"So, you going to tell me?" a stretcher-bound Sakon asked over the sound of the helicopter that carried her and Michiru back to Mustafu.
Under normal circumstances, Michiru would have stayed with Celty in the mountain village and went back with her but since the festival was today and because Sakon had asked, Michiru was allowed to hitch a ride back with the injured ant girl.
It turned out part of the reason Sakon wanted Michiru to go with her was so she could ask this very question, as soon as the EMT gave them some privacy of course. Michiru, who had shifted her ears to those of a primate to make the helicopters sounds more bearable, at first looked confused, replying "Tell you what?" as she leaned over her friend in the cramped space of the copter.
The ant girl rolled her multi-lensed eyes before she answered back, annoyance clear in her voice "Come on! Tell me about your world! It's been eating at me since you told me!"
Michiru leaned back and sighed, then glanced toward the front of the helicopter, separated by a wall. Sure no one could hear them, the tanuki girl leaned in again, a put-upon frown on her face that if anyone in 1-A would have seen it, would have thought she was mimicking Zelgadis. "Do we really have to do this now?" Michiru tried to deflect.
"Oh no" Sakon excitedly replied "You think I'm gonna sit in the frickin hospital with all these questions eat'n at me? No way, just because I said I was cool with it doesn't mean I don't have questions. You need to spill!"
Again, Michiru frowned but accepted that it was only fair since she had dropped that bomb on her teammate herself. "What's there to say?" Michiru began. "It would probably be easier to answer something more specific, you know?"
Sakon was more than happy to go into more detail, and it showed on her face. "What kind of quirks does your world have? Is it like some weird alternate dimension thing where everyone is the same but All Might is a beaver, or something? Were you training to be a hero back home?"
"Whoa, whoa there Sakon, turn it down a notch. Ok, I get it, just one at a time, ok?" Michiru answered, waving her hands to try and temper the other girl's enthusiasm. "First, I do come from a version of Earth but…there are no quirks."
The idea of there being no quirks seemed almost inconceivable to the prone ant girl but after a few moments of wide-eyed staring, responded "Wow, that's so weird! So then, what? Is everyone a humanoid tanuki, like you?"
Michiru let out a mirthless laugh instinctively at that question and replied "No no. In fact, most people in my world are just…people. No powers, nothing. What we do have is a separate species called beastmen who have a human form and an animal form. Some are dog beastmen, others are flamingos. I'm even friends with a dolphin!"
That seemed to confuse Sakon, who then asked "But… you can look like other animals, not just a tanuki. Are you saying others can't do that?"
Michiru nodded. "Yep! I'm…kinda special. See me and my friend Nazuna, we weren't born beastmen. There was a mix up at the hospital and somehow, we both got turned into beastmen who could change our form to basically any animal we want! Saved me more times than I could count, honestly!"
"That's so cool!" Sakon all but gushed. "So, you are a hero back home then?"
"Nope, sorry! We don't really have heroes since there aren't quirks. You want heroes you need to watch them on TV or read about them in manga." Michiru answered, waving her phone for emphasis.
While Sakon mouthed the words 'No heroes' in disbelief, Michiru noticed her phones screen suddenly going dark. When she tried to get it back on, nothing happened. That's when she realized "Oh shit, I forgot to charge it!"
That caused Sakon to burst out laughing, an act that she immediately regretted, thanks to the surge of pain it caused throughout her body. That was enough for the EMT to come through the door, a reproachful frown on his face before he said "If you're going to disturb my patient then you can come sit up here with me, hero or no. Got it?"
Sakon had recovered enough to lean her head back enough for her eyes to meet the gentleman in charge of her before she pleaded "Please, she didn't do anything, I just laughed at something stupid. It'd mean a lot to me if she stayed."
The EMT's mouth twisted to the side as he thought for a moment. After considering it, he finally replied "It won't mean anything if you rupture and start bleeding internally, understand? No sudden movements, both of you!"
The girls agreed vehemently, and the stern older man retreated back to the helicopter's front. Once he was gone, Sakon's attention turned back to her friend, and she spoke again "So let me get this straight. You're from a world like mine, except no quirks, no heroes and there is a separate species of transforming beast people? Sounds pretty awesome if you ask me! You have friends? Family? Boyfriend?"
"You're doing it again Sakon. Calm down, or you won't get anything else, got it?" Michiru chided.
"Fine, mom." the ant girl mocked, rolling her eyes.
"To answer your question, I used to think it was pretty great, but then, well, I wasn't exactly as aware as I should have been." Michiru started, shame playing on her features.
Sakon, a heteromorph most of her life, already knew where this was going and said so "…let me guess. Beastmen aren't exactly considered equal, are they?"
"No, they're not." Michiru confirmed. "Japan set up a special district for them to live apart from humans. For those who don't live in Anima City, well, let's just say I was nearly murdered just getting there."
"That's harsh." Sakon answered, her face hardening. "Never had it that bad but it hasn't exactly been a picnic either." Then the ant girl's eyes widened as though she had just realized something before she spoke again "You said you hadn't been as aware as you should have been? You…you didn't know that all this shit was happening, did you?"
Michiru looked away, unable to meet her friends' almost shocked expression. With the weight of her friends' eyes on her, Michiru finally replied "I mean, I was, in the abstract. I just never saw it, you know? It didn't feel-"
"-real?" Sakon finished, anger flashing across her face. When Michiru's own expression turned to one of confusion, Sakon continued "You sound like all those well-meaning pricks at school and police force whenever I or my parents tried to report bullying. They paid it lip service, but I always had to get a black eye or worse before someone would do anything. Heh, it's funny, I finally make a friend and she's just like the rest! I get it now! I wondered why you seemed to hate being in your human form. I figured it was because of the way normal humans treated you but it's worse, isn't it? You do it out of guilt!"
Sakon's voice had gradually gotten louder as she spoke and when she finished her tirade, Michiru was seething in anger. How dare someone who had only known her for a couple of months say such a thing! Someone from a literal different world thought they had any right to judge her and presume to know why she did anything! Michiru opened her mouth to retort but was cut off by the EMT, who had heard the raised voice of his patient and came to follow through on his threat. "That's it! Animalia was it? Get up here with us, now!"
Michiru glared down at her so-called friend for a long moment. Sakon returned it, neither saying a word before Michiru broke away to follow the older man. Without looking back, she answered him "Yeah, I was done here anyway."
With Michiru gone, Sakon shut her eyes tight, but try as she might, tears managed to squeeze through and stain her face. For the first time in her life, she didn't wipe them away.
(X)
1-A's performance was to be broken up into four parts, with Mina as host, opening with her trademark energy. She would dance onto the stage to music before introducing each act. The class decided that the show should start with some action, so Mashirao and Emeralda would start things off. After that, Rikido and Koji would do their baking show with animals display followed by Hanta's comedy skit. Finally, the band would round things out. If you weren't performing, you were a stagehand helping get things either on or off the stage.
Since Izuku and Emeralda had gone straight to the stage, the tan girl didn't have the gi she had planned to wear for her spar. Since she still had her original one back in her room, Tenya rushed her back to get it with moments to spare before she and the tailed martial artist needed to be in place.
As the pair made their way on stage, behind the massive curtain that hid them, Emeralda overheard Toru say to Ochaco "I still can't believe she's going to ask Greywards out after the show! I'm so proud of her!"
Emeralda almost stopped mid-stride. She glanced over at Zelgadis and could tell he hadn't heard anything. Her mind began to race at the possibility. 1-A only had six girls in it and two of them were talking about it, which left four. If Tsu or Mina were going to, they would have already, blunt as they were. That left Momo and Kyoka. Momo didn't seem like the type to let romantic feelings get in the way of her education and she had a terrible time hiding anything. That left the one girl who had spent a lot of time with the chimera lately: Kyoka.
Emeralda resolved to speak to the rocker girl as soon as she could. Before she could decide exactly what to say though, Mashirao broke into her thoughts when he said, worriedly, "You…sure you're ready for this? It sounds like you've been through a lot and we haven't exactly practiced with you back to normal and all…"
Emeralda quickly realized she had let her thoughts about Zelgadis show on her face and Mashirao must have taken her expression to mean she was worried about their performance. Understandable, but misplaced. Once they had reached their starting point, Emeralda turned her head, a confident grin on her face not to different from her master's before she said "Ojiro-san, don't worry. We've been over it many times and if you hold me in as high a regard as you say, then you know I will adjust accordingly. Plus Ultra, correct?"
Reassured, Mashirao smiled back and offered a fist, saying "Yes, plus Ultra!"
Offering her own fist in return, the two connected and faced the curtain, just as Mina's voice rose high enough for them to hear clearly "And now I give you martial arts the likes of which you've never seen before! Welcome Mashirao Ojiro, the Martial Arts Hero Tailman! And Emeralda Kasim, the beautiful and mysterious hero of a thousand weapons; Crescens!"
When the curtain went up, Mina had turned and was waving her hand at the now revealed fighters. Emeralda thus had the chance to briefly glare at the pink girl for the descriptor, for which the tan girl got a checky tongue stuck out at her.
The exchange was but a moment and Emeralda again turned her attention to the crowd, which was fairly sparce and many that were there looked pretty hostile. Eri, though, was clapping way and cheering at the top of her tiny lungs, sitting atop Mirio's shoulders.
The sight brought a warm smile to Emeralda's face. That smile struggled to maintain itself the more it became obvious that Michiru was not among the crowd however.
Still, the audience was waiting and just as was planned, the two bowed low in unison to the crowd. Also as planned, while both still had their heads down, Emeralda suddenly pushed sideways, right for Mashirao in what looked like unprovoked sneak attack. The crowd looked stunned, several letting out gasps.
The tailed blonde was able meet the sudden assault at the last moment, blocking Emeralda's powerful kick with his raised forearms. The effect of the bout's opening had worked perfectly.
After input from their classmates, the two had decided a simple and straightforward spar would be pretty boring so they decided it should take on a more adversarial character with Emeralda being the villainous one. At the time, with Emeralda being younger, several thought it would endear her to the crowd and insolate Mashirao from looking like he was beating on a kid.
With her opening move blocked, Emeralda was pushed back dramatically by Mashirao, who appeared to overpower her. The tailed boy readied his stance, looking cool and collected while Emeralda appeared frustrated, glaring at her 'opponent'.
From there, Emeralda charged, unleashing a series of brutal punches and kicks that Mashiro was able to block. What the tailed martial artist was doing, however, was giving ground. Emeralda wasn't able to get through Mashirao's guard, but the speed and fury of her attacks appeared to be pushing him to his limits.
At least that's how it looked to the audience, who were quickly getting wrapped up in the fight. Mashirao, though, could tell something was off about his fellow performer. Emeralda seemed wooden, like she was going through the motions. Sure, she was doing everything they had planned but if Ranma had been there, he'd easily be able to tell the tan girl's heart wasn't in it.
Still, things went on and as the blonde boy got closer and closer to the edge of the stage, Emeralda went in for an especially hard hit, only to appear to over extend herself. Mashirao took advantage, grabbing her arm and using her momentum to swing her over his shoulder and threw her hard on the stage.
Appearing to not let an opening go unexploited, Mashiro attempted to follow up with a blow to Emeralda's open midsection. Instead, Emeralda took a shot at the tailed boy's leg with her own foot, causing it to buckle, allowing her to roll away when her opponent fell to one knee.
Several in the audience booed her for the low blow, which for the performers meant they were doing their jobs selling the performance.
Both fighters got to their feet and squared off once more. This time, however, it was Mashirao who went in for the attack, before Emeralda could. The initiative paid off, the blonde starting his attack utilizing his tail and appearing to catch Emeralda off guard. Emeralda began to give ground herself and it was during this exchange that Emeralda made several mistakes, unintentionally scoring hits on her partner and once taking one herself in the side.
For the crowd, it looked that much more convincing. For Mashirao, it was concerning but at least his chance to ask if everything was ok was approaching. As planned, Mashirao went for a risky roundhouse kick, only for Emeralda to dodge and counter with and attempt at a chokehold. Mashirao was able to get his arm up to avoid the loss of air but was locked in place with his opponent.
While the two appeared to struggle, the tailed blonde asked as softly as he could "You good?"
The answer should have been simple but Emeralda found herself struggling to answer. Once again, the audience was treated to a very realistic performance because the greenette looked positively tortured while she tried to gain the upper head in their bout.
"I…" Emeralda trailed off, still not sure what to say. Then, a sudden light caught her eye and Emeralda turned her attention to the back of the gym. The door had just been opened and through it came a figure that had become very familiar to the nanomachine girl. Michiru had arrived.
Whether the tanuki girl got a good look at Emeralda in her returned state or not, the tan girl didn't know and didn't need to know. "I got this." came her confident reply before she received the headbutt that would signal the second and final stage of the fight.
Appearing to be in quite a bit of pain, Emeralda broke her lock and stumbled back while Mashirao caught his breath. Recovering, a confident smirk appearing on her face again, Emeralda declared "Playtime's over. The master's secrets are mine!"
With that, Emeralda deployed her power, both her arms shifting into katanas. Mashirao didn't flinch at the latest threat, countering "Those secrets must be earned! I will defend them with my life!"
"You will…" Emeralda replied coldly before she charged, swinging her blades at Mashirao. Though the blades were, of course, dull, they could still hurt. With the way Emeralda had been acting, that was a recipe for some serious bruises for the tail boy. Now, though, Emeralda was crisp, confident. Something had changed and whatever it was, the tan girl was fully into the performance now.
The audience was completely invested now, Mashirao now forced to do nothing but dodge under the 'deadly' storm of blades. In fact, so engrossed were those watching that many missed the various items that had been placed around the stage that were definitely not there before.
Each item was there for Mashirao to use as a counter to Emeralda. A pipe served as his counter to her blades. It only lasted so long before it was cut in two. Luckily the two had worked they way near a length of chain that the tailed boy took up. That, too didn't last long and on their dance went. Mashirao would gain a new weapon, Emeralda would counter it.
Finally, the blonde came upon a cinder block, his last, desperate form of defense. Emeralda countered with a hammer, a critical mistake. When the block was smashed in dramatic fashion after Mashirao threw it, the dust cloud 'blinded' the greenette and she covered her eyes. The tailed martial artist seized the opening and went in and scored several blows before Emeralda's hair, suddenly a mace, came swinging at him, forcing the blonde away.
He didn't get far, his leg suddenly wrapped by a cable while he retreated. The sudden loss of balance caused the tailed blonde to lose his balance and he began to fall. Emeralda was right on top of him, her arm once again a blade, raised and poised to run him through.
As he fell, however, Mashirao was able to spin, bringing his tail to bare, appearing to smash Emeralda hard in the side, and sending her hard into the stage. There she lay, unmoving, appearing for all to be defeated. The audience was dead silent, unsure if Emeralda was indeed alright.
Mashirao stood up and looked down at his opponent and said "Hard work and honor alone are the way of the true martial artist. Remember it."
The crowd burst out in applause and cheers. Mashirao bowed once more. After a moment, Emeralda got up as well, with her partner offering her his hand as she rose. When she, too, bowed, the crowd's noise rose again. The two fighters returned to standing, swaeating and breathing hard. Emeralda took the moment to look out on the crowd. Eri was clapping excitedly, pleased with the show, already aware that her friend would be the bad guy in the exchange.
It was when the nanomachine girl's eyes met Michiru's that things got more awkward. The tanuki girl had a smile on her face but her head was titled as if to ask a question. The question was obviously about Emeralda's return to her original appearance but the answer would have to wait so instead, Emeralda could only offer a weak wave.
From there, the curtain fell and Mina stepped back onto the stage, thanking her classmates for such a thrilling match. Out of the audience's view, Mashirao turned and said "I think that went…well. Thank you for doing it with me."
It was clear the boy wanted to say more but with their classmates rushing in to set up the props and staging for the next performance, this wasn't the time or place. With a small smile, Emeralda replied "It did. Let us go help our classmates."
Mashirao nodded and answered "Yes, right!" before the two of them joined the rush to assist.
(X)
Michiru was a wild mix of emotions at the moment. Though she had had the rather rushed trip from the hospital to cool off from her confrontation with Sakon, it was still bothering her. Then she had to work her way through the throngs of people after getting through the long security check. All the while worried she would miss the show.
When she actually got there, the excitement that had been building in her that she would finally see her friends again was tempered by the unexpected sight of Emeralda returned to her older form. Part of her was elated but at the same time, if something had happened, why hadn't anyone told her?
The meek wave that the girl in question offered from the stage did nothing to assuage the tanuki girl's concerns and she desperately wanted to just barrage in backstage and demand answers. As it stood, the best she could do was ask the excited mono-horned girl still riding on top of Mirio's shoulders.
Coming up beside the pair, Michiru put the biggest smile she could on her face while looking up and said "Hey Eri-chan! It looks like you're enjoying the show!"
Up till that moment engrossed in the little dance that Mina was doing up on stage, the silver-haired girl turned and looked down, her already radiant face lighting up even more. "Michiru! You're here! Emmy-chan and Zelgadis will be so happy to see you!"
Rubbing the back of her head, Michiru replied "Yeah, Emmy and I already saw each other there at the end…Say, doesn't she, Emmy I mean, doesn't she look, you know, older?"
Mirio choose that moment to join the conversation with a bombastic "Hey Kagemori! Glad you made it! You know, you're totally right! Kasim was older again. Now that I think about it, her uniform was totally shredded too, almost like she had outgrown them, you know?"
Michiru couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, not just at what the phasing blonde had said but how enthusiastically he had said it. Regardless, the furry lighter looked back up at Eri for some sort of confirmation and got it when the girl said "LeMillion's right. It just happened on the way here. Emmy-chan, Midoriya and I ran into a pair of villains trying to ruin the festival on the way here and she changed back to defeat them."
"Wait, she changed back? You didn't have anything to do with it, Eri?" Michiru replied almost instantly and loud enough to draw others attention nearby.
"N-no, I didn't." Eri answered, suddenly much more withdrawn, withering under Michiru's question.
"Hey, hey, let's just enjoy the show for now, ok you two! That is what we're here for, right?" Mirio interrupted, his voice cheery but carrying a hint of finality to it, as if to declare it was time to shut up and have fun.
Michiru did have her answer as to why she hadn't heard about the change at least. Even if that answer raised more questions. For now, though, it would seem such answers would have to wait. "Yes, you're right, Togata-san. Let's have fun, right Eri-chan?"
Happy to go back to watching, the smile returned to the little girl's face before she nodded and said "Yes! I hope we get to have some of those cookies!" referring to a large sheet Rikido had just brought out as part of his demonstration.
(X)
Not only would the audience get to have some cookies but they would be delivered by a flock of sparrows, much to the amazement and joy of those that received them. Though not as energetic and exciting as a martial arts fight, the second phase of the show was proving just as popular. It was also, more importantly, longer, which gave those backstage a moment to rest before preparing for the next part.
"You two were great out there, a really manly display!" Eijiro exclaimed, wrapping his arm around Mashirao's neck.
The tailed blonde looked sheepish and replied "I'm just glad they bought it. When we planned the finale, Kasim-san was smaller and the hit would look fiercer. I was worried they would think it'd take more to defeat her."
"Nah man! It's all a show! They knew you weren't really fighting! What matters is they were invested! You guys did great!" the sharp-toothed redhead countered before adding with a less than gentle elbow nudge to the gut "Besides, when else would you be able to beat Kasim in a straight up fight? Gotta take the wins man!"
Mashirao shrank at the harsh truth of his classmate's jab before his sparring partner came to his rescue, saying "Kirishima-san, I would not be so quick to make such a judgement if you yourself would fair no better."
Eijiro let go of the blonde martial artist and pumped his fist, an excited grin on his face "Aw yeah, that sounds like a challenge! I'm good to go whenever you are Kasim! Between the three of you lighters, you're the one I've wanted to fight the most!"
Mashirao at first thought that Eijiro had misread things and was about to step in and say that wasn't what Emeralda had meant but when he saw the glint of challenge in the tan girl's eyes, he knew Eijiro had been right. After a moment, Emeralda confirmed it when she replied to the redhead "I would welcome it. Given your quirk, I won't be going easy on you."
With a toothy grin, Eijiro answered back "Now those are fighting words! Count on it! Now back to work!"
Eijiro then left and went to help finish moving a set piece to the edge of the stage. After that several others congratulated them before Mashirao eventually wondered off to sit down and rest. That was Zelgadis' cue to check in on his fellow lighter. Again, Emeralda was struck by his outfit with it's low cut leather jacket as it's center piece. He wasn't the only one. Every member of the band was wearing some variation on the leather theme, except Momo, who was wearing a far more modest black T-shirt.
"Hey." Zelgadis greeted.
Emeralda didn't waste time on pleasantries and blurted out "Michiru is here, Zelgadis. She arrived during my fight."
The chimera was taken aback and answered quickly "Really? She ok?"
Emeralda shook her head "I don't know. She looked fine at a glance though she is no doubt confused by my appearance."
"She's not the only one." Zelgadis muttered.
Emeralda pursed her lips and said, "I will go into greater detail with you all after the show, I-I'm sorry."
Zelgadis put his hand on his shorter friend's shoulder and replied with reassurance "I get it. I'm just worried is all. Just be ready for that hug, ok?
Out of the corner of her eye, Emeralda noticed that Kyoko was looking at them. Likely she was looking at Zelgadis specifically and that stolen glance was all the confirmation the nanomachine girl needed. Putting that aside, she answered, a shy smile creeping onto her face "Yes, I just hope she remembers that I do need to breathe air just like anyone else."
Zelgadis chuckled before saying "Just be ready to have to wiggle out of that death grip is all I'm saying."
Emeralda raised an eyebrowed and countered "And you think you will escape the same fate as me?"
Zelgadis waved her off, then said "I'm sure I'll say something mean and when she goes to hit me, I can get away then."
"I am unsure which is worse. The fact that that is exactly what will happen or the fact that you know it and are already planning to exploit it." Emeralda answered dryly.
"Hey! Enough chit-chat Rocky! We have final checks to do!" Katsuki snapped as he walked past.
"Fair enough." Zelgadis said. "Talk to you later Emeralda."
"Do your best, Zelgadis." Emeralda answered.
(X)
Rikido and Koji's demo ended and the mad rush was on to put up the props for the comedy skit that would include the majority of the class with Mina once again talking up the crowd in front of the curtain.
Once everything was in place and the perforance got moving, another quiet descended on those left waiting for the last part of their show. Kyoka stood close to the assembled instruments and microphones near the edge of the stage, looking for all the world to be the picture of calm. Underneath she was a storm of nerves.
On top of worrying about everything that could go wrong, the rocker girl wasn't even sure the growing crowd would even like the song. On top of that was the anticipation of asking Zelgadis if he'd spend the rest of the festival with her. There was indeed much on her mind.
Probably the last thing she expected to happen was for Emeralda to appear beside her and strike up a conversation. "I am told that festivals are best enjoyed in the company of others." The tan girl said, seemingly at random.
Taken off guard, Kyoka stumbled when she replied "Oh, um, yeah, that's been my experience. It…sounds like you've never been Emeralda?"
"I have not." Emeralda confirmed while she watched Izuku go into a rambling fit over something that made the audience laugh. "Neither has Zelgadis." She then said, her voice guarded.
Despite herself, a light blush made its way onto Kyoka's face when she replied "O-oh? Well, it sounds like you both could use someone to show you around, huh?"
"I will be with Eri, Togata and Izuku. Zelgadis had not expressed interest one way or the other with joining us." Emeralda volunteered, unprompted.
Kyoka at first wondered where the odd girl was going with all of this but now it was becoming clear that Emeralda knew and the blush became a full on red face that she couldn't hide no matter how hard she tried. Noting that Emeralda still wasn't looking at her, the ear-jack girl wasn't about to draw that attention now and took a step backwards before replying "That, uh, that a fact? Well, then, it just so happens that I was thinking of asking him to join me."
"I know." came Emeralda's immediate blunt response, causing Kyoka to freeze in embarrassment.
That was when Emeralda turned and looked the songstress dead in the eye, something Kyoka found she couldn't pull away from. When she spoke, Emeralda's voice carried a hint of warning in it as she said "I would suggest you wait and watch how Zelgadis and Michiru interact before you make your request. You may…find it enlightening."
Kyoka quirked an eyebrow at that, both confused and somehow enraged all at the same time. "Hey, what the hell does that mean, huh? If you've got something to say, then say it!"
Emeralda shook her head firmly before turning to leave, leaving the other girl fuming. Then Emeralda stopped and turned her head and offered "It is not my place to say. You are free to ask Zelgadis, of course but I think you would be wise to listen to my advice. I am sorry to have bothered you. Good luck out there."
With that, Emeralda left, leaving Kyoka even worse off than she had been mere moments earlier.
(X)
"Folks, you've been thrilled by the martial skill of Tailman and Crescens! Your tastebuds were delighted by Sugarman and Anima and your funny bone tickled by Cellophane and the Ingenium crew's antics. Now for our finale, prepare to have you socks completely rocked by Earphone Jack and the 1-A band!" Mina finished, raising her hand, prompting the now packed audience to go wild.
At the pink girl's prompting, the curtain pulled back one last time to reveal three people with guitars, Kyoka out front with a microphone on a stand in front of her. Flanked on her sides was Denki on her right and Zelgadis on her left.
The rocker girl seemed momentarily taken aback by the raucous reception and Denki was outright staring, dumbstruck. Zelgadis though looked like he'd been doing this for years, cool and collected.
Katsuki was at the drum stet right behind Zelgadis and he looked to be chomping at the bit to get started. Momo was behind Denki on an electric keyboard, easily the most nervous looking of the bunch.
That nervousness turned to resolve when Katsuki screamed "Alright, LET'S KILL IT! ONE, TWO, THREE!"
And off they went, the band starting their song, the audience going mostly quiet, letting the melody wash over them before Kyoka called out "Thanks for coming out today!" before she launched into her lyrics.
Standing beside a mesmerized Eri and Mirio, Michiru too was enjoying the song once it began in earnest. It was energetic, and fun. Something to help lift her spirits. Exactly the kind of thing she wanted to hear.
As good as the song was though, it didn't take long for the tanuki girl to settle her gaze on the chimera off to the side. The idea of the normally hood clade grump up on a stage playing a guitar in a very flattering leather jack had been almost ridiculous when Michiru had first heard it.
Now actually seeing him up on stage, playing like he had always been up there, it warmed her heart. After all the fighting, between themselves and the world around them, to see Zelgadis up there doing something fun and with other people gave Michiru hope that maybe she'd be alright too.
It was at that moment that Zelgadis seemed to find her to because they locked eyes and the chimera did not change his focus. Michiru kept watching, mesmerized while the two looked on each other. It almost felt like the sorcerer was playing just for her and no one else.
After a few moments, Zelgadis even offered a small smile that seemed to say, "welcome home." Michiru's eyes widened at that and for a moment she broke their eye contact, looking to the side. When she looked back, she saw that Zelgadis had not wavered, he was still looking at her. A smile of her own crept onto her face and it was only when she offered a nod in return did Zelgadis turn his attention back to the audience and his playing.
The rest of the song went on and Michiru closed her eyes and let herself get swept up in it along with the rest of the crowd. Before long she and everyone else were clapping along when several other 1-A members came on stage to join in on the energy.
What could have been half an hour was over in just a few minutes when Kyoka finished and the song came to a end followed by thunderous applause. The lead singer herself was sweating and breathing hard while everyone else on stage waved, aside from Katsuki, who glowered.
Few who were there that day would forget that concert and it would be spoken of with the same reverence as Sakura's events the year's prior.
For Michiru, it was the same. She would never forget this moment. It had allowed her to at least briefly forget everything else going on and let her feel like the young adult she was supposed to be.
Now that it was over though, the tanuki girl pushed past the crowd beginning to leave, Eri's calls to wait up ignored as she made her way backstage and to her friends.
(X)
The members of 1-A were gathered backstage congratulating each other and just beginning to clean up when the door from the public access slammed open. Tenya was closest and turned to greet their guest and said cordially "Welcome-Ah, welcome back Kagemori-san, it is good to see…you…well?"
The class rep had been completely bypassed, a fact that only slowed his delivery of his greeting. Michiru had practically sprinted past the stern taller boy, her target having been spotted. She rushed to where Emeralda stood, having just set down one of the set pieces for the comedy skit.
"Emmy!" Michiru called as she literally flung herself at her friend.
Emeralda briefly considered escape, Zelgadis' words still fresh in her mind but somehow, she knew that it would end poorly. The look in the tanuki girl's eyes as she rapidly fell toward her said all Emeralda need to know and she calmly let Michiru land on her intended target, instantly wrapping her arms around the nanomachine girl.
"Emmy…I missed you" Michiru started before stopping again, a long pause ensuing while the tanuki girl just clung hard. Several classmates had gathered and watched on, happy to see a friend return and a reunion achieved.
After a few moments, Michiru started again when she pulled away to look her friend in the face "Emmy…what happened?
"I guess, you could say I grew up a bit." came Emeralda's answer with a smirk.
The annoyed frown that Michiru wore made it clear she didn't think it was funny before she replied "Har, har. Cute." Then the concern came back and she added "Seriously though, Eri said this just happened and you fought a villain?"
"Yes." Tenya interjected, "We would all like a more detailed explanation of your restoration."
When most everyone gathered nodded in agreement, Emeralda let go of Michiru, her neutral expression returning when she replied "The short version is after Suneater asked me for a date I had begun to feel like if I had lived a fuller childhood, then maybe I would be more…normal. Maybe I wouldn't have made so many mistakes, like at the girl's night."
Many looked concerned as Emeralda spoke while several looked confused but Michiru was all empathy, now well past the strife between them. Emeralda continued "When I realized what Eri's quirk was, I knew I had a chance to…to try again. When she touched me, I could feel what her quirk was trying to do and I let it start, but it was wild and uncontrolled. If I had let it, I may well have been completely lost. I took over from there. Since I have complete control over my cells, it was easy enough."
When Mina came in to join thw hug, Emeralda did not object, but she hung her head low, over the pink girl's shoulder when she said "I…I tried to be a kid again. Play the part. Act like I used to. But, but…it didn't work. Before long I realized I was just forcing it. It, it didn't feel right. And…and I made you all worry and I lied to you and I'm just the worst!"
Michiru had been listening intently, empathy on her face until the greenette once again put herself down. A frown quickly appeared on her furry features before Michiru said with a hint of warning "Emmy, you're doing it again. I told you not to say things like that. You're right, you did make us worry. But you know what? I kinda always worry about you, just like you do about me, don't you?"
As if struck in the face, Emeralda stiffened with surprise while Mina let go and took a step back. After a moment of considering the idea, Emeralda replied as if realizing some great truth. "You…you're right Michi. I do worry about you."
Michiru's face lit up in a giant smile, both at hearing her new nickname and the confirmation. Then she said "That's because we're friends! We watch out and care for each other. Right, everyone?" Michiru asked, looking about the assembled students.
"She's right, Emeralda!" Ochaco beamed.
"Well said!" Tenya added.
"Truly sparkling!" said Yuga, posing.
"You said it!" Denki piled on.
"Are they going to kiss now?" Minoru asked seriously, only for Mina to quickly smack him upside the head.
"Besides," Tohru said, "There are plenty of people who wish they could be a kid again, right?"
"Yeah, what was all that stuff about not really having a childhood?" Tsu added, having picked up on that detail in the nanomachine girl's story.
Michiru immediately looked nervous, turning her focus back to her fellow lighter, as did the others gathered around her, expecting more elaboration.
Without missing a beat, Emeralda explained "I grew up in a very difficult place. I needed to grow up fast to survive. Where I'm from isn't as peaceful as Japan is."
Michiru was impressed. The answer was true but vague enough for those listening to assume she meant that she needed to grew up metaphorically, not literally make herself older as she had actually done.
Satisfied she had explained sufficiently, Emeralda added "Now that you know, understand it won't happen again. Thank-thank you for listening."
Emeralda received more hugs and well wishes but things began to disperse after that. The door that Michiru had used to burst in before opened again to reveal Eri and Mirio. Emeralda saw them enter and turned to speak to Michiru again, saying "I'll go take care of Eri. I believe someone else is waiting for you."
Michiru smiled and followed Emeralda's line of sight over to the back wall, where Zelgadis stood, leaning against it. "Don't take too long." Emeralda added as the tanuki girl stepped forward.
Some distance away, Mina was with Kyoka, who was also looking over at the rock-encrusted swordsmen. A sly smile on her pink face, Mina asked with a hint of excitement "So, you going to ask him now?"
Kyoka had wanted to talk to Zelgadis as soon as the show was over but there had been a lot of clean up to do first and then Michiru showed up and she had gotten swept up in the reunion like most everyone else. Now though, Kyoka thought back to what Emeralda had said to her before the performance.
Sure enough, Michiru was making her way over to the chimera and when the rocker girl glanced over at Emeralda, she noted that the greenette was looked right at her while walking toward Eri.
"Not, not yet. I don't want to get in the way of another reunion." Kyoka responded, sounding as though she didn't believe her own words.
Mina noticed and answered worriedly "If…you say so. Just don't wait so long that you miss your chance, ok?"
As she watched, Kyoka couldn't help but get the sinking feeling she already had.
(X)
"Hey"
"Hey"
Michiru stood in front of the still leaning Zelgadis, her arms behind her back and a serious expression on her face. After a few moments of silence between the two, Michiru spoke again, hesitantly "So…did you hear all of that just now?"
"I did" came the chimera's low reply.
"Good, good. Emmy won't have to explain it all again." Michiru answered.
Zelgadis let out a chuckle, then crossed his arms and said "Oh yes she will. You think Jun and Hitomi won't want every detail about this?"
"Heh, yeah. You're right." Michiru conceded.
"But that's for later. For now…" Zelgadis said as he pushed himself off the wall and turned to face the shorter tanuki girl.
The chimera had a serious look on his face, which admittedly wasn't unusual but something about it this time was throwing Michiru off. It was as if by just looking at her there was a weight slowly pushing on her. What that weight was, Michiru didn't know but she was damn sure what she felt next, the throbbing pain of a rock-skinned asshole punching her on the crown of her head.
"What the hell was that for!" Michiru yelled, indignant, rubbing her head and staring daggers at the sorcerer.
Unfazed by the tanuki girl's justified anger, Zelgadis crossed his arms again and said with a frown "You know how worried I was? After what you told me about your mission you suddenly went dark on the way here. It was bad enough that Emeralda was late. What happened?"
Blushing, Michiru shrank in on herself before meekly replying "I, uh, forgot to charge my phone and it kinda died. Sorry, Zel. I got here as fast as I could!"
"Unbelievable." Zelgadis muttered before letting out a long-suffering sigh and added "Well, did you at least enjoy the show?"
"I did!" Michiru beamed, her mood turning on a dime. "Emmy did great, of course, Eri really loved those cookies and all the animals, and the skit was pretty funny, especially since I know everyone and their personalities. That song, though, that was great Zel! Brought back a lot of memories too." Then, offering a gentle punch to his shoulder, added, "I'd say you killed it!"
Zelgadis smirked despite himself and said "Yeah, well, don't get use to it. Besides, it was mostly Jiro-san who did the work. Though it was a good experience, in the end, I'm not here to start a music career."
"Maybe not." Michiru conceded "But if we can't have some fun on the way home then what will we have to tell everyone when we get back?"
"That tanuki girls are more trouble than they're worth?" Zelgadis quickly answered, a playful smirk on his face.
Instinctively, Michiru went in to elbow the taller chimera, only to once again suffer the pain of hitting his hard skin. Rubbing her sore limb, she couldn't help but ask "It's like you bait me into hitting you on purpose!"
"Sometimes." Zelgadis admitted. "Someone has to knock you down a peg."
"You're such a jackass." Michiru answered, rolling her eyes, though there was more of a playfulness in her voice than anything.
"Come on, let's finish cleaning so we can see this whole festival thing." Zelgadis offered.
"Right!" Michiru agreed, and the two made their way back to help finish the shows breakdown.
(X)
Kyoka watched the two lighters walk past herself, Mina and now Ochaco. Once Michiru and Zelgadis were out of earshot, Mina turned to the rocker girl and asked "Well? What are you waiting for? You just going to let him go?"
Kyoka, now struggling to keep her composure, whispered back "You didn't see it, did you?"
"See what?" Ochaco asked, confused.
"How…casual he was with her." Kyoka answered, her tone hushed.
"Mina and Ochaco looked at each other before looking back at their ear-jacked friend. Mina raised an eyebrow and said, "Uh, yeah? So what?"
"So…" Kyoka began, tears starting to make their presence known at the edge of her eyes, "So he never once acted that way around me. Never looked at me the way he looks at her, no matter how much fun I thought we were having."
"Oh, come on, they're friends! They've known each other longer and they live together. It makes sense they would be more open with each other." Mina insisted, putting her arm around her despondent friend.
"Yeah!" Ochaco added, forcing a smile "Besides, it's not like they hugged or held hands or anything, right? Maybe you're worried because they spend so much more time together?"
Kyoka violently shook her head and shot back "No! I was all ready to go ask him but Kasim told me to wait. She told me I should watch them first before I did anything."
"Wait, Emeralda told you to wait before asking Zelgadis out?" Mina asked, surprised as her gaze turned to the tan girl talking to Eri, Izuku and Mirio.
"She, she didn't say anything was going on but she knew I was going to ask. Why else would she suggest I wait and watch unless she thought something else was already going on?" Kyoka reasoned.
"I don't know but the only way to be sure would be to ask her yourself." Ochaco pointed out before adding "If she said you needed to wait and that isn't the reason, the two of us are going to have words, you can count on that!"
"Thanks, Uraraka. I don't think I have it in me right now though. I, I think I just want to go back to me room for awhile, ok?" Kyoka responded, sounding suddenly very worn.
"Sure, sure." Mina agreed, rubbing her friends back supportively. "Me and Uraraka can handle getting the rest back to the dorm. You take care of you, ok?"
"Right." Kyoka said with a weak smile before she left, walking much faster than she had intended.
(X)
With clean up complete, the class broke up to enjoy the rest of the day. That was true for the lighters as well. Emeralda did indeed spend time with Eri, Izuku and Mirio, though not before both she and her freckled classmate got chewed out by Hound Dog, Ectoplasm and All Might. Eri had a wonderful time with the sights, sounds and smells the almost endless stalls offered. Emeralda, too, appeared to be enjoying herself, in her own more subdued way.
Though she was no longer the young girl she had presented herself as only a couple of hours earlier, it was still clear that she was enjoying herself. The way Eri clung to her in the haunted house helped to reassure her that there were no hard feeling between the two of them. Eri did cheer both her and Izuku on though when the two competed in the obstacle course at Izuku's urging. It was close but Izuku's quirk enhanced speed put his over the edge.
The two guides derived their own enjoyment from showing the girls the sights, the joy becoming infectious. More than once the group bumped into classmates and they would hang out for a bit before separating again. The exception was when they came across Mina, Ochaco and Tohru.
While everyone else had been in high spirits after their show, Emeralda cold tell that at least two of the girls were giving her unkind glares when they thought she wasn't looking. It was behavior that Emeralda was long familiar with from her days back in her own world. As such she was practiced at ignoring it, even if it hurt to experience from people she had begun to see as friends.
It was a small blight on an otherwise great day. By the time they were done, Eri had tried more new food than she could count and was going home very, very happy that she had come. She even took a photo with the entire class 3-A maid café despite the fact that Mirio had begged off doing it with the rest of the class to be with Eri. Tamaki though managed to hide his face under his cloak he had pulled from somewhere to hide from the girl that had rejected him.
When the festival was over, Eri had a far less eventful trip back to the hospital with her three guardians, a smile never leaving her face.
(X)
Michiru and Zelgadis had a more subdued if still enjoyable time at the festival. The first thing they came across though was 1-B's play, which was overly dramatic for Zelgadis to far too layered with references for Michiru. After that, the two wondered over to the beauty contest which featured Itsuka Kendo from 1-B and Nejire from the Big 3 among its eight contestants. Michiru again teased Zelgadis, trying to get him to admit what his 'type' was but he refused to be baited, much to her disappointment.
After the haunted house, which neither found to be remotely scary, the pair found themselves at the maid café 3-A was hosting. Zelgadis wasn't especially interested but Michiru insisted and dragged the chimera in. Once Nejire, serving as host after the beauty competition, had seated them, Zelgadis tried to ignore the surroundings and asked his furry companion "So, how's Yoshimura doing?"
On hearing Sakon's name, Michiru frowned and grumbled "She got to the hospital. She'll live."
That was a far more negative response than Zelgadis had expected and was taken aback. Still, he sensed it was important and asked despite himself "Did…I miss something? I thought you two were on speaking terms?"
"We were." Michiru curtly answered back. When Zelgadis responded with a raised eyebrow, she gave up, rolling her head to the side before continuing "She said some pretty mean things on the ride over, ok? Can we not talk about this now, Ok? It's still pretty fresh, you know?"
Zelgadis could understand that but whatever it was had to of hurt for Michiru to want to not even talk about it. That almost certainly meant it should be talked about, so he pressed forward, leaning in and saying, "I get that, I really do but don't you think that-oh, what the hell, Amajiki, is that you?"
Michiru, who had been continuing to look away as Zelgadis spoke, suddenly turned to meet their server. Sure enough, adorned in a frilly black with white trimmed maid outfit was one Tamaki Amajiki. Michiru's face lit up in amusement and she blurted out "It is!
Tamaki immediately covered his face with his order pad and turned to leave, his face beat red. "I, I'm going to go die now." He muttered in shame.
"No, no, Amajiki-kun, everyone agreed to do it, including you. Now get back to it, 'k!" Nejire ordered while she literally pushed him back to Michiru and Zelgadis' table.
"B, but these aren't random strangers, their students too! Th, they know me." Tamaki protested, feebly resisting.
Michiru watched on in bemused fascination while Zelgadis looked embarrassed just having to watch such a display. Eventually, Tamaki was shoved back to where he started, except he still had his back turned to his guests. Refusing to turn around, the cross-dressing introvert proceeded to take their order, raising his voice to try and compensate for facing the wrong way. "M-May I take your order?" He all but screamed, drawing the attention of everyone in the room.
"Oh brother…" Zelgadis groaned, hiding his face with his hand.
"I'll be happy with one of these cute little cakes and…this strawberry passionfruit tea sounds interesting!" Michiru ordered, pointedly ignoring the attention their table had garnered.
Tamaki raised his shoulders to hide as much as he could before he wrote the order now in the most legible writing his quaking hand could manage. Once he was done, he croaked out "A-and you, s-sir?"
"Coffee. Black." Zelgadis spoke, his tone indicating he wanted this over as soon as possible.
"Aw, nothing to eat Zel? Seemed like you worked up an appetite up on stage to me." Michiru said with a smirk, freezing Tamaki, who had already taken a step forward to escape his torture.
With a put-upon frown, Zelgadis looked at the menu one more time and curtly added "Cheesecake."
"R-Right. Got it, sir. D-d-did you want the strawberry or blueberry topping on that, sir?" Tamaki replied, now visibly shaking.
Glaring at the crossdresser out of the corner of his eye, Zelgadis bit out "Did I say a toping?"
"N-no…" Tamaki all but whispered.
Narrowing his eyes, the chimera answered, "Then on your way."
"Right!" Tamaki squeaked and darted away as quickly as the busy room would allow.
Once they were alone again, Michiru raised an eyebrow and asked knowingly "What's wrong Zel? Bring back some memories?"
"I don't want to talk about it." Zelgadis immediately replied, looking away in a huff.
"Aw, come on Zel! The way Xellos told it, it wasn't so bad. You weren't the only one dressed up after all, right?
Blushing, the sorcerer-swordsmen answered back defensively "Yeah, the whole town was doing it! The village that only allowed women turned out to be almost literally all men! It was quite possibly the most absurd thing I've ever been apart of!"
Michiru was laughing now, the thought of Zelgadis in drag, standing slack jawed as everyone around them revealed the truth was absolutely hilarious to her. Zelgadis was less amused, a sour look on his face while he waited for his companion to calm herself. That just made it funnier for Michiru, who had descended into uncontrolled fits, barely able to keep herself in her chair.
After what felt like half an hour but was nothing more than a minute or two, Zelgadis drawled "You done?"
Wiping tears from her face, the tanuki girl finally recovered herself and said breathlessly "Yeah. Yeah, I'm good. I…I really needed that."
"Good. Now if Amajiki could just get back with our damn order…" Zelgadis curtly replied, looking about for the cross-dressing member of the Big 3.
"Zel…"
When Zelgadis brought his attention back to Michiru, he saw a very pensive expression on her face, a rare sight indeed. "Yes, Michiru?" he answered, himself now suddenly subdued.
Michiru was nervously tapping her pointing fingers together while she gazed up at the chimera and asked "Why, why haven't you asked about what happened on the mission?"
Leaning forward, his elbows resting on the table, Zelgadis answered "I didn't want to push you. You said it had been hard and it seemed to me you would tell me when you were ready. You've only been back for, what, an hour?"
Michiru let out a mirthless laugh, drawing her hands into her lap. "I can remember a Zelgadis that would be burning to have any info on getting home." Said chimera's expression softened but said nothing, leaving Michiru to continue. "The thing is, I spent the last week having to pretend to be friends with people who, if they knew what I really was, would shackle me for the rest of my life. And after I saved one of them and she stabbed me, I…I lost it Zel. I was so, so angry that I didn't care about anything else besides tearing the whole of them into nothing. I…pushed past what I've ever been able to do before."
While she spoke, Zelgadis had lifted his hands up to rest his chin on, calmly listening to Michiru bare herself to him. When she paused, he couldn't help but ask "Push past what? Your abilities, or your morals?"
At the question, Michiru's eyes widened before she looked down and answered "Both, I guess." When Zelgadis raised a questioning eyebrow she elaborated "I was able to morph fusing parts of different animals at once. I guess…I guess you could say that you're not the only chimera around anymore, Zel." There was a sad smile on her face when Michiru finished.
"Ok…" Zelgadis gingerly replied, unsure if that was meant to make him feel better about himself and decided to stick to a more logical approach. "That's not too surprising, is it? You've advanced your powers before when you were pissed, remember? When Bakugo insulted you? And you've told me before that you've discovered new powers under stress back home, right?"
Michiru nodded, leaving Zelgadis to ask the obvious follow-up, "The transformation itself, that's not what's bothering you though, is it? You didn't think you were capable of being that angry, is that it?"
"Yeah…After it happened, I kept thinking of Nirvasyl Syndrome. Beastmen could be consumed with anger and rage and suddenly double in size, becoming hulking berserkers." Michiru explained. None of this was new to Zelgadis, Michiru had told such stories before. The chimera waited for the but and it came when Michiru looked up at him, eyes burning with regret "But that's not what happened to me! I was in control. I knew what I was doing and did it anyway. That makes me far worse. And it's just another sign that I'm not really a beastman at all. Just a fake…"
At that, Zelgadis closed his eyes and sighed, causing Michiru to look confused and look away. "Hey." The rock-encrusted lighter suddenly said firmly.
When Michiru looked back, her friend was leaning forward, his arm down on the table to support him, a serious look on his face when he said "You, of all people should know it doesn't matter whether you're a beastman or a human or something in between. You're you. And just like everybody else, you can get pissed. It's just that different people have different things that push their buttons. Some people have more buttons than others. Every one of us is capable of getting angry enough to do things we regret. Did anyone die?"
Michiru, caught up in Zelgadis' speech, shook her dead numbly.
"Did you do anything that can't be undone?" Zelgadis added.
There was a pause longer than the chimera would have liked but Michiru did say "At that moment, no."
"Then all you have to do is be aware of what set you off and be better next time. Take it from someone who's been pretty angry over the years. It's ok. It's a part of you and you are a great person, Michiru. It's just been some pretty hard circumstances. Cut yourself some slack."
Michiru sat dumbfounded. After a long moment, she seemed to snap out of it and asked "Ok, who are you and what did you do with the real Zelgadis?"
Plastering a frown on his face, Zelgadis sat back and again crossed his arms "Har, har. See if I try to cheer you up again."
"Ah, there he is! See, who needs a counselor when there is a perfectly good grump to poke." Michiru exclaimed, the cheer coming back to her features.
Zelgadis waved his hand dismissively, rolling his eyes. He was about to reply with a sarcastic remark when Michiru beat him to the punch, saying with a heartfelt smile "Thanks, Zel. It means a lot to me that you're there for me. I can see why your friends liked you so much. I wish you'd talk about them more."
Tamaki choose that moment to arrive with the pair's order, wordlessly setting the drinks and deserts on the table before bowing and departing quickly once more.
With their refreshments before them, Zelgadis indulged Michiru and shared some stories about his friends, including a few of the more temporary members of their group. Once they were done, they went back to the festival proper, enjoying the sights, and games. Michiru explained whenever Zelgadis was confused or saw something new.
In the end, it had been a fun time, but it had been a long day for them both and eventually they returned to their home.
Michiru was very eager to get to her bed and the room that had become a bastion of calm in a world that was increasingly chaotic for her. With a wave, the tanuki girl thanked Zelgadis for a great time and wished him a good night.
Zelgadis watched her enter her room before opening his own door. When he stepped through and closed it, he turned and rested his head on the door and whispered, "What the hell am I doing."
(X)
And that is where we'll leave it. I don't know how much of a surprise it is to anyone that, at least to others around them, Michiru and Zelgadis appear to be a budding couple. Whether they see themselves that way, only time will tell. This is, after all, my first story and just as I had never written action scenes or causal conversations, so too have I never written romance. I thus apologize if any such scenes that come to pass are more awkward than anything. One way or the other, such things are still a ways away.
Michiru had a bit of a roller coaster of emotions this chapter but for the first time, someone has hit her with a perceptive she had only ever bottled up deep inside. We'll see what she does with it. Next chapter we'll be paying a visit with Xellos and the League. Our heroes will get screen time as well but they will be taking more of a backseat this next go around.
If is to be believed, the last chapter had no reviews. However, did send me an email saying I did have a review from NightmareKnight1, it's just that for whatever reason, it didn't actually post to the site. It reads as follows:
Nah, I'm still sticking around. At this point, you'd have to kill off a good chunk of the cast, make them start acting super OOC or somehow revert to grade school levels of English grammar before I consider dropping it. The comment was mostly me not expecting her to do that.
Kinda same with Emerelda's situation here. I was under the impression Eri's quirk did mess with her but she had enough control she could fix it at any point. Didn't think she was responsible for the original change, but I'm not upset that my idea wasn't accurate.
Also, some minor mistakes here and there. Have had this tab opened for a day or two now so you may have already fixed them by this point but oh well. You described GC's demeanor as ***when I'm pretty sure you meant genial. I can see that being an autocorrect issue. Another one you did could just be me not knowing the word, but I think you wrote "quinzaines" instead of queasiness? To describe a bit shortly after GC wobbled the ground. Some other small things here and there like a to instead of a too. But those two examples were the ones to stick out to me.
I wanted to say I appreciate your reassurance and given I don't expect or plan to fall below any of the metrics set forth, then I can expect to have the honor of your readership for as long as I can. Thank you.
As for Emeralda, I am glad the reveal wasn't what you expected, to a degree. If it felt entirely out of left field to you, that would be a different story. It was always the plan that she had done it to herself and she'll explain herself a bit more next chapter. Knowing that she had willed herself to get older in canon and having been referenced in once of her Hitomi flashbacks, I hoped to put the idea in readers heads that she could simply reverse that change. If I failed in that, at least it wouldn't seem to unbelievable otherwise.
As for errors and mistakes, if there was any reason for you to feel the need to delate the review (assuming you did, that may not have been the case) then I imagine it would be here. When I first started this story, I would have taken such corrections pretty poorly, in that I would have been very embarrassed. Thankfully for us all, with years of writing under my belt now, I am much more receptive to such critiques and I thank you for pointing them out. I wasn't aware of them. Even though I go over the chapter a couple of times before publishing, especially right after finishing, it is easy to miss errors. I have been reviewing and cleaning up chapters for posting on AO3 and there are just, so many mistakes. For some reason, I went through a stretch where I seemed to try and fit the word 'as' into as many sentences as possible. I'm utterly shocked no one has called me out for it till now.
I went ahead and made the two very much embarrassing corrections per your suggestions. Anything else I'll clean up when I get to posting this chapter on AO3 in a few months. I hope you don't get tired of hearing me thank you because your going to hear it alot, so thank you for sticking around, reviewing and enjoying the story!
Alright, that's it for this month! We're already in hurricane season down here in Florida so keep your fingers crossed it's not as busy as they forecast it to be! Take care out there, thank you as always and see you next month!