D-XXX
Approx 20 years before launch
?
Footsteps ringing on a metal surface, echoing through a dark hallway.
Panting.
…
The panting only gets more frantic.
…
A door gets slammed open.
"COSMO! COSMO!"
A tall, feminine figure enters an almost pitch black room. The only source of light is a small television, lighting up the face of a young Cosmo in a bright cyan hue.
The room is dead silent. The only source of noise is an occasional muffled explosion coming from the TV.
Cosmo immediately turns to face the source of the disturbance, and gives a glare towards the feminine, light green figure standing in front of her. While it is too dark to make out her features, she knows far too well that it is the ever-so beautiful and attention grabbing Ivy.
"Cosmo, look!" Ivy brings out what appears to be a brand new dress, but it is too dark to see any details.
"Not now, Ivy." Cosmo turns back to face the television.
Ivy raises an eyebrow at this dismissal. Cosmo isn't old enough to have a rebellious teenage phase yet, right? And even then, they usually close off their parents, not their siblings!
Then again…when was the last time they acted like an older sister instead of a worrying mother?
With a small hint of feeling disrespected, Ivy enters the darkened room with concern for her younger sister. She tosses the dress aside, seemingly no longer viewing it as important in the face of Cosmo's worry.
Ivy: "What's on your mind, Cos?"
Cosmo looks down on the ground, with her eyes closed. Ivy walks closer still.
"Hey, are-"
With a closed, enlarged fist, Cosmo swings at Ivy' direction…towards her left knee…
Ivy, however, avoids the hit with the step back.
"Hey, careful! If you hit someone that hard, they literally cannot recover from it! Geez, if you wanted me to leave you could have…" her voice trails off. "...said so, you know?"
Cosmo still doesn't respond.
"Ugh, fine! Be that way! You can drown in sadness with whatever crappy soup drama you are watching for all I care!"
With anger, Ivy begins to storm out of the room.
Cosmo: "He isn't going to make it…" The despair in Cosmo's voice causes Ivy to stop in her tracks.
"Who are you-"
Cosmo frantically grabs the small television and turns it around in Ivy's direction. Ivy finally starts paying attention to the audio.
"It's over, ATS. You should have cut your losses a long time ago,…but you just had to push it, didn't you?"
Shot from above, the figure speaking is glowing in an intense white aura with sparks of red electricity bursting. Quills raised upwards and coloured a blinding bleached colour contrast with the Hedgehog's continuously changing eye colour.
Ivy: "What do you mean? He seems to be clearly winning!"
Cosmo: "Look closer."
Ivy squints her eyes.
"Where am I supposed-"
"His right arm. Look at it."
Cracks. Cyan cracks. All over it.
Ivy: "That's…soul damage, isn't it?" She pulls back as she takes that piece of information in.
Cosmo slowly nods.
Cosmo: "Even if he wins this fight…he won't be able…to…"
Cosmo's eyes shake with tears.
The world around her feels like it is about to crumble…
…
She feels two soft hands lightly gripping her shoulders
Ivy: "Hey…it's okay…that just means we will have to escape from them with Plan A."
"B-but…"
"Cos. No matter what, it will be fine. You wanna know why?"
The young cosmo frantically nods.
"It's because we will always be side by side. Metarix or not, I won't allow them to separate us. Even if it comes down to them taking our home…they won't have us. As long as we have each other…it will all work out. Besides, someone else is bout to take that blue rat's place anyhow!"
Cosmo opens her eyes as that ever so precious smile that Ivy works day and night to maintain.
She finally gets a good look at Ivy as her face is lit up by the broadcast.
While clearly tired, while clearly just got done crying herself…
To Cosmo's young eyes, her sister's beautiful face shined brighter than any minor imperfections that may appear.
Relieved, she hugs her older sister.
A single happy tear falls from Cosmo's face upon the artificial metal.
Somehow, it dampens the metal. And a white flower sprouts in the tear's falling place.
…
D-008
Approx 25 Hours since Launch.
Planet Serea.
"Icarus…I…I don't think you will be able to run…or even walk…ever again…"
Aside from Ivythorn's weeping…there was nothing but deafening silence.
Itadori looks away from the injured Icarus in shame. His inability to finish the fight is what led to him jumping in. And perhaps it extended beyond that too…him thinking that he finally found the Erabareshi Mono…is that why Icarus desired to prove himself to this extent?
Icarus doesn't fully grasp it. It's just a bad blow…why would it cause that much damage anyway? It isn't like either Cosmo or Itadori were certified doctors anyway…
Slowly, he lifts his shaky hands away.
…
His knee isn't deformed. Or bleeding. Or even injured at all.
In fact, it didn't even hurt.
…
It simply wasn't there anymore.
A ghostly ball in place of his knee cap. The surrounding area on his leg is filled with cyan cracks.
Icarus extends his hands towards his knee.
As he gets closer, his hands instinctively pull back from fear of pain, So, instead, he slowly inches his ring finger forward the transparent ball.
It goes right through.
Cosmo: "This is…soul damage, Icarus. I am sorry…"
Icarus remains too stunned to take it in.
…
…Ivythorn looks ahead, witnessing the sorrowful scene.
She moves her hands to feel her own face.
Harsh. Scatchy. Fragile.
She then looks up at her sister.
Soft. Pure. Fragile all the same.
She notices something.
Cosmo doesn't care for Ivy's appearance right now.
And yet…she looks…
So…sad.
…
"Cos….Cos….Cos…"
She desperately yearns for Cosmo's smile.
She stretches her hand out to her.
…
Cosmo notices her.
…
She looks away.
…
She doesn't care.
…
Icarus.
…
She cares about him, doesn't she?
…
Cos' smile is long gone.
…
MUST OBEY DIRECTIVE. ICARUS THE HEDGEHOG MUST BE ELIMINATED.
…
ICARUS THE HEDGEHOG HAS BEEN SUCCESSFULLY COMPROMISED.
…
WHY?
…
META-RIX.
…
But…Cosmo's smile is gone…
…
Ivy opens her mouth to speak.
…
INCOMPATIBLE DIRECTIVE DETECTED. SPEAKING PRIVILEGES REVOKED.
…
WARNING. INCOMPATIBLE DIRECTIVE DETECTED. REMAINING SOUL= FIFTEEN POINT O PERCENT. FURTHER INCOMPATIBLE DIRECTIVES SHALL BE PUNISHED WITH SOUL DAMAGE AND DEMOTION.
…
REMAINING SOUL= TWELVE POINT FIVE PERCENT. FURTHER INCOMPATIBLE DIRECTIVES SHALL BE PUNISHED WITH SOUL DAMAGE AND DEMOTION.
…
Feeling like there are 50 tones on each limb…Ivythorn begins crawling forward…digging whatever small parts of her fingers she has control over into the sand.
…
Cosmo is looking away.
So is Itadori.
…
Icarus notices her, desperately stretching her hand.
…
He cannot focus. It's a lot to take in.
Despite this…he stretches his hand, too.
…
Icarus spared her.
Cosmo didn't want to.
…
REMAINING SOUL= TEN POINT O PERCENT. DEMOTION IMMINENT.
…
Her swollen eye feels like it is about to pop out.
…
One final stretch.
…
The trip of her fingers touch Icarus'
…