Yayaka

I have no idea how the fragging hell Cocona and Yuyu managed to find me in Pure Illusion, but as we were surrounded by monsters, I didn't really care about that right now. The moment me and Cocona pulled Yuyu up from that crack in the world, I took up a defensive position, and Yuyu did the same.

The monsters in this world were… kinda peculiar. Wouldn't look out of place in a horror movie. When they first rose from the scaled ground, I thought that they were made entirely of slime, but as one thrust a long arm out, I saw that wasn't the case. They looked like hairless wolves for the body, skin stretched tight over their ribs, with spikes all along their front legs. Running along the spine, in addition to the row of spikes, was a thick blue shell, which continued along a whip-like tail, ending in a barb like a scorpion. Black liquid poured off them, thick like syrup, leaving strings of goo that hung between limbs like spider webs. Despite being built like wolves, the heads resembled a goat's more than anything, with the horizontal-pupiled eyes, jutting jaw, and a pair of curved horns forking forward. Unlike a goat though, their teeth looked thin, sharp and serrated, more like they belonged to a shark.

I watched one of the monsters flex its claws, a deep growl rumbling in its throat, when I saw another five leap at us from the corners of my eyes.

Yuyu was ready to react, and did so instantly. It was strange to see her fighting, without using a giant metal arm, instead she had a sword (which I never remember seeing before. Where the hell did, she get that?) which lashed out, slicing anything that came close. She was quick to move, I'd guess the thin, sharp sword being a lot easier to handle than a great heavy gauntlet. She'd swipe the blade at one monster, to keep it at bay, followed by a sweep of the blade in an arc, posing a constant threat to her numerous opponents.

Cocona had ducked, low to the ground, hands over her head, trying to stay out of the way of combat. Probably a smart move, as she was in her school uniform, and didn't appear to have any weapons on her. A couple of the monsters noticed her, and I grabbed the harpoon Nyunyu left me from my belt, activated it, and jabbed upwards at one of them.

I managed to catch it under the chin, and a dribble of oil began to leak from its face, onto the main body of the harpoon. I quickly withdrew it, and snapped around, trying to catch the other monster too. I just about managed to slap the blade of the harpoon against one of its horns, which made it turn its attention to me, rather than Cocona.

Changing target, wanting to take out the person that was more of a threat (or just pissed that I chipped its horn) it wasn't long before I had to deal with snapping jaws, and tried to stab outwards to keep the monster away from me. I could see another one trying to sneak up next to me, like it was planning to go for Cocona while I was busy trying to hold one monster off. I tried to look between the two, and make the harpoon seem threatening to both of them, jabbing outwards if they came close, but no such luck. They were getting more confident every time I moved and managed to inch slowly closer. Although a part of me was glad I was in Pure Illusion with Cocona at last, and I could be a real protector to her, and see a world with her, I wished she had some way to defend herself, as it wasn't exactly easy keeping her safe right now.

"Hey, Yuyu, can you help me out here?" I asked, just as one of the two monsters I was trying to hold off slashed at me. The other one gnashed its teeth in anticipation, knowing it was only a matter of time before I became too tired to remain a threat. I grimaced, as each move took more effort to make. I can't do this much longer…

"Unable to assist." Was her response. Her voice was strained, and I wasn't going to turn to her to find out why, as that would mean taking my eyes off of these two, and I knew if I stopped paying attention to them for a second that they'd be on me.

Then a scream pierced the air. Cocona's scream. There was a swift 'thud', and then a dragging noise, as if one of the monsters had bitten her leg, and was trying to pull her away from us. Not on my watch!

I tried to hop backwards, keeping those two wolves in my sight, and tried to aim my grappling wire at them, hoping I could somehow tangle them up, or keep them occupied long enough, so I could rescue Cocona. I would have tried to activate my visor, so that could target the enemies for me, but that would have meant having to let go of the harpoon, and I really didn't want to abandon the only thing that kept the monsters an extra foot or two away from me. Trying to calculate where the heck my wire would go with no visual guide was pretty difficult. I'll just have to guess…

I let off the shot, and heard a faint 'clink!' as it bounced off the blue shell. One of them looked a bit startled, wondering what had just tried to attack it probably, but the other just stared, its goat-like pupils looking like voids of madness. Its jaw dropped into what I swear was a grin, knowing that was probably the last attack I'd manage to get off.

Just then, I felt a heavy weight press against my back, and hooked claws piercing through my Flip Flap armour, forcing me to the ground. I was pretty sure I was bleeding. I heard a growl above me, and felt a thick line of goo drip down onto my back. It gave me a chance to glance and Yuyu and see how she was doing. She was the only one of us still standing, but she had three of the monsters on her. One had its teeth clamped around her metal arm. That alone was enough to make me wince, but the other two were snapping at her legs with their fangs, which explained why she wasn't able to help. The fabric for the trousers of her armour had been ripped away in places, leaving one shin exposed. It would only take one lucky strike to render that leg useless.

This can't be happening… It can't end like this! I felt a growl building in my own throat, trying to muster any courage and power I had left, so I could try and push myself up, and help the others. They shouldn't even be here! They're gonna get killed! My breath came out in hisses, as I felt the claws press further into my back. My hand reached for my rocket belt, but I wasn't sure it'd do too much good. The only target I could hit right now would be the floor, and that won't hurt the monsters at all…

But the floor is weak. It crumbles, cracks and breaks…

Despite this seemingly hopeless situation, much like my decision to trap myself in Pure Illusion, I got another really dumb idea. I couldn't really reach for my visor to aim, or see where the weak floor was exactly, but I could do some damage at least, and that could save us, right? It might mean losing some of my rockets, but I wouldn't exactly need them, if all of us are pretty much facing imminent death. Rockets can't help dead people.

"Cocona! Yuyu! I'm gonna bust a hole in the floor. Get ready!"

I thought I could hear Cocona as she likely questioned what the hell I was doing, but it was pretty damn hard to hear over the loud 'BOOM!' that echoed in my ears, as I set one of my rockets off. I quickly shifted that hand to my grappling wire, and aimed it what I'd hope was a fair distance away, or at least enough to pull me to safety.

The force was just enough to send me up into the air, away from the swiftly shattering land. It looked like someone had just smashed a window in slow motion, and all the shards were slowly falling apart into a deep dark hole below. The monsters barely had time to react, and lost their footing, falling, with no hope of getting back up. On a couple, the thick oil of their bodies had managed to sorta glue them to the more leaf-like land, and they scrabbled to keep a hold, but it was futile, and they too, were lost. My wire caught on something, and I began to be pulled towards the point it landed, sharply.

Whipping my head around, I caught sight of Yuyu. I'd managed to take out one of the monsters attacking her, its claws scraped at the leaf-land, before shredding it and falling, but the other two (and Yuyu herself) were just out of range of the newly made gap in the ground. Yuyu dropped her sword from her metal hand, into her regular one, and jabbed outwards at the monster that had just taken her leg in its jaws. She swiftly decapitated it, before turning her attention to the one that was clamped to her metal arm.

But what about Cocona? I turned to look. Cocona was too far out of range of my rocket blast for the monster to have fallen to its death, but my attack must still have caught it off guard, as it released its grip on Cocona at least, leaving her free to attack… Not that she had anything to attack with.

There were still quite a few monsters around, no way did my attack take all of them out, maybe it could have done if Toto was here to tell me where to shoot, but it was enough for now. I rushed over to Cocona and handed her my harpoon.

"Shut up and take it," I barked to her, before she could protest. "You need something to defend yourself with."

I quickly made a mental list of anything I had on me that could be used as a weapon. Grappling wire? Maybe. Boots? They might be steel-capped, but I'd rather not get too close to one of those things if I could help it. Dragon fang? Same problem. Amorphous? Dead in my weapon belt…

But then I remembered something else, and my fingers reached down to touch eerily cold metal. Illusion Bronze… I thought back to the battle with the dragon, and how the item box listed 'noise grenades' as an item, and thought about how loud everything was in the flooding temple. I wrapped my fingers around the can-shaped object, clasping the solid surface. This thing had better work!

I chucked it as hard as I could at a point somewhere between where Yuyu was standing, and where Cocona and me were. It touched the ground with a 'DING!' that was so loud it felt like the whole world should have been shaking with the force of it, and the fragile land crumbling all over again.

By the looks of it though, that wasn't a bad decision to make, as all the monsters were pretty much immobilised by the noise grenade. Their mouths hung open, flat tongues lolling, and their limbs sort of… contracted, closer to their bodies, as if trying to shield themselves from the din.

Yuyu had managed to pry the monsters jaws off her metal arm and quickly beheaded it. Her red eyes flicked in my direction, and she ran over to two of us, leaving a small trail of blood behind her. The noise grenade had given us enough time to regroup, which was good, but the horde of monsters was still plentiful, and they were starting to recover. A few shook their heads, as if to shake off the remains of the noise, as they slowly crept towards us, preparing another attack.

"Yuyu, any ideas?" I asked. I had my fists out, and was standing in a fighting stance, ready to punch if I had to. Annoyingly, neither Hidaka or Yuyu decided to keep the arm spikes from my old gear. I barely used them when I had them available, but still, it would have reassured me right now that at least if one of the monsters got my arm, that I could potentially slice its tongue off if nothing else.

"Out of rockets?" Yuyu asked.

One of my hands twitched as I debated lowering it to my belt, ready to fire another one off, but this time, I was hesitant to do so. I might have thought 'rockets are no use to dead people' before, but now some of the monsters had been taken out, and a fair portion of them were still recovering from being stunned, I was feeling a bit more confident about being able to take them out without using up any more rockets. Besides, what if I used one and my aim was off and it just crashed uselessly? I felt like I should save what few I had left. It's not exactly like I can just hop back to Flip Flap and get more… I mean, I could ask Yuyu or Cocona maybe, but I'd rather they stayed back at Flip Flap, safe and out of the way of my mission. I wouldn't want them to come to Pure Illusion to deliver supplies to me, only for them to end up dead, or for the damn shadow to show up and kill them. I mean, yeah, it might bring the shadow closer to me, but it's not something I'd wanna risk someone else's life for. "I'd rather not use one, if I can help it," I replied.

I'm not sure, but I thought I could feel a wave of annoyance from Yuyu at that comment. Does she think I should use one?

I heard soft footsteps behind me, as Cocona approached Yuyu.

"Yuyu, is it okay if I use your power for a moment?" The blue-haired girl sounded nervous as she asked the question. I didn't hear a response, but I'd guess Yuyu nodded, giving consent, as the next thing I heard was "Flip… Flapping!"

An aura of magenta light pooled on the floor around me, and I cast a shadow across the scaly land. The monsters froze in their tracks, upon seeing one of their targets change in appearance. Could they sense her power?

I risked a look around and saw Cocona holding the harpoon tightly in both her hands. It was crackling with magenta lightning, and the sharp end of it was glowing bright pink. I wanted to question what she was doing, but I didn't even have the time to say her name, before she thrust it downwards, and I was bowled over by a shockwave.

I landed flat on my back, which irritated my wound from one of the creatures, and I hissed with pain.

Despite that though, I tried to get myself standing as quickly as possible so I could get back into the fight... only to see that all the monsters had gone. In the exact places they were, sat squat little heaps of cracking blue shell. The oil from their bodies was seeping into the ground below, revealing strange patterned skin, which looked an awful lot like the leaves, underneath...

Wait... Are we walking on the corpses of all of these creatures? The thought made me feel a little sick.

But is Cocona okay? And Yuyu, too? I saw Yuyu flat on her front, but her eyes were open and I could see her blink as she looked up at me. It wasn't long before she stood. Turning my attention to Cocona however... worried me.

Like Yuyu, she was flat on the floor, but she wasn't giving off light any more. The harpoon lay shattered at her side, her hand still around the handle, which looked a bit like a short wooden stake.

"Cocona?" Yuyu spoke first. It took me a little longer than I'd like to find my own voice.

"Hey, Cocona? Are you okay?" And when it came out, it sounded more like it belonged to a whispering mouse than a person. She didn't seem to be moving, and didn't respond when we called her name. We need to find some help.

"Where's Toto when you friggin' need him?" I muttered, as I lifted Cocona's arm and placed it around my shoulders. She seemed to wake up a little, I thought I heard her mumble my name, and she gave a weak smile. Relief hit me like a truck. She's alive at least... "We need to get moving," I said. "I hope there's some kinda medical building in that town..." Saying that out loud made me turn to Yuyu. "How's your leg?"

Yuyu tilted her head to the side in confusion, before looking down and seeing the line of blood. "Wasn't aware of injury," she said, looking back up at me. "Bleeding seems to have stopped though."

"Well, that's good at least. Are you okay to walk?"

Yuyu nodded, but I swear her mouth twitched a little. Was that a wince? It was hard to tell. "Come on," I said to her, as we walked to the town.


Yuyu

Couldn't feel injury in leg until Yayaka pointed it out. No pain. Just blood. Not sure that was a good sign. Could usually feel pain. Teeth from monster looked capable of severing limbs easily. Wound is minor, but should still hurt. Concerning.

Didn't notice town originally when made it down the hill. Focus was Yayaka being under attack. Tried to help her, but couldn't do much. Provided power for Cocona to take out enemies. Was useful.

Wandered through town for a while. Appeared deserted. Felt odd seeing creatures earlier disintegrating, and seeing scale towers here. Purposefully shaped? Or result of dead creatures stacked on top of each other? Unknown.

"Hey! Is there anyone here?!"

Yayaka started shouting for attention. Unsure if a good idea, but may be required. No one else around otherwise.

"Can send Cocona back to Flip Flap. Have Hole devices. Will send signal to Flip Flap saying to find her at Asclepius' base." I suggested.

"You have Holes?" Yayaka asked. Sounded angry, "You should have sent her back the moment that fight started, she could have been killed!" Yayaka scowled. "What the crap are you two doing here, anyway?!"

Suddenly felt shy. Didn't want to answer. Reached into belt pocket and pulled out Asclepius ration. "You need food." Felt guilty for not remembering in the first place. Could have starved... Would have been my fault.

Yayaka seemed puzzled for a moment. Then realised I was holding a ration. Her stomach growled loudly. Yayaka snatched it from my hands. Tore open wrapper. Took a bite. Her face screwed up from taste she disliked... But chewed and swallowed.

"Man, these things suck…" she said. Took another bite. Chewed and swallowed. Finished the ration entirely, and then spoke again. Seemed calmer. "Wait, you guys came here, because I needed food?"

Nodded. Looked down at feet. Think face heated up. Focused on patterns on scale ground.

"You surprise me, Yuyu... thanks." Yayaka said. Looked up at her. Saw small smile on her face. Doesn't blame me for forgetting food. Felt a bit better. Yayaka about to speak again, but interruption. Snuffling noise. Both looked around, alert. Eventually saw source of sound: small creature peering over edge of a tower, below a tent.

Nose poked out first, then slowly, the rest of it. Revealed a being with the head of a shark, pointed cat ears. Small. Bodies hidden beneath crude clothing made of land-fabric. Movements suggested ape-like body. Walked on all fours. Leapt down from tower, followed by another shark being. Both landed at Yayaka's feet. Both chirped up at her. Yayaka's stance changed. Foot shifted, ready to kick if required.

"You guys friendly?" she asked, looking down at them. No response. Creatures continued to sniff. One clambered up onto Cocona's back, caused her to grunt with pain. Change in Yayaka was instant. Furious. "Hey! Get off of her!" Reached over and pulled shark being from Cocona. It fell to the floor, landing on its butt. Appeared dazed. Rubbed top of its head with a small hand. The other one approached it and chirped. Communicating? Appeared to be. A few more creatures had come out from hiding, many appearing from inside of the towers. Would guess they are hollow inside.

Yayaka seemed to dislike creatures, glaring around at them. Many were gathering around us. I saw no reason to be concerned. If hostile, would have attacked already. Seemed harmless. More began to squeak and chirrup as if conversing. Bobbed like birds as they made noises.

Eventually, five of them all turned to Yayaka. Opened mouths, making different sounds… long drone. Then: "…Tuh?" sudden noise.

"Are they trying to speak to us?" Yayaka asked me.

"Uncertain." Looked down at beings. "Repeat noises."

Was unsure if they could understand me. And then… "Huuurrrr… tuh?" Realised, attempting to communicate with us. Requested noises again before recognising attempted speech. Saying 'hurt'.

"Yes." Said as both answer to Yayaka and small sharks. Difficult for them to communicate. Use simple language. "Yes. Friend hurt. Need help."

Five cat-eared heads looked at each other. Made further noises, mix of them. Translating? Unusual. Possible each has knowledge of few words. Need to work together for complete understanding of language.

"We don't have time for this," Yayaka mumbled. Turned to me, "Just go head back with Coco—AH!"

THUMP! Multiple bodies knocked us all to floor. Sharks pulled Cocona from Yayaka's grasp.

"Hey! Give her back you—" Protested, but sentence ended with hiss of pain. All were being carried to open area of the town. No major landmarks. Just a clearing in the middle of tents and towers. Were dropped in the middle.

Moment Yayaka was dropped, she began to stand. Shark jumped on her back.

It began to hiss. "Ssssssss…" Others joined in. "Tuh" "Ayyyyyyy" "Hehhhhhhh…" "lup."

Realised more speech. "Telling you to 'Stay.' Will 'Help'" Translated for Yayaka. She didn't seem happy about it.

"Do you trust them?" She asked me.

"Would have attacked by now if hostile. Are vulnerable. Easy targets. No hostile actions taken. Think they can be trusted."

"Tch…" Yayaka made annoyed noise. Would guess wanted to act, but didn't want to upset potential allies. Could understand. Sharks known for sharp teeth. To provoke them would be unwise. Easily outnumbered here.

Watched them bumble about. Looked fierce, but seemed... dopey. Big, curious eyes. They're kind of cute. Would want to pet one.

"How's Toto doing?" Yayaka asked, while sharks began to work, healing us. "Did he make it back to Flip Flap okay? And Nyunyu?"

"Yes," I reported, "both arrived safely."

Heard Yayaka let out a sigh of relief. "I'm glad to hear that…"

"Toto undergoing medical treatment though." Became worried. Voice changed from monotone to hint of sadness.

"He seemed to be in pretty bad shape when he left me…" Yayaka said, echoing concerns. "But that healing machine's at Flip Flap now, so he should be fine." Confident words, but voice betrayed real emotion. Just as worried as me…

Time passed. No sun in the sky. No colour to sky. But time passed. Heard squeaks and saw sharks move around us all. Carrying various equipment. All tended to physical wounds. Bandaged us up. Seemed to spend a while treating Cocona. Yayaka and I were recovered enough. Both sat up, and watched the sharks work. Yayaka sat forward, head resting on a hand.

"Are they going to be able to fix her?" She asked. Sounded anxious. Saw emotion reflected in her purple eyes. Looked… lost and hurt. Wanted to comfort her… Could only think of words to say. Didn't say them. Not sure they would help.

No medical knowledge.

Can't comfort.

Want to help. Can't help…

Yayaka wanted Toto here… Can understand. Can help with injuries… But her saying that… Aware am not as useful in this situation as Toto. He would know how to comfort Yayaka. Built for support. Me? Only built to fight… Became annoyed. Wanted Toto here. Not me. Clenched fists at side. At arcade, all congratulated Toto, not me. Toto more popular at school. People want him…

Never want me…

Felt something bump into me. Was knocked out of thoughts. Looked down. Saw a shark. Its ears twitched. Blinked up at me with big eyes. Found myself smiling at it. Wanted to pet it. Raised real hand to do so, and it ran away. Noticed a red glint on hand near fingernails. Odd. Wanted to investigate, but Yayaka spoke.

"Do you wanna pet a shark, Yuyu?"

Dropped hand. Saw Yayaka looking at me. She continued: "When I was in Pure Illusion alone... You know, that world that was a replica of home? I went to an aquarium when I was there, and they had a shark petting pool. I don't know if that place was only in Pure Illusion, but if it turns out to be on Earth too, we could go there one day, if you wanted, when I come back from Pure Illusion."

'We could go there one day, if you wanted.' Pictured being at aquarium with Yayaka. Would watch the fish. Shards of colours flashing like amorphous, gliding through water as if in flight. Would be there with Yayaka... Thought made me feel a little nervous... But spending time with Yayaka would be nice. Kind Yayaka, who wants me to have chances like a normal human. Felt warm. Small smile pulled at face. Was about to agree to suggestion, when heard a groan from Cocona.

"Ughh…"

"Cocona!" Yayaka got up immediately. Went to her side. Felt a pang looking at them. Didn't like seeing them together. Cocona being well was good, but Cocona and Yayaka… Didn't like it.

Fists clenched more, but approached.

"Yayaka… Yuyu… You're both okay…" Cocona's eyes mostly closed, but aware we were here. She smiled with relief. Felt irritation leave. Cocona is better. Yayaka is alive. All is fine.


Yayaka

I was tempted to hold Cocona in my arms. I really was, but I held myself back from doing so. The voice in my head might have left me, but annoyingly my feelings themselves hadn't gone with it. If I held Cocona, I wouldn't have wanted to let go. Instead, I settled for just being hear her. It was such a relief to see those warm brown eyes again…

But as nice as it was, she couldn't stay here. She'd be in danger.

"How are you?" I asked her.

"A little tired..." Her voice was soft and sleepy. Her hair looked a little scruffy, as if she'd just woken up... I found myself smiling at her, thinking how cute she looked. But she's not mine... That made my face fall a bit more neutral, but that was probably a good thing. I didn't really want to be questioned about the dumb look on my face by anyone... Stop thinking about that, Yayaka. The longer Cocona and Yuyu are here, the more danger they could be in! Send them home! I completely killed the smile on my face, and took on a more serious expression.

"Are you good to travel?" Like usual, the question came out harsher than I meant it, but this time maybe it'd help get across that she needed to go back home right now.

"I... I think I can do a little..." she said, standing up. She slowly seemed to be becoming more aware of her surroundings and where she was. She looked down at the little shark people, who were circling around us. "What's going on?" she asked confused. "Where are all the monsters? Who are these creatures?"

I quickly explained. "You did some sort of shockwave attack, and took all of the bad monsters out, but it seemed to take a lot out of you, and you collapsed. Me and Yuyu bought you here. The sharks helped."

At that moment, a number of the sharks began to chirp and squeak. All of them directed their communications to Yuyu. I had no clue what they were saying, but she seemed to be able to figure it out, and answered them.

"Yes. All safe. You helped. Thank you. Are okay. Can leave." She said. The sharks turned to each other and seemed to be debating something. Eventually, they left us alone, going back to the blue scale towers, climbing up them with tiny clawed hands, and hid themselves back inside. Not gonna lie, I was pretty relieved they were gone. I know Yuyu said they wouldn't hurt us, but after the first lot of enemies we encountered here, I was hesitant to trust them. I hadn't realised how tense my body was, until I felt myself relax, now we were no longer surrounded.

I got straight to the point. "You two need to go back to Flip Flap," I said, standing up. "Yuyu said she has Holes-"

"Will stay." Yuyu said.

I turned to her, and saw those red piercing eyes return my gaze. "No, you won't," I said, trying to sound more like the commander I was used to being. "Look, I appreciate you guys coming here, but I don't want..." your help. That's what I was going to say, but that would have been a lie. If I had their help, it would be a lot easier to get around. I probably would have died back there if it wasn't for them... But I don't want"...you to get hurt."

"Yayaka-"

I cut off Cocona before she could protest. "Please, both of you, just get out of here." I tried to sound tough, but it felt like my voice could break any moment. "This is my thing I have to deal with." I was on the verge of begging, trying not to cry as I tried to persuade them to go.

They were both silent as they regarded me. Then, Cocona and Yuyu looked at each other, as if sharing a silent conversation.

"Yayaka..." I thought it would have been Cocona who'd spoken, but I was surprised to hear Yuyu's voice. I turned to the silver-haired girl. "You forgot food. Forget to eat." Her usually monotone voice seemed to hold a hint of gentleness to it. Her eyes had closed a little too, as if attempting to smile without using her lips. "Came here because you need food." She opened the pockets on her weapon belt, and revealed...

"Crapping hell..." I exclaimed, which made Cocona smirk. She clearly found the fact I was shocked at how many damn ration bars I saw in Yuyu's weapon belt amusing, but seriously, every friggin' pocket was full of them! "Why did you take so many?!" It just seemed so absurd to me that I had to ask.

"Yuyu was worried about you," Cocona said, with a light smile on her face. "The moment she realised you were stuck; she ran straight to Asclepius' base to find the rations. It seemed to me like she would have tried going to Pure Illusion alone, just to give you them. I decided to come with her, so she could get to you safely."

I was stunned. It was Yuyu who thought about the food? Yuyu who would have risked going to Pure Illusion alone, for me?

"...Is that true?" I asked. It probably had to be, but I felt it hard to believe, so I felt the need to ask.

Yuyu nodded. Before quickly turning her head away from me, and her eyes were looking in a different direction entirely as if she was embarrassed by admitting it. But... I felt touched. She did this for me… I could only stare at Yuyu, who continued to find the floor fascinating, meanwhile, I was pretty sure Cocona was looking between the two of us and smiling. It was her that spoke first, "I'll go back to Flip Flap," she said.

Yuyu seemed to snap to attention, hearing Cocona's voice. "Will stay." She said. Yuyu was looking at me again, red eyes sharp and determined.

Oddly, as I looked at her... I didn't find myself wanting to yell at her to go back to Flip Flap with Cocona. As much as I felt I needed to deal with my shadow alone, the fact I didn't even think about food, and ended up surrounded by monsters on the first world after Toto and Nyunyu left me, (which meant I'd probably be dead if Cocona and Yuyu hadn't shown up)… That and the fact I had no idea how to use a Hole for an emergency escape, or hell, even to leave Pure Illusion, began to make me think otherwise. Maybe I should have someone here with me after all...

"Are you absolutely sure, Yuyu?" I asked. As much as she said she wanted to stay, I felt that I should still give her the chance to back out while she could. "It's gonna be dangerous."

"Am sure," Yuyu said, putting a hand over her heart. I found the fact she did that gesture a little bizarre, it felt a bit like she was saluting me, but I wasn't going to comment on it. I still felt kinda bad for calling her weird back in the café the other day.

"Okay. Then you can come with me." I turned to Cocona. "You know how to get back home?"

"Yes. Yuyu taught me how," She said, as she pulled a Hole device out of her skirt pocket. It seemed like she was about to use it but had second thoughts and turned to look up at the two of us. "Are there any messages you want me to take back to Flip Flap before I go?"

"Wish Toto a speedy recovery," Yuyu said "Also apologies to Hidaka, as won't be around for a while." Cocona nodded, before she went over to Yuyu and gave her a hug, causing the silver-haired girl to jolt with surprise. Yuyu didn't push her away though, and they stayed like that for a little while, to the point of I started to wonder if Cocona was whispering something in Yuyu's ear. A secret message? If so, then what is she saying? It might have been nothing at all, but I couldn't help wondering. When Cocona let go of her sister, she turned to me. "Yayaka, is there anything you want to say to anyone back at Flip Flap?"

Messages for back home… "Tell Toto I hope he gets better soon, too" I was glad to hear he made it back at least… But at what cost? It was hard to try and keep that thought out of my mind. I tried to turn my attention to any other messages I could have for anyone back at Flip Flap, and my mind went straight to Papika. "How's Papika doing?" I asked.

Cocona gave a sad smile. "She's a little fragile right now… But I think she'll be okay in time. I promised her I'd look after her when I go back…" she shuffled her feet, as if she felt guilty, staying here for so long. She got caught up in the fight and got knocked out because she and Yuyu came after me… Cocona should head back as soon as possible... The selfish side of me wanted her to stay and come with us... But she chose Papika, not me... and if Cocona stayed here, then there's no telling if Papika would ever recover… I didn't really know much about what happened to Papika, but if it left her looking as haunted as she did, I think she'd need Cocona to be with her.

I grit my teeth, starting to get angry at myself. And I wanted Cocona to stay with me… I despised the part of me that would have sacrificed Papika's wellbeing, just so I could stay with the person I loved for a little longer… It's wrong to think like that. Cocona isn't mine, and I can't keep her all to myself. I need to let her go…

But before she heads back, "Tell Papika I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect her… And that I'm sorry for how I treated her when I was a part of Asclepius." I probably didn't need to add that last part, as Papika seemed to warm up to me quite a lot, but thinking about Papika getting attacked by my shadow, and how badly I'd treated her before at Asclepius… I was never all that nice to her to start with… But when we both went to rescue Cocona, she didn't say a single bad thing against me… And she's tried to reassure and comfort me when I was upset at Flip Flap… Papika could find it in her heart to spare me some kindness after all of that… and now I've gone and repaid her with my stupid selfish thoughts of how I want her girlfriend for myself… "Tell her, I can understand if she hates me" I'm not too fond of myself either…"And that I really am sorry for everything…" Especially, those self-centred thoughts, which have somehow taken a physical form and seem intent on hurting everyone...

I felt as heavy as Doctor Salt looked when I'd finished speaking. It was only four sentences I said out loud, I know, but… the thoughts I had between them didn't really help. The expression on Cocona's face had turned from one of careful listening to one of empathy, and her hands were over her heart as she looked at me. I was on the verge of crying, feeling overwhelmed by the guilt of everything. All of a sudden, Cocona threw her arms around me in a hug. My heart rate jumped, as I felt those arms encircle me, before squeezing. I closed my eyes, trying to hold onto the feeling of being hugged by the person I loved the most. It might be the last time I get the chance to feel anything like this... I'm sorry, Cocona… I'm so sorry…

"I don't think you've done anything wrong, Yayaka." She said, softly. "I think Papika's long forgiven you for the way you treated her before, but I'll pass all of the message on for you, just in case." She squeezed me a little tighter. "Please be careful in Pure Illusion. I know you said you have something important to do here, but if it gets too dangerous, promise me you'll come back home." She gave me another squeeze, which was nearly enough to break my ribs, before she finally said, "You're my best friend, Yayaka. I love you."

I think my heart just stopped for a second there. Cocona loves me... It was a nice thought, but… I just couldn't understand why she would care about me, especially if she knew what I was thinking a few seconds ago.

"I..." Love you, too, Cocona. I love you, and I want to be more than just your best friend... And that's the whole reason you guys are in danger in the first place... I'm sorry, but I "… can't promise that." I was holding her as tightly as she was holding me. I'm doing this for you and for everyone back home. Pure Illusion is dangerous enough without my shadow in it, but I have to take it out. For some reason it seems to be targeting you guys, and I can't let it do that, because, "I need to do this, to keep all you softies safe..." I'm not happy with the fact Yuyu wants to come with me, I want to keep her safe too, but I think I'm gonna need someone here, and she's volunteering... "Look after Papika... And take care of the others too."

It was really hard to release her from the hug, hell it was the last thing I wanted to do right then, but I forced myself to let go. She didn't look happy about me wanting to stay in Pure Illusion, but she seemed to have accepted my decision at least.

"Do you have anything else you want to say to anyone at Flip Flap before I return?"

Messages for Flip Flap… I looked over at Yuyu, who was watching the two of us. Her hands were curled into fists at her side, which I thought was a little strange, but I didn't say that out loud. Yuyu had a message for Hidaka, to say she won't be back for a while… She wants to come with me… I had no idea why the hell Yuyu would do something so kind for me, I felt I didn't deserve any kindness after what I'd done to Papika… I want to find a way to thank her for staying with me… I didn't really have a clue what I could do though… But then my mind came up with something…

"Have you got any paper?" I asked Cocona. She quickly replied she did, before pulling her notebook out of her skirt pocket, and tearing a page of it off, giving it, and her pen, to me.

I still felt kinda heavy from feeling sad earlier. As heavy as Doctor Salt. And Salt owes me a favour… I got scribbling on the paper. 'Salt, you still owe me a favour for saving Papika.' I scribbled down the rough address of the music shop we'd been to when I showed the amorphous kids around town. 'There's a white piano in there. I want it.' I folded the paper up, wrote his name on one side of it, and handed it to Cocona. What Salt would make of my request I have no idea, but I hope he'd follow up on it. After all, Yuyu has two arms now. She can learn to play... And then one day, she and Toto can perform together.

Cocona seemed a little surprised at the fact I'd addressed the note to her father, but she tucked it into her skirt pocket to deliver later on.

"Wait." Yuyu said. She beckoned Cocona over and held her hand out. Cocona looked down at the hand before looking back up at Yuyu.

"Do you want to write something down?"

Yuyu nodded. Cocona took her notepad and pen out again, and handed them to Yuyu. She scribbled something down on a page quickly before giving it back. "Coordinates for safe world," she said. "Can use Hole device or Asclepius portal to go there if needed."

Cocona didn't quite seem to know what to do with the information, but she nodded and thanked Yuyu anyway. After returning the notebook to her pocket again, she looked down at the Hole device in her hand, ready to throw it, but it seemed she had a message for the two of us as well, before she left.

"Please take care of each other." Her voice was quiet, but it held a lot of emotion to it. "I'll come back for you as soon as I can."

I was about to protest. To tell her not to bother coming back to us, but before I could say anything, she activated the Hole and a black portal yawned open in the ground. It swallowed her as she jumped in, and disappeared, leaving me and Yuyu standing alone amongst the blue towers...


Authors note: I thought it was about time I had a friendly civilisation in Pure Illusion, or at least, something that wasn't going to kill everyone, as I thought it'd been a while since they'd ran into something that was harmless. I feel it may be the last time something like that happens for a little while though...

I admit I'm not quite happy with this chapter and how it's turned out, but I'm gonna leave it, so I can move on. I feel that Yayaka's decision to agree to letting Yuyu stay happened kinda suddenly, but I wasn't quite sure how to lengthen the segment/build on it, so if it seems short to you, that's why. I've been planning for this to happen for quite a while now, in addition to the conversation Cocona and Yayaka have while they hug, although in my original version, that scene was going to happen MUCH earlier on and be kinda different in its entirely. I originally thought I'd have to scrap that entirely, which annoyed me, because I was happy with the original version of the scene I wrote, but I found a way to work it in, although edited and I feel it doesn't quite work as well. Stories and art and other things you work on tend to have minds of their own though. Something I wanted to happen way back in chapter 4 or 5 of my original story plans ended up happening approx 86k words la- 86k words? Wow... I mean... There's some things I've been planning since maybe halfway through the other fic whic have yet to happen, but... that's a lot of words.