Summary: This is a day that never dawned, a night that never came to be. Or is it? No one knows. All it comes down to is a single moment in the middle of Salem, soon after the third set of hangings, where a Master wakes up in the middle of the night and goes to her closest Servants for comfort.

Note: This was written on a whim, based on the feelings I felt when hearing about some of my friends dealing with bad hands in real life from their workplaces, along with the times I've woken up in the middle of the night with tears in my eyes. So that's why I'd like to call this Lost Day an "interim Day," or maybe even an "Interlude Day," because it is very close to Passing Days Canon. Not to mention I'd like to see it as a stealth sequel to the canonical Days 23 and 45, thanks to them taking place in Salem. Take this all as you will.

Content warning for descriptions of hangings in nightmares, discussion of cancer, and implied triggers. You've been warned.

The theme for this chapter is split between three: (1) Cross Game by Alice Nine, the second ending to Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds; (2) the leaf whistle version of Oracion from Pokemon The Rise of Darkrai; and (3) Adrisaurus' English cover of Become the Wind from Studio Ghibli's The Cat Returns. The first pick had lyrics that resonated with the feelings I felt when coming up with this chapter; the second is what comforted me when dealing with some of the thoughts that came with writing this chapter; and the third is an old favorite of mine since I grew up with the Studio Ghibli myriad of movies.

So, here we go. Please enjoy this whim of a chapter.

Lost Day 3: Sleepless Night

Vy could still remember Mata Hari's smile just as the blindfold was drawn over her eyes, hiding her gray irises from the world.

"It's okay… trust me…" At this point in time, Robin should've been by Vy's side, reading Mata Hari's lips as she mouthed her last words. But when Vy turned her head to find him, no one was there. All that was in front of her were those damn haunting gallows, Mata Hari in her colonial dress with that very same smile once the noose was lowered over her neck.

"No… not again…" Vy wanted to shut her eyes, to look away and find something, anything to stop what was happening, but nothing was coming. "No, nonononono…"

No one was saving her.

"I'm sorry…. Vy…"

The floor gave out from Mata Hari's feet, tightening the noose enough for Vy to see the growing redness of the Assassin's neck, and a single blink changed things. It wasn't Mata Hari hanging there anymore. Now it was a gray-skinned ghoul, with dried blood and gaping teeth, wearing—

Wearing Di Thuy's face and hospital scrubs. From their last video call before the Rayshift to Salem, with her shaved head, sunken-in cheeks, and wrinkly brown eyebrows thanks to the chemotherapy treatments. The smile was the only thing that was still the same from their last talk, kind and loving in spite of the bloody coughs racking her figure from the noose around her neck. The blindfold fell back just to reveal bloodshot brown eyes that stared into her soul.

"Wh-why didn't you save me, Be Vy?"

The next thing Vy knew, she was holding back a scream as she jumped up from bed, clutching her pillow to her chest. Her heart was beating loud enough to echo in her own ears, her glasses weren't on her nose, her neck felt cold—

"Mm…"

Vy felt herself tense at the noise that echoed from her right side, and turning her head revealed a sleeping Abigail, raising a hand past her share of blankets and her own nightgown to fumble around the sheets as if trying to find something. Wait.

Oh. That's right… Mash and I offered to sleep together with Abby to help her with her nightmares, huh? And here I am having my own and nearly waking her up… The astigmatism and general darkness of the lavish tent that the Queen of Sheba had provided them didn't stop Vy from making out Mash's sleeping figure, still dozing peacefully at Abigail's other side as the girl continued to mumble in her sleep.

"Senpai…" Mash murmured something unintelligible soon after, making Vy sigh softly.

I'm such a coward. Not even able to hug the people around me when I'm scared… Vy shut her eyes, forcing herself to take a deep breath as she slowly relaxed what grip she had on their shared blanket, letting it go for Abby to take into her hands. It felt like moving a small dog or a cat as Vy reached over to carefully take Abby into her arms, scooting the girl over so that she'd be closer to Mash before letting go. The girl made a sleepy noise in response, but didn't flinch when Mash rolled over to take her into a hug, leaning into the former Demi-Servant's chest instead as they continued to sleep together undisturbed.

I don't deserve this warmth.

"I'm sorry, Abby, Mash," Vy whispered, shaking her head. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes, but she wiped at them with her own nightgown sleeves, keeping her voice down for their sake. Because they at least deserved more rest than she did. "I gotta go for a bit, okay?"

Neither Mash or Abby responded, continuing to snore away in whatever kinder dreams their minds hopefully were giving them. Looking at them through her blurry vision, no glasses and all, was enough to somewhat lighten the weight on Vy's chest as she forced her head away to glance out past the tent flaps that made up the 'door.'

"Where's Big Robin and Mata Hari…?"

"—Charles stayed back with Judge Hopkins?"

"Something about trying to win his favor. Like hell it's going to work, though. My bet is the bastard's drinking his sorrows away with the scholar watching anxiously, thanks to all the ghouls we've seen."

"That's troubling…"

"More so after what he saw with us, Sis. I don't get what the hell's going through his head after how much effort he put in trying to defend you in your so-called 'trial.'"

What are they talking about…? Is it about Sanson…? Pushing the tent flaps away revealed Mata Hari and Robin huddled together in chairs just outside the entrance, exchanging more whispers. Vy could feel her heart leap up into her throat before they turned their heads to meet her eyes. Despite hugging a pillow for extra composure, it didn't stop a quiet Meep from leaving her lips, her throat constricting in on itself as Robin got up from his chair first.

"Little sparrow, it's the middle of the night, what's happened to make you wake up this time—?" His green eye went about as wide as a dinner plate as it took her in, a hand already outstretched to take hers but stopping short to match his cutting his own sentence off. "Oh man, Vy…"

Huh? Robin looked blurrier to Vy now, and she knew she walked out here without her glasses. So why was Robin looking like she had dropped something? Why was her already bad vision looking worse—

"Oh goodness. Vy, Vy, Vy, honey," Mata Hari's voice had lost all seriousness in exchange for soft concerned warmth, a warm hand suddenly cupping her cheek as her vision blurred more. "You don't have to cry, dear, it's okay."

I'm… I'm crying? When did I—?

Vy opened her mouth only to find a choked whimper (something along the lines of what sounded like "guuwah") leaving it as Mata Hari and Robin's already blurry figures became more indistinguishable from the trees of the surrounding forest. Bitter warmth started to sting at her eyes. Oh.

This was just great. She was being selfish again.

"I… I'm sorry," was her instinctive response because shit shit shit shit, this wasn't how this was supposed to go. "I woke up and couldn't find you two…" Vy shut her eyes once another, more calloused hand reached over to thumb at the corners of her eyelids, wiping more damning moisture away as her shoulders shook against her will. It was getting harder to breathe. Why was it getting harder to breathe?! "B-Bad dream, gallows, no Big Robin, just Di Thuy, Mata Hari hanging—!"

"Oh, Vy, honey, dear, shhh. It's alright. Shhh, Vy, shhh." The soft hand on her cheek reached over to press against the back of her head, pulling her in enough for her nose to hit a slender shoulder, another hand reaching over to pat her head. Was Mata Hari hugging her? "It's okay, I'm okay. I'm not at the gallows. You're not at the gallows, so there's no need to cry. It's okay."

"Mata Hariiiiiii…" It was warm, it was supposed to be safe being hugged by one of her first Assassins, but all Vy found herself doing was choking. Coughing too, as the pillow in her hands shrunk two sizes from her tight grip. Jolts of painful electricity ran through her fingers as her lungs coughed out, "I-I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'msorry—!"

I don't deserve this. Just stop, me. You're worrying Mata Hari and Robin. Stop crying, me, just stop—!

"Sis, as much as the sentiment's nice, I don't think that's helping, so if it's alright with you, lemme get a try," was all Vy could make out from past Mata Hari's hair and then the warmth in front of her was getting replaced with eyefuls of green. Vy forced herself not to look up, but a gloved hand was cupping her cheek anyway. "Hey, it's okay, little sparrow. You don't have to clam up on me. It's okay, little sparrow, it's okay. It's just me." A green cloth was dabbing at her eyes, carefully wiping the growing tear tracks away. Was Robin using the No Face May King as a makeshift handkerchief? "Just look up and focus on me, alright?"

Blood was still rushing through Vy's ears, hot shame flooding the back of her mind to match it, but Vy tried to open her eyes past the stinging of the ongoing tears. The new onset of blurriness didn't even take away from the visible relief on Robin's face as he smiled at her.

"There you are," he murmured softly, apparently not minding Mata Hari looming over his shoulder in concern as another edge of his mantle came into the corner of Vy's eye to wipe at the moisture again. "Can you try to take a deep breath for me, Vy?"

The slow inhale that Vy took was trembling and hard thanks to the lack of saliva in her mouth, but the air was enough to start dulling the roaring in her ears.

"That's it," Robin continued in the same soft voice, nodding his head. "Can you let it out and breathe in again?"

With another shuddering exhale and inhale, Vy found herself following Robin's voice as he repeated the same instructions. Her heartbeat wasn't echoing in the back of her skull anymore with each successful attempt at gathering oxygen, and the same corner of No Face May King kept dabbing at her cheeks as Vy tried. So many words surfaced in her mind as she gathered herself (I'm sorry, was the biggest one out of the dang motley lot), but once the urge to sob stopped after what felt like forever, what eventually left her mouth was a tiny high pitch of, "…Y-You're okay, Big Robin?"

After a moment, Robin nodded, his brows furrowing against his head from concern. The glint in his green eye was clearly spelling out, What about you, but he wasn't actively voicing it either.

One last sniffle left Vy's control as she swiveled her head in Mata Hari's direction. "Y-You too, Mata Hari? You're not… you're not really d-dead, right?"

A sad light surfaced in Mata Hari's gray eyes as she nodded too. "I'm not dead, dear," she murmured, a tinge of regret coloring her voice as the same hand from before reached over to cup Vy's other cheek. "You can feel this for yourself, right?"

True, but it felt like her left hand was made of jelly once she raised it from her pillow to cup Mata Hari's own palm. The gentle lub-dub of Mata Hari's working blood vessels vibrating against Vy's fingertips was apparently the last thing that she needed to finally calm the loud storm in her head.

Mata Hari's here…. Margaretha's still here… Margaretha's still—

It didn't stop Vy from finding herself stumbling backwards soon after from the mental backlash, enough for Robin and Mata Hari both to visibly startle as they reached out for her. Vy instinctively closed her eyes from the fatigue.

Damn it… too weak…

Two pairs of hands were holding onto her once her senses caught up, one last tug being all it took for her feet to leave the grass below. "Guess that means we should take you back to bed soon," Robin quipped, the easy humor barely present in his voice once her head lulled against his shoulder weakly. Did he just initiate another — another bridal carry? "You pushed yourself too hard today, little sparrow, and you need to rest."

"No, I…" Vy couldn't finish the sentence, a soft whimper cutting her off as Robin kept her close. "I didn't…" The snot built up in the back of her nose made her sniffle against her will as the next attempt at words came out far too childish and selfish for Vy's liking. "I don't wanna go back to sleep yet. Too… too scared."

I was just worried about you two, was left unsaid, floating in the cold night air instead. Whether the Servants picked it up was unclear. I wanted to see you.

Above her head, Robin exhaled a breath that toed the line between a sigh and a hoarse chuckle. Did he hear her thoughts? "Why am I not surprised?" He still held her close to his chest, a cheek gently bumping the crown of her head. "You can stay with me and Sis for the night watch shift for just a bit longer, then."

"Th-Thankie…"

Another hand was brushing the stray hairs out of her face, a thumb carefully wiping away the newest tear trailing down her cheek as Mata Hari sighed to match. "…If I knew Circe's plan of faking my death would have resulted in this outcome, I wouldn't have agreed to go along with it." The regret was genuine in her voice once Robin moved to sit back down in his chair, leaving Vy with no other place to sit but in his lap to look up at Mata Hari with blurry eyes. Even past the prominent astigmatism, the smile on Mata Hari's face clearly looked sad as she murmured, "I'm sorry, dear, I really am."

I didn't mean to burden you with another nightmare. I'm sorry I hurt you. I'm sorry.

Vy shook her head, somehow finding the strength to hug the pillow in her arms for power she didn't have. "I… I don't blame you… for your decision in fighting the horrible court system in Salem, Mata Hari… I just…" With nowhere else to go, Vy buried her nose into her shrunken pillow, curling up as much as she could with Robin still holding onto her shoulders and the underside of her knees through her nightgown. "Brain made me think I lost you and Big Robin." The confession sounds horrible, honestly unbelievable to her own ears considering the two were comforting her right at this very moment, but the dream was too real. The hanging was too real. It's why her voice barely toes a whisper once her heart betrays her with a smaller, "Just like… just like with Di Thuy. I-I didn't know what else to do but come out here to make sure."

Especially when I can't do the same for Di Thuy. When she's dying and there's nothing else I can do but hope she won't leave.

"Oh no, no no no. Honey." The same slender hand from before cupped her cheek, tipping her head up to meet gray irises in eye contact, and Mata Hari gave her a weak smile. When did Mata Hari sit back down to look at her like that? "You haven't lost us. Even if your aunt is in the hospital for cancer treatment, we're still here. We're still okay. We won't leave you that easily."

Another whimper involuntarily left Vy's lips. Her brain was rattling off things like, How long will that last, What if someone else gets hanged, Will you be okay — but she knew she couldn't voice any of it. Not as a response to Mata Hari's kindness, nor to Robin's selflessness as he continued to hold her. Nothing sounded right in her heart thanks to all the doubts, so all she could muster in the end was a timid, "…Okay."

I'll try to believe that. Because it's you.

The look in Mata Hari's gray eyes still looked concerned (not to mention unconvinced) as her palm lingered against Vy's cheek. "Dear…"

Vy shut her eyes and lowered her head. It was getting harder to meet Mata Hari's gaze like this, and a part of her wanted to jump off of Robin's lap and run back inside to a corner of the tent — just to curl up and sulk. Maybe just cry it all out too so that it wouldn't disturb Mata Hari or Big Robin or anybody else anymore. Just so that she wouldn't be a burden anymore — to go back to being the Chaldean Master all the Servants relied on to get this damn mission done.

But Vy didn't get the chance to seriously consider the option once Robin shifted. "Give me a second, Sis, I think I have an idea as to how to convince our little sparrow."

Huh?

"Oh?" Without her eyes, it was hard to tell if Mata Hari was surprised or amused at Robin's suggestion, but her hand fell away from Vy's cheek to rest on her arm instead. "If you have an idea, Robin, by all means act on it. I'm interested~!"

Vy opened one weary eye past her pillowcase to find Robin lowering the arm he was previously using to hold up her knees. He went on to rummage with his pockets, eventually pulling out a — wait. Did he just pull out a leaf?

What's… what's a leaf gonna do? The dark part of Vy's mind hissed. Is he gonna huff at it or something?

Robin took a breath, giving Vy a barely hidden wink past the fringe of his hair before putting the leaf to his lips.

A little mute gasp was all Vy had to offer once Robin started to play a song through the leaf, blowing at it as if it was a harmonica. No, that wasn't the right term for it.

He made a single leaf become a leaf whistle.

And the song. The song was something that, even through her trigger-fatigued brain, sounded familiar, resembling a bird song or one of the common bard tunes that might've been played during Robin's time alive. His left boot proceeded to tap itself against the grass, adding to the song in an impromptu metronome beat. Mata Hari started to hum along without hesitation, creating a little chorus that had Vy's eyes grow heavier as the song continued on the pace Robin had set.

Why does it feel like I've heard this before…? Vy did her best to fight the next blink in the fear of going to sleep, but all Robin did was continue to blow at the leaf whistle, gently rocking back and forth in his seat while holding her close. Mata Hari's humming was growing louder too, bordering on actual singing as the hand on her arm trailed down to her fingers to squeeze. Where was it…?

In lieu of an answer, her mind's eye could recall nothing but a tanned, glasses-wearing man playing an acoustic guitar for a younger girl, in another time far away from where Salem was.

Daddy…

Her eyelids were growing heavier the longer Robin played his leaf whistle, and add in Mata Hari's humming, it was becoming inevitable sleep was coming. Vy wanted to say something — anything to the Servants that cared enough to play a lullaby to make the bad thoughts go away, but all that left her mouth was a quiet noise caught between a yawn and a Fwah.

Even then, Robin opened his visible green eye to look at her fondly past the leaf whistle, the edges crinkling from what looked like honest, unabashed affection as he blew a particularly soft note in her direction.

Don't worry, little sparrow, was the gentle voice that brushed the back of her mind. I mean it when I say we're not gonna leave you. Everything'll be alright, so just sleep for now — Sis and I will be right by your side in the morning.

Vy fought past one last blink to try to sear Robin's blurry figure into her memory. Even her thoughts seemed to lag alongside her fading mind as her mental voice came out with a weaker, …Promise?

Through her fading vision, Robin and Mata Hari seemed to share the same smile. Promise.

Vy wasn't sure if she got to say, I love you, before the darkness of sleep beckoned her back.

It's only when Vy's fully asleep with her cheek resting against Robin's shoulder that Mata Hari took the chance to stroke the girl's hair, being careful of any tangles left there. "…I didn't take you to be a musician, Robin."

"It's something I picked up a long time ago. Helped keep any suspicious eyes off for a while." Robin shrugged off the questioning look Mata Hari gave him, being careful of the brunette peacefully slumbering against him instead as a wry smile tugged at his face. The leaf whistle that started it all hung rather limply from his fingers as he added, "I'm still amazed the little sparrow liked it enough to fall asleep to it."

Mata Hari smiled sadly once she found her gaze lingering on the faint sparkles of teardrops hanging from Vy's eyelashes. The red rims around the young woman's eyes were hard to miss too (not to mention the dark eyebags highlighting them), even through the darkness of the Massachusetts forest. "…If Vy couldn't notice the one or two off notes, she must've really been tired."

And scared. Even if Circe had the right idea, if it meant Vy would also cry, then—

"…It's honestly getting harder to remember a time when she hasn't been." The brutally honest statement is enough to tear Mata Hari's eyes away from Vy's sleeping face. Looking up reveals a frown covering Robin's features as his eye is drawn back to the young woman still leaning against him, green iris swirling with emotion. There were unspoken things shining in that eye too, conveying more beyond his usual cover of detached, neutral composure. Love, maybe? "It's with that in mind that we still have a job to do, Sis."

Mata Hari exhaled quietly, forcing the weariness back in favor of the lightest of teasing tones. "Speaking as Vy's knight in shining armor?"

Unbeknownst to being the subject of the whole conversation, the Chaldean Master merely made a sleepy noise (was it an "Uuu"?), turning her head to further bury her face into Robin's neck. Once Vy found a new place to settle into, Robin turned and gave Mata Hari another wry smile. Compared to the smile from before, this one seemed more raw and open as he carefully shrugged his shoulders of any metaphorical weight keeping them down. "Speaking as the one Grailed Servant Vy brought into this mess. Knight or not." The last thing Mata Hari expected to hear was a faint chuckle. "As the little sparrow would say, 'I'm just doing what I can.'"

Because it's for Vy.

With nothing else to add, Mata Hari smiled back with a silent nod of assent.

'Because it's for Vy,' indeed.

Warm. It was warm.

When did it get so warm?

Vy slowly opened her eyes to find the same blurriness that answered her without glasses on. Any words more than two arms-length away were illegible, not to mention the (most-likely) intricate artwork decorating the inside of the tent from the Queen of Sheba basically being relegated to inelegant blobs on fabric. What was becoming slowly clear, however, were the two hands sitting on her person. From someone who clearly seemed to have decided to put her back into bed after the crying mess last night and then join her under the covers for some snuggles.

Vy blinked the crust out of her eyes as best as she could before attempting to look around.

More fabric blobs, some chairs, her glasses were sitting on a nearby table (neat!), someone in green dozing off while sitting in another chair (was that Robin keeping guard? He should've gotten his own bed…), and—

Vy blinked. "Muu…?"

Mata Hari's neck was the first thing Vy noticed as she turned back to the bed, being bandaged yet still smooth-looking past all the gauze as her chest heaved up and down from breaths. Her long brown hair was spread out on the pillow behind her, the simple colonial gown she chose for sleep a pale cream color to contrast the costume Vy vaguely remembered from previous days in Salem. And her arms — one was splayed across Vy's waist to keep her close underneath the blankets, and the other was underneath her own neck to act as a pillow.

From what sounded like faraway, a bird started to chirp — was that Robin's blue birdie friend? — and Vy blinked, carefully raising a hand to rub at her eyes. A few rubs later, and Mata Hari was still there, holding her close enough for the earlier warmth to be all the more blatantly obvious.

It feels like Mom… Vy blinked again, raising her hand again to gently pat Mata Hari's back.

Despite the early morning timing, it didn't even take a second for those gray eyes to flutter open and reflect Vy's image as the Assassin came back to consciousness in response. "…Good morning, dear," Mata Hari eventually murmured in a sweet voice barely tinged by fatigue, the hand in Vy's hair moving down to rub a careful line down her spine instead. "Were you able to sleep well?"

All Vy found herself doing was murmur a soft "dạ", not even realizing her tongue had reverted to Vietnamese as she ducked her head to press it against Mata Hari's shoulder. Enough strength was finally coming back to let her return the hug Mata Hari started. "Good morning to you too, Margaretha…"

"Aww." Mata Hari squeezed her in return, a chin bumping the crown of her head as she cooed, "Were you holding in all the hugs just for today, dear?"

"Kinda…" Vy closed her eyes, breathing in the faint scent of laundry detergent and perfume that came with her first Assassin through a weak smile. "Just missed you."

I'm glad you're still here. I'm glad you're still alive.

The thankie in her voice didn't feel like it had to be articulated once Mata Hari tightened the hug back in a way that made it feel like home. "I missed you too, dear." The chin on her head bumps her scalp, rubbing there affectionately. "I missed you too."

And I'm glad you're still alive too.

"Aye." And with that said, for the first time since entering the Salem Sub-Singularity, Vy found herself smiling without a care in the world. "Let's wake up Big Robin, Nezha, and the others together?"

Mata Hari smiled back. "Let's."