Entry 4: Frostbite Yoshino 1 – The Girl in the Rain
It was a rainy day, this years 11th of May. It was coming up to the end of spring, and the start of summer, yet with how much the rain fell, one wouldn't be remiss for thinking it was simply a warm winter.
Origami ran through the rain as quickly as she could, using her bag for what little cover it could provide. If only she hadn't forgotten to bring an umbrella, or that she had errands to run.
At the very least, Ai, Mai, and Mii, all had enough umbrellas between the three of them to share with Tohka. For those interested in doing the maths, the answer was two.
As it would have been too much of a squeeze to fit in, Origami elected to just cope with the rain.
Besides, it wasn't like rain was bad for you. A bit chilly, maybe.
Taking shelter beneath the tori gate of a local shrine, Origami tried to brush the rain off her blazer. This had the natural effect of merely dampening her clothes more.
"Hmm," Origami hummed in annoyance. "I certainly picked a bad day to forget my umbrella. Perhaps food shopping can wait an extra hour or two."
The sound of footsteps in a puddle echoed over the rain. Strange, Origami thought. There wasn't anyone playing her when she ducked under cover.
Probably just a cautious kid who decided Origami was no threat. Possibly. Out of sheer curiosity, Origami turned around.
Origami's eyes widened in surprise at the sight. A girl with light blue hair and eyes, no older than at least 14, wearing a large green raincoat adorned with a pair of rabbit ears over a white dress, and a rabbit-like hand puppet on her left hand.
That was the Spirit Hermit. No doubt about it. And for the second time she was aware of it, a Spirit had appeared without a Spacequake.
Just how much was hidden from the AST? How much didn't they know?
Questions for later. Right now, she needed...
Right, no ear piece in right now. Not that those guys would offer much insight right now. Guess she was flying blind, then. Now, how to approach her? Hermit was known for being docile, so it wouldn't surprise Origami to learn that she was also rather timid.
As if to answer her question, Hermit tripped and fell face first into the water.
A plan formed in her mind, and Origami initiated Operation Kind Stranger.
… Nobody ever said she was good at naming missions.
She jogged forward, before crouching down in front of Hermit. "Are you alright?" she asked, holding out her left hand. It wouldn't do to scare her with her other hand.
Unsurprisingly, though, Hermit looked afraid of her. Whether it was from recognition or not, Origami couldn't quite say.
"Please..." Hermit whispered quietly, barely audible over the rain. "Don't... hurt me..."
Origami froze. It was the please that really got her. The new perspective she had on Spirits made the 'please' hit with so much force, it might as well have knocked her off her feet. She at least had the decency to feel guilty about it; after all, her old vendetta would have had something to do with that.
During that moment of hesitation, though, Hermit disappeared. There was no rush of air to fill the void, nor was there the pitter patter of steps in the puddles to tell of a direction. Just there one second, and gone the next.
In the AST, this was known as the Spirit being 'Lost'. The AST had to maintain a facade that Spirits becoming Lost was deliberate on their part, if only to maintain their funding.
But, that was all in the past. Now, Origami had a future to look towards. And to reach that future, she'd need to contact Kotori.
After a quick trip home to inform Tohka, Origami quickly got in contact with Kotori, and the two were transported to the bridge of the Fraxinus.
Once more, Origami wondered why this sort of technology wasn't readily available elsewhere.
"A sighting of Hermit, huh?" Kotori asked, popping a lollipop in her mouth. "You know, Origami, you have the strangest luck."
"Was that before, or after I was shot?" Origami asked. "I've lost track by now."
"Glad to see you're still snarky," Kotori said.
"So, that's another Spirit," Tohka muttered, looking at the image of Hermit. "Just like me."
"Is it weird?" Kotori asked. "Seeing one of your own kind for the first time?"
"Kinda," Tohka said. "But, she looks so... scared."
Origami couldn't help but think that that was a good sign. At the very least, it was less of a risk of jealousy throwing things off.
"I'll see to it that she is saved," Origami said. "Do not worry."
Fortunately for Origami, after the 'incident' a while ago, her condition had stabilised considerably. While Origami still felt a surge of emotions looking at Tohka, she didn't feel any need to violate any boundaries. At worse, it was the desire to kiss her that became overwhelming.
Reine had theorised that, alongside sealing Tohka's powers, Origami had created a link of sorts between their emotions, so while Origami had her own affection, she was also taking in some of Tohka's affection for her, which resulted in something of an overload.
Of course, this was all theory at the moment. One subject does not a case study make, after all.
An alarm began to blare. "Spacequake detected!" Mikimoto announced. "It's a small one, in line with Hermit's habits!"
"Bringing area up on screen now!" Minowa stated. "Location is not far from the shopping mall down town!"
The image of the Spacequake site came up. The crater, compared to the ones Tohka made in the past, were small in comparison, being barely as wide as the street.
And there, standing in the middle of it, was Hermit.
"Several blips on the radar," Shiizaki said. "The AST is on scene."
"Looks like you're on the clock, then," Kotori stated. "Ready for round two, Origami?"
"Little choice in the matter, don't I?" Origami snarked. "Send me in."
Once Origami was sent onto the field, Tohka was left just sort of standing around. "Um, is there anything I should be doing?" she asked.
"Good question," Kotori said. "You could join us as an Operator, or you could..." She paused to think about the alternative. "I dunno, keep the home fires burning? The only other thing I can think of is running decoy on the AST, but given you're powers are sealed, I'd rather not risk that."
Tohka felt somewhat conflicted by that. She understood (most of) what Kotori said, but it still stung quite a bit.
Origami dashed from the shadows of one alleyway to another. Knowing how the AST operated, it wouldn't be too difficult to say out of their line of sight.
It seemed that, at some point, Hermit had given them the slip by going inside the shopping mall.
The AST, with their heavy weaponry, couldn't go charging in. Origami remembered a time when she would have disregarded that sort of order, and done so.
And now, here she was, sneaking in to save a Spirit.
… One of these days, she'll stop marvelling at the irony of her new life.
Slipping through a back door into the mall, Origami got a good baring on her surroundings.
Long story short; it was dark. It certainly made for a creepy atmosphere, to say the least.
[Origami, you read me?] Kotori spoke over comms. [Hermit is roughly 16.5 metres to your 11. Get in there, and work your magic.]
"Please do not phrase it like that," Origami retorted.
Origami made her approach slow, if only so she could plan out first contact. How was she going to handle this?
Through her ear piece, she heard the crew of the Fraxinus (plus Tohka, at that) doing their usual vote, before reaching the result of 'casually approach and say 'I did not expect to see you again''.
She supposed they reworked their systems a bit after last time.
After a minute or so, Origami caught a glimpse of Hermit from around a corner.
Time to get to work.
Walking carefully, Origami approached Hermit, and leaned around the corner. "Hello, there," she greeted calmly. "I did not expect to run into you again."
Hermit flinched, as one might expect, yet surprisingly, she only looked at Origami inquiringly.
Then, the hand puppet spoke.
"Oh?" it said in a voice that sounded to Origami to be remarkably tomboyish. "That chick from the shrine? What, you a stalker or something?"
So, either Hermit herself had quite the personality under her docile demeanour, or the puppet was an extension of herself, used to handle talking with the outside world.
[So, there's two of them?] Tohka asked. [Which one's the Spirit, then?]
That... posed an interesting question, actually. Less about 'who the Spirit was', honestly, but more about how many degrees of separation there are between the girl and the puppet. Perhaps it would be best to treat them as two separate individuals, then.
"I am no stalker," Origami answered. "However, I do have an offer for you. One that I believe you would find most beneficial."
There was a moment of silence on all ends. [Dude, that did not help your case,] Kotori muttered. [Let's just be glad that didn't tank her charts.]
"An offer, eh?" the puppet asked. "Not the best way to prove you ain't a stalker, toots. So, what do ya have to offer us?"
"Freedom from being hunted," Origami answered. "Those people outside the building want to hurt you. I have a way to get them to stop, if you are interested."
"Oh? You can do that, can you?" the puppet said. "Pretty tempting offer ya got there. What's your name?"
"I am Tobiichi Origami," she introduced herself. "What about the both of you? What are your names?"
[Ooh, nice one, Origami,] Kotori commented. [Treating the puppet as its own person seems to have had a positive effect on her mood.]
'Thank you, back-seat driver,' Origami quietly snarked.
"Origami, eh?" the puppet asked. "So, you're named after folded paper, then? Well, who am I to judge? The name's Yoshinon! And she," the puppet gestured to the puppeteer, "is Yoshino."
The girl, Yoshino, seemed to shy away, hiding behind the puppet, Yoshinon, as if it were a creature of gigantic proportions.
Honestly, it was actually kinda cute.
"Well, it is a pleasure to meet you both," Origami said, smiling as kindly as she could.
Outside the mall, the members of the AST were going over their plan of attack.
Right now, Okamine Mikie was on lookout duty. In this scenario, that meant looking at a building with thermal goggles. It was neither as boring, nor as exciting, as you might expect.
[Come in, Mikie,] the voice of her commanding officer sounded over the comms. [What's the status of Hermit?]
"No change, captain," Mikie responded. "The coldness that Hermit exudes is still making it hard to tra..." The visuals changed, and Mikie could faintly see the heat signatures. "Hold that thought, captain! I have a visual!"
[What on earth caused that sudden change?] Ryouko asked. [What do you see?]
"I see..." Mikie froze momentarily. "I see two signatures! One human!"
[A human?!] Ryouko shouted. [Did they not evacuate in time? And, is Hermit using them as a hostage?]
Fear coursed through Mikie's body. Someone was in danger. Fear turned into adrenaline, and drawing her blade, Mikie took flight. "I'm going in!"
[Private Okamine, wait!]
"I do not believe that is safe," Origami said, as she watched Yoshino climb up the jungle gym in the malls indoor play area. Her usual monotone tone of voice betrayed the actual worry she felt, because Jesus Christ that is a child doing something remarkably dangerous.
"Aw, don't be a spoilsport," Yoshinon replied. It should also be noted that Yoshino was climbing one handed. "See? We're queen of the castle!"
There she was, standing on top of the jungle gym. "What are ya waiting for?" Yoshinon asked. "You gonna get up here?"
"Unfortunately, I am unable to," Origami answered. "I sustained a terrible injury a while ago, and am unable to perform such activities any more."
"Well, I guess that sucks for-"
Then, as one would have easily foreseen, Yoshino lost her footing and fell forward. Origami reacted quickly, getting beneath Yoshino, and catching her as she fell.
As one might expect, however, the sudden addition of weight caused Origami to lose her balance, and fall to the ground herself.
"Ouch," Origami muttered. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, that one's our bad," Yoshinon admitted. "Gotta say though, you may not look it, but you're actually packing quite a bit under this blazer, ain't ya?"
[Is that so?] Kotori asked in a sly tone of voice. [Tohka, can you confirm?]
[Hmm,] Tohka hummed, taking the question a little too seriously for Origami's liking. [I'd say so, yeah.]
"Please no running commentary on my breasts," Origami muttered.
A wall some distance away exploded. Origami's training kicked in, and wrapping her arms around Yoshino, she kicked off the ground, sliding a ways away as an energy blade slashed at the ground where they once were.
Origami supposed that the AST decided to forego the usual caution. "Yoshino, run!" she instructed.
Yoshino let out a small yelp, but nodded, and made her retreat. And by retreat, we of course mean 'summoning a giant rabbit-like creature, and bursting through the roof of the mall'.
Because apparently, nobody in this damn world knew a thing about 'moderation'.
"I won't let you escape, Spirit!" the AST soldier shouted, attempting to charge after her. She was stopped, however, when Origami got in the way, arms stretched out.
And it was there that Okamine Mikie and Tobiichi Origami stood, face to face.
"O-Origami-senpai?!" Mikie exclaimed.
"Okamine Mikie," Origami regarded. "I cannot let you go after that child."
Mikie, as you might expect, was surprised by Origami's statement. "Senpai, have you... really betrayed the AST?" she asked. "You, who hated Spirits so much?"
"It's true; I did hate Spirits," Origami replied. "So much so that it burned. It's what kept me going for a long time. But, now I've learnt better. Found a method that actually works for everyone."
"What are you talking about?" Mikie asked. "They're Spirits! Walking disasters! I would have died to one if you hadn't saved me!"
At that, Origami was confused. When had she ever saved this kid from a Spirit before?
That question would have to wait, as explosions echoed from outside. Panic welled up inside Origami, as she only just now recalled that the rest of the AST was waiting outside. She was really beginning to slack.
"Shit," she cursed.
[Private, do you read me?] Ryouko shouted over the AST comms. [Get out here and provide backup! We have Hermit on the run!]
"Understood!" Mikie replied. She tried to move forward, yet Origami continued to block the way. "Origami-senpai, please move!"
"I will not," Origami stated. "Not when this can end peacefully. I do not know how much you, or the rest of the AST knows about Spirits, but they are not some rampant force of destruction, out to exterminate humanity."
"Eh?" Mikie paused. Was this really Origami, saying something like that?
"Okamine Mikie, I need you to really think about it," Origami continued. "Both Tohka and Yoshino, the ones you call Princess and Hermit, have only ever fought us in retaliation. They never had a choice but to appear through Spacequakes." Okay, that last one was a half truth at best. "And even if you do kill one, another will just take its place. Can you not see you're fighting a losing battle like this?"
"Is... is that what you learnt?" Mikie asked. "That it was a pointless fight?"
"That there was a better way to fight it."
Both their comms buzzed individually, yet both relayed the same information; that Hermit had been Lost.
Origami cursed her luck.
Origami returned home that evening feeling rather dejected. It wasn't a feeling that she was foreign to; in fact, it reminded her of the first time she actually talked to Tohka.
She recalled the frustration of having made so much progress, only to have the AST snatch it away. The same AST she had previously been a part of.
Somehow, that made it even more frustrating.
"Origami!" Tohka called out. Somehow, Origami had come in without realising Tohka was already home. "Welcome home!"
There was the smile. That kind, almost naïve smile, that really seemed to win Origami over, and ease her worries.
"I'm home, Tohka," Origami greeted. "How are you?"
A part of Origami's mind wanted to chastise herself for asking such an idiotic question. After all, she did technically just try to hit on another girl.
"Well," Tohka hesitated. "Kinda conflicted, actually. Mostly about that buzzy girl."
"You mean Okamine Mikie?" Origami asked. "I was half expecting you to have more thoughts about the Spirit."
"Well, I kinda get her, ya know?" Tohka said. "She's... just like I was, right? Just so... confused and scared. That Mikie, on the other hand..."
"She is misguided," Origami said. "Much like I was. The only difference is that she doesn't have the same sort of baggage that I do."
Tohka looked somewhat surprised by that statement. "You think she'll be a friend, then?"
"At the very least, she won't have to be an enemy," Origami answered, as the two sat down on cushions on the floor. "I want to say the same about the rest of the AST, but right now, I don't know how much they know about the current scenario."
Tohka hummed in agreement. "Origami," she said. "You'll help her, right? Yoshino?"
Origami placed a hand on Tohka's head. "I'll do everything I can."
A/N:
Bit of a shorter one, but here we are; the start of the Yoshino arc.
Not an awful lot to say about it; just kinda starting where it needs to start.
So, let's just move on, shall we?