This chapter was revised on 2/9/22, with a little bulking out of part of the third-to-last scene to give a very little foreshadowing for later plot. Also corrected a couple minor punctuation things here and there
Asuka had spent all her life trying to anticipate the worst before it actually happened, and so it wasn't a surprise when she felt a sense of something bad from the noise that was drifting from the cafeteria. She was hungry though, and they had all woken up too late to get there before most of the school did, and so she did not tell the others to turn back and she did not turn back herself. We'll just get something packaged, then turn back and eat outside, that'll be fine. They'd done things like that often enough. But the moment they came through the door, there was a hush and suddenly it felt like almost everyone was looking at them. Asuka stiffened, and felt her group draw closer to her as she looked around.
"You can't be in here."
A girl-Asuka though she may have been a senior-got up and walked right up to them, followed by a group of various other students.
"Who says?" Michii challenged, getting into the face of a male member of the group.
"We all say, all of us," The leader said. "We don't want your kind in here."
Your kind….
"And what kind is that?" Asuka asked, trying to not let her voice tremble.
"Oh, don't deny it!" The girl yelled suddenly. "We all know the truth! What you are! It explains everything! We'll be complaining to the school and we'll have you out by the end of the day!"
"On what basis?" Yuu asked, squeezing Asuka's hand briefly.
"Alright, fine, we'll say it, right?" another member said. "Though we all already know-you're mirror sisters. "
Gasps went out around the cafeteria and there was furious chatter:
"No way, is that really true?"
"It is, didn't you see?"
"But why'd the school let them in-"
"-must have lied to get in-"
"it's them, their fault, that's why all this-"
"get them out, get them out-"
The whispers built up and whirled, and as they knocked at her defences Asuka looked at her friends, who gazed at her, eyes wide with horror and surprise. We can't react, not yet. We need to be careful now. The reactions that everyone was having, they weren't anything that any of them hadn't heard before. But Asuka hadn't expected that she would ever hear it from anyone in this school.
"How…how did you know…?"
To her surprise, the leader threw a sheaf of papers at her. Asuka scrambled to pick them up, some of them dropping on the floor. Yuu and Sasi knelt down to help her gather them up.
"These are our school records." Sasi told her quietly as they crouched.
"Our school records…"
Still kneeling, Asuka slowly turned over one of the sheets and saw a photocopied version of her own school records staring at her, lines from the section about her circumstances highlighted painstakingly in light blue to make sure that her eyes were immediately drawn to it. Quietly, she scanned the words before then looking up at the group. The leader sneered down at them and opened her mouth to say something but that was it. The lines of blue felt like they were imprinted across her mind, blurring out everything else. Asuka lunged up, aiming her fist squarely at the leader girl's face. She staggered backwards into some of the other students and wiped fist against her mouth, staring at the blood on it before shrieking and lunging back at Asuka:
"People like you…you should have been killed at birth, as they did in the old days."
The leader landed a punch right in Asuka's middle and though she was winded for a moment, she wasn't about to not fight back so as soon as she got her breath back she did just that, and soon they were brawling, doling out kicks and punches relentlessly. Asuka could hear her friends fighting with other students, and knew from the shrieks that Niwa had resorted to biting, but she didn't know what else was happening, what anyone else was doing. All she saw was those bright blue lines, underlining her doom. All she knew was that they had been found out, that it was all over, and she couldn't go out without a fight, she could not-
"Hey!"
Feeling herself being lifted up by a pair of string arms, Asuka struggled and kicked but soon found herself held with her feet a little bit above the ground, restrained. The struggle tired her and after a few moments she gave in. Her vision clearing, she saw that Yuu and Michii were being held in a similar way by Sado, while Lucy had opted to just fling an extremely red-faced Niwa over her shoulder as though she was a cat or a sack of flour. Some other students were holding back the larger group, but Tricker was standing next to Sasi and apart from having his hands on her shoulders didn't particularly seem to be holding her back, though she was poised with a broken chair leg in her hands, ready. Sainty was the only one still standing freely, though now Will and Hiraga were standing either side of her. The cacophony lowered slightly to another furious buzz, and eventually she was lowered. Whipping around, Asuka saw that it was Quiet and glared at him before turning back around.
"Okay, now can someone explain what's going on?" Lucy demanded as Niwa tried to wriggle free.
"They're mirror sisters!" someone yelled from across the room. "All six of them, they're mirror sisters!"
"You are?" Sado asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes, yes we are." Sainty spat. "You weren't supposed to know but someone's printed out our school records and shared them to everyone, apparently."
"Oh, don't act the victims here!" another person yelled. "You're the ones who are the dark ones, bringing misfortune wherever you go!"
"You're a damn menace, you all are! We've always thought that you were no good and now we know the truth!"
"Yeah, exactly! Likes of you don't have the right to be here at Kawaakari Academy!"
More than a few people agreed with this, starting again with promises and threats to get the six of them kicked out for good when suddenly:
"Why don't they?"
The way the room almost immediately went silent and everyone stared at Tricker startled Asuka, but what was more surprising was the apparent sincerity in his question. Certainly, he didn't sneer or snigger or smile, just stared, electric gaze unflinching.
"What the hell sort of stupid question is that? You know what mirror sisters are, don't you?"
"I do. But still, why don't they have the right to be here? It is not as if it's their fault, is it?"
This resulted in another confused silence during which Tricker continued to stare, only diverting his attention slightly when Sasi twisted to look at him.
"I don't get it." the leader eventually said.
"It is not as if they could help being born as one of a pair of twin sisters, is it? Or even being born at all."
After this pronouncement, there was another explosion of chatter and Tricker's mouth thinned in a line as he stepped back, putting his hands in his pocket and suddenly staring at nothing. Whatever horrible words were whirling around now, Asuka could barely hear them as now these new ones took up space. It is not as if it's their fault…She was bruised all over and she was fairly sure her mouth was bleeding, but if it wasn't for that she wouldn't have believed she'd ever heard such words.
"Yeah, well, that doesn't change that-"
"The boy is right."
Ruby Reiko's voice rang out from the middle of the room and silenced them once again. Asuka pushed forward to see that Ruby was now climbing on the table, with Aerin joining her. Most of the other VYPERs who were sitting at the other end of the table came over to sit on the seats directly below where Ruby and Aerin were standing, or simply stood by them. Ani transformed fully into her dragon form, her tail knocking plates everywhere as she flew up and landed clumsily on the table. Then, finally, as Ruby shook out her ponytails and let them transform slowly from curled locks to pangolin scales and Aerin smiled viciously to reveal sharpened fangs and a forked tongue, the freshman VYPER clambered up unsteadily, his tail peering out from under his shirt. Aerin's smile softened slightly for a brief moment as she helped him up and then hooked an arm around him and pulled him close. But once he was up on the table with them, the smile that had softened regained all its spikes as Aerin stared them all down, lofty and proud.
"You know," she started. "There's a lot of what we've been hearing that's all too familiar to us. Right, Ruby?"
"No good, cursed, a blight upon the world." Ruby intoned while nodding.
There was something in the up-and-down of her voice that was almost song-like, a chant. And it only felt more like that when Nysa and Asu, sitting directly below her, said:
"Scary, don't want to be near them, people like you…"
"You are unnatural, "Aerin completed the sentence, "a shame to your parents, should have been given up for adoption."
"Oh, but who'd adopt someone like that and invite such misfortune into their own home?" Ani hissed, burning-cold. "Who would dare to risk it? No, the old days had it right or so they say."
"Inhuman, terrifying, weird." Ruby continued. "A sure sign that you are dark."
"Evil, no good, disgusting." Xeiv and Mimi said.
"A freak." Samu whispered.
And this, apparently, was where the chant ended as the VYPERs fell silent. A moment or so passed as they just stared out with their serpentine eyes bright and their scales flashing under the cold morning light from the windows, Ruby in particular apparently looking for reactions. Samu's soft, mournful whisper seemed to resonate out into the silence, the pain of it and all the other ringing words lingering and apparently preventing anyone from saying a word. Finally, when Ruby was apparently satisfied, she turned her gaze to meet Asuka's directly.
"All these things, they are just some of the things I have heard in here right now….but they are also things that have been said to us. Nobody here has ever said those things to our faces here, because I'd know if you had. But I am sure that some of you have thought it-"
"Ruby, that's not-"someone called.
"Oh, it is. Do you think that just because I am famous that I have never experienced anything like that? Why do you think that, as soon as I found out that there would be other reptile students like me, I gathered them together? But this is not about that. This is not about that at all…what this is about is this: we are the same. Asuka-kouhai, we see it now…you and your friends…we are the same. It's in a different way, we know this, but we are the same and I am sorry it took Tricker-kouhai's words for us to realise that. But now, we'll stand for you. Every last one of us, we will stand for you and your friends, Asuka-kouhai. Understood?"
"I…."
Asuka turned to her friends, who (with the exception of Niwa) had now been released and were standing, rumpled and battered. But still, standing. The students who'd come to intervene in the brawl had stepped back and clustered together a little way away, though Tricker and Quiet were not amongst them anymore. Deciding that was something to wonder about later, she turned back just as Aerin began to speak again. Her voice sounded almost regal as she spoke, the type of voice that demanded people listen. Almost the voice that a Goddess, or possibly even a Lesser God, would have had. There was something otherworldly about the sight of them standing on the table gazing down on them despite their school uniforms. The entire scenario felt like it was from another world, and it wasn't one that Asuka knew.
How was she supposed to know what to say to something like this? How to react?
"And know this. Know this," Aerin was saying. "If you want to drive them out of the school, then you will be driving us out too. If that is what you truly want and believe, well, we'll just have to leave too. Though, we do love it here and don't want to do that. "
"But there's nothing wrong with you," the leader who had started this all spluttered. "There is-"
"Were you not listening?" Ruby interrupted coldly. "What did we say?"
"That is….I….erm."
"We'll say it once more, and then we won't say it again. We are the same, them and us, understood? You go against them, you go against us."
"What on earth is going on?"
Everyone scattered as the doors opened again, and Professors Arianna and Ceiraii burst in, alongside Headmaster Cher. Asuka edged towards her friends again as the Headmaster stepped forward, eyes on the scattered papers on the ground as he then knelt and gathered some up. He frowned at the highlighted words and then looked over at Asuka and her injuries, Sasi and the broken chair leg in her hands, Niwa still flung over Lucy's shoulder. His mouth flattened into a grim line and his eyes narrowed further as he got up carefully
"Lucy, kindly let go of Niwa now. She and her friends will be coming with me. As for the rest of you…get this tidied up."
"Sir, they attacked us! They need to be expelled!" someone shouted out.
"Yes, yes, get rid of them!"
"You provoked them!" Ruby yelled over the resulting cacophony. "You taunted them, what did you expect? If it had been us we would have acted the same, and the only difference would be that it'd have been so much worse for you."
"ENOUGH!"
Headmaster Cher's eyes flashed, and Professor Arianna looked similarly angry.
"Professor Arianna, I trust you can handle things here alongside Professor Ceiraii while I deal with the girls?"
"Oh, I'll be glad to."
Poised for attack again, Asuka noticed something pass between them, a silent agreement of some sort. Professor Arianna noticed Asuka glancing at her and to her surprise nodded at her before turning to the crowd and clapping.
"Alright, alright, show's over. Let's get this cleaned up…oh, and you lot, get off the table. You know that full transformations aren't allowed at mealtimes, Ani…"
With that, there was no other choice but to be led away by Headmaster Cher to what Asuka was sure was the end.
…
When Asuka actually arrived at the Headmaster and Headmistress's offices though, she found herself wrong-footed once again. Almost immediately as Headmaster Cher had opened the door, Headmistress Hades had stood up and walked over, beckoning them all in and making them sit down at the chairs that had been pulled up before passing a first-aid box to Headmaster Cher and taking one herself.
"Right, let's check those injuries…Sasi, you can put that chair leg down…let me see your hands, have you got any splinters?"
Sasi hesitated a moment, then obeyed and held her hands out. Headmistress Hades inspected them and then nodded curtly before moving onto checking Sasi's other various injuries. Headmaster Cher was doing the same for Michii and Sainty. Asuka was sitting on a chair at the end of the row so she figured that she would be last to be tended, but to her surprise when Headmistress Hades finished with Sasi she came to kneel in front of her instead.
"Okay, tilt your head back a bit, I need to see that cut lip….yes, a cold press should do the trick for that. How are the bruises?"
"I've had worse." Asuka said stiffly
She tried not to flinch as Headmistress Hades's fingers carefully prodded her face, but she must not have been successful as suddenly the woman leant back and scrutinised Asuka, her eyes giving nothing away. I…what is she thinking? What's going to happen to us now? As she thought these things, Headmistress Hades nodded slightly and got up, smoothing her skirts down.
"I'm sure you have, yes. Cher, I'm going into the back to get something for Asuka's lip, okay?"
"Yes, of course." Headmaster Cher said as he moved onto help Niwa.
"I don't need anything!" Niwa squawked almost immediately. "Leave me alone!"
She scrambled up into a ball, shrinking back into the armchair. Asuka flinched, but to her surprise Headmaster Cher did not get angry but instead tipped his head back and laughed.
"Goodness, you are a lot like she was at the end of the war, you really are. No wonder she's completely vexed by you."
"Who is?" Sasi asked.
How can you be curious about that now? Asuka wanted to scream as Headmaster Cher continued to smile.
"Why, Professor Nyamai of course."
"I….I'm like Professor Nyamai?" Niwa asked, clearly sceptical.
"Yes, yes you are. But even she knows that if she's roughed up, she has to get herself sorted. And you've managed to acquire yourself some nasty scrapes there."
"Headmaster, with all due respect…"Yuu paused, took a breath. "If you're going to expel us please just do it now and cut the crap."
Asuka was about to silently thank Yuu when she saw that Headmaster Cher's smile had dropped away and his forehead furrowed. Slow and deliberate, he put the bandages and comfrey poultice down and leant back as he regarded them all. They all exchanged nervous glances with each other, and then Sasi reached back for the broken chair leg while Sainty went for the dagger she always carried.
"There's no need for that," Headmistress Hades' voice rang out. "You're not getting expelled."
Asuka sat up straight.
"But-"
"You will not be getting kicked out, so remove that thought from your minds immediately. We only sought to bring you here before anybody else in order to remove you from what was a very charged situation. Now, let us tend to you and then we will talk."
Headmistress Hades strode over briskly and came to stand by Headmaster Cher's side, holding out the cold press. Asuka stared at it.
"Asuka?" Niwa asked in a small voice.
Once again, it felt like she had stumbled into a completely different world, stranded without a map. What was this? What was any of this? First Tricker, and then the VYPERs, and now this? It surely had to be some kind of trick and yet no matter how she looked, she couldn't see it. Couldn't figure out what the trick was.
Bide your time, wait and see. It'll come out sooner or later. Since we've been exposed, it is not as if they're going to want to make a show of being nice for long. So with that thought, she nodded to indicate that they should at least cooperate with the Headmaster and Headmistress's ministrations, and to signal this she finally took the cold press and put it to her lip. Moments went by without further words or protest as they were checked over and treated as needed. Things only got weirder when Headmaster Cher looked in a desk drawer and bought out a box of buns and offered them around. It was only when they'd all taken one that finally, finally, the Headmistress and Headmaster went to sit at their desks. Asuka bit into her bun hesitantly. A part of her mind registered it as tasting good, but it did not feel like she was experiencing the taste. Not fully. No, it felt more as if she was imagining a taste that someone else was describing to her, while she stood far away from them on a hill, straining to hear. She couldn't make sense of it and after a few moments she gave up on eating and just held it in her hands, waiting.
"The first thing we need to do is apologise to you."
Asuka almost dropped the bun when Headmaster Cher started to speak and probably would have if Headmistress Hades had not immediately continued:
"Yes, we do. None of what happened there in the cafeteria should have happened at all."
"All student records, regardless of their backgrounds, are supposed to be confidential," Headmaster Cher said. "We had a break-in in the offices earlier in the morning, and we believe it was another student though until we were informed of the situation in the canteen we were unsure as to the motive. Regardless, it shouldn't have happened and we are sorry for that."
"We are also sorry that now your situation is out in the open." Headmistress Hades continued. "But you are still welcome here. We encouraged your applications here as we knew that you would have the hardest time getting the support to do so, even above other Wards at your orphanage, and you had the skills and potential to justify the effort. And you've proven our justifications correct over and over."
"Isn't it going to cause inconvenience though," Michii asked. "People will be up in arms about you having knowingly invited us, right? Wouldn't you just want to expel us to avoid the disrepute?"
"Just like all your other schools? Please," Headmistress Hades snorted. "Do you think we have held such ignorant beliefs all this time?"
"I…"
The Headmistress and Headmaster exchanged a look, and then Headmistress Hades looked back at them, the regret written so plainly over her face that Asuka had to look away for a brief moment.
"It's a failing of ours that the six of you look so surprised at that, I suppose."
"You've never said anything." Sasi murmured, low and angry.
"The superstition of mirror sisters and what they are supposed to cause has existed since the Forgotten Goddess was first sealed away by Goddess Akari," Headmaster Cher explained. "Three hundred years is but a blink in comparison to that, certainly not enough strength to unseat something that ingrained across a whole land. You are not the first known mirror sisters that we have had in this school, and it is more than likely that out of all the female students we've had who've been adopted, quite a number of them were probably mirror sisters who had been 'purified' by their adoption.
"Nonetheless, this is the first time we've had a whole group of you in the same grade let alone in the same cohort. And while discretion has worked well with those previous students clearly something has failed here. Now, you've got no choice but to have your background known and…well. This world we live in, it's not going to be easy. But we will not condone any mistreatment towards you."
"Professor Arianna is already delivering the appropriate sanctions to the students who provoked you in the cafeteria, and she'll have some choice words for everyone else on the matter. She is definitely the most placed of us all to be able to deal with them." Headmistress Hades added.
"…why?"
"We do not believe, and have never believed, that the inherent nature of twin sisters is such that one will always be light and one will always be dark. And we have always tried to make sure that with our mirror sister students that they have had the chances to make something of themselves. However…have any of you heard of 'self-fulfilling prophecies'?"
"I….no?" Asuka stammered.
"Some kind of Ancient Magic?" Sainty asked.
"In a manner of speaking but at the same time not so," Headmaster Cher picked up the thread of conversation again. "We all know that words can have power, especially when wielded in a particular way in a particular setting for a particular purpose, yes?"
Is this a telling-off or a history lesson?! Asuka wondered. Headmaster Cher waited for them to respond in some way, and once Asuka had reluctantly nodded, he continued.
"It is the same if you decide that someone is a particular kind of person and that they can only be one particular thing. If you keep saying it and saying it, if you make sure that those words are the only ones that they hear, so that those words burrow into their skin and deep into their hearts and minds. If you make sure that they themselves believe those words then…whatever the inherent truth of them, in the end that person will become what they were told that they were. And the so-called prophets of that fate will point at these people and the way that they have become and gloat-ah, yes, we were right all along. And they think that their power was in having that knowledge, but more fool them. Their power was in making those words a reality…though, that too is quite a power in itself. I think there is a part of you that knows what I mean even if right now you don't think that you do."
"Of course we don't understand!" Asuka burst out. "This is…I…I don't…I just…"
"What does this mean for us?" Yuu spoke up. "You said that you are not kicking us out but…"
"That is still true. Although you certainly run us ragged at times, you've been doing very well. We're glad to have you here and we'll do everything we can to ensure that you can stay here until you graduate and come of age, and that you'll have lives to go to after this. There is…much that we have failed in and still are, but this much we can try to do. Yes, Hades?"
Headmistress Hades nodded at Headmaster Cher and the two of them looked at each other for a long time, different emotions flickering in their eyes as if there was a silent conversation going on between them. Then, Headmistress Hades turned:
"In return, we're going to have to ask you to do something."
"W-what is that? Detention?" Michii asked.
"Well…you did damage school property, yes, but we shall sort that out in a moment. I mean for the future ahead, the time you still have left. I know that it's going to be rocky, navigating with your mirror sister status exposed like it has been. But this is a chance for you to change your own self-fulfilling prophecies. After all, I understand that some voices spoke up for you today?"
"I…"
"Yes," Sasi spoke up. "Yes, they did."
Headmistress Hades smiled at that.
"You in particular are very lucky, Sasi, aren't you? Niwa, too."
"Mhm."
Asuka gawped at Sasi's easy, accepting agreement. Niwa's squawk and impressive pout felt a lot more like familiar ground, but not enough for her as the headmistress continued:
"But nonetheless, it seems that overall this cohort is quite special, and that goes for the six of you too. The things you've been told before…that does not have to be what you become. Listen to our voices, listen to the voices of those who will speak up for you. I know it won't be easy to believe them all but you need to remember that you are not tainted, or cursed, or guaranteed to bring darkness. It is not birth-right that determines wrongdoing or worth but actions. Listen to us, listen to the people who want to be your friends or your lovers or your allies. Make amends with those amongst those people who you've hurt, because you cannot deny that you have done that, whatever your reasons. We will help pave the way as much as we can while you are here, but the rest now is down to you and what you choose to listen to. Now you know that there are different beliefs, there's no excuse."
"But…but what of after? You said that all you can do is change things here?" Asuka asked.
Once again, the headmaster and headmistress had an odd silent conversation before Headmaster Cher chose to answer.
"As I said, you and your cohort are special. Such a deep-seated superstition…I think it will take almost as long as it has existed for any true unseating to take place. However…maybe, just maybe, it will start now. So...what do you say?"
We're…we're not dark? They believe we're not dark? That we can actually have a life and that we deserve it? That is…she had always wanted something like that, but each and every time she had thought it for herself in particular she had quashed it down. And yet, she'd wanted happiness for her friends, hadn't she? Despite her misgivings over the connections Niwa and Sasi had formed she'd let them have it, but she hadn't dreamed and they certainly hadn't dreamed that it could ever endure in the face of the truth. But if it really, truly could…if one day she could find something like that, perhaps build a family like the one she'd never had. If Yuu could become a famous romance author, if Sainty could go travelling and Michii work for someone like Ruby then she had to say yes, didn't she? She just had to.
So she opened her mouth to say that she agreed…
…and then, to her surprise, she burst into tears.
…
Mercifully, it did not take too long for it to be determined that they would have detention tonight to help fix any of the chairs and other property that could be fixed, and then they'd have extra cleaning duty after school for the rest of the week. Asuka could see that this was probably fair enough, but she was mostly glad that their lives as they knew it weren't over. Or that they were, but not in the way that she had expected, even if there was a part of her wondering if it was all some weird dream. That she'd wake up, and then the first half of the morning would play out as it had done except without anyone defending them and the whole thing ended with their meagre possessions packed and the humiliating march out.
She had a feeling that particular fear would take a while to leave her. Especially since as the six of them walked, whispers followed them, students edging towards walls and turning back the way they came just to avoid them all. At one point, it seemed as if one group of third years were about to say something to them, but at that precise moment Ani walked by and glared daggers at that group and they slunk away before Ani then gave them a nod and continued on her way.
"Let's sit outside," Yuu suggested. "It's not long until our next lesson anyway and at least outside is…well, outside."
It was as good a plan as any, and Asuka had none of her own and didn't quite trust herself to speak yet, not after the embarrassment of having burst into tears. So she just nodded, and so they headed out onto the grounds. But just as they headed to a bench, she heard someone calling out and running over.
"Niwa, Niwa!"
Koda came skidding to a halt in front of them, and Niwa turned to stare at him.
"What?" she scowled.
"I…sorry, I was looking for you, I wasn't sure if you were still with the Headmaster and Headmistress. A bunch of us helped with the clear-up too, though apparently you're going to try and mend some of the chairs and stuff?"
"Apparently." Niwa said slowly, crossing her arms.
"What is it to you, anyway?" Asuka said, immediately going into protective mode.
Koda puffed his cheeks out and let out a breath. After giving Asuka and the other girls a wary look, he returned his attention to Niwa.
"Well, I mean, I wanted to say it myself now, to you-I don't care about all that crap back there, okay? You're still my friend!"
Niwa frowned at Koda.
"You didn't say anything back then."
"I was shocked!" Koda protested. "You can't just dump such big information on me and expect me to process it immediately!"
"…we were not the ones who did the dumping." Sasi reminded him, voice low and dangerous.
"Well, no, but you know what I mean, like?" Koda retorted. "It's still shocking news and I was shocked, okay! But that doesn't mean anything's changed! You're still an annoying little goblin with savage teeth who can't throw to save her life! And you're still my friend, okay, Niwa?"
"Really!"
"Yes, really! Gosh, what do you want me to do, write it in the sky?"
When Niwa just stared, Koda shook his head and closed his eyes briefly.
"You really are going to be a twit and make me keep saying it, aren't you? Fine. You're still my friend, Niwa Ward, still my friend!"
Niwa stared for a moment longer, and then:
"UWWWAAAAAAAAAAA!"
Niwa started to blub incredibly loudly and fat tears spilled out of her eyes as she tackled Koda in what Asuka assumed was meant to be a hug but ended up knocking him to the ground. And she continued wailing.
"Gaaah, Niwa!" Koda protested. "That hurt! And you're getting me all snotty!"
"G-good," Niwa snuffled thickly. "Get snotty! I was scared! It wasn't nice!"
Niwa then continued blubbing loudly, attracting more than a few stares as Asuka and her friends just stared. Koda, for his part, seemed utterly defeated, and eventually started to pat Niwa's back awkwardly, cheeks slightly pink as he just looked up at the sky. Moments went by and Niwa's blubbing started to quieten, but she made no move to get up.
"Um, Niwa?" Koda eventually said. "I'd like to be able to breathe now, thanks."
Niwa showed no sign of having heard, so Sainty sighed and shook her head before stepping over and lifting Niwa up by the back of her raincoat as though she were a kitten.
"HEEEEEYYYYY!"
Niwa's limbs flailed as Sainty held her in the air, apparently undaunted. Then, she wouldn't be, would she, Asuka thought with amusement, this happens all the time, doesn't it? Koda got up, and Asuka watched as Yuu handed him a tissue from a packet she'd found in her pocket. The smaller boy wiped his shoulder clean and then tossed the tissue into a nearby bin, his aim perfect. He then reached into his own pocket and pulled out a melon bread in a packet.
"It's kinda squashed now, but here, if you want it."
Niwa flailed and squawked again, and Sainty held her in the air for a couple more seconds before then letting her down. Immediately, Niwa grabbed for the bread and ripped the packet open, tearing into the bread ferociously. Koda grinned and then pulled out a packet of his own, opening and eating it with just a tiny bit more restraint. The two of them sat cross legged on the ground by the bench, and as they munched they immediately began to chat in the same nonsensical way they usually did.
And finally, Asuka was able to smile.
…
Starri linked arms with Getsu and Gin as they walked down the corridor to meet some of the others.
"How was it? Your lesson?" she asked cheerily.
"Ah, mostly okay. Professor Arianna wanted to make sure that we were all clear on the mirror sisters thing." Gin said.
"Yeah, I think she feels more strongly about it than anyone else." Getsu added.
"Mmm," Starri agreed. "I got that sense too. I wonder why that is."
"Who knows? But you know, now I'm thinking about it, it explains why none of those girls seem to be able to stand us. Us two, I mean." Gin mused.
"Oh, yeah, it must be hard, right?" Starri said. "Despite knowing what could happen, in the end sisters are still sisters, right? On some level deep down they must miss them, whoever those sisters are. It's kind of sad really."
"Yeah. But honestly apart from that it feels like a mercifully ordinary day. Most of them have been recently-ah, hold on, I need to adjust my shoelaces, they're loosening."
Starri unhooked their arms from hers and stepped back. While Getsu fixed his shoelaces Gin took out his phone and started to scroll through it and Starri just waited. Across from them, another classroom opened and students streamed out, including Wren, Will and Tate. Starri smiled and began to wave when something made her pause and turn back.
"Getsu?"
Getsu had suddenly gone pale and when he straightened he wobbled, reaching one hand out to the wall to steady himself.
"Getsu?" Starri asked again. "Are you okay?"
"I…"
But before he could finish, his eyes rolled back in his head and he dropped to the ground. Starri screamed and tried to catch him, staggering under the weight as she heard the sound of a phone dropping and looked over to see that Gin had crumpled to the ground.
And from the shouts and screams that rose up all around her, she realised that they weren't the only ones.
…
Sasi was surprised when Tricker led her to the Portal of Otohime pool and then walked past it. It was the first time that she hadn't phoned to tell Asuka that she'd arrived-sort of. Tricker had wanted the final destination to be a surprise, so he'd messaged Asuka the actual details but Sasi had simply been given where to meet before they made their way there and had simply told Asuka when she'd gotten to that place. She'd been surprised by how easily Asuka had accepted this, more surprised when she'd insisted on Sasi still going despite what had just happened to Niwa. And now there was this, the actual surprise.
All of which was to say that she had no idea what was going to happen. But this time, she had no reason to believe that she should be afraid. And so, she wasn't.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"We need to go behind the waterfall."
"Behi-"
But before she could finish, Tricker had clambered up onto the rocks beside the waterfall and then disappeared behind them. Immediately, she rushed over and attempted to clamber over, slipping slightly but eventually managing to haul herself over. She sat atop the rocks and looked down, and realised the drop down was a little lower than she had imagined, leading onto what looked like a rough path, framed by a rock face on one side and the waterfall itself on the other. Tricker was standing there, looking up.
"You need help?"
On an impulse, Sasi decided to just jump down, landing in a crouch. The impact jarred her bones, but she wasn't hurt and bounced up quickly. He raised an eyebrow.
"Well, I'm starting to see why you told me to wear a raincoat."
Tricker nodded. He, of course, wasn't wearing a raincoat like hers but instead had a waterproof cloak-like garment with wrist loops.
"Do we keep going down the path then?" Sasi asked.
"Yeah."
Without further explanation, Tricker led the way. The path was narrow, and if she stumbled it was likely that she'd fall right into the pool so she found herself edging along cautiously. Tricker's steps had a little more confidence to them, but not by much, which she supposed made sense if this was only a place he had newly discovered. Carefully, carefully she stepped, feeling herself get slightly splattered from drops coming from the waterfall until the path started to widen and they found themselves at the entrance to a cave.
"There's a cave here as well?"
"Apparently so," Tricker said. "I imagine it's known, but that people often forget about it because it's not nearly as interesting as the one within the pool itself."
Once they were in the cave proper, he took off his cloak and bundled it up before laying out the blanket he'd brought along on the floor. Meanwhile, Sasi found herself looking around the cave. It was not a particularly large cave, just a single space carved out of the dark grey rock face with no tunnels or turns. The ground beneath her shoes was relatively smooth, though there were clusters of moss-covered rocks here and there, and the walls had odd craters and dents in it with occasional expanses of smoothness. There were no plants, or any unusual or interesting stones around that she could see. With the waterfall in front of it seeming almost like a curtain of sorts, she supposed it was just about the right size for two people to sit comfortably and spend time, but for the most part it was utterly unremarkable. Not nearly as interesting as other caves, as Tricker had said.
When she turned around to ask Tricker when and how he had found this place, she saw that he was lying down. He lifted an arm and made a beckoning gesture with his hand, and after a moment of hesitation she crossed over and joined him, lying down.
"Look up." He said simply, gazing up himself.
Sasi obeyed, and what she saw took her breath away. In the first place, the cave was a lot taller than she had realised, the ceiling (did one call it a ceiling when it came to caves, she wondered) much higher. But even that would have still ended up unremarkable if not for the glowing blue creatures pulsing all over it, some tucked into craters and nooks and crannies, some hanging down longer than others. In a weird way, it looked like a night sky.
"Glow-worms." She breathed.
"Yeah."
They lay there in silence for a moment, gazing up at the glow-worms. She felt Tricker reach for her hand and she gripped it back tightly as she stared up, the sight making her feel settled in a way she hadn't all day.
"Are you…are you alright?"
She didn't want to stop looking at this night sky that was not really a night sky. Not yet, even though there was him to look at, too.
"I…"
"I wish I had known. Before, I mean. I would never have hurt you for it."
"Yes, well, how would I have known that?" Sasi asked, bitterly.
She paused, took a breath, found herself surprised to realise that the glowing above her was blurring, watery and desperate. Perhaps I should just come out with it, she thought. If Asuka was able to cry today then why shouldn't I be able to do that too? Taking yet another breath, she opened her mouth and let the words spill out, inelegant and jagged, cutting her throat as they streamed out:
"We're the last to be given new clothes, new books, whatever. We were left out of special occasions, left behind on trips. If we got hurt, if we didn't learn to patch each other up then we'd have to wait for as long as the adults decided they could get away with before they had to intervene to avoid getting into trouble since you know, in this modern age child murder is illegal and all. Rather than firing someone who was…unnatural, because they needed the staff they directed them to us instead in exchange for leaving the other 'worthier' Wards alone. It is not as if to them, we're human enough to be protected from Sainty and Michii…they are adopted, they're not technically Wards, but they were adopted at seven. If you're a mirror sister adopted at seven, you're still tainted. At seven, a mirror sister isn't a potential new daughter, but free labour. Though even then they get something, because their parents have to toe the line to not get into trouble. It's a small comfort, though. The only time we'd ever get kindness from anyone, anywhere in the world was in the first few moments of meeting them, when they didn't know who and what we really were. Once they knew, that was it.
"And…we're always watching ourselves, you know? We know how we come across to people, but it's hard to let our guard down. And at the same time we have to watch our step, keep all the lights on bright wherever we go, their absolute brightest, make sure to not do anything that can't be patched up no matter what. Making sure that we're not really dark and yet…in some ways it's so pointless, you know? No matter what we do, when someone knows you're something tainted then every little mis-step is because of that. It's easy to be as we are. Fighting everything, every step of the way. Trusting nothing. "
"You had no reason to believe that I would be different." Tricker murmured.
"Why the hell would I?" everything blurred, still. "Why would I? Nothing's ever been different. Then again…"
She had to pause then, had to. She blinked and blinked, felt the wetness tangle in her eyelashes. She could not keep her words still for long, though:
"Then again…all this time, you made me feel human. The way you look at me and say my name and touch me…I felt like a person and…different, somehow, but it was good. I…perhaps it's hypocritical to still be hurt about being used at thirteen when I suppose I was using you, too. But…I knew, or believed, whatever you care to call it now, that it was going to end and I just wanted, you know? It was so unexpected but it was the first good surprise in ever and I just wanted that, for a moment. It was a real thing, but at the same time it was like pretending because it is not like I could dream of a life, you know? With a future stretching out and a myrtle tree of our own, and waking up in the morning and seeing you-"
"Sasi, everything ends someday."
The words became stuck at the interruption, and she didn't dare to look at him, to even breathe. She just stared and stared at the glow-worms and blinked away the wetness.
"Everything ends someday but…us? The two of us? It's not going to end for that sort of reason. Truthfully, it felt like I was using you, too."
At that, she turned over, and looked at Tricker. He was staring at the glow-worms too, but then turned his head slightly so he was staring at her instead.
"You make the noise go away," he supplied, simply. "And I like you. The way you feel and the shape of your smile. You, just you. I've been thinking that you've given me so much in this short time and I was looking for something to give back and-"
"You did. You were the one giving me something, all along."
"Who knew?"
"I…."
Sasi trailed off, and used her free hand to roughly wipe the remaining tears away before any of them fell.
"Everything ends, Sasi," Tricker said once she was done. "But…there's so much I'd like to say to you, so much more I'd like to do and…whatever time we have, I'd like to have it. And maybe it'll end up only being a moment and maybe it will get to be a lifetime but. I want it, and knowing what you are won't change that."
"I'd…I'd like that. I…" she sighed, leaned her forehead against his. "Goddess, I'm so tired."
Tricker nodded, slowly, considering her. Then slowly, he let go of her hand and turned over to face her properly. Then he reached out and tugged her hair out from the hairband it was tied in and letting it fan around her, absently twirling locks of it around his fingers before releasing them and closing the very tiny distance left between them to kiss her. And she kissed him back, and after that, there was no need for words anymore.
It was just them, and the quiet, and a glorious, blue-glowing peace.
…
Ariadne decided to take the opportunity that the chaos afforded her to slip away today. She had made all the arrangements that she thought she needed to do in order to begin her journey and the only thing left had been to decide when to do it, and how to make sure that she managed to sneak away unseen. The fight in the cafeteria this morning and the fainting spells were terrifying, but she couldn't have come up with a better distraction herself. It had been easy (if painful) to slip away from her friends and rush to her room where she had gathered the things she had carefully packed away over many days for the purposes of her journey, made sure that her note was tucked away somewhere where it would not be discovered too soon but would get discovered eventually and then she'd managed to sneak away again and head to a cluster of trees by the base of the mountains where she could swap her normal scarf for the one that Ruby had made for her, and that was where she was now.
The scarf that she'd made for her was a beautiful thing, black and whites squares like a chessboard, the runes she'd wanted stitched in gold in the middle of the scarf. Make sure that you put those against your skin when you wear it, Ruby had told her, that way they'll have the strongest protective effect. The tassels were something to wonder at too, silver and gold threat artfully knotted in such a way that they resembled the different chess pieces. Ariadne had made sure she'd learnt the names of them. King and knight, rook and pawn, bishop and queen, in that order along each of the ends of the scarf. There was silver woven into the squares of the white material too, making it shimmer. It was her hope that it would not only be enough to get her through, but that it would signal to them, when she found them, that she was a friend. That she knew and remembered and saw them as them.
It feels fitting, she thought as she adjusted the scarf and knotted it so that it was snug around her neck, that it is today that I am leaving. It was the first day of the Godless Moon, and while she was no deity it was right that she was going on a journey to find people who had an almost mythical status on such a day. If I'm lucky, then I will be back by the end of the month with the six of them right behind me. Oh Goddess, please, please let me find them and save them.
Once she felt she had the scarf on properly, and had re-adjusted her travelling cloak around it, she carefully folded the scarf she had been wearing, wistfully staring at the little cartoon rabbits printed all over it. It had been something she'd bought on a shopping trip with Angela and Rena one time and the reminder of it made her chest ache. Still, she had to do this, she knew she did, and so she folded it carefully and tucked it carefully into her bag. Perhaps that, too, would serve as a charm of sorts. Something to keep her tied to them back here, so that she'd be pulled back to them eventually. If they'd even have her.
"What are you doing?"
Ariadne jumped, stumbled and almost backed up into a tree at the sound of the voice, and looked up to see that Howl had appeared apparently out of nowhere, frowning quizzically.
"Please, please, don't tell anyone. I won't take long, I just…"
"It's them, isn't it? Those people. You are going to find them. You think they are…somewhere there…?"
He gestured to the mountains, and Ariadne looked around to see if anyone was likely to notice him standing there and gesticulating into a cluster of trees. As far as she could tell, it wasn't that noticeable so she sighed and nodded.
"Yes."
"So that's what's been up with you. I was wondering. I take it Kura and the others have no idea that you've had plans to look for them."
"N-no."
"I see. I see…"
Howl continued frowning at her and she gazed back stricken.
"Howl, please…please, you have to let me…"
"Can you wait?"
"I…" Ariadne blinked. "Wait?"
"Let me gather some things, and then I'll accompany you."
"You don't have to…"
"You can hardly go on your own, not as you are. I'm sure you've planned as much as you can and you have the charms and the oils, but Kouki-san is a difficult terrain even for someone with powers. I'll come with you."
"I…Howl, you don't have to go to the trouble. They're not-"
"No, I've got no feelings about them either way considering I don't remember them. But…you do. And, well. You're one of Kura's best friends, and Kura is my annoying roommate who insists on calling me 'Dad' all the time. And you're in my tutor group too. So I suppose in a way that makes us related."
"…"
"Yeah, that didn't make much sense, did it?" Howl sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "The point is that somehow, you and your weird band of friends have become my own. And I look after my own. So…if you can wait a few more moments, then I'll accompany you."
"I… that is…"
It would be nice, wouldn't it, to not have to go on this journey alone? She'd been more than prepared to but she would feel so much braver with Howl by her side. So she nodded.
"Thanks, Howly."
"How-Howly?"
"It suits you."
"Ah, heaven help me," Howl groaned before shaking his head. "Okay, stay put, I won't be long."
Ariadne obeyed, sitting down amongst the trees and squishing herself up as small as possible while Howl turned himself invisible and then presumably ran back across the grounds. She waited and waited, trying not to think of anything else except the journey ahead and the faces she hoped to see when she got there. Her heart leapt when she saw a flash of purple after a little while, but realised that it was the wrong shade. She frowned, saw the purple coalesce into pigtails and she wondered why that looked so familiar. Then she saw another flash of hair, icy-white, and she curled up tight, hoping not to be seen. She didn't want Frost to see her and wonder. Ariadne watched the two heads cautiously, holding her breath even as they gradually disappeared further into the forest. After a few beats, it was clear that Frost and whoever her companion was were not coming back in her direction, and she was relieved.
Still, she stayed like that until eventually, Howl came back, dressed in a travelling cloak of his own and carrying his own bag. He frowned down at her as she straightened to look at him
"Are you ready?"
"Mhm."
And so together, they made their way into the mountains.
…
Quiet didn't know what to do with himself.
There had been far too many people in the infirmary in the end by the time everyone who'd fainted had been transported there, and he'd ended up being one of the ones who were kicked out. This was despite the fact that Rael was one of the ones who'd fallen victim to the mysterious fainting spell and despite the fact that Hiraga was still there, watching over the six of his own friends who had also fallen.
Six of them. Six of them.
Even if he had not been able to read intent in exchange for his inability to read faces, the bond that Hiraga had with that group of his…well, Quiet supposed he'd have to have been completely blind to not see the strength of it. In such a situation, he didn't know what his role should have been, if he should perhaps had protested harder and asked to stay. But Hiraga had barely noticed when people had been sent away, and he was at least surrounded by the other friends of his who were still standing, all of them tightly knotted together in fear and pain and holding each other up despite it.
And there was good reason to be scared. He hadn't had experience of knowing someone who had fallen into a coma, but he'd always been able to sense intent when people were asleep or if they'd fainted momentarily. Not in the same way as when they were awake, nowhere near that level of detail. But he could sense if their sleep was peaceful or troubled, if they were having dreams or nightmares. Sometimes, if they were vivid enough, he'd get pictures of what those dreams or nightmares were. And he could tell how close to sleep or waking they were, even if they were trying to pretend otherwise. His siblings had always been annoyed by that one in particular. But with all the fainters this time…there was nothing. Nothing at all, no glimmers or bubbles or sparks, not even fog or curtains. Nothing. Nothing at all.
He hadn't mentioned it to anyone when he'd realised-he'd barely had time to process it himself. But now he was walking down the corridor, he wondered if he should tell someone. His other friends. Hiraga. Someone in the infirmary. Perhaps, if he was able to go back later to see how Rael was doing, he could see if what he'd felt was still the case, and then decide what to do. And as for Hiraga…he'd have to go and find him later, too. Just to check. There too, was something else he would just need to feel his way through and just hope that whatever he ended up doing, it'd at least be a comfort if not a help.
After a while, he realised that he had no idea where it was he was going. Stopping by a window, he gazed out of it, not really looking at anything in particular. The school day had essentially ended early between the incidents of the morning and then the fainting spells. Tricker had left the infirmary moments earlier with Sasi, Koda had been able to stay in the infirmary with Rael, though he was also watching over Niwa on behalf of the rest of her friends. Sado was, he believed, still on cleaning duty. As for Howl…
…ah, hold on a moment. Quiet blinked as he realised suddenly that he hadn't seen Howl for almost the whole day. There'd been the morning, of course, with the fight in the cafeteria but soon after the VYPERs had made their impressive speech he'd noticed Tricker start to become overwhelmed and had decided to get him out of the room before he reached his limits. After that, he hadn't shared any lessons with Howl for the portion of the day that there'd actually been some normal lessons and then everything had descended into chaos. Turning around to lean against the window instead, Quiet took out his phone to message Howl to ask him where he was when he noticed that there was a text message that he'd somehow missed. Frowning, he unlocked his phone and read it.
Howl: I'm not feeling well, might need to skip Night Patrol today.
Quiet blinked for a good few seconds, knowing that if Howl had been in the infirmary he would have noticed. But why message me, rather than Sado? And why…? Just why in general? Quiet rubbed his forehead and then made the decision to go to Howl's room. Putting his phone back in his pocket, he headed straight there.
When he got to the dorm corridor Howl's room was situated in, he saw that Kura was already at the door, about to go in and so he called out to him.
"Hey, Kura!"
Kura turned, the overall cheer radiating off of him momentarily dulled by puzzlement before it sparked back and he grinned:
"Hey there, Quiet! Whatcha doing? Is your friend okay?"
"Rael? She's being taken care of, which is something. Listen, though, have you seen Howl?"
"No, why?"
"He just messaged me to say he wasn't well, but he's not in the infirmary."
"That's weird, Howl's healthier than a horse. Maybe he's sleeping in here, I'll check."
When Quiet reached him, Kura opened the door to their room and peered in before turning to frown at him:
"He's not in here."
"Oh."
The only emotion Kura was radiating was confusion, but for reasons Quiet couldn't discern the pronouncement made him pause, his hackles rising.
"I don't suppose it's okay if I come in?"
More bubbles of confusion, but Kura smiled nonetheless and widened the door as he bounced in. Given that he was apparently too busy with going to get something out from under his bed to give an answer, Quiet assumed this counted as permission to enter the room and so he did. Almost instantly, he was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of décor and mess that Kura's side of the room had in contrast with Howl's side which seemed almost austere in comparison. Standing there and taking a moment to re-orient himself, he nonetheless noticed that Howl's bed did not have Howl in it as one would expect if he wasn't well. Instead, the bed was perfectly made with a pile of clothes folded neatly and left on the pillow.
Hold on, isn't that his school uniform?
Slowly, without even knowing why he was going so slowly, Quiet crossed over to the bed, reaching out to prod the uniform. This meant something, he knew it-but what?
"Hey, can you work this memo cube?"
Quiet startled and whipped around to see that Kura was standing by his desk now, holding a small pink memo cube-it looked to be a generic school issue one, which explained why Kura wasn't able to work it.
"What's that?" he asked, despite obviously knowing what it was.
"I don't know. Well, I mean, duh it's a memo cube but," Kura said. "I found it on my desk with a note-he's just like 'hey if you can't work this then pass it onto one of my buddies' and guess what, I can't work it. Probably because they're the wrong type of model for people like us but eh."
Kura handed over the cube, along with a small sheet of paper which appeared to have come out of a stationery set. Sure enough, although it was written in blunter terms, Howl's note said pretty much exactly what Kura had said it did. He turned the little cube around in his hands, almost afraid to press it and hear whatever it was Howl had to say, but with Kura staring bug-eyed with some of his bounciness subdued, he knew that he had to. So slowly, he began to press.
And then the door swung open and all of a sudden some of Kura's friends burst through, bringing with them swirls and bubbles of worry.
"Kura!" Kay shrieked. "Kura, have you seen Ariadne?"
"Ariadne?" Kura blinked. "No, I haven't, why?"
Kay opened her mouth, but no words came out as she stared, stricken. The emotions were crashing over her in waves and Quiet found himself buffeted by them, strong enough that he started to suspect that he might know what they were going to say, even before Char stepped up, put a hand on Kay's shoulder and then said:
"We think Ariadne might be missing."
…
Angela opened the door with the key that Robyn had given her and then gestured dramatically. Cookie wasn't impressed, simply giving her a look before sweeping in and immediately surveying the room. Closing the door behind her, Angela sighed. It was not usual for Ariadne to be completely unresponsive, and she had not been in any of her usual favourite places in the school. She wasn't sure she wanted to believe that Ariadne was missing the way Char and a few of the others thought, but she didn't know what to believe yet. They'd gone to talk to Howl, because they all knew the boy had developed a soft spot for her and in the meantime Angela was helping to oversee Cookie's search. Robyn had wanted to come too, being Ariadne's roommate, but the infirmary was swamped so all she'd been able to do was let Angela borrow the room key and offer to answer any questions later. But even so, she didn't want to believe that anything bad had happened.
And you're not exactly gonna find out if you keep staring at the damned door now, are you?
Angela readjusted the mask on the side of her head and then turned to see that Cookie was scolding the cat for jumping on the bed.
"Milo, stop it! I'm conducting a search! This could be a scene! Ahhh, dangit."
Cookie reached out, grabbed the cat and draped it around her shoulders. The cat mewled in what was presumably protest but more or less allowed itself to be treated like a scarf. Angela supposed that Milo was probably used to it by now. Over the past few weeks the cat had practically become a part of Cookie. In any case, once the cat was settled, Cookie sighed and stared at the bed and then suddenly, picked up two plushies and whipped around, staring at Angela with a look of utterly baffled horror.
"What the hell are these?"
"That's Poursuu and Tsukki." Angela said.
"They have names?"
Angela gawped:
"Uh, yes? Are you seriously saying you've never heard of them? Never played a Poursuu game?"
"…"
"Maaan, how could you have not heard of Poursuu and Tsukki? They're like the best but I guess you're not into games if you don't know that, huh?"
"Oh, I like games. Just not ones with maniacal zombie bunnies with boxing gloves or polar bears with disturbing arms."
"Rude."
"Anyway, that's irrelevant." Cookie pulled a face of disgust and then put the toys down back where they'd been. "So, her bed's made but that's to be expected, she was around in the morning. I mean, everyone was around this morning."
"Yeah, it was…quite the start to the day." Angela said.
Truth be told, she was still wrapping her head around it. She was a little freaked out by the fact there were mirror sisters in the school, but at the same time it wasn't something that seriously scared her. Twins weren't even that common in the first place for her to have ever formed an opinion on the matter. It had just seemed like one of many far away issues that had no relevance to her life.
Ariadne had been sympathetic towards them though, best that she could discern. As was Ariadne's way, she hadn't said very much and very clearly had not wanted to. She wondered if that had something or anything to do with why they couldn't find her.
"First thing first, is there anything you've seen that's out of place? You're all always in and out of each other's rooms, right?"
"I mean, we go to Kura's or mine mostly but yeah, sure. Um…."
Angela looked around, seeing if anything jumped out at her:
"I hadn't realised she had borrowed that many books, though she had been going to the library a lot more."
"Was she not a bookish type, then? Typically speaking?" Cookie asked, apparently finding this interesting.
"I….um…" Angela frowned. "I wouldn't say no, but I wouldn't say yes either. She's better at studying than the rest of us and all of those look like textbooks or old books, not fun books. But I didn't think she would be reading that many chunky books at the same time and I don't think we had any particularly brain-achy assignments."
"No, we haven't had." Cookie said wryly. "Anything else…"
"Um….nothing seems out of place on the outside, as such, but maybe I could look in the wardrobe and her drawers?"
"That's an idea. I'll check the books and the desk."
Cookie sat herself down at the desk and dragged the pile of books towards her before picking the top one off and flicking through it. Angela stared at her a moment, and then went to the wardrobe. She fingered the little flowery bead decoration that Ariadne had tied around the doorknobs and smiled at it, remembering how Ariadne had been making it in between rounds of a game just a few weeks before. Beads, then a game, then the beads, and back to the game in an odd, quiet rhythm. She'd made a whole bunch of little beady things by the time she'd been done-Angela had an almost-matching one on her own wardrobe door in her room. Lopsided things, all of them, but still cute.
Grinning as she thought of it, Angela flung open the doors and just like that, her mood dipped. She stared at the empty spaces and blinked, hoping she was dreaming. Slowly, she reached up and touched the hangers but that was stupid, she knew. She touched the hangers, then moved to touch the uniform that was hanging there, neat and tidy as if she'd never worn it that day except that she had, Angela had seen her. She'd been wearing it, with the pearly-blue cardigan that was now also still hanging here and the bunny scarf which wasn't and-
"Hey, did you know that Ariadne was interested in Kouki-san?"
Angela shrieked and startled, abruptly slamming the wardrobe door shut before gawping at Cookie who just stared at her, a book open in her lap. Milo had crawled away from her shoulders and was sitting atop a pile of what Angela assumed were books that Cookie had finished with.
"What was that for?"
"Why are you asking me that?"
Cookie sighed and gestured to the book she was holding.
"She's bookmarked a lot of pages about the mountains, and some of her sticky notes have other scribbled things that would be what she's searched for on the internet. I don't suppose you know the password for her laptop, do you?"
"That's a book about runes, but I could find it for you probably. The password, that is."
Cookie blinked and looked down at the book before looking up:
"Yeah, that's another thing. She's been looking at runes for protection and courage too. Does that make any sense to you?"
Angela opened her mouth and blurted:
"I think Ari might have gone there."
"Huh?"
"To Kouki-san."
"…what makes you think that?"
"Well, a bunch of stuff's gone from her wardrobe. Her travelling cloak, a backpack…some other clothes though I'm not sure which ones specifically. But yeah, stuff's gone. And her school uniform is still there."
Cookie stood up abruptly, apparently forgetting about the book which tumbled forward and landed on her feet. Swearing, Cookie kicked it away and hopped, bending down to pull off her shoes and rub her feet before looking up and glaring viciously at Angela.
"Could you not have told me that first?"
Angela moved to protest and then stopped. She gaped at Cookie for a moment then clamped her mouth shut, shaking her head. I don't want to believe it, but would you even understand that? Cookie frowned at her for a long moment and Angela stared back. Eventually, Cookie just huffed and knelt down to pick up the book, inspecting it for any damage before setting it back on the desk. Milo looked up and immediately plopped down from his pile of books to this one.
"Why would she go to Kouki-san, though?" Angela murmured. "I mean…it's dangerous in the first place, right? But it'd be even more so for us what with the amount of magic swirling around. And Ariadne…Ariadne's not stupid."
This can't be happening. This can't be. It makes even less sense than the fact we're all here in the first place!
Cookie didn't immediately respond, apparently having decided to look through the other papers on Ariadne's desk in the rack, and when she didn't seem to see anything there she moved to the little storage box with drawers-after taking a moment to poke the Tsukki and Poursuu figurines and glowering at them. Angela just stared, not knowing whether she wanted to keep looking and finding anything. Thankfully though, Cookie eventually spoke:
"None of you are actually stupid, though you do a good job of seeming like it sometimes. But honestly, best that I know there'd be only one reason that she might try something like that, assuming that she did."
"Which is?"
"Oh come on, think about it. Really think about it. What's upset you all the most this year?"
"Upset-oh. Oh. This is…"
No. No that can't be. That is…I knew she was….but…Angela's thoughts all tripped over each other as they hurtled towards what was becoming an increasingly obvious revelation.
"Oh, what's this?"
The revelation abruptly screeched to a halt in Angela's mind at Cookie's exclamation. Peering over the smaller girl's shoulder, she frowned. The drawer Cookie was looking in didn't seem like it had anything pertinent-it was filled with bits and pieces of paper and card and other things, bits and bobs that Ariadne collected to decorate stuff. But something had caught Cookie's eye and she dragged it out.
"Hold on…that's a full damn card." Angela stammered out.
"Yes, it is."
"Why is that…?"
"I don't know, it seems important.." Cookie opened it. "It's a thank you card from Delilah De Callaway and-"
Cookie broke off as a piece of paper fell out. Angela swooped and grabbed it before it fell to the ground and straightened. Cautiously, she opened it and read the contents.
Kura and Sera and Angela, Kay and Rena, Char and Wendy, Mikelz,
I'm sorry. I had to go, to find them. You know who I mean and I know that you think that maybe they're dark and perhaps that's why they've been stolen away. But I can't-
Her attention was stolen away as her phone started to vibrate in her pocket. Annoyed, she reached for it and saw that it was Rena who was calling. Dread started to rise and she did her best to clamp it down as she answered:
"Why don't you just come over here instead of phoning?"
"Oh? You are still in Ariadne's room?"
"Yeah…why? I can hear something in your voice."
"I think…we're thinking that…no, actually, we're pretty sure-"
As Rena paused to take a shuddery breath, Angela heard other voices in the background, though not what they were saying.
"You think that Ariadne's gone to Kouki-san?"
"I…yeah. How did you know?" Rena asked, clearly surprised.
"She left a letter. How did you know?"
"Does the letter say anything about Howl?"
This did not come from Rena, and Angela frowned, trying to place the voice. Meeting Cookie's confused eyes, she quickly put the phone on loud speaker before responding:
"Sorry, who?"
"Oh, this is Quiet. "
"Oh, one of his buddies. Right." Angela blinked. "Well I mean, we-that is, Cookie and I- just found it inside some random card so I don't know but…"
Angela scanned the letter, each word feeling like a slap in the face. It took all she had to be able to answer Quiet once she was done:
"No, nothing. Why?"
"Because Howl has gone to Kouki-san with her."
And after that, she couldn't deny the truth any longer: Ariadne was well and truly gone.