"I…I thought I lost you even though I know it was all a dream… everything was so real, I felt that I…I…I thought I lost everything," cried Sayaka, her tears spewing from her eyes. Celes kissed her, calming the girl down, "I'm still here Maizono-san. I also heard what you said in your dream, and I have to say, I like you as well."
The sensation of an embrace is warm and loving. It is a different form of life itself. The body that held Celes was warm and soft, a feeling she had forgotten long ago. The moment Kirigiri embraced her, Celes shuddered. She however, did not return the embrace. It wasn't because she rejected it, it was simply because it would have been awkward for her to return what was given.
Kirigiri untangled her arms from Celes after a few moments of embracing, flashing a small grin before gently nudging the girl in black away from her locker. In response, Celes stepped aside, allowing the girl to access her locker to acquire the materials she needed. Celes carried most of her items with her, besides massive textbooks or her jacket, which rendered her visits to her own locker to a low number. Feeling the uncomfortable sensation of hunger, she waited for Kirigiri to finish up before following her to their lunch group which consisted of fourteen other students.
It was rowdy by the time they reached their destination, packed with students walking in all directions, with rumors and gossip spreading like wildfire. In the distance at the table near the windows, a wave was directed to the both of them. "Kirigiri-san! Celes-san! Over here!" cheerfully shouted Naegi, who kept waving until the both began to move towards the group.
The group was mixed in many ways. There are those who socialized and brought life into the lunch hour, those who simply listened, and those who did activities together. Occasionally they would all get together and enjoy the conversation or activity. Some days, not everyone was present, and today was one of them. Settling down, Celes took out her lunch which consisted of a salad and some strawberries. Munching on her food, she listened to the conversations that occurred with her friends.
"Ehh? Hagakure, you know that's a load of bullshit. No one can predict the future," scoffed Leon, who disbelieved in the idea that his laid-back friend could foretell the future with a crystal ball.
"Actually Leon, whether it was a coincidence or not, he predicted that I would have a terrible day today, and it seems to be that way," replied Naegi, "I somehow failed two quizzes, tripped down the stairs and Junko seems to be using all her pranks on me..."
Junko snickered, while her twin sister, Mukuro sighed loudly at her sister's silly shenanigans. Leon sighed, ignoring the amusement that spiked in the group, "Totally a coincidence dude. There ain't no way a crystal ball could tell the future."
"W-well, what if Hagakure foretold m-more future outcomes? T-that could prove something!" chirped Chihiro, looking at Leon, Naegi and then at Hagakure.
"Maybe. Ain't bad of an idea. If you really can tell the future Hagakure, tell me something that will happen."
Hagakure staring at his crystal ball, concentrated his energy. Everyone quieted down and observed his work. He looked at Leon before answering, "What I see is that in your next baseball game, you'll have a horrible loss as a result. Of eight to four."
"What? The baseball team flunking that badly seems out of it. You know how well-trained the baseball team is, of course because it is has me it. I ain't the 'Super High School Level All Star for nothing!"
"That's what I see though. I can't alter anything, I just see what the ball tells me."
"Fine. Give someone else some of their future predictions. I'm not believing until it happens. Not like it will happen. Whatever happened for Naegi is all a coincidence. Coincidence!"
Hagakure ended up foretelling events for Asashina, Sakura, and Fukawa. All three were surprised of the events that were told for them. Asashina was told that she would sprain her ankle from an overworking in a sports game, Sakura's being she would achieve a grade of A on her midterm for history class, and finally, Fuwaka going on a casual date with Togami. Hagakure asked if anyone else wanted to be told what their future held, Celes volunteered shortly after. "I'm fascinated by all of this. I'm curious on what you see for me. Not like I believe it though," she addressed, stabbing the small tomato in her salad with the edge of her fork.
Hagakure went to work, who tensed and expressed signs of fear and worry several times during his readings. Celes lifted an eyebrow, curious on to what had been so rancid and horrid to make the poor man cringe as if he was seeing a ghost. The others present in the group muttered to each other, curious as well, some not wanting to know what had been seen.
"Well? What did you see?" she asked, flat in tone.
"W-well…you're up for some trouble for a very, very long time. I won't get into detail…but I'm just going to make it short and brief," he replied, a tad nervous.
"Spit it out then, there's no point in hiding what you saw when it's my future you're doing."
"Relationship problems. That's the gist of it. It's going to cause some turmoil on you and the other two of the situation, but mostly on yourself."
Celes stared at him, cold and hard before looking away, "I see. It can't be helped if it were to happen. I shall deal with it if it does arrive."
"Celes-san, if stuff were to get really, really bad, you have us to help you back on your feet!" stated Asashina, hands on the table, "If that future event came true, please don't hesitate to ask for help."
Everyone else nodded, Celes smiled gently in return, "I appreciate it. Thank you."
Celes understood why Hagakure didn't mention names and simply kept it brief. It would cause some misunderstandings and some avoidance issues. Her train of thought was lost when Sayaka barged in, slamming her hand on the table with some shiny, small sized papers under her hand. Fukawa, who was unfortunately beside the hand that was slammed down, jumped out of her chair and onto the ground. Junko, who sat across laughed out loud, who even began teasing the poor twin-braided girl who sulked in her seat. Mukuro flicked Junko's head, unimpressed how she caused the timid girl to slowly break down. "Junko-chan, you need to back up a bit in your teasing and pranks. Some of them are just too far," she answered, sternly.
Junko pouted, "You're no fun. Onee-san, why do you always ruin my fun? Unless, you're giving me some despair of my own, then that's ok~"
Mukuro shook her head, "I would never cause some despair on you. You're my sister after all. Plus I love you, and I would never have the guts to do it."
Glaring in response, Junko switched to her serious, intimidating mode, which often gave discomfort to the others. "I'll have to punish you later then for ruining my fun and as well as not giving me any despair."
"So be it," Mukuro gave in, sighing again before Junko reverted back to her casual form, hugging and petting her short, black hair, "This is why I have an amazing sister~"
The others in the group stayed silent, fiddled around or even coughed awkwardly. Sayaka broke the silence by apologizing to Fukawa for startling her to no end. Fuwaka quickly forgave her and shrugged it off, as she stuffed her face into a book to forget what had happened. Some wondered how they befriended Junko in the first place. She wasn't too bad to be around, but she tended to be quite a masochist and a sadist to the point it gave the creeps to many.
Sayaka cleared her throat, catching the attention of the group of friends. "Everyone, I'd like to invite you all to my concert that's happening next Thursday!" she squealed, lifting her hand up, revealing the gold-bordered tickets.
"Oi! How did you manage to get sixteen of these?! Aren't ya tickets around fifty-five dollars?!" Leon exclaimed, shocked.
Sayaka giggled in response, "I have my ways. Won't lose too much profit, but regardless, it would really mean a lot to me if all or most of you went to watch me. You and the girls I perform with are the source of my strength."
"I'm sure we'd all love to go Maizono-san. Or at least, attempt to go." Naegi answered, taking one of the tickets.
The others took their own share of tickets, some having an extra or two to give to those who weren't at the lunch group today. Sayaka smiled, a small happy squeal escaping from her mouth, "Oh! I almost forgot! All of them have special backstage passes! So if you want after the concert, you can drop by to say hello!"
"These are amazing Sayaka Maizono-dono! I'm very fortunate to have a pretty, idol friend who gives such gifts for such events!" cried Yamada, who treated the concert ticket as a god.
"It's not much really. I just want you all there because I love you all!"
"Maizono-chan! What songs are you going to sing? What type of theme is the concert going to have?" asked Asahina, her eyes glowing with curiousity.
"Well, it's something different this time. I'm apparently cross-dressing as a male and the songs aren't going to be the bubbly, cheerful ones. In fact, it's a darker theme, since Halloween just recently passed, I guess the media wanted something to fit that. Even though we're a tad late…better than never right?" she replied, pondering, "I'll need someone to help me pick out my stuff, but I have the perfect person in mind! Though I'll ask her later…"
The discussion for the concert carried on until the bell rang, which then everyone bid their farewells and scurried to class. The remainder of the day was casual and calm, teachers lecturing, notes being taken, work being assigned, nothing was out of the ordinary. When the final bell rang to signal that school was over, Sayaka had met up with Celes outside of school. The blue-haired girl panted. Celes gave her a moment to catch her breath before asking what she needed from her.
"Celes, remember how I said at lunch that I needed someone to help me with my concert clothes?"
Celes nodded, knowing what was coming up.
"I would really appreciate it if you helped me choose, since you really have good tastes in fashion as well as know how to make things suit a certain theme. If you're busy then that's okay, it's just better if I put it all into next week's concert right?" asked Sayaka, hands behind her back, foot grinding the ground below her.
"I'm flattered you find my choices in fashion to be necessary for your concert. I'll gladly help you with it. After all, we're friends. You helped me a week ago. Think of it as returning the favor," gentle and sweet in tone, a nod from Celes was given.
Sayaka expressed her thanks by hugging Celes tightly before dragging her back to her own place. Sayaka did not live too far from the school, and it was approximately ten minutes away. She and Celes bonded a bit, Sayaka asking how her day has went, her plans for the weekends, etc. Celes answered them in blunt, broad terms, not going in much depth, but it seemed to her that Sayaka didn't mind the short answers.
Keys rattled as Sayaka unlocked the door to her home, inviting Celes to go in first, who bowed and went in, examining the contents displayed in front of her. The living room was very casual and comfortable looking, clean and organized, with some magazines spread out on the table sitting in front of the couches. The kitchen wasn't large, nor too small which had many cupboards on the walls. There was a door to a kitchen balcony.
"I'll be right back with the outfit designs and the clothes itself. You can help yourself until I come back!" said Sayaka, who went up the spiraling staircase which lead to the second floor of her house where her room was apparently located.
Celes plopped onto the soft couch, picking up a magazine from the table. She flipped through it to find many photos of Junko as well as some photos and some blurbs about Sayaka and her band. All the magazines were pristine, clean and barely opened.
A buzzing noise broke the silence, startling Celes. Her phone vibrated, indicating a text message. Pulling it out of her bag, she saw a message from Kirigiri, and quickly read through it before answering it. Surprisingly, Kirigiri replied quickly, and Celes was stuck in a cycle of reading and texting until Sayaka came back.
Sayaka came down with a sewing kit, some papers and a bunch of clothes, placing them on the table in the living room. Putting her phone away, Celes analyzed the design sheets. Sayaka changed into the outfits that Celes wanted to see on her, shaking her head disapproving certain designs. An hour or two passed when two designs were chosen. "These two would suit you best for the theme of your concert, at least, in my honest opinion," she answered, organizing the disapproved sheets away from the two chosen ones, "Choose whichever one you like the best."
Sayaka analyzed the two, and decided to take the one with a mix of Victorian and gothic in it. "You know, Celes-san, I really think your tie suits this outfit very well…"
Red eyes scanned from the red tie to the outfit, gently grabbing it and putting it against the shirt of the suit. "It does suit it very well. It would look wonderful on you."
A clicking noise was heard, as a frilly, red bow was shoved in Celes' face. Looking up, she stare at Sayaka's ocean blue eyes who carried some kindness in them. "I'll let you keep my favorite bow I use for my concerts if you let me borrow your red tie. I'll give it back to you after the concert."
Staring at the bow and back at Sayaka, she looked away pondering on the offer. After what seemed like an eternity of silence, Celes untied her tie and handed it over to Sayaka, taking the bow in return. "Don't do anything that will ruin it. My whole outfit was tailored for me, and only me," she hissed slightly.
Slightly startled, Sayaka nodded rapidly. "I-I have to get this tailored since it's a bit too big for me."
Without a word, Celes grabbed the measuring tape from the sewing kit and wrapped it around Sayaka, measuring her sizes, while writing down the numbers on a sheet of paper she pulled out with her other hand. Sayaka squeaked, surprised, but dared not to answer.
"I'm sure you aren't aware, but I'm rather good with tailoring as well. I'll get it done before you do, so I'm doing you a favor. Go rest. It seems you've had a rough week judging from how you doze off in the middle of classes."
"A-ah…thank you. Again…help yourself if you need anything. My father doesn't come home until very late at night, so don't worry about causing trouble."
A nod was given as Celes clenched her teeth against the black thread, with the suit in her hands, quickly and nimbly working her way through. Sayaka laid on the couch across, watching Celes work her way through tailoring the outfit to fit her and only her. Her eyes slowly closed, feeling herself drift away into slumber. She was exhausted from the constant late-night study sessions and practices.
The wind howled through darkness, chilling Sayaka's body. Her ocean eyes wandered around aimlessly, lost and confused by her surroundings. Darkness was all over and she felt fear. Loneliness, fear, despair. The ground rumbled as the surroundings shifted into a zone which carried the aura of death. Shivering even more, Sayaka found Kirigiri beside her, who stared at the distance, which slowly revealed a town with a heap of hay in the middle. At the top of the stack was Celes, who was tied to a stake. Junko was beside Celes, laughing evilly as she pointed her index at the two of them, "If you want to save her, then get over here! You have five minutes before I set the flames to end her life! The crowd here is aching for some despair!" she cackled, her laughter filling the air.
Sayaka ran as fast she could to have Kirigiri push her away as a sharp object impaled itself onto the lilac-haired girl's side. She muffled her cries of pain, Sayaka quickly yanking the object out, helping Kirigiri move. Both ended up running again, to have many obstacles laid out for them. Dodging, jumping, gasping and wheezing, both Kirigiri and Sayaka were exhausted from the death traps.
"We're almost there Kirigiri-san! Just a bit more and we can save her!" cried Sayaka, gripping her fists together, forcing her legs to run as fast and far as possible.
Kirigiri had stepped on a red button, which revealed straps that pinned her down, rendering her quiet and useless, to have a large block crush her body, ending her life quickly and painlessly. The sound of crushing bones echoed. Looking back, Sayaka with eyes wide from horror stared at the bloody block that had ended her friend's life. She screamed, Junko's laughter filled up in the air again, without remorse, sympathy.
"Time is up buddy! Say goodbye!" Junko sneered, throwing a match onto the hay, igniting it.
Sayaka screamed again, to have a knife lodged into her gut, the pain filling her body up. She yanked it out to have used her remaining strength to get as close to Celes as possible. A glass wall was placed in front of her, rendering it impossible to approach the target. Watching in pain and horror, there were two colors of the flame. Blue and a light purple. Both engulfing Celes bit by bit. Celes screamed as the pain became too unbearable for her, struggling for escape, needy for the pain to stop.
"Celes! Don't leave me! Don't leave me please! I love you!" Sayaka choked, tears running, body and hand soaked with blood, "I'm sorry I couldn't save you! I'm sorry!"
Junko walked over, laughing, somehow the glass wall disappearing. Her foot pinned the blue-haired girl's head down, who cringed, choking on her own tears. "W-why…why Junko, why?" she whimpered, losing more and more strength, her ears filled with the screams of Celes, her eyes seeing the color of blue and purple.
"The despair here is so delicious! I can't contain myself any longer! Though, I'm a symbolic image of your dream Sayaka Maizono. This whole situation itself is symbolic of your future. Drowning, dying, suffering in the despair of the mind and heart, oh it makes me shiver with joy!" Junko cheered, grinding her foot into Sayaka's head even more, "Enjoy what I have to give you Maizono. It's the best gift I can give ya!"
Sayaka's neck cracked, feeling Junko's heel push against her neck, cracking it more and more, her breath cutting short, her pain evident and dominant, she could no longer speak, no longer scream, tears flowed until darkness blocked her vision. All she could hear was Junko's faint laughter before nothing was heard at all.
Sayaka jolted up, tears spewing from her eyes, she gripped onto her skirt, letting them flow freely, unaware that Celes placed her hand ontop of hers.
"Maizono-san, it's alright. It was all a dream," cooed Celes, gently running her thumb over the girl's hand.
"I…I thought I lost you even though I know it was all a dream… everything was so real, I felt that I…I…I thought I lost everything," cried Sayaka, her tears spewing from her eyes.
Celes kissed her, calming the girl down, "I'm still here Maizono-san. I also heard what you said in your dream, and I have to say, I like you as well."
The tears stopped flowing, as Sayaka stared into scarlet, she smiled. "I'm sorry I couldn't tell you earlier…"
Celes waved it off, "It's fine. I finished tailoring your suit, and you have slept for a few hours. I helped myself to what was in your fridge. Since it's getting late, I must head back home now."
Sayaka nodded, wiping the remainder of her tears away, before bidding her farewell to the girl in black. Closing the door, her back leaned against down, body trailing down to the ground. For that moment, she cried again, only with tears of joy.
Celes breathed in the night scent, sighing quietly. Two confessions within a day, and she never felt so selfish and conflicted in her life.