"Sacrifice" and "Heaven"
Pairing: Nozoumi, Kotoumi
The blast of the horn signaled the end of the war, smoke was dissipating and people were crawling out of shelters.
It was a torturing week, surviving on bottled water and canned food, the heater almost gave out, but it was alright now.
And outside the snow was gently falling, covering the bloodshed, telling them this chapter was finally over.
They were lucky to be alive, some other shelters had collapsed, the rubbles burying the ghastly scenes.
Kotori has confessed to Umi then, during the week when they were hiding, because who knew how long they could hold out?
And they made it, the snow outside painting the ground white, almost like clouds in the heaven.
She had seen the way those two looked at each other, and part of her was glad that they ended up together.
Yet part of her felt lonely, because Umi was dear to her.
The one who chasing them around during Lily white practice, the one that was often the butt of their jokes, and the one that kept them sane in the week.
Sometimes being observant was a curse, because it wasn't possible to forget what she had seen.
She couldn't forget how everyone seemed to have hands to hold, someone to hug and someone to cuddle.
And she seemed to be the only one who felt really cold.
It used to be Umi who was by her side, but it's okay because Umi found someone else.
She no longer had the excuse of being Umi's elder sister.
The soft crunch of snow was oddly loud, the aftermath of war a deathly silence. The rest of muse were trudging along the snow, hands in tow.
She blamed herself on being overly observant, when she saw something black out of the corner of her eyes.
And it wasn't possible to un-see it.
There was a sound of something firing, the shrapnels slicing the air and the landscape was no longer white.
She could see Umi's shocked face, shouting something, holding her close again.
Maybe it was worth it, because Umi was safe now.
They would have their happy ending, and she had finally done something for Umi.
She was finally warm, the red liquid and Umi's tight hug protecting her from the cold.
And Umi was by her side again, just like always.