Here we are at Chapter 4. It's time for things to get a little more... open in a way for Fuyumi and Mia. I do not own Code Vein. They belong to Bandai Namco. I only own my OC. Here's chapter 4. Enjoy.

Chapter 4: Support or More

Mia POV

We had returned a little while ago from the cathedral of the sacred blood, and yet there is still so much on my mind. First of all, it's crazy to know that the Queen, the revenant that was supposed to save the world but frenzied and became a nightmare, was never truly dead. That even if her heart was destroyed, she could still revive, and because of that, her body parts were separated and given to various successors to prevent her revival. However, the relics would eventually make them frenzy and if they all fall, then the queen will revive, and everything will go to Hell, even more so than it already is now. What's more, we finally found the source that Louis has been searching for, only to find out it was his older sister, Karen, who also became a successor, and provides the gaol of the mists with the blood beads we all need to survive. It was surprising to see Louis lose his composure the way he did. I haven't known him too long, but he never struck me as one who would lose his cool like that.

But what shocked me the most, and what also worries me a bit, is that Fuyumi is able to accept the Queen's blood. Because of that, she has the power to restore blood springs, clear away the miasma, and can calm the relics. She is the only one that can stop the Queen's revival. I can't imagine what must be going through her mind right now. To have that kind of responsibility thrust upon you, when you don't even remember anything from your past. To make matters worse, that one revenant that killed Nicola, the hunter, is now after her for her power. I don't know what he's after, but as far as I can tell, he can't be trusted right now. Not until I figure out how he knew Nicola, and what their connection is with that snowy mountain, which we still haven't found yet.

Needing someone to talk to about all this, I look for Yakumo and find him talking with Murasame by her workshop.

"Hey guys," I say as I walk to them.

"Hey, Mia. You okay?" Murasame asks.

"I'm fine. If anything, I'm more worried about Fuyumi than I am about myself," I note.

Yakumo nods, "Yeah. Suddenly finding out that you can accept the Queen's blood, which makes you a successor to her blood, and that you have the power to save the world basically. I can't imagine what's going through her head right now. But, like I said, I'll be there to keep my friends safe, and I'll help her out in any way I can. That's what friends are for after all," Yakumo says.

"Yeah, I want to help too, which is why I've been working overtime to make sure all of your gear is always ready to go whenever you go out. We finally found the source of the blood beads, but now we've got an even bigger mission to complete now," Murasame adds.

"Yeah... I wanna help to," I mutter. "Where is Fuyumi now?"

"Well, she's outside right now. I think she's trying to process all of this herself. It certainly was a lot to take in," Yakumo notes.

I walk out to the patio to find Fuyumi sitting on one of the chairs by herself, looking like she's deep in thought as she gazes out into the expanse of the gaol of the mists.

"It might be best to leave her alone to her thoughts for right now," I think before walking away.

I find Louis at his table with all of the books, looking over some notes from his research.

"Hey, Louis. Can I talk to you for a moment?" I ask as I stand on the other side of the table.

"Mia. Yes, of course you can. Please, have a seat," Louis gestures to the small round table next to his with a few seats around it. I take the seat closest to him. "So, what's on your mind?" he asks.

"Well, first I wanted to make sure you're okay about your sister," I say.

"Yes, I appreciate your concern, but I am fine. Honestly, I am at least glad to know that my sister is alive. I always wondered what happened to her after I woke up. As I said before, she showed no signs of frenzy for now, and with Aurora watching over her, I know that she'll be safe for the time being. We'll go back for her, once we find the other successors. And after we find your snowy mountain," Louis says, surprising me that he remembered so easily.

"You're still thinking about that?" I ask.

"That was the deal we made. I try to keep my promises. I have to..." Louis says and looks away for a moment. "I already told Fuyumi and Yakumo about this before we met you, but I think you should know... I knew the Queen before she was the Queen," he says.

I can barely hide the shock on my face, "You... knew the Queen?" I ask.

"Her name was Cruz. I was in school at the time when Project Queen was underway. She had an incredibly high compatibility levels, more so than any other person at the time. She wanted to help people during the Great Collapse, and so she joined the project to become the Queen. I would visit her from time to time to talk with her and see how she was doing. She was fine at first, but eventually her condition started to worsen, and it became harder for her to maintain control. At one point, the pain became so bad that she begged me to kill her. I... I couldn't do it. She knew what would happen and she wanted to be stopped before it did, but I was unable to help her, and then she frenzied, and became known as the Queen. Many lives were lost when she lost her sanity, and it wouldn't be for some time until she was finally defeated, though I don't know who did it exactly," Louis explains.

"Were you two... close?" I tentatively ask.

"Yes, we were, and that was why I wasn't able to help her before, even when she begged me for it. That's why I want to fix my mistakes of the past by finding the source and helping humans and revenants today. Now, we have to find and help the successors, and prevent the Queen's revival. I won't let them suffer any longer," Louis says.

He has always been so determined to atone for his mistakes, to help others. I admire that about him.

"Well, I'll be sure to help out in any way I can," I say to lift his spirits.

It works, "Thank you, Mia. However, I don't believe you came to talk to me just about my past. What else is on your mind?" Louis asks.

I sigh. Of course, the genius would notice.

"I'm just a little worried about Fuyumi. How she's taking all of this. To know that the fate of the world is on her shoulders, that the hunter is after her. Just, so much at one time. I know she said that she would help and do what she has to do, but even she's gotta be a little overwhelmed by all of this," I admit.

Louis hums in thought, "I can see your point. To be honest, I feel like I bear some to the responsibility for this. If I had the courage to stop Cruz so long ago, then none of this would've happened, and Fuyumi wouldn't have been placed in such a position. I don't know what thoughts are coursing through her head, but I've seen her in action. I believe that she has what it takes, as long as we're there to help her out. We're in this together, after all," he says.

Reminding me that we're not alone in this makes me feel better about all of this.

"Thank you, Louis. I guess I just needed someone to say that to me a few times so I wouldn't feel as concerned about it," I reply, a hand on my chest.

"It is normal to feel overwhelmed in situations like this. What matters is what you do next, how you react to those circumstances," Louis says.

I nod and leave to check on Fuyumi again, hoping to talk to her again. However, when I check outside, I find that Fuyumi is already gone. Had she walked off somewhere else while I was talking with Louis without me noticing? I must be more tired than I thought. I think that I just need a dip in the hot springs to calm down a bit. I'm still a little surprised at this point that they have a working hot spring here. I always wanted to try one back when I was a human, but never got the chance, until now. I change out of my clothes and into a towel and head inside. The spring mist rises from the water, obstructing my vision a bit, but not enough where I don't know where I'm going. However, it doesn't take long before I realize that I am not alone.

"Mia?" I hear and look to the other side of the hot spring as the mist clears, revealing Fuyumi on the other side, in nothing but a towel like me.

I think my cheeks redden quite a bit when I see how her towel shows quite a bit of cleavage from her chest. Were they always that big? I shake my head to get out of my stupor. I hope my face wasn't flushed. If she asks, I'll just blame the hot spring.

"Oh, um, Fuyumi, I didn't know you were here. I was just-," I fumble with my words.

"Would you like to join me? There's plenty of room for the two of us," she offers.

"Um, sure, why not. I wanted to take a little soak anyway," I say and walk into the hot spring, taking a seat on the opposite end of Fuyumi's side.

Fuyumi POV

I can't believe that Mia is in the hot spring with me. This isn't the first time that we've been in the hot spring together, but this is the first time where it is just the two of us. The whole thing is making me nervous. And seeing Mia in nothing but a towel is forcing me to use every ounce of self-control I have to make sure I don't pass out or get a nose-bleed from the image. For a few minutes neither of us say anything. I don't know about Mia, but I can't figure out what to say to her right now. I mean, I just realized not too long ago that I really like Mia, as more than a friend, but I don't know if she feels the same way. And now, I'm practically taking a bath together with her. How am I supposed to handle something like this?

"Um, Fuyumi, are you okay? You look a little red there," Mia says.

"Huh? Oh, no, I'm fine. I've only been in here for a few minutes before you arrived," I try to play it off and it works... I think.

"Hey, Fuyumi, I wanted to ask you something?" Mia asks.

"Um, what is it?" I reply; nice start moron.

"I wanted to ask you... are you okay?" Mia asks out of the blue.

"Huh, what do you mean?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

"What we learned from Aurora about the Queen, and about you. And then the Hunter being after you. How are you taking all of this?" she asks me.

I take a moment to think about it, but to be honest, that's what's mostly been on my mind right now. To think that I am the only one that can stop the queen's revival, to calm the relics and accept her blood. But, on the other hand, it would also explain these strange abilities I possess, and how I've been able to revive blood springs and restore vestiges. I finally speak while looking up into the night sky.

"Honestly, I'm still making sense of it. I never imagined that I have such a responsibility on my shoulders. Regardless, I want to help, so I'll find the other successors and calm their relics to ensure the queen can't be revived. If that were to happen again, I doubt it'll be pretty," I say as I look back at her.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that. Still, that does make me wonder about how exactly you were able to accept the Queen's blood. I read about how revenants would frenzy and join the Lost when they drained her blood. What do you think about it?... Oh, wait, memory loss. I'm sorry," Mia apologizes.

"It's alright... Actually, I think I have an answer to that, among other things," I say.

I haven't told the others yet about that one vestige I found, which turned out to be mine, but I was going to tell them anyway. However, I wanted Mia to be the first.

"What do you mean?" Mia asks.

"During our trek through the cathedral, you remember that one vestige we found with that one polearm weapon?" I ask, and she nods. "Well, as it turns out... that vestige was mine," I confess.

Mia appears shocked by this when her eyes widen a bit, "Wait, so it had your memories in it?" she asks, leaning closer.

"Not all of them, nor any from when I was a human. It was just one memory, a big one... It was during Operation Queenslayer... You see... as it turns out, I was the one that killed the Queen," I admit, leaving Mia jaw-struck as I continued. "I was actually fighting alongside the Hunter, Jack. We were partners. We fought against the Queen, with help from Silva, and I was able to deal the killing blow that ended that nightmare. However, I started to frenzy because of her blood. Jack then... then killed me. After that, everything else went black. That's why he was surprised to see me alive, because he when he killed me, he aimed for my heart, and he hit his mark," I explain. Mia listens intently, allowing me to tell me tale. "I think it was because of the Queen's blood that I drained that I didn't die completely. Aurora said that the Queen, even when her heart is destroyed, cannot truly die. She can still revive. Though I had a problem in the beginning, it seems my body finally accepted her blood, and that's how I was able to revive, though much time had passed before I did. What's more, I think that is why I can't remember anything else from my past. So, now you know. I'm gonna tell Louis and the others about this, I just... I needed some time to fully process it all first," I finish my story.

I can see that Mia still had a surprised look on her face, even after I finishes my story. It seems that she needs some time to process this all as well. However, a moment later, she suddenly gets up and walks over to me, sitting down next to my left. Here, I catch a subtle glance of her chest beneath the drenched towel covering her body. That, and her close proximity to me make me blush again, though I try my best to keep it out of Mia's notice.

"Do you... hate Jack for killing you like that? I mean, you said you two were partners," Mia asks.

"Honestly, I don't think so. If I was in his position, I might've done the same thing if there was no other choice. I didn't know I could accept the Queen's blood at the time, and if I had really frenzied, I would've joined the Lost, and then all hope would've been lost for me. Besides, that was a long time ago. I need to focus on the present, not the past," I tell her.

Mia just stares at me for what feels like forever, which starts making me nervous. To my surprise, Mia then moves to sit right in front of me, our faces only a foot away from one another.

"You don't need to take this mission on alone, Fuyumi, okay. You have your friends to help you, you have me to help you. I said that I would help anyway I can, and I still owe you for saving my life before. No matter what, I'll have your back," Mia says. Her words warm my heart. I have fully given into the fact that I've fallen for her, but without thinking, I gently grab her shoulders. "F-Fuyumi?" Mia stutters.

"Mia," I whisper.

Without thinking, I inch closer to her face, lost in the moment and in my own head.

Mia POV

What the Hell is she doing?! Is she... is she going to kiss me?! Well, I mean, I'm really flattered, and Fuyumi is really beautiful, but I never thought it would be with another girl- wait a minute, that's not the problem here! Fuyumi is only a few inches away from my face now. All logic would tell me to pull away... and yet, I just find myself entranced by her eyes. Her eyes that may be blind, but can still see so much, maybe even more than mine can. And she does have a lot of good points: she's beautiful, she's a skilled warrior, she's really caring, her chest is bi-not gonna think about that. At this point, her lips are only an inch away from mine, and my breath hitches in anticipation.

"Hoo-yeah, time for a dip in the hot springs!" the voice of Murasame suddenly rings out. That seems to snap Fuyumi out of it as she quickly pulls away and keeps from looking back at me. Murasame approaches the hot spring, "Oh, hey guys, taking a bath too? I'll join you," Murasame says.

"A-Actually, I think I've been in here long enough! I'll see you guys later," Fuyumi stutters as she quickly leaves the hot spring, leaving just me and Murasame now.

"Huh? Did something happen?" Murasame asks, confused as she looks between the two of us.

"Um, I don't know..." I mutter as I watch Fuyumi leave. "Fuyumi..."

Fuyumi POV

I quickly return to my room and slam the door.

What the Hell was I thinking?! I was about to kiss Mia, when I don't even know if she's into girls, or likes me that way, and I didn't even ask for permission which I believe I should have. The thought of my lips touching hers turns my face crimson, and I can hear my heart thumping a mile a minute. What am I going to do now? I'm pretty sure I just screwed up our friendship here.

"Mia..." I mutter as a tear falls down my cheek.

And that's the chapter. Things are heating up between Fuyumi and Mia as Fuyumi nearly makes a big move on Mia, leaving both stunned at what could've occurred. Mia begins to question her growing feeling for Fuyumi, while Fuyumi fears that she may have ruined their friendship. Will they be able to solve this problem between them? Will Fuyumi be able to admit her feelings to Mia? Until then, please Read and Review.