The apartment was dark as Yumi had left all of the lights off. It was nearly noon and she was still under her sheets. Any energy she had to get up was gone and she wanted nothing more than to just stay in the dark under her covers. It was now the first week of May and it had been almost two weeks since Luna had gone missing. The day she last saw Luna she went back to Jin's to get Miu and stayed one final night there before she was going to head back to the apartment. She was awoken early the next morning by Jin who had just gotten off of the phone with his mother, Akira. He was calm despite the nature of the call. Luna had always told her how calm Jin was in tight situations but for him to be like that after his sister goes missing from the hospital, it was weird to her.
He told her it was a waste to panic and that it wouldn't help anything but Yumi couldn't share the sentiment. She cried the whole way to the hospital and ran to her room to confirm it but it was as if Luna was never there. The bed was made neatly and the equipment was all packed away and moved away from the bed. The room looked to be unoccupied for days but Yumi had been there not even twelve hours earlier talking to her lover. The police soon showed up at Akira's request but they found no evidence of her being abducted or walking out on her own. The camera's saw nothing suspicious that night and Yumi figured a girl being carried from the room would be considered that.
Yumi had a difficult time quelling her tears and she had dropped to her knees, clutching her chest tightly, the minute she saw the room empty. Jin and his father Enji had to carry her from the room to get her to leave and they helped her into Jin's car. "You can stay with me until we find her." Jin offered but Yumi politely declined. Shu, Luna's black and white shiba was at the apartment and somebody needed to take care of it. Jin had told her that he could hide a cat but a dog was a different story no matter how small he was. In reality Yumi just wanted to be closer to Luna. Her bed, her clothes, the home they shared together, those were the things Yumi desired to be around. Once Jin dropped her off he hugged her and kissed her forehead before leaving.
She spent most of her time after that in her or Luna's room. Some nights when she missed her horribly she would pull on Luna's black parka and climb into her sheets for the night as Miu and Shu curled up next to her. There was always a pain in her heart that mixed with the relief of Luna's smell. It made her remember every time they hugged or slept together. It also made a horrible thought cross her mind. What if I never see her again? Yumi always tried to forget that question but it was there more often than not seemingly to spite her. According to Jin, his parents had been working with the police since that day but have had no luck in the matter of finding her. Her suspicion of Giza Kushina being involved was soon overlooked due to his name and stature in the community.
Kushina Technologies was one of the tech world's strongest pioneers that worked on everyday consumer objects such as watches and phones and home related products and Giza's influence was known everywhere. The police had apparently looked into him but he came up spotless. He had alibis and and records of him being elsewhere at the time including video footage of him at his office. They dismissed him as a suspect the second that was brought to their attention. Even Yumi had to admit his innocence in the matter after that proof but then the hospital camera's came to mind. Luna left but was not seen. If that was possible then maybe it was possible for Giza to have been at the hospital while seeming to be home. Faking video footage definitely wasn't impossible and he did run a tech company.
Despite her suspicions and arguments on that matter they also brought up a motive. Giza would have no reason to target some random nineteen year old girl. The only connection was the two being SAO survivors but it was too thin for the police to use as convincing evidence. "He's a bad person. He launders money and has debt collectors, I can testify to it." Yumi tried telling them but she was kicked off like a stray cat begging for scraps. That was her last attempt at convincing anyone of Giza's involvement. It was getting to the point where even she was questioning his participation and she didn't want that to happen. "He's guilty, he took her." Yumi would tell herself every night to keep it fresh in her mind.
She had tried contacting him personally in different ways like emails and calls to his offices. She would have called the number he called her with weeks prior but his number never appeared in her phone after that night. Just like the small burn from the watch, it had vanished as she slept. After a week and a half of talking and failed attempts at persuasion Yumi had given in to her exhaustion and stayed home. It was at this point she barely climbed from bed and only left the apartment to walk Shu. Luna's family tried to call her everyday but after a while she began to ignore them. It was Luna's voice she desired, not theirs, and hearing their voices only made it more bitter for her. "I had just gotten her back and now she was taken again." Yumi rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling with an arm draped over her forehead.
Miu climbed onto her chest and rubbed her face against Yumi's. "I don't mean to be like this, sorry if it's bringing you down, girl." Yumi rubbed her knuckle under Miu's chin. The apartment was so cold and dark without Luna around. Her humming and singing as she cooked or did dishes or made her favorite honey sweetened tea in the mornings. Her sarcastic remarks when they talked with each other. The way Luna would teach her some english while watching western movies. One of the things Yumi missed the most was Luna showing her drawings to her while she was sketching them. It was always interesting to watch the progress as it went along and seeing what it turned into once they were finished. In the last few days Yumi had spent most of her time in Luna's room looking through old sketchbooks and examining the pages she had taped to her walls during her shut-in.
The ones on the wall were all more depressing than Yumi was used to seeing. They were of separating couples or people drifting apart. Hearts with cracks and pictures of who Yumi assumed to be Luna standing alone crying. There were also crumpled balls of paper everywhere on the floor that Yumi had looked through as well and came upon one mostly finished drawing of two girls splitting from each other. One resembled Yumi and sat on the bench crying while the other was walking away with tears on her cheeks. "If it hurt you so bad, why would you do it?" Yumi asked herself countless times while going through the scrapped artwork.
The only thing missing from the room was a circular rug she once had in the center of the floor. The day Yumi found her collapsed in the hallway, Luna had urinated and vomited on it so Jin had thrown it out. One day when she had the energy Yumi cleaned the room to make it more presentable for when Luna came home. She took the trashed drawings, straightened them the best she could, and put them all in a binder before resting it on Luna's desk. Yumi picked Miu up and put her to the side so she could get up. Her stomach was rumbling and she was becoming parched thinking about Luna's tea. Yumi headed for the kitchen with Shu in tow and began making the drink. Shu stuck close to her side nowadays with Luna gone.
For the first three days Shu didn't leave Luna's door, he would lean against it and cry as if he knew something was wrong with his owner. Soon after, he began to follow Yumi like he used to do for Luna. She didn't mind it however, it was actually calming to her. When Yumi had first moved in, Luna had given her the dog to hold and said it would make her happier and she wasn't wrong. Shu had that effect on people. He reminded her a lot of Luna in that regard. Luna always made Yumi happier when they were together. She felt connected with someone again when she was with Luna. Once the tea was done Yumi sat on the sofa and began playing some western movie that her and Luna were halfway finished with and pulled out a paper and pen to write.
Luna said that one of the best ways to learn english was with writing it, that was at least how it was easiest to her. Yumi would write the letters in the subtitles and listen to it said in the movie and then would try to figure out the meaning of the words. If she got stumped then Luna would assist her by giving another sentence to use it in or giving the meaning outright. She would also assist in the pronunciation which Yumi was finding to be one of the trickier aspects of the language. Yumi always apologised afterwards due to them taking so much longer to finish movies with this method but Luna didn't seem to mind. She would brush it off and say she was having fun. A bittersweet smile crept on her face for a moment.
Her english lesson didn't last for long as she soon lost the motivation to finish it. "I could always get on Somerant I suppose." She hadn't been there for some time but it would give her something to do. "It might help get Luna off of my mind for a bit as well." She stretched out in her bed and pulled the AmuSphere helmet on. After waking in the cabin she left for the main room which was void of people. "I wonder if any of them have been on since Luna's disappearance." She slung her bow over her shoulder and spawned her quiver at her waist and left the virtual home behind her.
Hilor was full of players per usual, selling wares, offering services, or just bothering newer players. It was weird seeing everything be so normal around her. Somerant is moving on as if nothing had happened but that was to be expected. "Nobody would even know about Luna here." Yumi knew. She was walking aimless mostly and was spacing out all the while. As she patrolled the streets a sudden obstacle sent her onto the ground with a gasp mostly caused by surprise instead of pain. "Sorry about that." said a grey haired boy as he reached his hand down. Yumi took it and he hoisted her to her feet. He had two batons tucked under his belt on the left side and had on fairly basic looking leather gear.
"It's fine, I wasn't paying attention so it's my fault." she said, brushing dirt from her clothes. "Stile." he said, shaking her still grasped hand. "Yumi, it's nice to meet you." "Do you know about the Lightning Dancer by chance?" he asked. "Light… Luna?" Yumi questioned. His eyes widened. "You know her?" "I'm her friend, what do you need her for?" "I needed to apologise if that was possible. I did something unforgivable last time we talked and I need to fix that. Is she around?" Yumi shook her head. "I honestly don't know where she is right now. Sorry, wish I could be more helpful." Yumi was curious for his reason to apologize but decided against asking about it. If he wanted me to know then he would have told me. Luna never mentioned him either so it's best for me to avoid getting nosy.
"How do you not know where she is, has something happened to her?" he asked. Should I tell him? Yumi shook her head. "I don't know. I just haven't talked to her in a couple of weeks. Maybe she's busy with something." Yumi answered, smiling. The boy swept a loose strand of hair behind his ear and nodded. "Alright then. I suppose it can't be helped. Thanks anyways Yumi." He flashed a smile before walking off sluggishly. He's disappointed but I don't know his relationship with Luna. I shouldn't share her disappearance with anyone who doesn't already know. As Yumi continued on through the city she ran into a familiar face she had met once before. "Ah, purple cat, it's good to see you again. I just so happened to be looking for you." said a boy with silver hair and eyes the color of fire.
"Citra? You were looking for me?" "Yep, I need your help with something if possible. Chika was using the bathroom so she'll be here soon, I'll tell you the details then." "Did you have to tell her that?" asked a girl in a voice that hinted at annoyance. "Ah, my dear sister. Perfect, now that we're all here the quest can be discussed." "I haven't decided to help yet." Yumi interjected. "I'm sorry for assuming, are you busy or something?" Citra asked. "Well, no, not exactly." "Perfect then. Here." He tapped the air in Yumi's direction, bringing up a menu and then a party invite was in Yumi's vision. After a sigh she tapped the accept button and their party was formed. "What do you need?" Yumi inquired. "A good shot. There's another treasure that we seek but this one requires an excellent bowman to get. It's pretty easy if you have the skill as all you have to do is shoot the treasure and it's yours.
To our misfortune though, we have never used a bow in this game. Then I remembered a helpful purple cat that is the best archer in all of Somerant." "You give her too much credit, Citra." Chika stated, crossing her arms over her chest. "You really are. I'm an okay shot and the game picks up my slack. I'm sure there's better if you looked. The archer guild in the capital would most likely have better shots for hire. They might be cheaper than my cost as well." Yumi said. "Maybe so but we know you and I know I can rely on that bow of yours. Please, just this once." Citra put his hands together and bowed his head.
"Okay, there's no need to beg. Where is it?" "In the wild territories." Chika answered coldly. Yumi had read about the wild territories when she was learning the game before she started playing. The world of Somerant was one large land mass and had several smaller islands broken up in the seas to the east and west. The mainland was split up into territories, the hybrids had the northernmost sections, the humans were in the middle, and the elves had the south. These all took up the eastern half of the map and were positioned in a line, one above the other. The left half of the map was known as the wild territories as no playable race controlled them. The non playable races such as dwarves, goblins, orcs, fairies, etcetera, all called that half of the map a home.
"It's not far in the wild territories though and shouldn't take too much time." Citra butted in once he had noticed Yumi's hesitating glare. It's just outside the western border of the hybrid lands and we can even warp there through the gates. An hour, two at most, please?" He bowed his head once again and again Yumi sighed. "I'll help, when are we leaving?" "Now if you're ready." Citra answered gleefully. That boosted his mood. Not Chika's though. Chika was still pouting with her arms crossed and avoiding Yumi's eyes. "If she must come then fine, I won't argue. We do need a bowman anyways." Yumi found a smile and walked with them to the warp gate. Like Citra had said, they were able to teleport to an old gate in the Bordering Forest, given its name for acting as the border between both halves. It stretched all the way from the northern tip to the southern one and stretched on for ages into the western half.
"So what treasure is it this time if you don't mind me asking?" Yumi inquired. "A charm, purple cat." Citra replied. "Last time I got something so I tried to find a way to pay my brother back." Chika mentioned. Citra smiled at his sister before looking back to Yumi. "It's supposed to boost a person's magic capacity tremendously. I heard it also strengthens most magical effects, be it food buffs or just casting spells." "I'm sure Luna would have loved to have something like that." Yumi said. "The Lightning Dancer? I suppose something like that would be of use to her. That's how she does all of those lightning things right?" asked Citra. "I think. When she was in SAO it had been a skill line though so maybe it still is. I'm not entirely sure to tell the truth." Yumi replied.
"SAO? I knew I heard that name before. Is she really from SAO? Is it the actual Lightning Dancer?" It was Chika who asked and with more excitement in her voice than Yumi was used to hearing. "Y-yeah. Did you know her somehow?" "We were both trapped in SAO as well. We didn't know her personally but we did hear about her quite a bit and we saw her fight once too. There was this tournament that the frontliners put on and she had fought amazingly." "Citra had a crush on her. "Oh, she's so beautiful and graceful." I wanted to vomit." Chika interjected. Citra smiled. "Don't act like you didn't like her either. After the fight Chika had become a huge fan. As for me, I did think she was cute but for her final fight she fought with this blonde chick a few of the frontliners knew.
It ended in a draw but it was still a pretty fun fight to watch. Either way, the blonde girl kissed her in the end so I figured they were together. My dreams were shattered on the spot but I could admire her from a distance. Not long after that the frontliners began calling her Lightning Dancer. I can't believe I didn't think it was the same person." "I thought it was some imposter who read her name in the SAO book." Chika stated. "We saw her a few times after the tournament too, she stayed pretty busy helping out the frontliners although it was never in the boss dungeons. She helped with personal things like side quests or short story questlines. A friend of mine hired her and the blonde girl to get some necklace or something closer to the end of the game." Citra told Yumi.
"I still know so little about what happened there. She never mentioned a tournament before." "She did all kinds of things from what I heard. We even went to a Halloween party a guy named Zin threw in their honor. I think that was a couple of weeks before the game ended, give or take a few days." Citra said. That I know about. She told me that was the day before Clair died. "We never saw them after that, right Chika?" "I don't think so. I was too focused on the boss dungeon coming up though." "You two were on the frontlines then?" Yumi asked. "Of course. That's how we got invited to the Halloween party. It was for frontliners only." Citra had answered. "I wish I could have been there to see it all." Yumi murmured. "Ah, I'm sorry if that came out insensitive, I know you all were stuck there." Yumi said after noticing Chika's angry stare.
Citra laughed. "It's fine, sometimes I wish I was back there so I can understand the appeal. It was a beautiful place despite the downfalls and it bound every one of us together. Every SAO survivor now carries something unique with them wherever they go that no other person will have." Yumi looked at him confused. "Our experiences, purple cat. A lot of us fought for our lives and too many of us had to kill in that pursuit. I am never proud of what I did but if I hadn't then my sweet sister would not be here today." "Does it ever hurt to think about it?" Yumi asked. "Every day." Chika replied before Citra could. "I think about those people I had to kill and it stings a little. It never goes away. It had a purpose though so I refuse to let it beat me. My actions saved people and I will never regret it to that end." Chika continued.
"I never wanted to judge a person worthy of life or death but in the moment, when it's only you and them, sometimes it seems to you that there is no choice. The first person I killed had ambushed us and tried to steal our gear. He was a red player so he's killed before but I was still headstrong. He didn't scare me, I knew I could take him. My gear was better and I assumed my level was higher. I didn't think about Chika though. He rushed her instead of me and I was unbalanced when I stopped his attack. I fell over and he stabbed Chika to the ground. He laughed the whole time he was doing it. I don't lie when I say I lost myself. I didn't think, I ran and I stabbed him. Once he fell over I stabbed him again and again, over and over until his body vanished. After he disappeared I still kept stabbing into the dirt where he was previously until Chika stopped me.
I let go of my sword and fell, crying and trembling. I had just taken a life. One living person no longer exists now because of me. It was a lot to take in at the moment but I knew I did the right thing when I looked up at her." he said, smiling and looking at his sister. "We were born together and were meant to stay together. If I let her get killed then what kind of brother am I? I tormented myself over it anyways for a few weeks after that day but soon I asked myself some very important questions. Was it worth it? I nodded my head to that one. Would I do it again if I had to? I nodded once again. Will that be the last time I have to do it? I shook my head. Those were what saved me. Chika was all that mattered in the end. Her and me. I would kill any person if it meant saving her life.
Plus it was inevitable that I would have to do it again so every time I drew my sword, it was for her. My killing always had a purpose, it was to keep her and myself alive so we could go home together." "Mine was the same." Chika said. "I didn't kill as many as him but I had to do it a few times. It was all to keep us together." They smiled at each other but Yumi could not make one even if she wanted to. "I wonder if it was the same for Luna. She said her first kill was to save someone and the second time was to save herself but the way it haunts her, it's scary at times." "It's because she blames herself. I don't need to know her to understand that. I've seen it plenty of times on the frontlines. She lost faith in her decisions to take those lives and then made herself the reason they had happened.
Whether she was or not I will never know but that's just how I think she sees it." Citra explained. "Is there any way I can help her?" Yumi inquired. "I don't know. She needs to be forgiven but from who she desires it from, I couldn't tell you. Maybe it's the dead that she wants forgiveness from. Maybe she doesn't want to be forgiven at all. Maybe every time she thinks her ghosts are gone, something comes back from her past and reminds her of them. I'm just throwing ideas around so I can't be much help but I really do hope you find that answer." Citra said. "Me too." Yumi said quietly. Their conversation was a good way to kill time as they were soon upon the location they desired. It was a large cliffside overlooking more forest. Floating in the air was a tower of stone bricks with no way to cross over to it. "What am I shooting?" Yumi asked. "That." Chika answered, pointing to a small triangle shaped effigy hanging from a wooden arch at the edge of the levitating earth the tower sat atop.
It was barely visible but Yumi drew her bow anyways. "I just have to shoot it?" "I think so." Chika said. Yumi drew an arrow back and fired. It flew straight for a while but a sudden gust knocked it off track resulting in a miss. Yumi drew again and again a gale came in the last second, sending the arrow tumbling through the sky. This time when Yumi nocked her arrow she took a breath and the arrowhead began to glow a bright red. The arrow flew much faster than the others and left a trail of red behind it but still a gust sent it away. The second the wind blew the skill canceled out and the shaft fell to the forest below. "Damn it." Chika growled. Maybe if I shoot… Yumi drew two arrows, one she nocked, and the other she kept in her fingers as she drew back.
After releasing the first she flipped the remaining one up and drew it back before firing that one as well. The first flew, summoning the wind and it blew away like the others. The wind died down and the second arrow flew unhindered into the target, signaling a loud chime to ring out. "What?" Chika gasped. "Ahh." Citra exclaimed as he seemed to understand. After the chime died down, a bridge of blue light stretched from the tower to the cliffside, allowing passage. "Why did that work?" Chika asked. "The first arrow triggered the wind but I figured it would have a cooldown before the next gale would be activated. All I had to do was fire another arrow quick enough." Yumi explained. "Come one Chika, the thing must be at the top." Citra led the way across the bridge of light with Chika and then Yumi following behind.
"I never would have thought of that." Chika said as they entered the structure. "Given some time I'm sure you would have. It's not that complicated." said Yumi. "With time she might have figured it out but that doesn't mean she would have made the shot." Citra said jokingly. Chika scoffed at his remark and pushed past him so that she was leading ahead. The only thing present in the tower was a circular flight of stairs built into the walls. Yumi didn't bother counting how many steps they climbed but it had felt like way too many for how small the building was. From the outside it didn't seem all that tall, three or four stories at most. Yumi guessed they had to have climbed up ten or so by the point she had stopped for a break. "Hang on." she said. The other two stopped and looked back at her. "What is it?" asked Citra.
"Getting tired?" Chika asked mockingly. Yumi peered over the edge and it appeared as if they had been ascending, the ground was a long ways down from them now. She looked up but the ceiling was still much farther ahead. While the bottom vanished, the top never seemed to be getting closer. Yumi squinted and saw a small charm hanging from the stone ceiling. She drew her bow and pulled an arrow back before firing up into the air. The projectile hit the target and another chime rang out as the stairs rumbled below them. The three of them grabbed hold of the railing as the stairs seemed to shift and eventually move. The steps began winding upwards towards the top of the tower and soon they were on flat ground and she could no longer see the bottom any longer.
Yumi looked around and saw the blue sky with some grey clouds drifting off in the distance. Birds of both black and white colorations flew past them in formation and flew towards the horizon. As she watched the birds and the sky Chika and Citra were both focused on a stone podium in the center of the rooftop. "It's not what I expected it to be." Citra mentioned. When Yumi looked she saw a feather the color of blood with black coloring the tip of it. Blue horizontal stripes went down both faces of the feather. "I like it." Chika said in a surprisingly kind voice Yumi was not used to hearing from her.
Citra tapped it and pressed an equip icon that showed up on the display. The feather then dangled from his left ear and for a second his body glowed a bright blue. "Well, it did raise my magic so I suppose it works. It's not as much as I thought it would be though." he said. Chika eyed the accessory with admiration. "It looks so cool. Now I want one." "We can do the quest again." Yumi offered. "You wouldn't mind?" Chika asked. "Of course not. I'm here already and now I know the tricks to the tower. It wouldn't be hard." "That's well and good but first we need to figure out how to get down." said Citra, examining a door shaped seam in the floor where they had been standing previously. "The stairs are gone." he added.
At those words the tower once again rumbled and then began descending. The structure seemed to sink into the floating earth and the ground they had been standing on now resembled a stone platform instead of a tower roof. Yumi took one step off and was on grass again. After returning to the other side of the bridge Citra handed his sister the feather. "I can't take it, it's yours." she said. "We did the quest in a party, it can only be completed once per person but since we did it together…" "It counts as if I completed it as well." Chika said, defeated. "Then why don't you check your inventory." Yumi suggested. Chika's face lit up. "I never thought about that." Chika hurriedly did so and soon had a similar feather hanging from her right ear. "Now we match." she said, playing with the hanging accessory.
"Do you have one Yumi?" Citra asked. "Probably, I didn't check." "Well hurry up and look. We can all match if you do." Yumi did look and then equipped the feather to her right ear as well. She had to brush some of her long purple hair away so they could see it but it was there. "It looks good on you." Citra noted. Chika pouted as Yumi thanked him for the compliment. They traveled back to Hilor together and arrived just as the sun was setting "It was a long day but not a bad one." Citra stated as he stretched his arms above his head. "Yeah, I suppose it was okay." Yumi quietly agreed. "That doesn't sound very genuine." Chika said. "I'm sorry if it came off that way, I enjoyed spending the day with you two." Yumi said. "That's good to know, we'll have to do it again soon then." Citra said, looking into her dimly lit blue eyes.
Yumi nodded, smiled, and said her goodbyes to the siblings before leaving them. She played with the feather hanging from her ear as she walked. She walked back to the cabin where she curled up on her bed and logged out of Somerant. She awoke back in her room in the real world and removed her helmet. Who do you seek forgiveness from, Luna? Will that even help you? I guess I need to find you first before I can help you. I hope you're okay. Yumi thought long and hard about her lover as she soaked in the bath. When she climbed out she walked Shu and fed him and Miu before cooking dinner for herself. She didn't feel much like actual cooking so she had just made some instant ramen. She fell asleep that night in Luna's bed with their pets next to her like usual.
The next day around noon she had a visit from Akira but the stay didn't last long. Yumi appreciated the concern but Akira was the last person she wanted to see. Akira had the same messy brown hair and the same yellow eyes that her children had. Luna had told Yumi that her father saw it as a blessing they took more after Akira than him. Their father had brown hair as well but it was straight and his eyes were more of a grey color. Both Jin and Luna had every feature Akira had so every time she saw Jin or especially Akira, she saw Luna instead. She imagined Luna would look nearly identical to her mother when she reached that age. An age I might never see her get to. Akira treated Yumi more like a daughter than her own mother had and sending her away didn't sit right but it hurt much worse seeing Luna everywhere.
"I can't handle that right now, I'm sorry." she had told Akira. If she was going to send her off, she at least wanted to be honest about why she was doing it. "I understand, dear. If you ever need to talk then you can just call me. Despite what you say though, I'll be here again next week. I have to make sure you're eating right and not getting into trouble." Akira replied to her before leaving the apartment. Yumi smiled when she closed the door. Akira was a warmth to her that normally she would accept openly. Right now wasn't normal however and every day proved that more and more. Someday I'll have to talk to her, especially if Luna never comes back. I'll have to help her just like she has helped me. I'm a part of this family now, I need to start acting like it eventually.
The next morning she was awoken by rain beating onto the window. She climbed from the bed and wrapped Luna's sheets around her body to cover herself. She looked out through the panes and watched the beads of water roll down the glass. Her phone which was sitting atop Luna's desk beeped as a text notification appeared on the screen. Yumi gave another quick glance at the puddling streets before moving over to her phone. "Ms. Kisama, I do hope you had a good night's rest. I am sorry to hear about your friend's disappearance and wanted to offer my condolences. I left a gift for you in your mail as a sign of my goodwill. Please be in haste to retrieve it as I fear for it getting wet, it is quite valuable and just as important." "Giza." she murmured as she returned the phone to the desk.
She threw the sheets onto Luna's bed and pulled on a pair of pants and a long sleeved shirt before heading out to get Giza's so-called gift. She pulled on her boots and headed for the first floor where the mail lockers were and opened theirs. Inside were a couple of letters, assumedly bills, and a brown bag. She collected the items and went back to the room where she opened the bag. Inside was a black tablet with "Kushina Tech" engraved on the back. When she turned it on, a menu of options came up but before she could examine them it began to beep. Giza's face was on the screen and there was an "Accept" and "Deny" button under it. She sighed and hit the "Accept" icon.
"Nice of you to answer Ms. Kisama. Do you like my gift?" "What's it for?" she asked, her voice cold and full of mistrust. "For you, my dear. It will be important in the coming weeks, I promise you. When was your birthday again, the seventeenth if I recall my research. That's the premier date of my new show and I guarantee you won't want to miss it." "Why that day? Why would I even care to watch?" "Because I picked that day as a gift to you of course. You see it will be a rather exclusive show. Friends and families of the contestant will all have access and my own select group of betters as well. That tablet will be the only way to stay up to date with the contestants and I am certain there is one you will want to cheer for." Yumi's eyes widened. "You took her didn't you? What kind of sick game are you pulling?" There was more fury than fear in Yumi's eyes.
"This was my fault. Your brother, my mom, me, all of it. Why take her?" Yumi asked, anger flaring in her voice. "Because it isn't about you anymore, my dear. You played your part well enough but she was my true prize and this show will either clear all of your debts, or k… Nevermind, I don't want to reveal the surprise too early. You will have to wait until the premier to learn the rules just like everyone else. If I play favorites then what kind of host would I be?" "Is she okay? Can you at least tell me that?" Yumi asked. "You really care about her don't you? Your wolf is okay to some extent. Did you know that she has really bad nightmares? It was keeping some of the other's awake so I had to seclude her from them. I have gotten her to eat though, I would hate for her to lose before she even starts and, to be certain, I gave her ample reasons to win." Giza stated.
"You're sick." Yumi growled. "I'm a businessman, and one that holds a grudge. She will not be harmed before the premier so once again, stay tuned Ms. Kisama. I'll be in touch later so don't lose this, it is rather expensive as I said before and equally important." The screen flickered and went black as Yumi fell onto the sofa. "Luna." Those were the only words that would escape from her throat. What do I do? Who should I tell? Should I tell someone? Y-yeah, her family needs to know. Will he hurt her if I do or is he expecting me to do that? Her mind was racing for some time after that before deciding to call Jin. "He'll know what to do." Once she picked up the phone and began to dial, there was a knock at her door. She put the tablet down on the coffee table and moved to answer it.
"Jin?" "Surprise. Can I come in?" he asked, holding up a black tablet, the same one she had sitting on the table. "You got one too?" she asked while stepping aside to allow his entry. "So the man said the truth then." Jin said. "I was called by a man named Fox, he had a mask over his face so I couldn't see who it was but he mentioned some show and Luna being a participant. He said you had one of these things as well so I came right over. Fox? That's the name Giza used when he found me in Somerant. "Did Luna ever mention a man named Fox to you?" Jin asked, interrupting her thoughts. "N-no. Not that I remember." she answered. "She told me in the hospital that she was scared of a fox but I thought it was a joke. I didn't think she meant a person when she said that." Jin stated.
"Why would she keep it a secret from you? I thought she would have told you everything after coming back from SAO." Jin shook his head. "I know very little of what happened there. She keeps it to herself most of the time. When I ask her, she answers, but it's not like I know what questions to ask. Even when she does talk about it, it's usually in little detail. The most open she was with me was about the people she killed, that and when she told me about Clair. If it's not those two then I don't have much more than you probably do." Jin said in response. Before Yumi could find any more words to say, Jin spoke up. "I need to do something. I can't just sit back and wonder why. I need to help her."
His hands were clenched into fists. "I can't believe I lost her again." he said before falling onto the sofa. Yumi sat down and hugged him. She didn't know what to say but she knew Luna would do this to comfort him. He sees me as a sister, I need to act like it. For the first time Yumi heard him crying. She felt the tears dripping onto her shirt as she held him. "Why can I never protect her? I try so hard to keep her safe and to be there but whenever it matters most, she slips through my fingers. What if I don't see her again?" Yumi was both confused and saddened. She doubted Luna had ever even seen Jin like this.
Vulnerable. She always said how calm and strong he is but here he is, crying into my shoulder. To know she was taken far out of his reach, it must sting. It hurts for me so I can only imagine how he feels. No words came to her on how to ease his suffering. There was no easing his sense of helplessness when Yumi herself felt the same way. She held tightly to him and remained that way until he pulled away from her. "Thank you." he said, wiping his eyes. "You don't cry often, do you?" Yumi asked. "Never around anyone at least. My job is to be there when I'm needed, to set an example, to support the people around me. I can't do that if I cry everytime something bad happens. I shouldn't have lost myself this time." he said.
"It helps though." Yumi stated quietly. "It helps to lean on another person when you feel unwell or weak. I don't know what to do about Luna but if you need to vent to someone then I'm always here." Yumi smiled at him. It was a sad excuse for a grin but she showed it all the same. They talked for a few hours afterwards and Jin left for his parent's home. "They need to know that Luna is okay for now. They need to know the situation." he said before leaving. Yumi agreed and sent him on his way. She stared at the tablet for some time as she laid there in Luna's bed. "Show? What kind of game is he making you play? I really hope you stay safe Luna. Come back to me, please." Yumi put the tablet on the nightstands next to the bed and closed her eyes after wrapping herself in the sheets.
Thoughts of Luna and Giza and the tablet and everything else that had happened weighed heavily on her mind. She was restless most of the night but eventually slumber overtook her.