I'm happy and healthy and still in school, then they'll be happy to."

Lyra rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well, not all of us are as lucky as you are. But my parents shouldn't be too upset." She stopped to consider her words. "I mean, they'll probably tell me that it's a fun hobby and a bit of a waste of time, but other than that, I think it should be good?"

Everyone turned to Ryuu, who turned red from all the attention.

"I'm probably in the same boat as Lyra. If I keep up my grades and my schooling, then things should turn out, ok? At least for now, I think," said the greenish-haired blonde.

Kaguya sighed. "So, per usual, it's only me who's up-shit creek then." She put her bass away. "I mean, part of me wants to do it just to spite them, but that wouldn't exactly be fair, now would it?" She put her hands on her hips. "After all, they do care about me, in their own way." She mulled the thought over.

"Well, what if you were able to show them some tangible success?" asked Astraea.

The girls whirled, unaware that Astraea had been there the whole time. The brunette was smiling, her cellphone in her hand.

"After all, I was able to book you your first gig." She smiled. "Mind you, it isn't very big or glamorous, but it's a start."

The girls all start whooping and asking questions.

"What's it about? What are we doing?" asked Alise. "Where is it? Are we going to get paid?"

Astraea giggled. "Actually, part of the deal was that your payment would be in some free meals and drinks. The place is giving you a discount. But we can sell our CDs there too."

"Oh, so it's like a bar or something?" asked Lyra.

Astraea nodded. "Exactly. The place is called the Hostess of Fertility." She rolled her eyes when everyone made a face. "It isn't what you think it is. The place is actually quite rowdy and loud."

Alise paused, her whole body going still for a second. Everyone watched in surprise at this rare occurrence. And then her mouth dropped.

"Wait! Are you talking about THE Hostess of Fertility? The one where Gareth Landrock' The Elgram,' The Crazy Crozzos, and Alfia were discovered?" asked the redhead, practically vibrating from excitement.

Astraea nodded. "The very same place."

Ryuu's heart almost gave out on her. Partly because of the legendary status of their venue, and partially because Alise just looked so fucking pretty when she was excited. When that thought connected in her brain, though, she stared down at her chest. She questioned why she had just had that thought. Was…was Ryuu gay? Questions and ideas she had pushed deep, deep down inside started bubbling up to the surface. She looked at her friends and only just noticed how beautiful they all were. Objectively, Ryuu had always known this, but now it was like she was seeing them for the first time. She only got shaken out of it when Alise's face popped up an inch away from her own.

"What do you think, Ryuu? Is that new tune you've been working on going to be ready?" asked Alise.

Ryuu's brain short-circuited. "Um, I don't; which one is that again?"

Alise pouted. "Ryuu! Get your head on straight!" She grabbed Ryuu's hands. "We're going to need you!"

Thankfully, Lyra jumped in.

"Why don't we just leave the poor girl alone. She's probably just in shock. After all, not everyone is a fucking explosion of energy like you?" replied the shorter pinkette.

She then dragged her best friend away and stuffed the two of them into a spare room. She sat Ryuu down on a stool before looking the girl up and down and sighing.

"So, you figured out this thing with Alise yet?" asked Lyra.

Ryuu numbly shook her head.

"Did you talk to her about the kiss?"

A nod.

"And how'd it go?"

Ryuu shrugged. "Said that I should try and move on. She apologized for it."

Lyra facepalmed because her friends were all fucking idiots. They were, in fact, a couple of gay disasters in the making. But they were her's and Kaguya's, and she was going to make them happy, goddammit!

"Well, why don't we start with you taking a deep breath."

Ryuu did so, in the nose and out the mouth. Lyra nodded as she watched the girl do so.

"Good, now how about we move on to focusing on this new song of yours? Do you have a name for it yet?"

Ryuu opened her mouth….

Track 5: A Crazy Little Thing Called Love

Their first concert was incredible! They performed with so much power and excitement! It was like they weren't even nervous! Well, I mean, I know they were, but they never showed it to anyone, that's for sure! Man, if you were there, you'd understand. What the Swords of Justice did that night was nothing short of pure magic. I got to talk with one of them that night, you know.

- Syr Flova, waitress at the Hostess of Fertility

Ryuu felt like she was going to throw up. Scratch that, she knew she was going to throw up. In fact, she had done so already, numerous times. Lyra and Kaguya had started taking shifts of pushing plates of food and water in front of her. The bar owner, who insisted they call her Mamma Mia, was kind and generous about it. She also said that there were a lot of expectations on the girls since it had been so long since the bar had had some live music. That little bit of news had not helped Ryuu's stomach.

Nearby, Alise was still rearranging the setlist. The redhead had been working hard at overseeing things, even if she did little herself. With Astraea and her crew there, the girls were comfortable in their clothing and looked good. Thankfully, Ryuu was able to get away with wearing a light green t-shirt and jeans. The only thing added on was a dark green sweatband on her wrist. And honestly, it had already grown on her. The thing felt comfortable like it belonged. Her short, choppy hair also meant that there wasn't much to do with her face. Astraea's makeup person had only used some blush and mascara to highlight Ryuu's eyes.

"They're just such a striking sky-blue!" Celty had exclaimed at the time.

The others were similar. Kaguya wore a purple dress with a red sash around the waist, while Lyra had a brown skirt with a white blouse. Finally, Alise was still wearing her bomber jacket, despite the heat, along with a pair of plaid pants.

"Wait, what if we start with Ballroom Blitz?" asked Alise.

Between bouts of throwing up, Ryuu shook her head. "Too much energy to start with. We should work our way up to it."

Alise nodded, making a note. She tapped her pencil against her chin. "What if we started with Dream On? Then we can move through some upbeat songs, use Ballroom Blitz as our showstopper, and end with Crazy Little Thing?"

Ryuu held up a shaky thumb. That worked for her. Suddenly, Kaguya was there, sweeping by the two of them.

"Come on, you two! We all need to talk!"

Alise and Ryuu followed the redhead with her pencil and paper and the greenette/blonde clutching her bucket. Kaguya led them backstage to where Lyra was waiting by the emergency exit. The pinkette did not look happy.

"What in the world has gotten into you?" asked Lyra.

Ryuu and Alise nodded along.

Kaguya huffed and proceeded to stomp her feet. When nobody spoke in response, her hands curled into fists. She stopped and pointed at the girls in turn.

"I'm only going to say this once; you got that?" she said. "Alright, well, no matter what happens tonight, I want you all to remember that I love you and that I think that you're fucking spectacular. Now, let's go play some fucking music!"

She turned and marched off, with the others trailing behind her. They shared looks of amazement all the way up to the stage. Then they grabbed her instruments. The second that the guitar settled in Ryuu's hands, her nerves vanished. It was like she was holding her child, and she stared at it in wonder and love. Ryuu played a couple chords to test it. Dimly, she heard Alise in the background.

"Hello! We're the Swords of Justice, and thank you for having us! We hope you enjoy it!"

Alise turned to all her friends, who nodded once. Lyra rapped her drumsticks together, Kaguya placed her fingers on the opening frets, and Ryuu readied her pick. They were off.

After a couple hours of playing, during which there had been much cheering and calls for encores, Ryuu finally got a break. Everyone got off the stage, if only for a minute, and got more food and water. A waitress stopped by to give Ryuu a whole jug for herself. The blond paused when she noticed the slices of lemons. She looked up to find a cheery girl with silver hair smiling down at her.

"I heard that it could help with your voice. But I'd actually recommend some tea as well. Probably when you have breakfast tomorrow. Add some honey." The girl took a seat, apparently not bothered by the fact that she was supposed to be working. "I have to say, though, you guys were awesome! The last the crowd went this crazy was probably back when Alfia first premiered."

Ryuu just poured herself a glass of water, trying to process what was going on. Syr was not leaving, though; she just kept saying things and asking questions. At one point, Syr had draped her hand on Ryuu's arm and gave it a squeeze, and the blonde/greenette had no idea what that meant. But Ryuu also became aware of just how pretty Syr was. Especially with her silver hair and beautiful eyes. And then the waitress's eyelashes would flutter.

"My, Ryuu, you haven't stopped staring at me once this whole time," commented Syr. "Do you see something you like?"

Ryuu felt her face heat up. She had never seen something like this happen and had never felt like this either. All these compliments and gentle touches were making her heartbeat even faster. Just as Syr had started to lean forward, though, Ryuu was jerked away. She found Alise's face very close, and her heartbeat went even faster.

"Ryuu! I've been looking for you!" shouted Alise. "Come on, we're going to get some drinks!"

Before Ryuu could respond, she was whisked away. Her last sight of Syr was the girl giggling into her hand with a casual wave. What the light green-haired girl had not seen was how Alise had been glaring at Ryuu's conversation with the waitress from start to finish. Or how Alise had scrambled to put a distraction together.

What followed was some hasty shots, some strange fruity cocktails, a sense of weightlessness washing over the Swords of Justice. One by one, they all lost track of the night.

Track 6: Sweet Child of Mine

No one really knew what happened behind closed doors. Whatever those girls got up to in their free time, that was up to them. Far be it for me or anyone else to tell them what they could and couldn't do. Besides, as long as they showed up to practice, worked their hardest, and had no regrets, then that was all any of us could ever ask of them.

- Astraea

Ryuu slowly returned to the world of the living. Around her was pain, though. Pain from the bright lights and occasional noise. There was pain from how scratchy her throat was and how mangled her hair felt. Her lungs felt like they were being crushed by the blanket on top of her. Not to mention the unbearable heat radiating from the object next to her. As the blur from her vision cleared, she finally got a good look at what was awaiting her. Low and behold, it was a wild head of red hair. Ryuu shifted her body, still not fully comprehending, and soon realized that she was naked. And the body next to her was too!

Ryuu rolled away, causing the other person in bed with her to grumble and shake. It took a moment, but she finally recognized the voice. The body next to her was, in fact, Alise!

Ryuu felt her body still. She tried to remember what happened last night, but everything was a hazy blur. There had been shots, more drinks, and she remembered the sight of Alise's smile. The last part was burned into her brain. Ryuu felt herself smiling involuntarily but also knew that this made things all the more complicated. The rest of the morning was spent waiting for Alise to wake up. Ryuu herself tried to go back to sleep, but that didn't happen. Her nerves were already going at full throttle, and her adrenaline was pumping. So, Ryuu was left with her thoughts.

As the morning went on, Ryuu struggled with what to do next. She also came to terms with her own feelings. Whatever the label might be, Ryuu was smitten with one of her closest friends. She couldn't run from that fact any longer. But with that thought came the startling fear. Ryuu wasn't dumb; she knew what people would say about her. And then there was the thought about what her parents would do. Ryuu's parents were good people, but were they that good? Would they be that accepting of their daughter? She didn't want to know the answer. Whenever she freaked out too much, though, her eyes would alight back on Alise's snoring face, and everything would calm down.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Alise woke up. The girl with burning hair blinked herself awake and sat up in bed. She yawned as she stretched, and Ryuu found herself admiring Alise's well-toned physique. Mid-stretch, Alise stopped. And then she looked over at Ryuu.

"Ryuu! What are you doing here!" shouted Alise.

Ryuu felt the heat rise to her face. "What do you think I'm doing here! Besides, I'm pretty sure this is my bed!"

Alise looked around and found it to be true. She was, in fact, in Ryuu's shared room with Lyra. The shorter girl was nowhere to be found, and Ryuu instantly felt guilty. She hoped that Lyra was with Kaguya, hopefully.

Alise looked around, and then she shivered. She realized that her naked body was exposed to the open air at that moment.

"Jesus Christ!" shouted Alise, gathering the blankets to herself. "What did we do last night?"

Ryuu couldn't look her in the eye. "I think…well, I think it's kind of obvious, wouldn't you say so?"

Alise didn't speak. Then, she nodded once.

"Right, um, well, I guess we should talk about this, right?" she asked.

Ryuu nodded again.

"Alise, this is the second time now," said Ryuu. "I don't want to ignore it. But I also don't know what to do about it." She looked up shyly. "Is it ok if we wait till I tell my parents?"

Alise's face softened. "Of course, it is, Ryuu. Actually, I should probably tell my parents too; after all, I'm sure they'll be worried about me." Alise frowned. "Wait…that came out wrong."

Ryuu chuckled. "Well, what do we do now?"

As if in response, Ryuu's stomach rumbled, and Alise laughed.

"Well, I guess that's our answer!" Alise started jumping out of bed. "Let's go get some breakfast!"

The two left to put on their clothes, Alise being forced to wear her things from last night, and Ryuu texted Lyra to check where she was. Lyra had, in fact, stayed with Kaguya for the night. The four of them then met up for breakfast at their nearest local diner. It was nothing special, but it wasn't a chain restaurant, which was appreciated.

In the middle of her yogurt and oats, though, Ryuu received another text. She read it over before facing her bandmates again.

"Hey, Astraea says that she has something to tell us. Should I tell her where we are?" asked Ryuu.

The others shrugged in response, and Ryuu gave Astraea the address. Only ten minutes later, their manager and producer walked through the doors. She gave the girls a large smile as she settled next to them at their table.

"So, how about we talk about last?" began Astraea. Ryuu felt a pit form in her stomach. She dreaded what would come next.

"You girls were fantastic!" said Astraea, with a clap of her hands. "The CDs we brought with us sold like hotcakes! And a couple friends of mine saw you guys too! I was able to get us some more gigs!"

Kaguya frowned. "Wait, you invited people to watch us?"

Astraea nodded. "But of course, all for publicity's sake, you understand. But I didn't want to stress you off with that little tidbit." She let her girls think about that while she ordered a coffee. She turned back to them. "Overall, it was a rousing success! Now we can build on this, possibly start working on your first album and LP!"

The Swords of Justice blinked in surprise, all of them studying Astraea's smile for some kind of hint of a joke. But nothing was forthcoming.

"Wait…so we actually might be successful?" asked Kaguya.

Astraea nodded. "Yes, I'd say your chances jumped a fair amount, but only if we keep up the pressure." She got her coffee and took a long drink of it. "That said, I do know that you have to head home, so do that first and then come back to the studio." She made sure to stare at Kaguya. "And make sure to tell your parents what's going on." Finally, her eyes alighted on Ryuu and Alise. "And I do mean everything.

A couple weeks later, Ryuu was in her childhood home. Her room mainly had been cleaned and converted into a guest room, which she really didn't mind. After all, she wasn't living here anymore, and her parents understood that. It's not that they weren't sentimental; they were also just practical people. Now, a couple mementos of Ryuu's previous life were still there, and she also knew that basically everything that had once belonged to her was also in storage at the moment. But still, just being back in her physical room was a refreshing moment. She fell back onto her old bed, now covered in beige sheets and a black duvet, and took a deep breath.

Ryuu had decided a while ago that she was going to tell her parents about her newfound sexuality. She just didn't know how to do it. She had been wrestling with the emotion the entire week leading up to the trip, but she still didn't know what to do.

There was a knock at the door.

"Ryuu, dear?" asked her mother. "Me and your father have something we want to talk to you about."

Ryuu opened the door to find her parents, but beautiful in their own way, standing outside nervously. The sight already set off some warning bells in Ryuu. She let them inside, where they took a seat on her bed.

"Perhaps you'd like to sit next to us?" asked Ryuu's mom, patting the spot beside her.

The girl nodded and joined them on the bed. Immediately, she felt her head fall onto her mother's shoulder. Her mother didn't seem to mind, though, and just stroked her daughter's hair. In front of Ryuu, her dad grabbed the chair from her old desk and wheeled it around.

"Listen, Ryuu, we just wanted to ask you about something that we saw," began her dad.

For a second, Ryuu was afraid her parents knew about the band. After all, they had seen Astraea, and their manager had mentioned that their videos had been uploaded to YouTube. Maybe she had been found there?

"It's about something we saw the night of your prom," continued her mom. "And we want to make this very clear, whatever happened, you are our daughter, and we love you."

Ryuu removed her head and looked between the two parents. Her dad sighed before he wheeled closer and took her hands.

"Listen, there's no judgement in this, and if you want to tell us that it was nothing and we can ignore it, that's fine." Her father stumbled for a second, and then he composed himself. "Ryuu, we saw you with Alise the night of your prom…when she kissed you."

Ryuu's entire almost shattered. Every part of her just about disintegrated onto the bed. Until she felt her mother's arms encircle her.

"Oh dear, I knew we shouldn't have confronted you," she turned back to her husband. "I told you! We should've done like how the website said and waited for her to come to us!"

Ryuu's dad frowned. "And what would have happened if my precious little girl got taken advantage of? You know that she's too innocent and naïve for her own good!"

"But look at her!"

Their arguing, surprisingly, lulled Ryuu back to her sense. So much so that she began to laugh. Her parents stopped arguing and turned to look at their daughter, who was losing her mind on the couch.

"What's so funny, Ryuu?" asked her mom.

"It's nothing!" said Ryuu. "I just…I don't know; I'm happy that you don't hate me?"

Ryuu's father gave his own laugh. And her mom stared at her husband.

"Now is not the time for that, dear!"

Ryuu's father stopped for the moment. "I'm sorry! It's just that…the absurdity of the thought! As if we would ever stop loving our little fairy princess!"

Ryuu blushed at the title while her dad leaned forward to press his lips to her forehead. Ryuu's mom rolled her eyes.

"Honestly, the two of you and your sense of humour." She looked at Ryuu while pointing at her husband. "You get this from his side."

Ryuu chuckled again but then looked between her parents. "But really… you're ok with me…liking other girls?"

Her father shrugged. "I mean, I'm not going to pretend that I understand everything, especially how you satisfy yourself with other women." Ryuu almost died of embarrassment then. "But I also know that it's your life." He smiled. "You're stubborn, and there's nothing we can do about that or this. All we can do is love and support you." Now he frowned. "But we do want you to be careful."

Ryuu tilted her head. "Be careful; what do you mean?"

Ryuu's mom stilled. "It's just…we saw those horror stories on the news. The things that people do to other people…just because of who they love." She grabbed Ryuu's torso, forcing her daughter's gaze onto her. "We just never want to see that happen to you." She looked away. "Fuck, this is coming out horribly."

"Say what you mean, mom," replied Ryuu.

Her dad sighed. "We hate this, but please just…be careful how you express this, alright?" Before Ryuu could respond, he slapped his forehead. "Wait, no, that's not what I wanted to say."

"We want you to be safe and happy," replied her mother. "Do you get what we're trying to say? Even if we're doing a horrible job of it."

Ryuu had no clue.

"I think so?" she replied. She also smiled. "But I also don't think there's too much for you to worry about. I'm still your daughter, which means I'm a little too busy for love."

"Oh," said Ryuu's mom after a minute. "So, you're not dating Alise?"

Ryuu pouted. "I don't know. I think we might be? Or we're at least attracted to each other?"

"I don't think I need to hear this part," said her dad. "If you want to have the talk, you can go right ahead, honey."

Ryuu's mom rolled her eyes before returning to her daughter. "Well, whatever happens, please just remember that there are a lot of awful people in the world. We'll support you, but we don't want you to get hurt."

Ryuu heard the unspoken part, 'or attract too much attention to yourself.' And as much as she loved Alise, the girl did attract attention. And she couldn't just blame her parents because Ryuu had had the same thoughts herself. She was stubborn and often took things too far, but she also took her time getting there. Between her possible rock career, school, and just trying to figure out this whole new side, she didn't know if she was ready for a relationship.

At some point, Ryuu's mom left, and she was alone. And Ryuu realized that she had forgotten to bring up her music career. She ran through the hallways, shouting for her parents.

In the end, while her parents didn't like it, they stuck to their principles. They loved and supported her daughter, even if they didn't always quite agree with or understand her choices. As always, Lyra's parents were pretty similar to Ryuu's. The only surprise was Kaguya's.

"Yeah, they hated it at the beginning," explained the Japanese girl. "But then I showed them the videos we posted online, and they saw how many views they were getting, and they got a lot more comfortable with it." She shrugged. "So, we struck a deal. As long as I keep doing my degree, and keep a high average, and that the music is relatively successful, they don't really care."

Finally, there was Alise, who cheerfully declared that her parents were all for it on the music. Later, she pulled Ryuu aside and explained that her parents already knew about their daughter being gay. Ryuu confessed the same. But then Ryuu said something that shattered both their hearts.

"I don't know if I'm ready for it, though," she said. "And I don't want to leave you waiting for it."

Alise agreed to her wishes, and they both returned to university and their music, but their hearts were hurting the whole time.

Track 7: These Boots Were Made for Walking

In that time between their first concert and their next, we don't really know what happened exactly; all we know for sure is that The Swords of Justice returned with a vengeance. They became the band we know and love today, and it was some of their greatest moments. However, what was really surprising was how much their lead guitarist, Ryuu Leon, grew in prominence. Her music, and the lyrics that came with it, became the stuff of legends. The pain and heartache was something palpable in her music. And the whole time, you knew that this was a young girl reaching out for help.

- Eina Tulle

After returning home, the girl's career was on a steady climb. Astraea said that it would only be a matter of time before their big breakthrough. Their first album did surprisingly well. It didn't break any charts, but it also didn't undersell. More importantly, it put the girls on the map. Ryuu and Lyra were in the middle of driving to a movie theatre when they heard one of their songs start blaring over the radio. The two had stopped on the side of the road, just basking in the sheer surrealness of it all. They had both possibly shed a tear. Then there was the time they had been invited for a live interview on an online talk show.

"So, a group of young girls making roll n roll music, you don't see that very often," their host had said. "Will you girls ever think of joining your peers in more familiar territory?"

Kaguya stole the mic from Alise. "Why would pop music be fucking familiar to us? We studied and grew up on rock, and as far as I know, that's where we plan on staying."

The host had spluttered. "Now listen here, young lady; we don't accept that language. Now, I suggest you compose yourself and act the way a young woman should."

"Munch on my rug," replied Kaguya. "Probably the most action you'll ever get."

Safe to say, Kaguya was never allowed to do any interviews ever again. But the rest of the technical crew and Astraea herself had laughed at the time.

Still, the venues continued to hire them, and they continued to play. Every once in a while, they'd return to the Hostess, and Ryuu would see Syr again, but that became a friendship more than anything. For the most part, though, their gigs got grander and grander. They started playing at concert halls and clubs. They played for people and audiences that could fill up minor stadiums. Alise was even invited to sing the national anthem at one point. And Ryuu thought it was the most beautiful thing she had ever heard.

Between all that, though, was the fan mail. Boys practically threw themselves at the band's feet. Girls screaming that they wanted to be just like Ryuu, Lyra, or Kaguya and Alise. Alise, especially, got a lot of attention. It's like she was born for the stage and everything around it. She always handled interviews perfectly and never seemed to get flustered like the rest of the girls. And then the big event happened.

It had been a totally average time on a small-time talk show. The questions were mostly for fun. It was a lot of, 'most like to be class clown?' (Alise), 'most likely to get arrested?' (Lyra) or even, 'least likely to end up alone?' (Surprisingly, they said Ryuu). But then the host had asked about their love lives.

"So, I know that this has gotten into some…situations in the past." Cue the look over at Kaguya. "But I have to ask what we all want to know, are there any boys that have caught your affections?"

"Nope," said Lyra, popping the p.

"Not yet," said Kaguya with a wink (she had gotten better).

"Um, not as such," said Ryuu, desperately avoiding eye contact with Alise.

"Actually, I'm into women," said Alise with no shame.

The host had blinked at the time and then looked for some sign from his producers. When he got none, he had just run a hand through his hair.

"Well…do you have a type?" he asked with an awkward laugh.

Alise had smiled coquettishly. "Well, I've always been a bit of an ass girl myself."

That got an uproarious amount of laughter from the audience and everyone else, and the night continued on as usual. Afterwards, though, each girl smacked Alise upside the head and told her to warn them next time.

"Well, at least I didn't say I was into girls with beautiful choppy green hair!" replied Alise.

Ryuu smacked her again.

They were at the studio now, and Ryuu studied her wrist sweatband. It was a familiar leaf-green, but it was begging to be changed. Ryuu just had no idea what colour to change it to.

"Oh hey, would you look at that, more hate mail," commented Kaguya off to the side. "It's for you, Alise!"

She tossed it over to the redhead, who lit it up with her lighter. This was the tenth one this week, but Alise didn't seem to care. Every once in a while, Ryuu would catch the singer staring her way, and the two would trade wistful looks. They would never see Lyra and Kaguya rolling their eyes at each other, though.

On this supposedly typical day, though, Astraea burst into the room. The woman was a flurry of movement, clapping her hands and sending out orders. Everyone jumped to respond. The only ones left in the lurch were the Swords of Justice.

"Um, sorry, but what's going on here?" asked Alise.

"We have a very special guest!" said Astraea. "And she's been dying to meet you! Let's stand at attention! Stop slouching, please Kaguya, and Lyra; try to tidy yourself up, please!" She looked over at the guitarist and singer duo. "And can you two contain your longing for just an hour and be professional, please?"

Ryuu spluttered as the others laughed. Finally, though, things were ready, and Astraea was happy. That's when a large man stepped through the doorway. He scoped out the room before nodding and ducking back outside. A woman followed him in. She had ash grey hair and different coloured eyes. Ryuu felt herself take a sharp breath.

Alfia had arrived.

The Queen of Punk looked the quartet up and down, moving between and around them. She lifted Alise's hair and let it drop.

"So, this is what I'll be working with, then?" She nodded. "Yes, this'll do." She turned to Astraea. "Have you told them what's happening?"

Astraea shook her head, a cheeky grin on her face. "No, I thought I would leave that honour to you, old friend."

Alfia nodded before turning back to the girls. "I will be going on tour soon, and I require an opening act. And I have chosen the Swords of Justice to be that opener."

The girls stood in stunned silence. Slowly, they all process the words. Before anyone could respond, though, Alfia held a gloved hand.

"There is one condition, though," she said. "You must create a song better than anything I have ever done before." She splayed out her fingers. "You have five weeks before the first concert, and I must approve your magnum opus of a song. You will perform at the Tower of Babel."

Ryuu's stomach just about exploded. The Tower of Babel was one of the most legendary entertainment venues in the world. The simple thought of performing there just about made her want to upchuck. Alfia didn't say anything else, though. She just turned around and left.

When she was gone, and after Astraea opened her mouth, Ryuu ran to the bathroom and let out her lunch. She came back to find everyone slowly losing their mind. They had no idea what to do or what to write.

"Make a better song than Alfia?" screamed Lyra, tearing her hair out. "How the flying fuck are we supposed to do that? I mean, it's Alfia!"

Kaguya sighed. "Guess it's time to move back in with my parents."

The only one who stood their ground was Alise.

"Well, let's get to it," she said, turning to her notebook.

The others stared in wonder as she scribbled down random notes. She looked up.

"This is it, this is the chance we've been waiting for. I'm done pretending to be a rock star; I want to actually be one," she said. "Now, are you going to chicken out like a bunch of shrivelled dicks, or are you going to help me?"

Kaguya bared her teeth. "I mean, if you're going to put it like that, it almost sounds spiteful." She joined Alise. "And I like being spiteful."

Lyra made a choking motion in Alise's direction. "You are the most inconsiderate, blockheaded band leader I have ever met!" She marched towards the sheet music. "Fuck you and your inspirational personality!"

Finally, Alise looked to Ryuu.

"I'd follow you anywhere," said Ryuu. "Not to mention, I have an idea."

That got everyone's attention.

Track 8: Paradise by the Dashboard Light

Did I know what I started when I invited those girls? Of course not! All I knew was that they seemed talented and that all around me, music was getting stale. Take a look at what came after the Swords of Justice. The Hyrute Sisters, Sword Princess, Berbera, and many other varied artists and bands. I was the first big female artist, but I was alone. When those girls showed up, they changed the game as a group. But I will take a bit of the credit.

- Alfia (Archived footage from before her passing)

This was it. Ryuu stared down at the finished song, giving it one more look over, and then she handed it to Astraea. The kind woman then sent it along to be digitized, reproduced, and forwarded to Alfia. Based on the woman's approval, they would then be on their way to the Tower of Babel. An hour after sending it, they got the email.

This will suffice – Alfia.

And like that, the hurricane struck. The girls were packing, getting extensions on assignments, saying farewell, and then off on their tour bus. Ryuu did her best to ignore her jitters, as did the rest of the girls. In fact, they were so preoccupied that Ryuu had failed to talk to Alise like she had been planning. Thankfully, her little package was ready.

They got to the hotel they were staying at, and Astraea handed out room cards. Ryuu would be sharing with Lyra, per usual. The two made their way to their room and sat down. They didn't bother unpacking, not wanting to take the risk that as soon as they unpacked, they'd be asked to leave.

"So, have you figured things out with Alise?" asked Lyra when they were eating room service.

Ryuu shook her head around a hamburger.

"No, and I know I should have," she replied.

Lyra nodded. "I mean, you two are supposed to sing a duet tomorrow. Might be nice to have all this fixed up before then."

Ryuu sighed.

Lyra was right, of course. But if all else failed, Ryuu had a backup plan tucked away in her side pocket. When she went to look for it, though, it wasn't there.

"Shit!" she said, flying to her luggage. "shit shit shit!"

Lyra watched nonchalantly. "What's got your panties twisted?"

"I can't find my sweatband!" replied Ryuu. "And I need it!"

Lyra shrugged. "Get a new one then."

"No! I need this one! It's special!" replied Ryuu. She then explained why it was special.

Lyra hopped off the bed, and despite being so diminutive, she towered over her friend.

"You've got a special power for being so goddamn fucking special, you know that, right?" said Lyra, hands on her hips with the power of God. "I swear to fuck Ryuu, I have never met a girl as fucking nuts and overly stubborn about this bullshit than you."

Ryuu cowered, ready to give up.

"Well, where did you last see the fucking sweatband?"

Ryuu smiled, and Lyra told her to hurry up before her goodwill ran out. The two girls then dashed down to the lobby. That was when they met the fans. One of whom was Alfia herself, escorting a little boy. When she spotted the lead guitarist, she waved Ryuu over. Lyra promised to keep on looking.

Alfia, who had a rare smile on her face, patted the boy on the back, ushering him forward. She then looked up to Ryuu and gave her a terrifying warning glare.

"Ryuu, this is my nephew, Bell," said Alfia. "He's actually quite a fan of yours, and I was hoping you'd be able to sign his poster."

Ryuu nodded, trying to plaster on a convincing smile. She asked for the poster and the pen Bell was carrying.

"So, anything you want me to write?" she asked.

Ryuu looked at Bell and found that he must not have been that much younger than her. Probably in his junior year of high school, if she had to guess. He had a head of snowy white hair and ruby red eyes.

"Um…no?" replied Bell. "You can just sign your name if you want?"

Ryuu unrolled the poster and groaned internally. A very unflattering shot of her had her in a classic rock pose. Apparently, everyone else loved it, especially Alise, but that was beside the point.

"So, no special message?" asked Ryuu again.

Bell shook his head, but the glare Alfia gave her suggested that a particular message better be put down. So, Ryuu wrote up some random bullshit about following one's dreams and handed the poster back. That was when she noticed what Bell was wearing.

"Where'd you get that?" she asked with intensity.

Bell was wearing her sweatband. The special one she had ordered.

"Oh," said Bell, scratching the back of his neck. "I found it on the ground. I guess I wanted to look like you a bit?"

Ryuu understood that that was probably very hard for a young boy to admit, wanting to look like his female idol. But Ryuu was only dimly aware of that.

"I'm really sorry about this, but that's actually my sweatband. It fell out of the bag when we were checking in. Can I have it back, please?" asked Ryuu.

She was aware that she was possibly ruining everything, but she really didn't have the time. If Alfia wasn't standing there herself, she was just about to rip it off the boy's wrist. Bell looked hesitant to give it up.

"Ok, how about this?" she asked. "What if I give you my old one?" She slipped the leaf green one off her wrist. "I've worn this to every concert I've ever done."

Bell willingly made the trade. He also seemed quite excited about it. Ryuu itched to leave, but she made sure to be polite and bid farewell. Then, she ran off to find Lyra and explain the situation. The two ran off to their room, mission accomplished and got ready for tomorrow's concert.

The next day, everyone's nerves were high, except Ryuu's. That is, she was nervous, but not about the concert. Part of her fretted that Alise had found someone else and had thus made Ryuu useless. Another part of her worried that it was too late and that Alise just wouldn't care anymore. So, standing backstage, while the sound crew did their last checks and the people filed in, Ryuu almost gave up. She was looking for a hiding spot when Alise practically ran into her.

"Oh! Ryuu!" said Alise, wearing a black skort and red flannel shirt. "What are you doing here?"

In response, Ryuu held up her wrist. She was wearing a rainbow-coloured sweatband. She had closed her eyes at the moment, but when she heard nothing in response, she opened them to find Alise with a dumb but cute look on her face.

"Don't quite get what that's supposed to mean," said Alise. "Am I supposed to recognize it?"

"It's the pride flag," mumbled Ryuu, looking at the floor. "It means that… I'm ready." She looked up and swallowed her nerves. "If you'll have me?"

Alise's face split into the largest smile, but before she could say anything, Kaguya and Lyra found them.

"Save your lesbian lovefest for later! We have a performance to do!" shouted Kaguya.

The last preparations were made, and the girls shared a final round of 'I love you dumb bitches.' Then, they went out onto the stage.

The light was blinding, and the noise was deafening. Ryuu raised a hand to her forehead, trying to shield herself, but then Alise was there. She gave Ryuu's hand a gentle squeeze.

"Come on, let's rock the fucking roof off this place!" she shouted.

Alise ran forward and stopped near the front of the stage. She leaned out and waved to the audience. Ryuu felt herself relax at the girl's antics.

"Hello, Orario!" shouted Alise into the mic. A roar responded. "We are the Swords of Justice! And we're here because Alfia dared us to be better than her!"

At the drums, Lyra lost her composure and laughed. Kaguya did the same, and Ryuu smiled. Only Alise could be so flippant.

"Now, shut the fuck up and listen to our new bomb ass song written by the lovely Ryuu!" screamed Alise, pointing in Ryuu's direction.

A chorus of voices rose.

"We love you, Ryuu!" they shouted.

To answer them, Ryuu shredded the opening notes. The quartet took the lead, with their backing band right behind them.

As usual, Alise sang her part like a bolt of lightning. Striking continuously, never letting up, she exploded into a supernova, and everyone was caught up in her brilliance. So much so that Ryuu almost missed her cue.

Ryuu leaned toward her mic and started singing. Like a gale-force wind, she challenged Alise, and the two of them danced back and forth. And the crowd ate it up. The Swords of Justice became a living, breathing thing then. Beyond band members, they came together like magnets held apart for too long. The music exploded outward, infecting the audience and crew.

Ryuu let her guitar fall to her waist at the end of the first song. Thank God for the strap that stopped it from hitting the ground.

But Ryuu didn't notice any of that. One song in, and Ryuu was tone-deaf to the rest of the world. There was a singular light in front of her, and she marched to it. She grabbed it by the shoulders and crashed their lips together. Alise practically melted, and the audience lost their shit. For the next minute, the two of them made out in front of an audience of tens of thousands, not to mention everyone watching at home. Then, they pulled back, and Alise's knees buckled. Ryuu laughed, straightened her up, and told her to start the next song. As Ryuu left, she felt a quick tap on her bum. When she turned to look, Alise just winked.

That night went down in history. Not just for the moment of love between two girls, or even the whole band, or even for the music, but because it represented everything that those girls stood for. It was joy, in its purest form.

But what goes up must come down.

I wrote a thing, Side B to come later