Chaotic Waters Act 2, Chapter 6: How Things Change and a Friend's Gift.
Echoes of the sea, call your name in vain,
Yet each little sound, brings me joy and pain.
Oh, sister of mine, though we are apart,
Your song lives within me, in the depths of my heart.
"Well, here we are." Haruka remarked as the two of them appeared on an island in the North Pacific Ocean.
Something in the salty scent of the sea and the sound of the waves soothed her, like a familiar embrace of an old friend. "What are we doing out here...where evenishere?" She asked, kicking a small stone with the toe of her heels."Of course the magical girl costume comes with heels, it'd be completely ridiculous to have flats or, gods forbid, boots."
"Amatignak Island." Haruka replied jerking her thumb over her shoulder. "Alaska's about two thousand kilometers that way."
"...okaaay, butwhyare we here?"
"We're here to teach you how to use your powers. Best place to do that is a deserted island, less chance of collateral damage." The blond explained, sitting on a small rock jutting out of the ground. "For the most part it's pretty instinctual, do what feels right and blast the bad guy with whatever element your powers are aligned with. Something about how we get reborn makes the basics almost a reflex."
That...made sense. It'd be ridiculous to suddenly gain magical powers and then get killed because you didn't even know how to access them.
"The problem with doing it that way is that it leads to drawn out attack sequences and cheesy lines that sound like they're out of some manga. Remember what you had to say to transform?" The blonde continued, gesturing to the outfit she was currently wearing with a small smirk. "Not that that outfit doesn't lookamazingon mygirlfriend."
Heat rose to her cheeks at the racer's compliment, whether it was from the compliment itself, the outfit she was wearing, or the cheesy line she'd had to say to get into the outfit in the first place she couldn't say. Idly, her left hand reached and tugged down on her shirt, her blush intensifying at the appreciative and amused look on Haruka's face.
Or it could be the fact that her sometimes-boyfriend called her their girlfriend at almost every opportunity.
"It's a bit more...revealing than what I'm used to." She admitted, looking away from Haruka."Not that I haven't worn outfits just as revealing and even worse."
"It looks good on you." Her girlfriend said, looking her up and down with a smile.
"Thanks...you too."
"If you think this is good you should see me in my suit or my leather skirt." Haruka remarked before becoming serious. "This stuff is dangerous and it's really easy to overshoot, I once made a tornado when I was trying to make a breeze."
"That explains the deserted island." She muttered, looking around. "So what am I supposed to do?"
"The way it was explained to me was that using magic is like pulling a series of levers to get the result you want." Haruka said, gesturing vaguely at the air around them. "pull them in the wrong order and instead of a small campfire, you set off a volcano like Mount Eniwa or Sakurajima."
"So what do I do?"
"Well, first you..."
-Two months later-
"How did my life come to this?"Michiru found herself wondering as the sunlight gently roused her from her slumber, the rhythmic thumping of Mayu's heartbeat underneath her called to her like a siren's song, telling her to go back to sleep.
"You keep having me stay the night and my parents are gonna start asking questions." Mayu murmured, looking down at her currently red-faced girlfriend. Once again the time had gotten away from the two and she had insisted that Mayu stay the night, much to the brunette's amusement. "Still, maybe next time we should use something other than your couch?"
"Not my fault, you're too comfortable." She mumbled, her cheeks growing hotter."What's with me? I've never been...I've never wanted to cuddle with anyone before, and now I can't seem to get enough."Feeling a yawn coming, she covered her mouth and sat up, rubbing away the last bit of sleep from her eyes.
Over the last two months the three of them, her, Mayu, and Haruka, had come up with a routine that seemed to work. On week days they'd hang out together after school and one of the two would make sure she got home safely, despite her protests about being able to handle herself, and usually ended up spending the night cuddling with her. The two alternated who made sure she got home except on Friday where they would play jankenpon to see who would stay with her.
Hilariously, this had led to Haruka loosing three weeks in a row much to their annoyance.
On Saturdays and Sundays they spent their afternoons either at her place or Haruka's, though they all agreed that her bed was the more comfortable one. Since she'd admitted that she wanted this, wanted them, she hadn't spent a single night alone and, if she were being completely honest with herself, she really didn't mind. She wasn't an idiot of course, she knew that they were keeping an eye on her or more accurately, keeping an eye out for anyone from Nerima, but it still felt...nice.
The feelings she had gotten when she'd realized what they were doing had felt...warm, comfortable even, like sitting in front of a crackling fire on a cold night. She couldn't think of a single word that fit more than just...right. Everything was going good in her life, her grades were up now that she wasn't being attacked by other students or the staff every five minutes Even the swim team had mostly backed off, with the exception of Ishioka, after one member of Haruka's fanclub had caught them kissing behind the shed where the school stored the extra sports equipment.
Funnily enough had they arrived two minutes earlier they would have seen Mayu taking her breath away with another of her earthshattering kisses.
A shiver ran down her spine as that by now familiar heat built inside of her. Maybe if she asked nice Mayu would gave her one now? Heat rose to her cheeks, she couldn't do that, just ask for Mayu to take her thoughts away for just a moment.
The feeling of soft lips against her own jolted her from her thought before she relaxed into the brunette's embrace, it wasn't a scorching kiss, but it was enough for now. She sighed happily and nuzzled the other girl's collarbone, the heat was still there and even after two months she wasn't sure what to do to help with it aside from taking a freezing cold shower.
Unfortunately, it had taken her way too much time to figure out exactlywhythat helped...gods she was an idiot sometimes.
"What were you thinking about?"
"Hmm?" She looked up into Mayu's green eyes, feeling the heat in her cheeks grow as the other girl looked into her own. Gods, she never got used to that. Haruka and Mayu both just...made her feel like she never looked past her like Nabiki did, or gave her accusing looks like Akane, or-
"Michiru." Mayu called, stroking her cheek with her thumb. "You're spiraling again."
Damnit. She'd been doing that more lately. Something about being near Haruka and Mayu just seemed to make her zone out sometimes. It was like something inside of her knew it was safe for her to just...check out when before it would wait till she was alone. "Sorry, I was just thinking that I wanted a kiss."
"And you couldn't ask?" The brunette's hand reached out, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. There was no judgement in the other girl's voice, only a gentle understanding that warmed her from within.
"Mmm" She nodded, laying her head back down on her girlfriend's shoulder. "Asking is hard."
"Especially when it comes to things you want." Mayu finished, getting a nod from the teal haired girl...well formerly teal haired girl now. "Are you sure you don't want me to re-dye your hair for you? The sensei haven't exactly been too happy with it."
For some reason they'd gotten it in their heads that she needed to dye it to a more neutral color, Ishioka-sensei had even thrown a box of black hair dye at her and had, in not so many words, told her to do it or he'd mark her assignments down.
No wonder his wife left him.
"Not like they liked it to begin with, but no. I..." She hesitated, giving her girlfriend an apologetic look. "I can't just leave Hino-san to take care of her situation with Xian Pu alone, and I don't want...you know...I don't want anyone there to know how I look here."
With the two of them so close, she could feel the effect her words had on her slightly taller girlfriend. She could feel Mayu tense underneath her and the other girl's arms wrap around her just a little tighter. "Are you sure you won-"
"-I amnotbringing either one of you two with me." She said firmly, repeating what she'd told both of her partners a week ago when she'd made her decision to go back to Nerima. "I don't even want to bring Hino-san into that place, but it is her family we're talking about." She sighed and sat up, the blanket falling off of her as she scootched off of her girlfriend so she was sitting on the edge of her couch. "I just...I don't want anyone there to see me like this."
"Like what?"
"Happy." She shivered, rubbing her arms to fight off a wave of...something that built up whenever she thought of Nerima these days. "If anyone there learns about...if they found out I was actually happy without them in my life then..."
"You're afraid they'll try and ruin it." A creaking sound from the springs in her couch filled the air for a moment as Mayu sat up and wrapped an arm around her waist. "Is that why you're letting your dye job fade? So all they'll see is who you were when you lived there?"
"...If they think I'm still he-him" She frowned, shaking her head. "If they think I'm still that person than they won't know what to look for here."
"But Mi-chan...you're not that person anymore."
"...It's just for one day...I can pretend for that long, I did it when I cam here after all." She said with a hesitant grin.
"But how much of how you acted when you got here was an act, and how much was just you?"Mayu wondered before giving Michiru's arm a small squeeze. "Will you at least consider takingsomeonewith you, it doesn't have to be me or Haruka, but both of us would feel much more at ease if you weren't going alone."
Michiru sighed and shook her head. "Even if I wanted to, who would I bring? I don't want you or Haruka anywhere near there and you two are the only people who know about all this."
"What about that old friend of yours and Haruka's...Hikaru was it?"
"Hibari." She corrected with a groan. "And I haven't spoken to her since I found out she-"
"-Manipulated you and Haruka,I know, but isn't she also the best possible person to go with you? You said she's from a yakuza family right? I doubt anyone from your old district would want to do anything to piss off her family."
"You're not wrong." She muttered. Even Happosai had been wary of doing anything to get the yakuza's attention. The old man might be fast enough to dodge a bullet, but one single mistake and he wouldn't have to worry about being caught stealing panties again. "I don't know...it's too dangerous."
"That's exactly my point." The taller girl said, gently turning her around so she was looking Mayu in the eye. "I don't want my girlfriend going somewhere so dangerous on her if," The brunette started, cutting off the retort she had started to say. "she can handle herself."
"I...okay, I'll call Hibari." She said, sighing and leaning into Mayu's open arms.
"Good girl." Her girlfriend whispered, sending shivers down her spine. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach as a sort of...nervous energy built up in her chest, it wasn't a bad feeling, but it wasn't one she could put a name to either.
"'Not a girl." She mumbled, heat rising in her cheeks.
"I know..."
A knock on the door pulled both of their attention away, before the sound of a key being put into the door reached their ears. A second later Haruka, dressed in a pair of blue jeans, a button up white shirt, and an open jean jacket with torn sleeves, walked in, shutting the door behind them. "You two look comfortable." They remarked, smiling at them before walking over and giving them both a quick kiss on the lips.
"Andyouare dressed far too casually to be going to school." Mayu remarked, giving the blond a look that promised a lecture if they didn't explain himself.
"I'm skipping and you two are coming with." They said, holding up a hand to stall any protests. "It's important I promise."
"So help me if you're skipping just to take us on a date..." The class president started before muttering the rest incomprehensively.
"I'm not I swear...trust me, this is something we need to do."
"Apple?" She asked, looking at the masculine way the blonde was dressed and getting a fond look from Mayu and an amused one from Haruka.
"Kind of both, let's call it a pear day." The racer said, lightly laughing at the sounds of muttered grumbling that came from her.
One of these days she'd get it right.
"Why am I surprised you're driving here in Japan without being 18 yet?" Mayu remarked, shaking her head with her palm on her forehead.
"The better question is why does me doing stuff like thatstillsurprise you?"
Frowning, Michiru looked around the neighborhood Haruka had driven the three of them to, it seemed...vaguely familiar to her. "Have I been here before?" She wondered aloud, getting a nod from the blond.
"Couple times I know of." The blonde agreed before taking the key out of the ignition and getting out of the car.
Sending a confused look at each other, both Mayu and her climbed out of the car and followed the racer to the front door of a modest looking house. They watched as the blond pushed the doorbell and waited. "Haruka, what are we doing here? Who's house even is-"
The sound of the door opening cut her off as an older woman, probably in her early 40's answered the door wearing a pink sweatshirt and white pants. "Yes? Who is...oh, Haruka-san! What are you doing here?"
The blond smiled, lifting their hand in a small wave. "Hey, Ogino-san."
Every muscle in Michiru's body froze while the blood drained from her face. It couldn't be...why would Haruka take them here?!
"You should be in school young..." She paused, looking the blond over before continuing. "...man?" She asked, her tone questioning.
"Close enough for today." Haruka said with a shrug. "And I'm not at school because this is more important." Slowly, the blond moved to the side giving the older woman a view of the two girls behind them.
"Oh? You brought some friends with you? That's unusual." The woman remarked, moving her gaze from Mayu to Michiru. "What are...their..." She trailed off, her eyes going wide. "Kasumi-chan...?"
Michiru flinched and looked away, gripping her left arm tightly. Her eyes darted to the blonde, sending them a pleading look."Please say we can just go, I can't...I'm not ready to talk to them!"
Haruka's response to her silent plea was to speak softly, each word soft and soothing. "She goes by Michiru now."
"That is not what you were supposed to say!"She internally screamed. She took a step back, every instinct in her body screaming at her to run, but before she could take another the woman ran up to her and wrapped her arms around her in a tight hug.
"Look at you!" The woman whispered, her eyes moving up and down Michiru's body in wonder. "You look amazing Kas-Michiru-chan!" her hand reached up, cupping the younger girl's cheek before idly running their hand through a bit of her red hair. "And who did your hair, it looks lovely!"
"I...it's uhm." Her words couldn't come out, her throat felt like there was a vice around it. This was someone who'd known her before, back when she was Kasumi, even more than that this was Chihiro'smother! What could she possibly say to the woman? She hadn't even gone to her childhood sister'sfuneralbecause she'd forgotten all about her! "I...I'm sorry." She croaked, looking away. Shame and guiltburnedin her chest as she tried to take another step back to no avail.
"You're sorry? What on earth are you sorry for?" Ogino Yuko asked.
"I couldn't...I wasn't there when..."
The woman's eyes dulled for a moment, pain, loss, grief, anger, and something she didn't recognize all flashing within their depths before she shook her head and smiled. "Let's not talk about this out here, come inside."
Yuko turned and gestured for the three teenagers to follow her as she walked into her house, calling out to her husband. "Akio, we have guests!"
"Can we please just go? I can't...it's too soon!" Michiru whispered, grabbing Haruka's arm, pleading with her eyes for them to just leave.
"If you're set on your plan to go back to thathellholethan you need to do this first." The blonde said firmly before their tone softened and they wrapped an arm around her waist. "It's ok...Mayu and I will be here the whole time."
"Can one of you explain why we're here and why she looks like she's about to run?" Mayu asked, gesturing at her.
"She's Chihiro's mom." Was the blond's simple reply, as if that explained everything.
"Chihiro? You don't mean...?"
"Yeah,thatChihiro." Slowly, Haruka started to walk forward, her arm gently pulling Michiru along. "Come on...they're waiting for us."
"Now, Hibari-chan told me some things, but she didn't go into any real details...how are you doing, really?" The older woman asked after they were all seated in the living room. She put her hand on her husbands, gripping his larger hand tightly while she looked at Michiru with wonder in her eyes."Ten years...she's changed so much it's hard to believe this is really Kasumi-chan, or rather Michiru-chan now."
"I...I don't know." Michiru admitted, staring at her shoes so she wouldn't have to look at the two adults sitting across from her. "What all did Hibari tell you?"
"That you have amnesia and you remembersomethings, but not everything." The woman said, getting a hesitant nod in return."I doubt you want to get into how you got amnesia in the first place, so I'll keep that I know that to myself for now."
"That...pretty much sums it up. I barely remember things from ten years ago...mostly just faces and the names that go with them." Her eyes hesitantly looked up at the older couple before darting back down, how could she face them after not being there when Chihiro died? For the funeral of someone who had been as close as a sister to her? "It's mostly...mostly Chihiro that I remember." She whispered, looking of to the side of the room where a shrine to her old friend stood.
Even from a distance she could tell she wouldn't be able to find a single speck of dust anywhere on the shrine. The entire thing was meticulously cared for, and the sight of Chihiro's face, set in a wide smile soothed the loss she felt at seeing it. Laughter danced in the eyes of her childhood friend as she smiled at whoever was holding the camera.
"She talked about you a lot...towards the end." Her old friend's mother said softly. "She never stopped believing you were still out there, not once. She even bit the head off of one of her school friends when they suggested she forget about you and focus on getting...getting better."
"...I'm sorry I missed the-"
"-You don't have to apologize." The older woman said, cutting her off sharply but not unkindly. "You had amnesia, no-one could blame you for missing the funeral."
"Wouldn't have stopped anyone back in Nerima for blaming me."She thought, the name of her old home sounding like a poison to her...ears? Brain? Come to think of it how did anyone "hear" their voice when they were thinking to themselves?
The woman squeezed her husband's hand before letting go and watching as he got up from his seat without a word.
Her stomach dropped to her feet. Chihiro's dad was angry at her."Of course he'd be angry, all I am is a reminder of the daughter he lost."
"He's not mad at you." The older woman clarified, seeing guilt pass across the face of the young girl in front of her. "Talking about our daughter is...painful for him, it is for me too."
"Than why...why are you talking about her to me?" She asked in a small voice she barely recognized as her own as her gaze once ore dropped to the floor.
The woman smiled knowingly, looking up as the sound of her husband coming down the stairs reached all of their ears. "It's simple...as much as it might hurt me to talk about her, I would never deny Chihiro'ssisteranything she needed to remember her. As it happens...we have a gift for you."
"A gift? Why would they...?"
Before she could lift her head to ask, the shoes of Chihiro's father came into her view a moment before the man kneeled in front of her. "I don't know if you remember." He said, his voice rough. "But you and... you and my daughter made a promise ten years ago."
She lifted her head, her gaze locking onto the fresh tear streaks on the older man's face.
He held up a black case for her to see, the black material drawing her eye to the small golden name that had been put onto one small section.
荻野 千尋
"That's Chihiro's name."She thought, her fingers reaching out and running themselves over the characters tenderly.
"Ten years ago," The man continued, his voice growing rougher with the tears he struggled to hold back. "My daughter was given this by her grandmother, my mother. It had belonged to her mother before her, and her mother before that. Nearly twelve generations of my family has passed this down, though it's needed a new case with each owner." The man smiled for a moment before grief washed the pleasant expression off of his face. "Of course, we had to buy her one that was the correct size and even then she didn't seem that interested in it...but then, one day that changed. One day, she brought a friend neither I nor my wife had ever met before." He looked up, his eyes, catching hers in a way that kept her from looking away.
"The girl was a wild thing. Rambunctious, energetic, improper, everything my own mother would have scowled at seeing a "young lady" be." He chuckled, shaking his head. "Even though they had just met that day, my daughter and that little girl were practically inseparable. I remember them rushing up the stairs to my daughter's room to play together, tripping and over each other and laughing the entire time...those were the happiest moments of my daughter's life." He smiled wistfully, clearly remembering some moment in particular.
Something brushed against her mind, like the jumbled pieces of a memory that had been taken apart and scattered like pieces of a puzzle. A little girl's smile, joy, the sound of laughter, and the feeling of her fingers stroking the soft, fake fur of a stuffed animal.
"On one of those days, my daughter's friend saw this case and asked what was inside. When my daughter told her, the girl became so excited, she was practically vibrating."
With movements that were almost...reverent in nature, he opened the case, showing off what lay within. There, nestled in velvet was an instrument, one Michiru had seen before, though never up close.
A violin.
"That little girl thought it was "so cool" that my daughter had something like this, she even managed to get her excited about playing it. After that day, my daughter practiced every day, but only after she got a promise from that little girl.""
"Ten years ago you two promised...that when you were older you would play together on a stage." The man said. "And I would see that promise kept." Gently, he set the open case onto her lap and her breath caught in her throat.
This violin had belonged to Chihiro, more than that, this instrument was a family heirloom, passed down for generations. "I...this is..." Her lips trembled as she fought to get the words out. "I can't take this...it wouldn't be right."
"Who else could I give it to?" The man asked, looking at her with his tired eyes. "Yuko and I have no other children and I would rather it not be stuck in some music shop gathering dust...besides, I think if anyone should have it, it should be the person my daughter called sister."
Something wet slid down her cheeks, but it was only when the tears hit the instrument on her lap that she realized what it was.
She was crying.
She tried to speak, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get her tongue to form words. Two sets of familiar arms wrapped around her, though they felt...muted, as if someone had thrown a blanket or something over her skin. "But I...this is too much."
Though she could feel them near, she realized that, since coming into the Ogino's house, neither of her partners had said a word, not that they had to really. She could feel their support of her in their gaze, in their touch, in everything they did really.
"Is...is it really okay?" She whispered, her fingers trailing over the delicate strings of the instrument.
"This violin has always belonged to my family," Chihiro's father began to answer, smiling at his daughter's old friend. "and it will continue to do so. No matter what happens, you will always have a place here...Chihiro would accept nothing less."
She looked down at the violin in her lap and stroked the old wood, somehow knowing that Chihiro's father would never accept her refusing it."It would be nice...having something to remember her by."She thought to herself."Besides...one little violin couldn't do much...right?"
-30 years later-
"You ready for this?"
The words brushed against her ears as she took a deep breath, running her tattooed hand through her dark, cropped hair. "Am I ever?" Her voice shook with the apprehensiveness that only came from being about to stand in front of a crowd, something she had, unfortunately, never managed to grow out of.
"No, but you'll do just fine. We made it this far after all."
"Yeah but this is...this is where I grew up y'know? I haven't been back here since I graduated."
"Huh...you know I always forget that you have a bachelor's degree in...what was it chemistry?" Her friend teased.
"Adoctorateinbiochemistryand a master's in mechanical engineeringthank you very much." Rolling her eyes, she cracked open the bottle of water on the floor in front of her and took a deep drink."Gods I wish I had something to settle these damn nerves."
"All those years at school and you're slumming it with us? You should get a refund."
"Like hell! Let's not forget that Ibuiltyour little sister's prosthetics and forfreeat that...speaking of, how's she holding up?"
"She's over the moon, she can stand on her own, dance with her secret boyfriend mom doesn't know about, and chase after our gremlin of a little brother...I'll never be able to thank you enough f-"
"-I didn't do it for thanks." She said firmly, cutting off her friend with a wave of her hand showing off the English letters tattooed to each finger spelling out the word "SOUND". "I did it because you three are family."
"Yeah, yeah I know...so, you ready or am I gonna need to hold your hand as we walk out there?"
"Fuck you asshole."
"Nah, I'll leave that to Daichi, he's got more practice at it."
Chuckling, she stood up and grabbed her water, setting it on a small table before walking out from behind the curtain.
And onto the darkened stage.
With silent steps they got into their positions, trusting the lighting crew to keep them in shadows until they were ready. Like a group of wraiths they made no sound as they moved around, using the skills she had taught them, the skills she had learned as a child from her mother.
Three minutes of silent movement, that's all it took for them to get ready. As if the completion of their tasks were a signal all four of them froze, not moving even a centimeter as they took a deep breath.
One by one they all reached out, clicking on the microphones in front of them. "You think they're ready?" She heard Daichi ask from behind and to the left of her, his deep, soothing voice silencing the voices of the crowd who hadn't noticed them as if he'd used a spell.
"I dunno man, they look like a bunch of noobies." Daichi's boyfriend, Ayumu, behind and to the right. She could practically hear the grin on his face in his voice and knew that he was having a blast before they'd even started.
"Come on, give 'em a chance boys." Another voice to her left, this one softer, feminine, and filled with dry amusement.
She shook her head with a wry grin, knowing the other three would never change. "All right you three, they didn't come here to see us bicker, they came here to hear our sound!"
A cheer rose up from the crowd as She reached out her hand, gripped the mic tight, andsang.
The Silence can't break me! (Oh!) Can't break me (No!)
Purple light streamed from the spotlights behind them as she sang, illuminating her and the rest of the band, casting the crowd in their shadows.
"I've traveled the earth, and it's not without flaw, but there's so much that's good in the world that I saw. This beautiful planet has been soiled by hate, but not badly enough that it needs a clean slate."
As the lyrics left her lips she heard Ayumu behind her start in on the drums while his boyfriend strummed his bass. Even without looking, she knew they were both grinning like maniacs, they always acted like this during a show.
"Despair is a siren, surrender its song. It's tempting, I'll grant, but I know that it's wrong."
The fog machine sprang to life as the lights flashed, the only other female member's electric guitar joining in to the song. Her chestpulsedwith the beat like the drums were inside of her and not behind her, gods she could never get enough of this feeling.
"Summon me, cry for me, I won't give in; to throw in the towel is the far greater sin. I've come much too far to surrender it all, I won't be the reason this fragile world falls. I can't do this task to which I have been bound, I'll silence the Silence with tireless SOUND!"
No, Tenoh Hotaru could never get enough of this feeling.
"I can't carry this burden. I can't do this task. Though it may be my mantle, it's too much to ask. Never asked for this power, I don't want this might. While I may have a reason, I don't have the right. How could anyone ever destroy something fair? The burden's too much for anyone to bear!"
Her hands flew to the mic and gripped it tightly, she could her it now, past the explosive beat, past the roar of the crowd, and even past her own voice screaming out her heart. The call of The Silence. It screamed at her to call it forth, to rid this world of life and start anew.
"Summon me, cry for me, I won't give in;to throw in the towel is the far greater sin. I've come much too far to surrender it all, I won't be the reason this fragile world falls. I can't do this task to which I have been bound, I'll silence the Silence with tireless SOUND!"
The mic cracked under the strength of her grip as she pushed the call down, back to the cage she kept it in. The Silence would never again see the light of day, not while she was alive.
"Now visions of Silence keep filling my dreams, close my eyes, and I'm haunted by billions of screams. The power is mine. That means I get to choose. If the task falls to me, then I'll simply refuse. This has long been my mission, always been the plan, when it comes down to this one, I don't think I can!"
She looked up and, even though she couldn't see them, she felt them there. Her friends, her family, her love. Watching her, listening to her bare her soul to the world.
"Summon me, cry for me, I won't give in;to throw in the towel is the far greater sin. I've come much too far to surrender it all, I won't be the reason this fragile world falls. I can't do this task to which I have been bound, I'll silence the Silence with tireless SOUND!"
She grinned, throwing her fist in the air as the rest of the band stopped playing, furious cheers erupting from the crowd in front of them. "How we all doing tonight Juban?!" She called out, laughing as the crowd practically knocked her off of her feet from their answering roar. "Good! I'd hate for you all to be having a bad time, it makes Ayumu all pouty when a show doesn't go well."
"Fuck you 'Taru!" The shorter man replied, flashing his fang at her in a grin.
"Nah, that's Dai's job, we all know he's much better at it if from the sounds coming from your hotel room are to be believed!" She teased, making everyone burst into laughter when the man spit out the water he'd been drinking from a bottle. "Now, there's no need to introduce ourselves, ya'll know who we are right?!"
"YES!"
"Good, and if ya'll know who we are, then you know our story too but what you may not know..." She paused before grinning up at the VIP section. "...is that this is a very special show! Tonight, all of our parents are here-don't worry though, they know what we get up to...some of it at least. Quick, no-one tell them about the concert in New York, it didnotgo well!"
The crowd laughed and, unless her ears were deceiving her, she could have sworn her heard her parents up there, laughing with the crowd.
And to think, all of this came about because of her mama and a single violin.