Another few weeks passed, and with each one, Nari felt more like herself. Not only had her symptoms gone away, but her desire as well. Whereas she once felt the familiar pull, now her craving for the medication had all but disappeared. In fact, the very thought of it almost made her physically ill. She never wanted to look at another blue pill again.

Her sister couldn't have been happier, rejoicing upon her successful recovery. This was even more so after her most recent council meeting. Yui was so excited to share what she had been working on that she practically sprinted back to the dorm. When she entered the room, she found her sister sitting at her table, closing a large text. The image gave her pause, realizing that if she were reading, she must have been alone. "Huh… no Loki today?"

Nari twitched, pushing the book away as she rose to her feet. "We're not attached at the hip, you know…" Or in her sister's case, at the rings.

"Could've fooled me."

"Yui, I'm sure he has better things to do than hang around in here with me."

"I sincerely doubt that." Her sister scowled at her, which she took as a good sign. If she was agitated, that meant she had more energy. The changes were even visible in her complexion. The color — however little — had finally returned to her skin. "Anyway, how are you feeling? You look and sound a lot better. You're almost yourself again."

Her sister smirked. "It's just as well, I feel like myself. Honestly, at this point, the only thing keeping me inside is the migraines." The sound of shuffling sounded from behind her as Yui put down her things, followed by a quiet rumbling from the floor below. The familiar smirked and purred, rubbing against the younger woman's legs. Nari rolled her eyes. Fuyu loved attention. A continuous reminder that familiar or not, a cat was still a cat.

The older sister poured herself a glass of water from her purifier, before returning it and closing the fridge door behind her with her foot. Placing it on the counter, she opened her drawer and grabbed a white bottle from inside. The light rattle reached Yui's ears, sending her immediately into motion. Nari had barely popped open the cap when her sibling appeared at her side, eyes narrowing with suspicion. "Nari, what are those?"

She rolled her eyes. "Relax, Yui. It's just Ibuprofen… I've got a headache." She paused, holding out the bottle and allowing her sister to examine the label before backing away.

"Well, okay… I'm just worried."

"You don't have to worry about me," Nari replied. "I'm done with the benzos. I have no desire to go through this shit a second time. Besides… school store won't sell them to me anyway."

"Right… Probably for the best." Yui made her way back to the table, leaving her sister to her medication. Following her very near brush with death, a few changes had been made to the store policy, specifically surrounding what was procured and provided to students. It was devoid of all but the most basic pharmaceuticals and requests for anything stronger were refused. Benzodiazepine was strictly off limits, as was Valium, Xanax, Klonopin, and anything else in the psychoactive family. Nari wasn't sure when exactly the policy had been enacted. Most likely, shortly after her relapse. Either way, she was grateful for it.

When she sat back down at the table, Yui pointed to the large text sitting abandoned at the center. "Hey, Nari? What is that?"

"Hmm?" She followed her sister's fingertip to the text. "Oh, that? It's a book of mythology."

"Mythology? You've been reading up on the gods?" When her sister nodded, she continued. "Wow, I'm surprised to see you working so diligently. Which pantheon are you reading?"

Nari shook her head, choosing to ignore her little jab. "Actually, it's not on any of the gods. It's a book I borrowed from the miscellaneous section. Anubis let me borrow it."

"Miscellaneous…? Huh. What's it about?"

"It's called the Story of Seasons. It's a book about four seasonal goddesses, their powers, their duties, and their realm." Nari carefully cracked open the text, flipping through the pages, pausing occasionally on different images. A sunflower, a robin, a hyacinth, a fox. When she reached the last pages, Yui stopped her.

"Wait… this section seems shorter than the others. It almost looks like her story just… stopped. Is something missing?"

Nari shook her head. "Not exactly. Well, kind of… see, with the last goddess —" She gave up. "Never mind. It's easier if you just read it. You can borrow it if you like. It's really fascinating."

"Oh, really? Thank you!"

"Sure." Her sister took the book, maneuvering it carefully into her bag. After checking that it was secure, Yui turned her attention back to her sister. "So, what do you have for me today?"

The younger sibling smiled, spreading out her supplies onto the table. This had been the routine since her departure. With Nari being on indefinite hiatus, it went without saying that she wasn't attending any classes. And with her health fluctuating between mediocre and borderline hospitalization, collecting her homework and studies had been far from her mind. As such, Yui had been keeping her up to date, bringing notes on material they had covered and briefing her on the gods' progress, as well as any antics they had gotten into. Nari did her best to listen, but often tuned her out. She had already covered most of the information in high school her first time around. Besides, it wasn't like they were going to actually be tested on any of it.

"Today's topic was human culture."

"Again?" Nari asked. "Haven't we covered that enough already? Honestly, you'd think he learned after what happened the last time…"

Yui shook her head. "No, this time we were covering cultures across the world. Up until now, we've primarily covered Japan."

"…Okay, fair. But even still, isn't it a bit late in the school year to be starting on such a broad topic? The world is a huge place, there's not going to be enough time to cover that many cultures with what we have left…"

"Precisely." Yui shifted her notes, pulling out a page containing various bullets. "That's why the student council thought it would be a good idea to do a festival."

"A festival? You guys want to have a culture festival?"

"Yeah! We figured why sit around in a classroom discussing our backgrounds when we can show each other through creative expression?"

"Meaning what? You're planning to have the gods bring out artwork and goods from their homeland?"

"Close. We're doing a Christmas Market."

"A… Christmas Market?"

"Yeah. I mean, it seemed like a good idea. Christmas is a widespread event across the world over. It's basically a standard winter festival at this point. That means all of the pantheons can come together and celebrate in their own unique way."

.

"True… it's definitely not a bad idea. I'll bet Apollon was all over it."

"Oh, he really was. He even said it was Kalos."

A brief silence fell between the sisters, Nari staring at her with a confused expression. "Er… callous? I wouldn't exactly call it that. That would be the opposite of what you're going for, right?"

"No, not callous. Kalos. It means 'greatest' in Greek. I think he was saying it's a great idea."

"Oh. Yeah, that makes sense." There was a short pause while Nari absorbed the information. Running over her words, Nari slowly smirked, seeing an opportunity. "Huh… when did you start learning Greek, Yui?"

"Eh?"

"Just how much time have you and Apollon been spending together anyway?"

"Wh-What?!" Yui's face ignited, turning red from her chin, all the way to the tips of her ears. "N-No, it's not like that! We've just been working together. You know we're both in student council."

"Yeah, so are Tsukito and Balder, but I don't see you learning Scandinavian."

"Of course, not! I have no reason to learn Scandinavian!"

Checkmate.

"Oooh, but you have a reason to learn Greek?" Her sister balked, leaving Nari snickering with a devilish expression. It had been a while since she had gotten a good ribbing on her sister, and she was having a field day. "Sounds like you two are getting rather close. Have you made him a bento yet?"

"Oh, my g — stop!"

That was the last straw. Nari burst into laughter, unable to contain herself at the look on her sister's face. Initially, she had only been testing the waters, but her reaction said it all. If she had any doubt of Yui's possible crush, it was gone now. She had all the ammunition she needed, and she was going to run with it.

But Yui had a few tricks of her own, and it didn't take her long to turn it around. "W-Well, what about you? Between you and Loki, I don't think you have any right to patronize me."

Nari scoffed. "It was one kiss, Yui. That's all. It didn't mean anything."

"Really? That's not what I heard. Loki coming by here almost every day…"

"So, what? He's been supporting me through my withdrawal, you know that."

"Is that all he's been doing? Thor told me he's been disappearing for hours at a time. That he didn't even return the other day until well after midnight… just what were you guys getting up to in here?"

That did it. "Wha — nothing!" Nari blanched, sputtering frantically at the implications. "We didn't get up to anything!"

"So, you haven't been sharing a bed together during the day?"

"I — that's — we weren't doing anything!" Nari turned, glaring daggers at her feline sitting on the cat tower. The cat vanished into the cubby in an instant fleeing her gaze. It was no matter. Her guilt was all but guaranteed. There was no way Yui had learned that information on her own. 'That damn cat…' Turning her attention, she was startled to find Yui's smile growing even wider. She had unintentionally incriminated herself. Damn it. "That wasn't — nothing happened, Yui!"

"It's okay, Nari… it's just the three of us here. You don't have to be embarrassed."

"You little…" Yui was laughing now. Though the color remained in her face, she was clearly enjoying having pulled a successful reversal on her. "Just why are you so convinced we were?"

"Look, all I'm saying is, you two have been spending a lot of time together recently. You really expect me to believe that there is nothing going on between you? Honestly?" Nari scowled, having been bested by her sister once again. She was cornered. Even though she was telling the truth regarding her activities, it would be a lie at this point to say that there was nothing between them. Especially after her unintentional pseudo confession, not to mention his own. Her feelings for Loki were still unclear, but she could say with absolute certainty that they were no longer platonic. At least not entirely. She knew what platonic looked like — that was her and Dio. This was something else. Yui smirked, seeing she had her sister against a wall. "Hehe. I told you, Nari. You've got a thing for redhead —"

"Shut it!" She grabbed one of Yui's notes, tossing it at her head. With it being paper, it didn't go very far, fluttering harmlessly to the floor. "And you've clearly got a thing for blondes, so I don't wanna hear it." At that, Yui paused, realizing that her sister had reversed the spotlight yet again. "I'm guessing you'll probably be working together fairly often now with the festival coming up. How cozy."

"N-No! Actually, we're not. We separated our booths by mythology, so I'll be working with Tsukito and Takeru."

"Hmph… and how does Apollon feel about that?"

"W-Well, I don't know…" Yui swallowed. "To be honest, I'm not sure he really cares. Although Balder…" Nari's eyes narrowed as her sister's words trailed off. Had something happened with Balder? Whatever it was, Yui didn't seem to want to talk about it, quickly getting back on track. "Anyway, that's the plan. I wanted to tell you so we could come up with ideas for the booth."

"Well, I'm sure you and Apollon will find some way to —" Nari paused. "Wait, we?"

"Well, yeah. The booths are separated by pantheon… We're Japanese…"

"Ah." Suddenly, Nari felt like an idiot. With them being siblings, it only made sense that they would be working together. That was what she thought on the surface. But a darker voice reminded her that they were only sisters in name. They shared no blood between them. Should they be working together? Was she even Japanese? She honestly didn't know. She knew nothing of her birth parents, only how she came to reside at Kusanagi Shrine. Suddenly, the idea of working together left a bitter taste in her mouth. "Actually, I don't know if I'm going to do the market."

"What? Why not?"

"I don't know, it just… doesn't really suit me," she replied. What she wanted to say was that it didn't feel right. But that wasn't something she was willing to voice.

"Well, you have to do something that day. Thoth is going to have a fit if you don't contribute, especially after being gone for so long."

"Yeah, I know, but still I…" Nari paused, giving the idea some serious thought. She didn't want to do the booth; she was certain of that. Even disregarding her internal conflict, there remained more practical reasons. She wasn't sure it was wise to put her and Takeru in such proximity for that long. The two of them had reconciled most of their differences, but they didn't spend a lot of time together outside of class. Keeping them trapped side by side for the entirety of a festival could be a recipe for disaster. With that thought in mind, weighing her options definitely seemed the safer choice. "I'll figure something out. I mean, it's a winter festival so maybe —"

Nari's eyes blew wide. As though seeing her sister for the first time, she stammered, the realization hitting her all at once. "Wait, a minute… It's winter?!"

"Well, yeah…" Yui stared at her, startled by her reaction. Had she really not known? "Nari, you've been holed up in here for weeks, the seasons changed a little while ago. I figured you knew."

"No… no, I didn't," she muttered. She was shocked to hear the news but couldn't exactly be surprised. Yui was right, it had been ages since she stepped foot outside. She was even more surprised that no one had told her. A heavy sigh escaped her; she was more than a little annoyed at having already missed the first weeks of her favorite season. "Well, either way, I'm not doing the market… at least not running a booth. Maybe I can do something else for the festival."

"Like what?"

"I don't know… decorate the building?"

Yui paused. "Actually… that would be a big help. The school is massive, and most of us are going to be focused on preparing our own setups. We'll definitely need help setting up the lights."

"Great. Well, if that's the case, I should probably run down to the store and start getting supplies."

"Wait, now?"

"There's no time like the present. Besides, you said it yourself, I've been holed up in here for weeks. It's about time I reemerged and changed that."

"Are you sure you're feeling to for it?"

"As well as I'll ever be. I haven't gotten sick in days; it should be fine. Though I should probably try and make the most of it while I can. Don't know when the medication will wear off."

"Well, alright then. If you're sure, then let's get going!"

"Yeah."

Rising from their seats, the sisters gathered their things and made their way toward the door. When Yui stepped into the hall to make for her own room, she called back to her. "Don't forget to put on your jacket. It's cold out there."

"Uh… yeah. Sure thing." When Yui closed the door behind her, she sighed. Did she even have a winter jacket in this world? Probably not. She never figured she would need one. At the very least, she would procure it if only to ease Yui's worry. Waving to her familiar, she strolled out the door to freedom.

. . .

After taking a trip to the school store, Nari left the school building noticeably heavier with scarves, a coat, gloves, and a fuzzy hat for her head. Her sister had nearly insisted upon earmuffs, but Nari refused; she already looked like Eskimo enough. The whole thing was overkill as far as she was concerned, but at least Yui was happy. Now, bundled up, the two made their way down one of the open hallways, enjoying the beautiful blankets of snow covering the ground on the other side. It was late afternoon, and it wasn't long before her stomach decided to remind her of that. Even her sister lifted a brow at the snarling noise.

"Guess that means our next trip is to the cafeteria…"

Her sister nodded. "Looks that way. Let's head over to —"

"Yui! There you are!" Her words were cut off by another voice shouting from down the hall. Turning around, the sisters were surprised to see the god of light approaching them with a gentle wave. "I was looking all over for you."

"Y-You were?"

"Of course! Have you forgotten?" Nari blinked, looking between the two of them in confusion. "You agreed that you would dine with me from now on. We're supposed to get dinner together."

"Eh? B-But that's —" Yui vaguely recalled the conversation; it had happened shortly after making the decisions about their booths. Miffed by their separation, he had demanded that they make up for lost time by accompanying him to the dining hall. She certainly remembered him mentioning it but didn't exactly remember agreeing per se. "But my sister —"

"Oh!" Balder jolted, shifting his as though only just noticing she was there. "Hello, Kusanagi."

"…Hey."

"It is very nice to see you out of your room. I take it you are feeling better?"

"Oh, uh… Yeah. I started feeling better a little while ago —"

"That's wonderful! Then, you don't mind if I borrow your sister for a little while?"

"Um…"

"B-But Balder —" Yui tried to protest, gulping when Balder gripped her wrist, gentle but firm. It was clear he wasn't letting this one go. And if she had agreed — even if she didn't remember it — then it wouldn't be right to go back on her word. Turning, she looked at her sister apologetically. "Sorry, Nari… I did say I would go with him."

"It's fine. I'll go bother Dio or something. Maybe sample some of his wines." Nari shrugged, though her eyes never left the man before her.

"That sounds like a splendid idea! See you later, Kusanagi!" With that Balder turned and all but dragged Yui away, the woman in question offering one last look before disappearing down the hallway. Nari watched them go with narrowed eyes. Has Balder always displayed such possessive tendencies? She couldn't be sure. He had always struck her as a walking marshmallow; to see him behaving in such a manner was… strange to say the least. Nari would definitely be bringing this up in conversation later. Turning, she made her way down the hall, falling deep in thought.

. . .

"Fotia! You're out of your room."

"Indeed I am. It finally seemed time." Nari sat down in front of her classmate, placing her beef teriyaki in front of her.

"I'm not complaining. Class has been dreadfully dull without you in it."

Nari waved him off with a scoff, picking up a piece with her chopsticks. "Please. I didn't do much to begin with. The most I ever did was tell Loki off and fall asleep."

"Both of which are highly entertaining."

His words were met with a quiet sigh, though the exasperation didn't reach her eyes. In them, he saw only joy. "Missed you too, Dio."

The two spent the next 30 minutes catching up, each telling the other all they had missed. She learned that Dionysus had started bottling a new wine with his grapes, and that Apollon had been the one to suggest the market, much to Nari's surprise. Upon learning the true motivation behind it though, she quickly retracted it. From what he explained, it seemed the only reason he had wanted to do a market in the first place was to set up a giant tree. Then, light it on fire. Or try to blow it up. It was so Apollon, she couldn't even be mad at it. Just highly annoyed.

"Yeah, that sounds like him…"

"Your sister wasn't going to let him though, so we settled on this."

"Good. I don't trust that man with fireworks. I barely trusted him with sparklers."

Dionysus laughed, feeling his chest swell with joy at the sound of her snarky remark. He had missed this. "So, what are you planning on doing, Fotia? You're working with your sister, right?"

Nari shook her head. "No, actually, I haven't decided what I'm doing yet. At the moment, I was just planning on decorating the grounds."

"Hmm? Why not?"

"I don't know, it just didn't really interest me. Besides, it's weird. You, Apollon, and Hades. Tsukito, Takeru, and Yui. Loki, Balder, and Thor. Putting me in with Yui and the others would make us a team of four. It throws off the whole dynamic."

"Maybe so, but surely you're going to have to do something. I mean, decorating is honorable, don't get me wrong. But Thoth was pretty clear on the whole 'culture' aspect. He's probably gonna want more than that."

"Yeah, I know. Yui said the same thing. I'm just not sure what to do…" Nari shrugged. "Maybe I'll just be a floater. You know, hang around and help everybody out with their stuff as needed."

Dionysus paused, popping a grape into his mouth. Then, he huffed. "It's a shame we can't have another concert. You could probably help with setting up the stage. It took a lot of work last time; I can't imagine my old man would have any complaints about that."

"Another… concert?" Nari blinked.

"Yeah. Apollon had brought it up, but they never really discussed it further. Personally, I don't think it's a bad idea. Would give you a chance to see Luna since you missed the last one."

The woman fell silent, eyes wide, watching the god of wine decimate his grapes. The thought of becoming Luna again was enough to raise her heart rate. It wasn't something she had really considered as a possibility. To be honest, she was looking forward to finally putting it all behind her… but the more she thought about it, the more she wondered if maybe that was exactly what she needed. She had thought that she was tired of music, but the last few weeks had shown her otherwise. In reality, she was just tired of living a lie. She was tired of being someone she wasn't. She was tired of running away. So maybe, this could be her chance to stop doing all of it. To finally let the world see what she wanted them to see.

Then, who cares?! You have to be true to yourself.

Yui's words echoed in her mind, repeating themselves over and over. Be true to herself. No more hiding. No more personas. No more lies. As new resolve began to wash over her, Nari made her decision with a determined nod.

"Yeah… You know what, Dio? I think you're right. It's not a bad idea at all."