Every tale worth telling has a final chapter. A satisfying conclusion, the end credits, a closing curtain—whatever you want to call it. But what happens when life stubbornly refuses to fit into the neat boxes we create for it? That's the question Hinamori Amu finds herself wrestling with.
Her friends say she saved the city. A twelve-year-old psionic wonderkid defeated a malevolent organization, pulling children back from the abyss of despair and showing them the light. End of story, roll the credits. Get Hikaru into school, hug her sister, find some time to shop for clothing. Touch up her long neglected dye job. Ask her best friend Utau why she's calling her 'psionic'.
Except the world didn't get the memo. Physics is unraveling like a poorly knitted scarf, yanked apart by the collective psychic weight of eight billion souls. Guardian Charas—those mystical entities seemingly meant to be humanity's fail-safe—are starting to fray at the seams. Even Amu's baby sister is bending the laws of reality like they're mere suggestions.
So, Amu can either sit back and try to be a 'normal' girl, watching as the fabric of existence comes undone, or she can accept that the final chapter was never really the end.
Or she could go hiking with her parents, because the couch is apparently going to eat her if she doesn't.
Warning, ahead of time: This story contains occasional heavy themes, including but not limited to implied child abuse, self-destructive actions, and the end of the world. They are not the point of the story, but not everyone is okay. If you go on reading, you may have a shot at fixing this.
Prologue: In Which There Are No Such Things as Ghosts
August 23, 2009
"Summer vacation. A time for lazy afternoons, unending skies, and the sweet freedom from alarm clocks," Amu narrated.The sky above was a brilliant azure, interrupted only by a few fluffy clouds. Below her was a rocky hillside, with tufts of grass peeking out here and there. The ground was a bit too steep and rocky for her liking, but not so bad that it made climbing impossible. "Not a time for hiking, but a time for lying on the couch reading manga, or hanging out with my friends, or eating popsicles." She paused to wipe her forehead, grimacing at the sweat clinging to her bangs.
Her mother turned around and raised an eyebrow.
"It's supposed to be summer vacation, Mom," she said, trying to sound pitiful and not like she was whining. "And it's like, thirty degrees out."
Her father, trudging along a few feet ahead with a camera around his neck, gave her a sympathetic look. He was wearing a bright red and yellow Hawaiian shirt and cargo shorts, not stylish even in the slightest, but comfortable for hiking. His blond hair was slicked back with sweat.
"Come on, Amu-chan," he said, giving her a tired smile. "You used to enjoy the outdoors. Do it for us. Look at Ami, she isn't complaining."
Her baby sister, a few feet away, was sitting on her mother's shoulders, staring blankly ahead. She was wearing a straw hat with a wide brim to protect her pale skin from the sun, and a green sundress. Her mind was distant.
"She's dazed by the heat, Dad," she said, frowning. "Also, she's a kid. Of course she likes the outdoors."
Amu looked up at the sky. The sun was almost directly above them, a giant burning orb. Amu could almost feel her skin sizzling from the rays. It was probably a good thing she was lightly dressed, but she was still hot.
"Look, I'm not going to melt just because we're walking," she said, sighing. "It's just, it's the last week of summer. And it's Saturday, and I could have spent the day chatting with Utau. Or sleeping. You're both making me hike in the middle of the summer."
"We're all suffering," her father said, patting her on the shoulder. "Don't worry, we're almost at the top."
Amu gave only a minor grumble. Her parents had a point. The fresh air was doing wonders to clear her mind, and it was fun complaining a little. She looked up the slope, and saw the clearing they had been aiming for, a flat plateau part way up the mountain.
"You see," her father said, smiling. "It'll be worth it, I promise. Now, come on, you're not going to let your father and sister get there before you?"
"I'm coming," she said, and took a step forward, following the path her father had tread.
She adored such days. The fresh air, the cool wind, and the sense of adventure as they climbed up the hill, the thrill of exploring. Her parents leading the way, their smiles and her sister's giggles, the smell of flowers and grass, it all made the trip worthwhile. No complicated thoughts, no worries, just the four of them and the beauty of nature.
The climb was relatively easy. The path was worn, and not crowded. They'd hiked this route a few times in the past, and knew where the best places were.
It was nice.
In the distance, she could see the silhouette of Tokyo Tower, standing tall amid the cityscape, its red and white framework distinctly recognizable even from afar. Further away, the more modern—recently completed—Tokyo Skytree pierced the sky, contrasting yet complementing the older landmark. Shinjuku's cluster of skyscrapers seemed like a miniature city of its own, bathed in sunlight and bustling with unseen life.
But what caught her eye most was the quiet shimmer of the Sumida River, snaking its way through the metropolis like a silvery thread. It seemed to capture the essence of Tokyo—ever-flowing, ever-changing, yet enduringly constant.
She felt the weight of her responsibilities momentarily lift off her shoulders, replaced by a quiet sense of awe and wonder. The city she'd so recently saved was indeed beautiful, and for a fleeting moment, everything felt absolutely perfect.
"Hey, are we still doing that tonight?" her mother asked, looking at her over her shoulder. Ami was still perched on her mother's shoulders, the straw hat covering half her face.
Amu smiled. "Utau said yes. She's really excited. You wouldn't think it's just a family dinner."
"I'm surprised you didn't bring her," her father said, his gaze still fixed on the scenery in front.
"She's busy..." Amu said. Her face fell slightly. "Something about a new single."
Her mother laughed. "You mean, her caretaker's making her practice. Utau is the most driven and hard-working teenager I've ever known."
"I guess," she said, smiling again. "Still, I wish I could do something to help."
Her mother reached out and gently touched her head, ruffling her hair. "You do more than enough, Amu-chan. We're proud of you."
Her smile widened, and for a good minute she simply basked in her parents' words, and their company. Every child loved their parents, of course, and every parent would have said they were proud. But to Amu, it was an extra special thing, something precious. Her parents weren't lying. Their emotions—she could feel them, like the warmth of the sun on her back. It wasn't exactly telepathy, but it was close.
Amu was an empath, a person with the ability to read and sometimes even manipulate the emotions of other people. Truth be told, that was the least of what she was. She'd never told her parents—hadn't quite realised it herself, until Utau had brought it up—but she was what people in some of her manga called a psionic, a telekinetic, a precog... it might be harder to name the things she wasn't, rather than what she was. She'd thought her charas made her special, but when they'd fallen asleep, it was like she was all of them, all of the time.
Amu didn't know what to make of the situation. All she could do was smile, and pretend that she was normal. That was the reason she was here, after all, and a little part of why she was going for a nice summer walk, instead of lazing on the couch.
She wasn't the only one. Utau, her best friend, was an empath like her. Tadase, her first crush, was a... whatever you called someone who could defend against anything, but never attack. Kukai, her buddy, was blatantly telekinetic. Ami was a mystery, and had excitedly shown her a sea shell she'd pulled out of a dream, just a few weeks ago. That same 'sea shell' was now encased in Ami's treasure box, safely hidden under her bed.
It wasn't the only one. Her bag, resting by her hip, had another. A box in her wardrobe had a gemstone with an eye painted on it, a gift from Hikaru, who'd claimed it was a ward against evil. The locket hanging around her neck contained a tiny fragment of a dream, a key that gave her... something. Well, maybe not a key—Utau had the key, Amu had the keyhole.
Amu was special, but not that special. She wasn't a superhero. She didn't fly around and save people. Usually.
Amu was normal, and had a normal life, and did normal things.
She was trying to insist on that.
It wasn't going very well.
===
"That was great," her father said, stretching his arms. "Just what I needed."
They had reached their destination. A wide clearing,where the ground was covered with lush grass. A few trees offered some shade, and a small stream burbled in the distance. Ami, having recovered from her stupor, was running around, giggling happily.
Her father pulled out a small picnic blanket, and laid it on the grass. The Hinamori family was ready for their picnic.
"This is nice," Amu said, pulling a can of orange juice out of her bag. She opened the tab and took a sip.
"Yeah," her father said. He had a grin on his face, following Ami's every move. Her mother, lying down next to him, was also smiling.
"We should do this more often," her mother said.
Amu smiled. She didn't say a thing.
She didn't need to.
It was a nice picnic. They had a simple lunch, with sandwiches, rice balls, and drinks. They didn't talk about anything much, just about their days and about what they'd been doing. Amu told a wide-eyed Ami about middle school. Ami, in turn, talked about her dolls, and about how the garden had grown, and the funny things that her classmates did—all of whom, apparently, loved her.
Eventually, it was time to go home. It wasn't an unpleasant walk back, and she got to pick a souvenir. A small doll made of twigs, shaped like a cat. She held it in her hands, smiling, and thinking about Ikuto.
When they finally got home, the sky was dark.
It was time for dinner.
Amu didn't notice the figure watching her, the shadows shifting just a fraction out of place.
***
The doorbell rang.
Amu got up from the sofa and quickly smoothed out her clothes, a black tank top and shorts, then took a quick look at the mirror. Perfect.
She smiled.
"Coming!" she called, and skipped down the hall, opening the door.
Amu's eyes met Utau's, who stood in the doorway wearing her signature confident smile. Her platinum blonde hair framed her face perfectly, and her eyes sparkled with excitement. Dressed in a casual yet chic ensemble, Utau looked like she had just stepped out of a fashion magazine—albeit a slightly edgier one.
"Hey," Utau greeted, her voice melodic even in a simple greeting.
"Hey yourself," Amu grinned, stepping aside to let her best friend in, then giving her a quick hug. "You made it!"
"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Utau said, stepping inside and kicking off her shoes.
As she walked into the living room, Amu's parents greeted her warmly. Ami, having caught a second wind of energy, bounded up to Utau and gave her a big hug, nearly knocking her off balance.
"Utau-chan!" Ami squealed, clearly delighted.
"Hey, little one," Utau laughed, picking Ami up and twirling her around before setting her back on the ground. "You've grown!"
Utau had an air of sophistication, but around Amu's family she let her guard down, revealing the sincere and down-to-earth person she truly was. And like Amu, she was so much more than what she appeared to be—a singer and an empath, yes. Amu's best friend? Also yes. Many other things as well.
'Have you heard anything from Ikuto?' Utau asked Amu telepathically. She shook her head—as did Ami, who looked on guilelessly as they both narrowed their eyes at her.
'Nothing,' Amu replied, walking over to the kitchen to prepare a pitcher of lemonade. She frowned, wondering when she'd be able to see her whatever-it-was once again. 'He's still busy with whatever he thinks he's doing.'
'He'll be fine,' Utau reassured her, as she sat down on the couch and started chatting with Ami. "He can take care of himself."
"He'd better," Amu muttered, pouring the drink into the glasses. "Because otherwise I'll have to kick his ass."
Ami's eyes ping-ponged between the two of them, clearly curious, but not saying anything.
'Well, at least he's not running around getting himself kidnapped anymore,' Utau remarked.
'Your brother has his moments.' Amu sighed.
'What about your precognition?' Utau asked, tilting her head to the side. 'Nothing? No sign of him?'
'You know as well as I do that that doesn't work.' Amu sighed again, 'And he's a ghost.'
It was true. When she'd first met Ikuto she'd been a little bit psychic, but nothing compared to now. When she'd first met him, she hadn't even known what to call this. She'd thought of herself a bit like a magical girl, at the same time as she'd insisted she wasn't. Well, she'd been right about that, but she still wasn't sure what she was. Not much of a precognitive, that was for sure. She could guess tomorrow's weather, but what was the chance she wasn't pulling that from some random kid who'd watched the weather report?
'...you're the one he said he'd come back for,' Utau reminded her, grinning. There was a hint of jealousy, well hidden. 'That makes him, what, your boyfriend or something?'
'Or something,' Amu thought, and Utau relaxed. 'I still can't see past next spring.'
Ikuto wasn't a boyfriend. He wasn't a rival, or a best friend, or a brother, or any of the things you usually put into the relationship boxes. Ikuto was...
Well, Amu had a box, and the label said 'magical catboy', which wasn't a useful category for the relationship form.
He'd left on a journey, he'd said, because there was something he had to find. Something more important than his sister or Amu, apparently. She didn't know if she wanted to hug him or punch him, but the idea that he was in danger was a bit too much to bear.
At least Utau had gotten better.
'I can hear that, you know,' Utau said, then ruffled her hair. "Stop being maudlin, and let's get to the eatin'. I'm starved."
"You're always starved," said Amu out loud.
Utau smiled.
As they sat down to eat, the room filled with the comforting sounds of clinking dishes and laughter, making it easy to forget, if only for a moment, the immense responsibilities that weighed on Amu and Utau's young shoulders.
And in that moment, as Amu looked around at her family and her best friend, the girl who knew all her secrets and shared her extraordinary life, she felt a wave of gratitude. Gratitude for this simple yet extraordinary evening, for the food on the table, and most of all, for the people surrounding her.
It was in times like this that Amu was reminded—though the future might be uncertain, filled with psychic complexities and a reality threatening to unravel, these moments of simple, human connection made everything worthwhile.
Amu took a deep breath, letting the warm atmosphere settle around her like a comforting embrace. She picked up her fork, looked Utau in the eyes, and smiled.
For tonight, at least, everything was perfect.
———
The start of a new adventure is fraught with choices. The choice of protagonist is not one of them. You'll be playing as Hinamori Amu, a twelve year old, moderately normal middle-schooler going to an about equally normal middle school in a quiet corner of Tokyo.
You have one year. After that time the main plot will hit, and whatever preparations you may have made will be put to the test. Preparations for what, you may ask? Currently, you aren't expected to know—Amu has no idea either—though some of my readers may already have an idea, and I don't mind if you say.
In the meantime you'll see an escalating series of… events. It's going to be mostly up to you which ones you get involved in, though Amu will have her own opinion, and gets the casting vote in case of a tie. Write-ins are generally accepted, but will be vetoed if it's something Amu definitely wouldn't try. I'd categorise your plot options in groups of social, growth, and exploration—with significant overlap—and if you want a tip, I'd suggest balance. But that's really up to you.
In post #2 you can find a loose character sheet, which might be some guidance while you're picking through this. I'm also always open to answering questions.
For now you have two elements to vote on: A boon, and a bane. Amu's current motivation is to have a normal life, for once, so it will be up to other people to bring her out of that.
Your 'bane' will be her wake-up call. Many of these plots go off regardless, but only one will be aimed at Amu.
Your 'boon' is simply that: A thing she's better at than end-of-manga Amu was, whether that's because of practice, or talent, or simple coincidence. You'll note she's already better at telepathy than the manga suggested; this is due to having had months of quiet to sit down and talk with Utau.
Write-ins are accepted for both. I would not necessarily recommend you tailor your boon to help with your bane, but if you're unsure, go right ahead.
Also remember the golden rule: Choose whatever sounds like an interesting story, not what maximises Amu's power.
[ ][Bane] A mysterious stalker
Someone, or something, has taken an unhealthy interest in Amu. It shadows her movements, possibly setting up traps, possibly testing her. Even though Amu may wish her life would be normal, the reality is anything but.
This is the most directly dangerous of the options, and partially dice-controlled. You won't receive an enemy that Amu can't deal with, but neither will it be something trivially easy.
[ ][Bane] A prophecy
Amu becomes aware of a seriously disturbing prophecy.
Yes, technically you can get in-character knowledge of the upcoming Doom straight away, but this isn't a good way to find a solution. Choose this if you want her to flail, likely ineffectively.
[ ][Bane] A group of delinquents
Some might say Amu would fit straight in, but her fashion sense is neither here nor there.
We're literally talking about a group of middle-schoolers. We are not talking about regular delinquents. Think ITEM, not school-weary teens.
The exact mechanism by which Amu comes into contact will depend on your dice, but she won't be able to ignore them.
[Bane] A Family Secret Uncovered
While digging through old family photos and journals, Amu stumbles upon a troubling family secret that dates back generations. Could this hidden past be tied to her current abilities?
There is a corresponding boon. This is the less happy version. You could pick both, but shouldn't.
[Bane] Reality Glitches
Strange occurrences start happening around Amu. Objects spontaneously move, time briefly loops, or people around her act out of character for moments at a time. It seems as if reality itself is tearing at the seams around her.
This one would be harsh. You'll get your fill of it later.
[Bane] Forced Publicity
Amu's abilities get unwanted attention from the media, putting her and her friends in the limelight and making it difficult for her to live a 'normal' life as she wishes.
On the bright side, you can stop hiding from your parents.
Why are you even doing that, you nutty teen?
=======
[ ][Boon] A sister released
Ran, Miki, Dia and Su were temporary. Training wheels, to be discarded as she matured. Amu, who saw them as friends, never accepted this. In the normal course of events they're largely gone, capable of resurfacing only for short periods of time at the cost of tiring Amu; a problem she may only resolve over years.
If you pick this boon, you pick one of the four to be independent enough that she's permanently active. In case your choice is Dia, note that her esoteric abilities are still generally unavailable.
Amu likes this idea the best.
So does Ami, who will try to monopolise the 'shugoi chara'.
[ ][Boon] A key piece of insight
Amu spent years acting as a not-so-magical girl. Reviving the dreams and hopes of children, fighting mad scientists, eventually defeating the big bad. Well, the big bad was a six year old boy who is now one of Ami's friends, but… the point is, she grew more powerful while she did it. Some of that was age. Some of it was skill. Some wasn't.
This gives you an 'easy' way to grow stronger, should you need it, but the insight into how you work is honestly a great deal more important.
[ ][Boon] A lock piece of insight
The Humpty Lock is a psionic artifact created by Ikuto and Utau's father, and… that's about all she knows about it. It's a massive boon already, enhancing Amu's psionics by one dot in every skill when it's active. What more can it do?
This boon means she's spent time exploring it, possibly with Utau's help. It doesn't mean she has any answers, but she's one step closer to understanding.
[ ][Boon] A connection to the past
Amu and Ami are both talented psionics. Is it simply coincidence they're siblings?
No; no, it is not. Psionics is genetic, but while it grows stronger with passing generations, if you pick this boon then Amu and Ami's generation of the Hinamoris isn't the first to have noticed something a little off.
You shouldn't expect something mechanically powerful. That's not what this is about.
[ ][Boon] A sister unleashed
While Amu is capable in the waking world, Ami is a true dreamwalker. With dreams being congruent to the collective unconscious, that talent has a great deal of use, and Ami is less than a month from being seven. She's old enough to have her own hopes, her own dreams, and her own…
She's still seven, and a little flighty. If you choose this boon, then Amu has spent time with Ami to imprint some basic safety skills. In the process she's both learned more about dreams, and allowed Ami to learn… a great deal more about dreams.
[Boon] Symbiotic Bond
Amu and Utau, building on past experience, have created a psychic bond that lets them share their abilities temporarily when in close proximity. Their telepathic range is also vastly increased.
This is more or less a straight-up mechanical boost, except Utau is rarely available.
[Boon] Retrocognitive Flashes
Amu sometimes gets glimpses of past events that can provide clues or insights into current challenges.
This can happen regardless. Choosing this boon doubles your dice pool.
[X] [Boon] Miki's consistent existence
[X] [Bane] Forced Publicity
[X] [Bane] Reality Glitches
[X] [Bane] A group of delinquents
August 30, 2009
Time passed, and summer vacation ended. Not with a bang, oh no; no mad scientists attacked, no alien spaceships hovered ominously over the city. Summer vacation ended with a doze.
It ended on the final Sunday, when Amu lay on her bed and stared up at the ceiling, contemplating her life. Miki sat on the pillow next to her, drawing, while Ran and Su played a card game. She'd been feeling great, and bringing out those two always cheered Miki up. Dia, of course, was-
Her. Dia was her. These days Amu always felt a little off, whenever Ran and Su were out and about. She didn't mind that the two occasionally wanted to exist, in fact she loved it, but the way it worked out...
She closed her eyes.
It wasn't like it was a bad feeling, though. More like... like her head was too empty. Reality felt too raw. Her eyes got a little yellower, which she could deal with, but the colours got brighter, and it got harder to talk to people, and it made her a little too aware of her own emotions.
It was, in short, uncomfortable, and Amu was pretty sure she didn't like it.
Not that there was anything wrong with Ran and Su. They were her, after all. It wasn't that they were somehow less her than she was, or that her personality was split or anything. It just wasn't the way the world was supposed to be.
She closed her eyes, and let herself fall into her own mind.
She'd done it a couple of times. She could sort of, almost, kind of feel herself in her mind, and she could feel her connection to the world, and to the people around her. And, if she concentrated hard enough, she could feel...
...something.
She'd thought of it like a giant ball, once, but that was wrong. It was more like a web, or maybe an endless, tangled mess, where she was just a part. Or a single string, a string that could be pulled by others, or used to pull them.
She rolled over, then glanced at Miki's sketch. She was drawing a cat, but the face was a little off, a bit too...
"Ikuto?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Or is that Yoru?"
Miki blushed, and flipped the paper over. "Just doodling."
Amu smiled.
"Shouldn't you be playing cards with the others, not making fun of my art?" Miki asked, trying to sound haughty and failing.
"Shouldn't you?" Amu retorted, her voice playful.
"Touché," Miki said, grinning.
"Come on," Amu said, stretching. "Let's both join the game. I don't want you to be all alone."
Miki nodded, and jumped onto her shoulder. "Fine."
It was the last day of summer vacation, and the last time she'd see the two of them for quite a while. Amu couldn't bring them out a lot, because if she did, she wouldn't be herself. That really was the only way she could put it.
Also she'd get bushed and sleep fourteen hours a day, but that wasn't the important bit.
A few minutes later Ami burst through the door, wanting to play with—and Amu was sure she was exaggerating the lisp—the 'shugoi chara'.
Ran, Su, and Miki, of course, were more than happy to comply.
They spent the rest of the afternoon playing board games, until it was time for dinner. After that, she went to bed. Her dreams were filled with—Ami, who hadn't had enough chara time, and Ran and Su, and a whole bunch of other things.
She woke up feeling refreshed, and a bit tired.
It was the start of the new semester.
= = =
It wasn't until the classroom chatter and the smell of chalk had become routine again, and the maples outside her window had just barely started to hint at the oranges and reds of autumn, that Amu found her so-called 'normal life' disrupted. Three weeks had passed. She'd gotten reacquainted with her classmates, she'd had two more dinners with Utau, and she'd stopped feeling like her concrete home was sucking out her soul. Seiyou Academy's castle-like grade school this wasn't, though her new classmates made up for it in many ways.
So it was a Saturday, days before her thirteenth birthday, that Amu was accosted by a strange child on the street.
It had, up until that point, been a very nice Saturday. She had been wandering aimlessly, enjoying the early autumn sunshine and the feeling of freedom that came with not having homework that day. It was still warm; the last vestiges of summer clinging stubbornly to the city streets, and by 'last vestiges of summer', Amu meant 'thirty degrees, sticky and humid.'
She had decided to take a walk. The streets in her little suburb were quiet, only the occasional pedestrian wandering past, or bicycle riding by. It had been quiet mentally, too; Miki was at home, doing whatever Miki did when Amu wasn't around—manga, mostly—and Ami was playing with their mother.
She would have liked it to be a walk with Utau, but Utau was on tour. Though, 'tour' was maybe exaggerating it a bit. Sanjou-san had found her a gig singing at a hotel restaurant, and was using that to get her some exposure. Kukai, ditto, was there to cheer; he and Utau had grown apart a little, but they were still good friends, and it didn't seem like that would ever change.
The streets were, to say the least, uneventful, and the only thing worth mentioning was the faint breeze that kept Amu cool in the heat.
Amu had been thinking of nothing much, just the pleasant breeze and the nice weather, which meant she'd walked right past the young girl drawing a diagram with chalk on the ground. She'd only given her a short glance, and only then because of her clothes. The girl was dressed in a worn, punk outfit, just like the one Amu's mom had outfitted her with that day. Their eyes had met, and the girl had given her a grin and a thumbs-up.
That was weird, but whatever.
The next time Amu saw the girl, it was a couple of minutes later. She'd turned the corner, and the girl was sitting on a bench, staring intently at the sky. She hadn't seemed to have noticed Amu, and was instead muttering into a phone.
Amu was just about to move on when the girl spoke.
"Hey! You!"
Amu froze.
"Yes, you!" the girl called, her voice piercing the air. "You're like me, right? Telepathic, I mean." She grinned, placing a finger against her forehead. "I can tell. You could see me. Nobody else can when I don't want 'em to. But you, you could. That means you're like me."
Amu looked around, trying to figure out a way out.
"I'm not going to hurt you, and nobody else can hear," the girl said, rolling her eyes. "Trust me. C'mon, we're the same. How long have you been out here?"
"Um..."
"On the streets," she clarified, waving at Amu. "Though if you don't wanna tell, that's cool. Naomi says we've gotta be careful, but I think she worries too much. I can tell, right? And I bet you can too. You're a nice person, not like those people back at the labs. I just, like, want to know how long you've been out here, and—you wanna come with me? We've got snacks. Food. An entire house, actually! Betcha you haven't had a real bath in ages, and—"
Amu blinked, trying to process what was happening.
"Oh, sorry, I'm rambling, aren't I?" the girl continued, speeding up. She sprang to her feet, the phone she'd been holding still in hand. "Naomi always says I do that when I'm nervous, and I guess I am. Nervous, I mean."
Amu stared, and the girl sighed. Amu took the chance to look at the girl—really look, instead of the quick glance she'd given her earlier. The girl was around Amu's age, tanned, with messy brown hair. Her eyes were a bright green, and they were staring intensely at her, the girl's expression earnest. Her clothes weren't 'punk'; they were simply worn, like she'd gotten them from a donation box, and the only thing she was wearing that seemed to belong was a pair of purple sunglasses.
"So, anyway, hi," the girl said, reaching out a hand. She paused. "My name's Akane, by the way. What's your name?"
Slightly deeper, Amu felt the edge of a heart that was worried, nervous—a little bit, just a little bit, desperate—but also filled with warmth, poorly hidden under fear. A desire to be liked.
And that was what decided it.
"Akane?" she said, taking her hand. "That's a pretty name. I'm-"
Akane's mind brushed against hers.
"Amu," Akane said, nodding. "You've got a pretty name, too." She frowned. "Oh, uh, you can call me Kana if you want. That's what Naomi and the others call me, and I almost forgot it isn't really my name, and... oh, you didn't actually say your name, did you? Um, well, you said it in your head, and—"
Amu blinked, suddenly feeling her face grow hot.
"—It was at the tip of your tongue!" Akane said, beaming. "And you're not angry, which is nice, 'cause Naomi is always yelling at me to not do that, and it's so annoying, but then she tells me it's important and that I can't do that to people and it's just, I'm sorry, I don't even mean to." She tilted her head. "And you're clean. Huh, that's odd. You're not with the scientists, are you? No, of course not. Look, just come back with me. Like I said, we've got food."
Akane looked expectantly at Amu.
"Um, I guess?" Amu replied, a little bit confused. Akane wasn't especially dirty either. "I mean, sure, but..."
She was getting pulled along.
———
A/N: Amu is good at getting pulled along. I'm not sure if that is a thing she ought to be good at, but she certainly is. Maybe this would be a good time to reevaluate the situation, now that Akane has stopped talking for two seconds.
[ ] Go along. Let Akane do the talking; she's good at it.
[ ] Clarify that you are not, in fact, escaping any scientists. Or homeless. Or… you're still putting your thoughts on Akane in order.
- [ ] And drag Akane back to your home, instead. She seems like the sort who'd go along.
- [ ] But go along anyway, to figure out what's happening.
[ ] You're not sure what this is, but you don't like having your thoughts read, and if Akane doesn't share your mother's sense of style then she's simply a delinquent. In other words, reject the invitation. - Vetoed by Amu's common sense. Maybe in a different timeline.
[X] Clarify that you are not, in fact, escaping any scientists. Or homeless. Or… you're still putting your thoughts on Akane in order.
- [X] And drag Akane to a cafe, where you can get a better read on her without either of you being outnumbered or overwhelmed.
- [X] Text or have Miki text Nikaidou-sensei to see if he's heard anything about this girl or any other names that are dropped, given his historic involvement in such affairs.
- - [X] Hikaru as a backup if Nikaidou doesn't know, or isn't available.
September 19, 2009
Scientists?
"Wait, wait," she said, stopping.
"What?" Akane asked, tilting her head. "Oh, don't worry. Naomi's the best. She's like, our big sister. She'll take care of you, and she doesn't force you to do anything and she'll help you hide. It'll be fine, okay? It's not that far."
Amu hesitated. That wasn't the problem.
"And you're..." Akane continued, frowning. "Not coming? Because you're..."
A telepath, as was Akane. "I just don't think it's smart," Amu said, knowing perfectly well Akane would know that wasn't quite right. She was scared—just a little.
It was a sputtering, foamy sort of feeling. As though their minds were trying to mix together, but couldn't quite. Heady, almost addictive. Amu could feel Akane's hope—her worry, and her trust, aimed at Naomi. Because Naomi-
"I'm not lying," Akane said, squeezing Amu's hand. "I know it's a little fast. But I mean, I've only met a few people like us, and some of them were real jerks, and I didn't like them, but Naomi's nice, and then there's Aoi, she's..."
Amu got a fleeting impression of someone else, and a sense of affection, and...
"Like your sister?" Amu suggested.
"She's my friend," Akane said, blushing slightly, and refusing to meet Amu's eyes. "But you can tell, right? That they're nice."
She could, definitely. Amu could see a bit of something—not a memory, not quite, just a sense. An impression of a girl named Aoi, with yellow eyes, twintails and an angular face that, if Amu were honest, looked a bit like her own.
"Or a crush?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. She felt a bit red-faced herself.
"Sh-shut up," Akane replied, pouting.
They'd ended up stopping underneath a tree in the park, still holding hands, and it was a little bit awkward, and a bit funny, and Amu felt a bit light-headed. Akane's mind was overwhelming. Sure, Amu was 'a bit of a telepath'—and Utau, more so—but Amu didn't have the sheer raw power Akane did. It was... comfortable, though. Like being wrapped in a blanket. Kana wouldn't hurt her. Amu could, as Akane would say, tell.
'Tsundere', Amu accused, and Akane made a sound between a splutter and a whine, which only confirmed Amu's suspicions. It was for the best, really, that Akane could tell how amused she felt—because 'Kana had never once thought that maybe her crush would be the tiniest bit mutual, which more or less guaranteed that it wasn't, and now-
Amu's amusement faded a bit, and her spine tingled. She hadn't meant to, she hadn't been looking, but she'd caught a glimpse of just why Akane loved her 'big sister' so much. And now, while Kana was spluttering, she was deciphering it.
⁂
'The next patrol guy is taking a leak,' thought Aoi, clinically evaluating the situation. The thought came with an impression like a map; a picture of the building's interior, the patrolman's path, and their objective.
'The drugs are in the third cupboard from the left, from the door,' coming with a mental image of a lab full of vials. 'On the bottom shelf.'
Akane nodded. She looked around the garage, her eyes lingering on the camera. A camera she'd stuck an illusion in front of. A guard was sitting under it, dead; she'd stopped his mind, and then stabbed his heart.
She dutifully relayed the intel to Naomi, whining a little about how all the dust would dirty her clothes. It was a good thing Naomi had a good sense of direction, because Akane didn't know how she could possibly be able to see through the darkness. The guards all had night-vision gear, but she'd never learned how to use that. Maybe Naomi could teach her.
'Go now, then no-one else needs to die…' A mental sigh, of sorts. 'Kana, that means you. You couldn't have just wiped his mind?'
Well… well she could have, but then she'd seen into his thoughts, and he'd been looking forward to the next 'training session'!
'It's okay,' thought Aoi. 'Let's just grab the goods and get out.'
⁂
Amu felt her stomach lurch, and the world swayed a little, but Akane was too taken by her own emotions, and didn't notice.
"I'm not a tsundere," Akane said, crossing her arms and pouting.
"Of course not," Amu replied, stuffing the memory down hard. She tried not to throw up. The part of her that was Su was low-key panicking. The rest of her tried to pretend it hadn't happened. "You're just... lying to a telepath, and you know it, and frankly?" The way Kana's face lit up when she felt Amu's amusement. "You're a terrible liar."
"Shut up!" Kana replied, pouting, and Amu's smile got a bit more real. "Too bad you're not coming with me."
She was not, no.
"Can you at least tell me why?" Kana asked, trying and failing to look nonchalant.
Should she?
Kana had nothing like a chara. Amu was sure of that, because if she had, she would have noticed the double-think. Amu had never tried the 'hide a thought in Su's mind' trick before. It wasn't very effective, but it was good enough to fool Kana, apparently.
"Well," she said, and paused.
She'd thought, when she'd started this walk, that today would be a normal day. That had probably jinxed it, right?
"Because..." she said, and frowned. "I don't think you're bad. And I like you. But..."
Kana's face fell. Ami's face was in the forefront in Amu's mind.
"I have a family, you know," she said, looking away.
"...oh."
She really... didn't think Kana was bad. They'd been there to steal drugs, but not the bad sort of drugs; Amu had caught on to that. It was something Naomi needed. She wasn't sure if they'd been attacking yakuza, or... or those 'scientists' Kana kept trying not to think of, that seemed more likely. And it didn't escape her that she'd already latched on to the nickname, but she couldn't hate her. She just couldn't. Kana was like a puppy, all wide eyes and big dreams, and the dreams were all about being safe with her family, or hugging them. Or simply existing.
You couldn't dislike someone like that, not when her mind was all entangled with Amu's and Amu knew without a shadow of a doubt that she wasn't hiding who she was. What she did, yes, but not the 'who'. Not when the feeling of her was so... so warm. So full of trust, for Naomi and Aoi and all the others Amu didn't have names for.
She pushed that image of Ami into Kana's mind. 'She's just the cutest, right?'
Kana nodded.
'I love her a lot. I can't put her in danger.'
That made Kana look up sharply, staring at Amu, as she realised that Amu had seen through her, to... at least a little of what she'd been hiding.
'Sorry.'
'It's okay,' Amu replied, once again relying on telepathy to make sure Kana knew she meant it. 'I won't tell anyone. I promise. But do you want... do you want to go to a cafe together? We can talk. I've got a bit of money, and I guess I can give you my number? Just in case anything happens, you can call me if you ever need anything. And... I don't mind being with you. And we can...'
She trailed off. Those scientists. It hadn't been like that—nothing like that—but the first thing that came to mind, when she thought of 'scientists', was the two bumbling oafs from Easter.
Two incompetents in lab coats, or that was how Utau would talk about them, who had nevertheless built a machine that smashed and pressed dreams into mind-controlling 'CDs'. Amu didn't know what they'd done after she'd gotten to Hikaru. She'd thought—she had hoped—that they'd returned to- doing- whatever adults did when they weren't kidnapping little kids or building evil devices, but...
This thought she didn't try to keep secret. The opposite, and she saw the exact moment when Akane realised what she was seeing.
The feeling was... complicated. Amu couldn't quite make out all of it, not without getting closer, and she didn't want to be that close, and-
She'd been ten. They'd taken part of her soul, wanting to crush it to power their machinery. That was—a lot nastier in retrospect.
'Oh no.' Akane's hand flew to her mouth, and that was the exact moment that her feelings went from the remnants of excitement, to fear—on behalf of Amu—to horror. 'Oh no, no no no, no no no.' She was staring, and the look on her face was... "Are you... okay?"
"Yeah," Amu said.
"That's a bit too.."
"I'm fine now. They're gone."
"I know those two," said Kana, her voice low and heavy. "They were... They were... I'm going to kill them."
But her thoughts were full of regret. Naomi had seen the pair, once—years ago—and let them go, because they'd been fired. That was before they'd ever started working for Easter.
⁂
They did, in fact, go to a cafe. There was a small one, near where Akane had accosted her, that always felt cozy. The sign out front had a kitten with a cup, and it looked like a cat had knocked the cup over, spilling its contents onto the ground.
More importantly, it had cake. They both needed cake.
It was narrow—barely wide enough to walk past each other—but the walls were decorated with cute pictures, and it had a counter by the entrance. Perfect for lazy afternoons, in other words. There was a ramen shop next door; Utau sometimes came there with Kukai, for another of their regularly scheduled eating contests. Amu sometimes came there with Utau, to watch her wolf down twice what Amu could eat.
Today the cafe was empty, and a bit lonely. Amu and Kana found a spot by the window.
Kana—with all the heavy stuff out of the way—had reverted to her bouncy, enthusiastic self, and was chattering at Amu about her 'big sister'.
She didn't seem to be able to help herself.
"Naomi's so nice," she gushed. "She's always making sure everyone is fed and clean, and she always helps everyone with their homework. And she's super pretty, too, even if she thinks her legs are weird, and Aoi agrees."
"You've got homework?" Amu replied, smiling.
"Do you think that's weird?"
"No, it's not, it's..." She paused. "I guess not."
"Naomi says it's important," Kana continued, taking a sip of her chocolate milk. "We can't get too far behind, she says, 'cause we're not gonna get very far if we don't learn anything."
"Sounds like a sensible person."
"She's the best."
There was a slight lull in the conversation, while Amu considered Kana. She'd been awfully accommodating, really. Knowing for a fact that Amu didn't mean any harm would have helped, quite a lot, but that didn't account for all of it. It was like she was used to this sort of meeting… on neutral ground? Was that the term?
Kana's wink suggested that yes, yes it was.
"So," Amu said, taking a sip of her cup. Regular tea, not chocolate, because she liked tea and not that. "How long have you known each other?"
That was a minefield, and both of them knew it. But Kana was a little bit drunk on Amu's attention, and a little bit drunk on the chocolate milk, and Amu had made her a promise.
"Years," Kana replied. "She's always been there for us. Naomi kept pretending she was on the doctors' side, and then... and then they hurt one of the others, and... I'm not going to say anything else. Sorry. I just don't think I should. Not without her permission."
That was, Amu had to admit, a good idea.
"You don't have to," she said. "But she's been protecting you your whole life, just about?" Like Utau, before the final fight with Hikaru. Well, maybe that was a little bit off.
"Yeah, she's a hero," Kana replied, grinning widely. "She's like an older sister to all of us. Like you and Ami. You love her a lot, right?"
"Yes, I do."
"Naomi does too," Kana replied. "Even if she's not always the best at saying it. She pretends she's all aloof sometimes, but I can see it. ...so. Utau, was it?"
"What?" Amu blinked. "Uh, yes."
"Is she your girlfriend?"
"I'm- uh. No, she's not," Amu replied, blushing. "Why do you ask?"
"Your thoughts keep wandering back to her." Kana grinned, and twirled a strand of hair. "And you think she's pretty, and nice, and I can tell you love her, one way or the other. Do you want her to be your girlfriend?"
"No," Amu said.
"That's a lie, and I can tell."
Amu stared.
"You're lying again, even to yourself," Kana continued, grinning. "I bet you do want her to be your girlfriend."
"No, I- I don't," Amu said, and the blush spread. "Really. I'm not- I mean-"
Kana took pity, and stopped. Her insufferable grin didn't go away. "How about your sister? What's Ami like?"
"Ami?" Amu smiled. "She's adorable. Just started school, and she's really enjoying it. It's just..." She shrugged. "She's a bit worrisome, sometimes. And I worry about her, because I know things she doesn't, and—"
"And she's a bit psychic, huh?"
"She pulled a seashell out of a dream and it became real." Amu laughed.
"We've got one like that, too," Kana said. "She's a bit... not here. Like, her brain's a bit messed up, so she's not very good at controlling it. Sometimes her nightmares come true, and sometimes they don't, and she doesn't always know what's real and what isn't. But she's good. She's the best little sister. I love her lots."
She meant it, too. Amu got glimpses of nightmares—of dark figures stalking the room around what looked like a ten-year-old, a little kid with a face covered by long, messy, brown hair. She was holding a teddy bear, sleeping in a pool of shadow—and Akane was fighting to get past them, and Naomi was there, with a burst of fire, and-
Kana frowned. "Don't look at that. Here-"
-and then it was replaced with the memory of the same young girl, hugging Kana.
"We're fine," she said. "Like I said. It's fine. It's not like you've not got problems, right?"
Fine? What part of that was fine? Amu looked at her, and Kana grinned.
"Yeah, I know," she said. "I know it doesn't seem like it, but... well, you're like me, right?" She got to her feet, pulling Amu up with her. "So you know I'm fine."
She did not. Kana gave her a rueful smile, and Amu knew that she knew that Amu knew. Not that Amu was trying to keep her feelings hidden. This wasn't fine. None of this was fine. She wasn't scared of 'Kana—she wasn't, despite the girl probably being the scariest thing she'd met in her life. The scariest thing she'd met without a white coat and a lab, at least. Because, like it or not-
Utau. Ikuto.
A hundred, hundred children.
-she knew what people were like, and she didn't think Kana was the exception. She was, Amu thought, probably more like the rule. Kukai was the only one of her friends who hadn't been somehow hurting, and she got Kana, on a deeper level than Amu was comfortable with.
But...
"You're still here," Kana said. She gave Amu's hand a quick squeeze, then released her.
"Why would I leave?"
"I dunno," she said, her voice nonchalant. "Some people run. Or yell. I mean, I'm a 'delinquent', right?" She giggled, and made air quotes around the word. "And Yui makes nightmares, plus there's... everything else."
"Well," Amu said, rolling her eyes. "I think that's my line, but, well, sure. You're a delinquent. You don't go to school. I'm pretty sure that's the, um, definition."
"Which is why Naomi teaches us at home," Kana said, shrugging. "So, technically I do go to school. It's not as hard as people make it seem, though. I mean, some of the others have trouble, and it's a bit boring, but, like, math's easy. So's science. We've got a library."
"A... library?" Amu asked.
"Well, the guy who used to own the place was a teacher, so," Kana shrugged again, and Amu got the feeling she didn't want to broach the subject. "So. You're not coming with me, clearly. And you'd be an idiot if you took me home, and I don't think you are, so-"
Amu said nothing. She just thought, very loudly, about the fact that the other girl had been instantly eager to bring Amu to her home.
Kana laughed, and poked her cheek.
"Hey," Kana said. "So, anyway. We should hang out, 'kay?"
Amu raised an eyebrow. "I was thinking the same."
"Tomorrow?" Akane raised another, mirroring Amu. "We'll meet up back here? The cakes are good, and I want to try that strawberry one that you're eating, if it's that good, and- oops."
"Cake sounds good," Amu agreed, grinning. It was a bit late for Kana to worry about her mind-reading. She'd been practically waist-deep in Amu for the last hour, and she knew it, too, she was reading this thought while Amu was thinking it and-
Wow, that was a cute blush.
"Sure," Kana mumbled, blushing even harder. "Oh, but..." She hesitated, and then nodded. "Yeah, sounds like a plan. Here, at noon?"
"Good plan."
= = =
Your inventory now includes one (1) murderous preteen. I'd recommend care, but let's be honest, I know how SV works. At least be nice to her.
You now have two, interlinked choices to make.
What do you want to do for the next month-or-so, in your downtime? You may choose multiple options, and Amu will divide her time between them. Some have a heightened chance of interrupts; I will always stop the clock if anything important happens. No more than 3, maximum.
What will be your general stance towards the Scavengers, as opposed to Kana? …not that Akane told you the name of their group, but it'll surprise no-one, Kana included, that Amu picked up on it anyway.
It's difficult to write a list like this, so you should really be thinking in terms of write-ins, but here's a few ideas.
[ ][Amu] Get to know your classmates
You've been in middle school for half a year, and so far you've had more social contact with the second-graders than your own class. Mostly because Kukai is a second-grader, but still, it's a poor showing. Your relative isolation in grade-school was bad enough!
Would give you a general overview of your classmates, beyond what you get for loose acquaintances. Value… indeterminate, but at least it'll make Amu feel better. Maybe it means easier destressing?
[ ][Amu] Chat with Ami
True, Ami has always been cute, but she's gradually becoming a person. Talking to her is starting to be fun. Do normal, big-sisterly things, like complimenting her on her skill as a dreamwalker, or painting the sort-of-octopus statue she found there yesterday.
This is a sad reflection on Amu's chances of normality.
[ ][Amu] Hang out with Utau, and maybe Kukai if he'll come along?
As friends. Friends hang out in groups. Kana is nuts.
Bringing her up to date will happen regardless. This is Amu taking special care to spend more time with people.
[ ][Amu] Spend time with Ran, Miki and Su
Since this basically knocks you out for the day, it takes a slot all on its own.
There's no specific benefit expected, but maybe you can figure out how to better compartmentalise? Just in case of telepaths.
[ ][Amu] Invite Kana to your birthday
This doesn't take any extra time. The birthday will happen regardless. In five days.
Unlike the others, this is free in terms of time slots; you get 4 instead of 3.
I don't think there's a need to explain any further; you can already guess. Discussion feeds the author?
[ ][Amu] Catch up with old friends
Lulu Yamamoto, specifically.
She did give you her phone number, and you're not sure you've called more than twice. It's embarrassing. Granted, she's usually asleep when you're awake.
But there's apparently a lot of psychics here who don't even have charas, and never did, right here in your backyard. And Lulu does, but she's also…
Maybe she has another perspective?
Maybe you should just let her know you didn't totally forget her for a solid year.
[ ][Amu] Write-in
= = =
[ ][Scavengers] Friendly
There's no choice but to try to get along, is there? No reason to dig, digging seems contraindicated, but Amu doesn't mind getting to know them as people. She'll take Kana's next invitation, a week or so hence.
Pure social; Amu will steer away from any risky information.
[ ][Scavengers] Curious
It might be a little risky, especially as Kana already knows you're a telepath—and a weaker one than her—but not a single part of this sits well with you. The girls she described shouldn't be in a situation like this, and you can't help if you don't understand.
The biggest risk is being drawn in, but they'll get to know you, and it's unlikely they'll want to harm you. Especially with Kana there to advocate for you.
[ ][Scavengers] Investigatory
Discuss the situation, in detail, with Nikaidou. He's researched psionics from the scientific side before, and has a lot of information you've never bothered to ask about before.
Kana is almost certain to find out. Her reaction is unknown.
[ ][Scavengers] Neutral
Maybe staying away is the best choice. It's certainly the safest. You'll still have outings with Kana, but that's as far as you'll allow it to go.
Kana would be more distant, but understanding. There are other downsides.
[ ][Scavengers] Hostility in any form
Vetoed by Amu on the basis that it'd make her new friend sad.
[X][Amu] Spend time with Ran, Miki and Su
[X][Amu] Invite Kana to your birthday
[X][Amu] Catch up with old friends
[X][Amu] Get to know your classmates
[X][Scavengers] Write-in Helpful, There's no choice but to try to get along, is there? Still not all of this sits well with you and you probably can't really keep major secrets about her. She'll probably figure out the various people you know even if you don't say anything about it, and truthfully the problems Akane has bother you. Cautiously ask around if anything can help with their situation and that you might know a few people who could help a bit for certain matters, so long as it doesn't go too far.
September 24, 2009
She did meet Kana-chan the day right after, and they did have cake. This time Amu had hot chocolate with her cake. It was... nice. They didn't discuss any heavy subjects; nothing about Easter, nor the glimpses Amu had seen of Kana's life, just regular girl talk of the sort that… well.
Should she be honestly honest? Amu had no idea what 'regular girl talk' was like, regardless of Yaya and Rima's efforts on the matter. Neither did Kana, so what they had was Amu-and-Kana talk, which was different and less normal. It could have been awkward. They could have spent their time together stumbling, tip-toeing around the elephants in their respective rooms and in each other's heads, or at least had no idea what to say, and yet...
Kana-chan, Amu thought, was a force of nature. But a gentle one. There was no need to tip-toe, because they both could see those elephant-shaped monuments without needing to name them, and since Amu had wholly given up on hiding herself from Kana, Kana knew precisely what she shouldn't say. As did Amu, because Kana was—if not completely open...
Amu didn't need to read the depths of Kana's mind to find out where her boundaries lay.
So they spent their time chatting. Not discussing the latest fashions, because really, Kana didn't care that much—and Amu often made her own. Not discussing potential girlfriends, because-
Well. Because Kana had too much fun teasing her about Utau, was why. And, more seriously, Amu didn't want that discussion.
No, they just chatted, their minds halfway entangled with each other, and they had cake. The cliche thing would be to claim they were trying to share their entire lives, and they weren't, certainly not, but they did well at sharing their life. Kana's soul, Amu thought, was pretty. It was an effervescent, foamy feeling, but it flowed—around the elephants in Kana's room, around all the scars. Despite everything that she'd been through, Kana's soul and sense of self had stayed beautiful. Attractive? Amu didn't have the words.
Sure, it also made her scary. Anyone who could stab a man and not be traumatised by it... but Kana was Kana, and Amu liked the girl who Kana was. She liked her a lot. Like a moth to a flame, she might say in her more lucid moments. Other times she was too taken—too busy speed-running friendship—to worry. She knew she was buying trouble. She simply didn't care. It was like she'd been deaf and mute, always seeing her friends through a dirty, fogged-up window, and now for the first time she was able to talk.
That had been Kana's description, and it wasn't wrong. It didn't change anything—didn't erase her history with Kukai, didn't make Utau less of her best friend or Yaya less amusing—but it did taint her common sense and rationality. How could it not?
That second day was also the day when Amu realised she didn't have Kana's phone number, and the day they decided to fix that.
They kept meeting. They met the day after that, after school, and talked about movies, and then they went to see one. And then the day after that, Amu invited Kana to her birthday.
⁂
In a quaint little house on a perfectly ordinary street—where the sun shone just a bit too brightly, as if it, too, was aware of the occasion—preparations were well underway for Hinamori Amu's 13th birthday party. The balloons were filled with just the right amount of helium, enough to make them hover guiltily for not rising to the ceiling. Streamers hung from the walls like lazy rainbows, taking the day off from being stuffed in the attic. Even the scent of freshly baked cake wafted through the air, filling the room with sugary anticipation.
Amu stood in the centre of the living room, a whirlwind of pink and frills. She eyed the clock nervously. "Any minute now," she mumbled to herself, "any minute, the doorbell will ring, and then—"
"Are you talking to yourself again?" Yaya floated in, her voice a sing-song that only marginally irritated the birthday girl. She had a knack for turning any situation into a playground, and today was no exception.
"I have the right to be nervous," Amu argued. "I told you about Kana-"
"You told us nothing!" Yaya giggled. "Just that she's a new friend, and shy. Don't worry, Amu-chan, we won't scare her."
"Right," Amu said.
"But if you're so worried, then I guess we could ambush her. No escape! We'll pelt her with streamers until she can't run away, and then we'll—"
"Yaya."
"Oh, you're no fun." Yaya grinned, and stuck out her tongue.
Before Amu could respond with the level of sarcasm such a suggestion deserved, Rima waltzed in, her hands fiddling with—was that a clown nose?
"No," Amu groaned, her fears confirmed. "Please, no."
"You didn't think we'd forget the entertainment, did you?" Rima snickered. "This is a party. It won't do to have one without the clown. I hear the best ones are always hired, and you wouldn't want to disappoint your guests, now would you?"
"We're not paying for it," Amu hissed. "Rima, since when would you even consider-"
"Amu-chaaaaan!" Kukai, the only sane person in the Guardians, bounded in, a large package in his hands. "You're going to love this!"
"Kukai, no!"
"It's a gift!" he said, blatantly lying. Kukai was only very slightly telepathic, but he was projecting enough for anyone to pick up on it, and what he was projecting was a mix of amusement and eager schadenfreude. "For your birthday! A real gift! You have no idea how much of a hassle it was finding it, but I know you'll love it. It's-"
"Put it away," Amu demanded. She could feel an ominous aura from the box.
"It's going to be great," Kukai stated, ignoring reality. "You'll have no idea what hit you," he said, giving up on lying, "but it's going to be hilarious. Trust me."
"Kukai..." Amu glared, and then turned her glare onto the rest of the party, all of whom were doing their best to not grin. "It's not even time for the presents. Put. It. Away," she growled.
"No, really. I promise, you're going to enjoy-"
"Kukai," Utau warned, finally appearing. "No."
"I'm not-"
"We talked about this," she said.
"I didn't-"
"I spent hours making that," she said, revealing her betrayal. "If you open it early, it's going to mess up my plan, and you promised you wouldn't, didn't you?"
"Yeah, but-"
"No, no," Utau insisted, with all the weight of being a high-schooler placed among middle and grade-schoolers. "Later."
Kukai sighed, his shoulders drooping as if the weight of the world—or perhaps just the weight of Utau's glare—had suddenly been placed upon him. He looked at the package in his hands as if contemplating whether to make a last stand or to retreat gracefully. Finally, he placed it gently on a nearby table, as if it were a fragile piece of fine china.
"Fine, fine. Later it is," Kukai conceded, offering a grin that was part bravado and part resignation.
Utau nodded with a satisfied smile that was equal parts triumph and relief. "Good. Now, can we focus on the birthday girl?"
Amu was at this point oscillating between critical amusement, gratitude towards Utau and suspicion. After all, if Utau was involved in the gift's creation, how safe could it be? She decided to not voice this concern, opting instead for an expression that suggested she was graciously allowing the party to continue.
"Oh, please, let's not focus on me," Amu said, rolling her eyes so hard they almost achieved escape velocity.
Tadase chose this moment to enter, his appearance perfectly timed, as if he had been waiting for a cue. The tension between him and Utau was palpable, but both tried to behave as though the other was a friend—a strained, awkward silence hanging between them, neither wanting to break it.
"Happy birthday, Amu-chan," he said.
"Thanks," Amu replied, and smiled.
"You seem excited," he said, his voice a tad too stiff to be natural.
"Amu-chaaaaan is a little nervous about her new friend," Yaya announced, not helping.
"I mean, I..." Amu sighed. "I guess I am. Kana's... what did I tell you about her?"
"Just that she's shy and easily spooked," said Rima. "That she's had a tough time. And that you want us to be on our best behaviour."
"I don't know what I was thinking," Amu muttered.
"Don't worry," Utau said, with a reassuring pat on Amu's shoulder. "We won't scare her."
"I know, but-"
"You've just got to trust us," said Yaya, who had proposed tying her up, and—no, enough with the witticisms. Amu wasn't sure what Kana would do if someone actually spooked her. 'Shy' wasn't how Amu would describe her, but... shell-shocked maybe? No, not that either. It was just that Kana's reflexes involved knives, and Amu didn't want her depending on her reflexes.
"Yeah," Amu muttered, her voice a bit less than entirely confident.
"I'll help, if I can," Tadase offered, his face a bit too sincere.
"That would be great..."
Lighten up, Amu. She was surrounded by friends! If she couldn't trust the Guardians, who could she trust?
Amu's doubts were not eased, nor helped, nor in any way allayed by the sound—and feel—of Kana ringing the doorbell.
"I'll get it!" Amu blurted, and then dashed for the door, hoping nobody would follow.
Amu nearly tripped over the hem of her pink, frilly dress as she dashed toward the front door. She reached for the handle, her hand shaking slightly, and paused. She took a deep breath, as if the extra oxygen could somehow infuse her with the courage she needed for this particular social interaction. With a quick glance over her shoulder, she saw her friends eyeing her from the living room, a mix of curiosity, amusement, and in Yaya's case, an almost manic excitement.
"Here goes nothing," she muttered to herself, pulling the door open. 'Utau, please hold Yaya and the others back, like we-?''Planned' wasn't precisely accurate. She'd trust Utau to do it anyway.
She closed the door behind her.
There stood Kana, her eyes wide and her posture stiff. She wore a simple dress, and in her hands, she held a small, neatly-wrapped gift box as if it were a life preserver. Her eyes met Amu's, and for a moment, both girls just stared at each other. Finally, Kana broke the silence.
"Um, happy birthday, Amu," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
Amu's eyes twinkled with a mixture of relief and gratitude. "Kana, you made it! Come in, come in," she said, stepping aside to allow her new friend to enter.
"Um." 'Look up,' Amu heard Kana think. There, standing a few metres behind Kana—casually leaning against a tree in their garden, her arms crossed and a bored expression on her face—was a pale, slender young woman with bright orange hair, her bangs held back with a red ribbon. She wore a dark red jacket over a black shirt, and her pants were black, too, as were her knee-high boots. Her eyes met Amu's, and a slight smile flickered across her face.
"Amu," Kana whispered. "This is Naomi. Naomi, this is Amu."
"Hi," Naomi said, her voice a pleasant, light tone.
"Nice to meet you," Amu replied. "Um, so you're..."
"Kana's older sister, or so I'm told," Naomi said, raising an eyebrow. "She's talked about you a lot, and I wanted to see who this mystery girl was. Plus, you see, she seems smitten, and you never know, right? Better to be safe than sorry."
Amu was torn between confusion, concern, and a tiny flicker of delight that Kana had mentioned her enough for Naomi to feel the need to check her out. She opted for the safest response. She'd imagined this conversation before… somewhat. She had an idea!
"Ah. Um. Nice to meet you, too. Kana's mentioned you as well," Amu said.
"Oh?"
"Just, you know, a little. Or a lot. You're... teaching her math?" she said, opting for the safer of the few things Kana had mentioned.
"That's right," Naomi said, her smile widening a fraction. "She's a good student, all things considered. She's a fast learner, and she's always willing to put in the extra effort."
"And you're really good at fighting," Amu said, her voice so low you couldn't have heard it over a needle drop.
"That's... a matter of opinion," Naomi replied, her smile faltering. Kana, too, looked so tense it was like her limbs might snap.
'What are you doing!?' Kana's mind screamed, and Amu winced. She didn't dare stop for thought. Her mind flickered backwards, making sure Utau was still standing guard inside. She was.
"Well, Kana's told me a lot about you," Amu continued. "About everything. I... I meant to come visit one day, after I'd talked it over with Kana, but..." The tiniest flicker of flame flashed in Naomi's eyes. "But Kana's been telling me a lot more than I think she wanted to, and, well, I can't just sit by and watch, and..." She was babbling. She was babbling, and she couldn't stop. "I've been wanting to do something to help, and-"
"Amu," Kana said, her voice cracking. "Naomi, I swear, I didn't tell her anything, I didn't say a word, I swear, and-"
"I recognised what she's going through, because something similar happened to me and my friends, and-"
"You did?" Naomi's voice was low and dangerous. "Did you tell her about-"
"No, of course not! I wouldn't betray your trust like that, and— Amu, stop!"
Amu couldn't stop. She didn't even try. The words kept coming, spilling out faster than her thoughts could catch up.
"I want to help," she said. "I've fought people like them before. If things had gone even slightly worse, I might have been there right next to Kana. If I'd been lucky. And the idea of people using her, or experimenting on her, or, or..."
Naomi's eyes flashed, and for a moment, Amu felt like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming truck. Then, Naomi's eyes softened, and her shoulders sagged. She reached out, putting one hand on Kana's shoulder, and the other on Amu's.
"Alright," she said, her voice a bit less sharp. "Okay, we're getting off to a bad start. I'm sorry, Amu. It's just..."
"She's protective," Kana explained, her voice barely a whisper.
"I know," said Amu. She looked up into Naomi's eyes. "It's okay. You're just looking out for her. I get it. But, well, you see me. I'm not a threat."
"You're not," Naomi agreed, her tone suggesting that, if she thought Amu was, she wouldn't have hesitated to murder her. "You're also not one of us."
"I might as well be."
"That's not how this works," Naomi said, her voice soft and sad. "It's not that simple. Kana, did you somehow win her over in five days? How is that even possible?"
"It's not like that," Amu argued. "I just saw something that reminded me of myself, and... I can't ignore it, okay? I can't. There's a lot of people I could ask, if I'm careful. And-" She felt a pulse from Kana. "-yes, I'll run all of them past you first, obviously."
It hadn't been obvious to Amu at all, but Kana heaved an internal sigh of relief.
Naomi's hand tightened on Kana's shoulder, and her other hand tightened on Amu's.
"We're both telepaths," Kana argued. On the inside, Amu sensed a huge surge of relief—the sort that came from knowing Naomi wasn't killing anyone today. "She can't be lying, Naomi. Maybe I opened up a bit too much, but like I said, it's worth it. Amu's worth it."
"I... suppose that could be true," Naomi admitted. She gave Amu's shoulder a gentle squeeze, and then let go. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be so... intense. I just..."
"You're scared," Amu said. Naomi raised an eyebrow, and Amu could practically feel the daggers coming her way.
"Telepath," Kana reminded. "Both of us."
Naomi sighed, and released her hold on Kana's shoulder. "Alright, alright," she said. "You win. Like always. Just, be careful, okay?"
"I will," Kana promised.
"Fine," Naomi said, finally letting go of them both. "Alright." She took a deep breath. "Hinamori Amu. I don't think you understand what you're getting yourself into, but Kana thinks the world of you. She's important to us, and I..." She took a deep breath. "Look. Let's try again, alright? Happy birthday, Amu."
"Thank you," Amu said, trying her best not to let her relief show. "Come in, please. My parents are waiting, and so are my friends, and we've got a cake and..."
"I can't." Naomi shook her head, and Amu could sense a sudden spike of... worry? In her. "Nor do I think you'd want me there. I was here to escort Kana, and to see what sort of girl she's become friends with. But now that I've met you, and I've seen who you are..." She shrugged. "I'm satisfied. Sorry, but I have a lot of work to do."
'She has to keep the others safe,' Kana explained. 'Especially because I'm here.'
"Right. Um. Okay. Well, see you soon, then?" Amu said, wondering if that would be a lie.
"Yes, of course." Naomi nodded, and then turned and left, her footsteps heavy. They watched her go, and then Amu sagged down onto the porch. Kana followed.
'I'm going to murder you,' she thought, and Amu could almost feel the words echoing in her head. 'What were you thinking, just... telling her like that? I could have handled it, you could have said something...'
She didn't have an easy answer for that. She'd spent hours planning the conversation in her head, and not once had she imagined it'd be on her doorstep, with Utau and the others barely metres away. But, well, it was too late for that.
"I'm sorry," Amu mumbled, and meant it.
'It's fine,' Kana thought, sagging against Amu. 'She would have sought you out anyway. We've been spending too much time together, and, well, she knows me too well. Just please, please, for all that is good and holy in the world, don't ever do anything like that again. My heart can't take it.'
Amu smiled. "I won't."
"Good," Kana said, and sighed. "What sort of nutcase volunteers to help me, anyway? You could have stayed out of it. Are you secretly a yakuza princess or something? A secret spy? Some sort of ninja?"
"No, nothing like that," Amu said, grinning. "I'm just me."
"...you're way too nice for your own good," said Kana, and the tone of her voice suggested she meant it. So did her emotions. Worried, angry, but-
"You think so?"
"Yeah." Kana looked down at her feet, seemingly upset, but on the inside she was so elated she was nearly levitating. "You're going to get hurt. You shouldn't have said anything, Amu. They're... Manticore aren't someone you mess with. They're part of the government. Not like Easter."
"So what?" said Amu. "You're my friend, Kana. I'm not just going to leave you."
"You should."
"Well, I won't."
⁂
Kana took a cautious step inside, her eyes darting around as if she expected the streamers to come alive and attack her. Amu couldn't blame her; Yaya's earlier idea about ambushing the new girl with decorations wasn't far off from something the overly-enthusiastic Guardian would actually do. Being the oldest student council member had certainly done… something, to her, and Amu couldn't help but notice Pepe was nowhere to be seen, but Yaya remained Yaya.
'But Yaya's being sat on,' she thought towards Kana, which didn't seem to help her timidness. That was fair. Yaya wasn't here. But the one who'd held her back—the one who'd played interference for ages, despite four overexcitable Guardians and one dangerously nervous Amu—was standing in front of them tapping her foot, as she rounded the corner.
"Thanks, Utau," said Amu, grinning nervously up at her bestie.
As did Kana.
Up, and up, and up. Utau had a way of looming menacingly when she wanted to. She didn't think she'd overheard what they'd been saying… right?
= = =
Well, who knows. Kana, I'm sorry, but this is like the fourth time Amu does this, and each case has been worse than the last. Next time it'll have to be a demigod. Or maybe an entire army battalion.
How do you want to handle this situation?
[ ] Pretend that nothing happened.
You were out there for much longer than it should have taken. You're both covered in sweat, and Utau could feel the emotions, even if she couldn't overhear the conversation. But sure, nothing happened.
[ ] Try to play it off
You're practically holding each other up. What happened, did Naomi force you through a game of boulder-ball?
[ ] Tell the truth
I shouldn't need to explain why this isn't an option.
[ ] Tell as much of the truth as Kana will accept
That sure as heck won't calm them down, but who knows? Maybe honesty's the best policy. Just expect further inquiries.
[ ] Write-in
While the other options largely cover the gamut, you shouldn't hesitate to add details.
[X] write-in: Comforting. Kana is nervous and likely picking up a lot of everyone right now while Utau has gone very prickly. You want to calm them down, reassure them, ground them... luckily all three of you are telepaths here, so you can just skip over fumbling with words and go straight to mind-hugs and grounding.
Out of the fire, and into the—ashes? The malapropism didn't quite fit, and as Kana entered Amu's home, she found herself confronted with an unfamiliar problem. Three telepaths enter a room. That… sounded like a bar joke, instead of being her reality. Utau was worried, and the worry had led into anger, and- anger, dark side, planet busters?
Utau was tapping her foot.
Usually Amu didn't care too much about the age difference. Three years, after all, weren't a big deal if you were... um... not twelve. Er. Thirteen. Not… thirteen. She felt about ten.
"Amu..." Utau kept staring down at her, and Amu had to tilt her head upwards to meet the gaze. You'd be misreading the scene, if you thought Amu felt scared. She felt… ashamed. She'd made Utau worry, and… she wanted to comfort her, but...
Kana took a tiny, nervous step forward.
"It's not Amu's fault," Kana said, her voice so low she was practically mumbling.
That was enough to draw Utau's attention. She looked away from Amu, and up at Kana. Amu couldn't read her mind, but she could sense her thoughts, and they were… sharp. Oh, forget about words. Utau…
Amu took one step forward, then another, and suddenly she was hugging her, arms around Utau, trembling as she pressed her forehead against her friend's chest.
The goal had been to comfort her. But-
"'m sorry," she mumbled, and then Utau was hugging her, too, and her feelings were a mix of fear and relief and shame. Her hand landed on Amu's head. Amu tried to radiate comfort and calm, hoping to soothe both of them, and- it wasn't working. Her stomach was doing somersaults. Her eyes burned. Naomi had been scary! She hadn't realised how scary, until Naomi had left, and the tension had bled away, and the reality had hit. You couldn't lie with telepathy, or if you could, then Amu didn't know how to do it. You couldn't lie with your body, either.
She didn't realise she was crying until the tears started dripping.
"'m sorry," she mumbled again.
"Idiot," Utau whispered.
"S-sorry," Amu sniffled, and then the tears were running freely.
"Shhh, Amu," Utau murmured, and hugged her a little tighter. "It's fine. Shhh."
"'s not fine," Amu muttered, shaking her head. "I... I made you worry, and I... I was careless, and..."
And Utau pulled her closer yet, sitting down onto the stool with Amu on her lap, as though Amu was a child, and not a teenager. She couldn't stop her. Amu clung to Utau, unsure if she was comforting Utau or just herself. Possibly both. Maybe. The dying remnants of her dignity claimed it might be both.
"Amu," Kana repeated, her voice louder this time, "it's not your fault."
That brought Utau back to reality. She flipped Amu around, holding the hug, and glared at Kana.
"No," she said, her voice hard, "it isn't."
"Utau..." Amu mumbled, giving up on 'calm' and trying to radiate 'please be nice, I like Kana'. Which was a bit too complex of an emotion, but it had the benefit of being true. She didn't seem able to speak, not in anything resembling a coherent fashion. It was just starting to hit her what sort of mess she'd gotten herself into. Not that she'd have changed a single thing, it was just-
Amu wouldn't be part of this story right now.
Utau sighed. "Right, right," she said, squeezing her shaking friend a little tighter. "Let's take this from the top. It's not Amu's fault. I'm unsure if it's yours. You're the new friend, I assume?" Utau said, her voice cool. "Kana, then. It's nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too," Kana said, her voice cracking a little.
"You're Amu's newest project, aren't you?" Utau continued. She glanced down at Amu, her gaze softening a fraction. "What is it this time? Child soldiers, cultists, human experimentation, or..."
"None of the above!" Amu protested feebly, feeling Kana's nervousness skyrocket. "Just a friend."
Utau heaved a sigh. "And I can feel you panicking," she muttered. "Sorry, Kana. That isn't your fault. It's just, Amu always—always, without fail, picks the most impossible cases. And it's hard to watch."
"She can't leave people like me alone," Kana said, her voice barely audible. Her face was pale.
"She really can't," Utau agreed.
"I'm still here," Amu protested, and was hugged harder. Her bones were starting to creak. "'m not doing anything stupid."
"That remains to be seen," Utau muttered.
"It's not stupid!"
"It is a bit stupid," Kana argued. "It's not your fight, Amu."
"Maybe not, but, well—are you ganging up on me?" Amu complained, her tone incredulous. She wiped her tears, then looked up at Utau, to Kana and back. "What is this, the 'tell off Amu' club? It's my birthday, you know. I don't have to take this."
"It's the 'stop Amu doing things that make her cry' club," Utau suggested, though her eyes twinkled. "Back with us? You're a menace, and not in a good way. You wouldn't be dissolving like this if you had a lick of sense in your body."
"You are a menace," Kana echoed. "Not in a bad way either, but you are." She looked to Utau. "I won't let you get in trouble, though. Not that I can stop you."
"Thanks, guys," Amu muttered. Her nose was running. She felt absolutely atrocious, and babied. It wasn't even slightly okay.
"You're welcome," Utau replied, her voice dry. "Kana, let's go inside. There's cake, and sensible people. Plus Yaya and Amu."
"Yaya?" Kana said, her voice tentative.
"She'll love you, I'm sure," Utau said. "We'll stuff Amu in the bathroom. And then we can talk."
"Oh." Kana shrank back, her nerves spiking. "Right."
Utau considered them for a moment. Amu desperately tried to work up the emotions for 'calming' again, but wasn't entirely sure she had the knack. Kana' emotions were a mess, Utau felt both protective and worried, and as for Amu, she... didn't really know what she was, anymore. She just knew that this was the best shot she was ever going to have at making them get along, and she wanted to protect the both of them, and also, maybe, not get stabbed, because...
Well, because she didn't really want Kana's friends to murder her. Or anyone.
Which was an emotion dark enough that Utau nearly crushed her ribs. What on earth had happened to the thin waif who'd been lighter than Amu? Was every bit of those ramen eating contests turning into muscle?
"You don't have to, of course," Utau continued, as though nothing had happened. "We can go sit somewhere else and just talk. Doesn't need to be here." She considered Kana again, and Amu felt something a bit like a leviathan stir within Utau. Something ancient and dark, a feeling of—not protectiveness, but—something a little bit closer to a desire for vengeance. She looked towards Kana, and then back down at Amu, and for a moment Amu couldn't help but wonder if perhaps Kana wasn't the only person willing to murder, if it came down to it.
It brushed against Kana, like a vast, black shadow. She could feel Kana recoil.
'What are you two doing?' Amu thought, her mental tone plaintive. Somehow, that was easier than talking.
'Sharing,' Utau replied.
Kana said nothing, but the feelings from her were complicated. She backed away slightly, her mind a tangled mess. Amu could make out a few fragments: confusion, worry, anger. And something that wasn't quite fear, but definitely a negative reaction to Utau's... whatever that was.
Her hand twitched towards her waist. She wasn't holding a knife—was not, in fact, wearing a belt—but she could feel the mental twitch from wanting one.
For some reason Utau's face quirked into a smile.
"She means that much to you?" she said, and Kana flinched, her mind flaring with anger and guilt and—
"Yes," said Kana. "She does."
"Huh." Utau's eyes met Kana's, and for a moment both girls stared at each other. Finally, Utau blinked, and nodded. "Well, she does that, you know."
"Does what?" Kana asked, confused.
"Just... gets to people," Utau replied. "So, how about this, then: do you want to meet the rest of the gang? I think you'll like them."
"Sure?" Kana's mental response was not so sure.
"And we'll leave the talk for another day. But if you want Amu to help…" Utau shrugged, and smiled. It was the sort of smile that showed off all of her teeth. "We both will. We've all had our share of… issues. Since I bet Amu never told you, I was her previous—project."
"Project," Kana repeated, and Amu could almost taste her surprise.
"Project," Utau agreed. "Though Amu doesn't do projects. She just does Amu. She's a good friend. I'm sure you've noticed."
"I have," Kana agreed. "Um. What, what exactly do you want to know, then? I can't say a lot."
"That's the same thing I thought..." Utau released Amu, her expression softening. "And I was wrong. I'm still learning, but—we'll get to that later. For now, cake. Come in, and I'll introduce you. If you need to talk to Amu, feel free."
"You're sure?"
"Yeah," said Utau.
"But I can't-" Kana paused. Utau looked at her, waiting, and Amu could feel her trying to find the right words. As for Amu, she slowly got to her feet. Her legs were still trembling slightly, and she felt absolutely lousy, but-
"Can't say much, I know," Utau replied. "I get that. Really, I do. I know precisely how it feels, thinking that anything you say might be found out. Or that you will make it worse. Or even that you'll hurt Amu-chan." She shrugged. "It's not an easy feeling to get rid of, and it took me years. So, you know, take as much time as you need."
-better, Amu thought, rubbing her face to clear the tear trails away. It could have gone worse.
"Thank you."
"Don't thank me," said Utau, her voice cold once again. "This isn't a favour. This is for Amu. You're a friend of hers, so you're a friend of mine. But if you hurt her-"
"Utau," said Amu, her tone admonishing. 'Not again!'
"Then I'll just have to murder you," Utau finished, and gave Amu a toothy grin. "No, but, seriously, how do you find all these people? Do you have a talent for it or something?"
"I have a talent for finding friends, thank you," Amu muttered, blushing.
"That wasn't a compliment, idiot." She ruffled Amu's hair.
"I think it was," Kana said.
"It really wasn't," Utau said. "She just... has a knack for it. Finding problems, and then not ignoring them." She leaned back, and all the tension drained out of her. "But that's a story for another day. Right, Akane? Just don't hold back. I'm not happy with whatever your deal is, I'm sure you understand. I'll be a great deal less happy if you get her hurt without first asking for help."
Kana swallowed, and nodded, and acted very unlike the mind-controlling assassin that Amu had more or less determined she was. Utau chuckled, acting unusually like the high-schooler she was supposed to be.
"Good," she said.
Amu rolled her eyes, and had her hair ruffled again. Then Utau, carefully, placed her hand on Kana's head, and patted it gently. The chief feeling from Kana was shock.
"Now come on," she said, leading them inside. "Before Yaya eats all the cake."
⁂
The atmosphere within Amu's living room was a drastic shift from the tension that had preceded their entrance. Warmth emanated from a cluttered table adorned with mismatched plates and a pristine birthday cake, its candles studded amidst cheerful frosting. Yaya, always a bundle of boundless energy, was holding court over the small assemblage of friends, her laughter acting as a balm to the earlier disquiet.
Utau steered the pair of them inside, having first given Amu and Kana a minute to collect themselves. Once there, Amu felt her stomach clench at the sight of her friends, and the concern emanating from them. They must have overheard something, or else they had seen her distress, and now she would have to explain-
"Amuuuuu," said Yaya. "I want cake! You were gone forever!"
Nothing, apparently.
"I was not," she said, grateful for the distraction.
"Forever," Rima reiterated.
"I'm hungry, Amu," said Yaya, her voice a whine. "Feed me!"
"You were gone long enough," Tadase said, a gentle smile on his face. He looked towards Utau, who nodded slightly. "You were missed. Happy birthday, Amu. And welcome, Kana-chan."
"Thank you," Amu replied, trying her best not to blush.
"Happy birthday, Amu," Rima added, a small smile on her face. The tension dissolved into general greetings and well-wishes, and then it was time to cut the cake. Kana found herself being swept up in the jovial tide almost against her will, her nerves untangling as Yaya's antics pulled reluctant giggles from her throat. The merriment was infectious, the absurdity of an illusionary duck forming atop Yaya's head acting as a cue that seriousness was temporarily banished from the room.
Amu, too, felt the change, her tumultuous emotions settling into a gentle eddy as she watched her friends through new eyes—through Kana's cautious yet wondering gaze. There was an unspoken agreement in the air; the complexities of their lives were momentarily put on hold, shelved in favour of celebrating the simple fact of her existence. It wasn't the first time; she did this once per year, but Kana-
'When is your birthday?' she asked, her tone tentative.
'July... 10th?' Kana replied, her mind radiating uncertainty. 'I don't remember. We've never had a chance to celebrate.'
'Next year, then,' Amu declared, her voice firm. 'We'll have a party just for you. How about that?'
Kana didn't have an answer, her emotions a maelstrom, but a single thought floated to the surface, a wistful wish for family, and the simple wish to be included.
Then Miki flew into the room, holding a tiny portrait of Amu with a massive grin on her face, and Kana nearly shrieked. Amu was unanimously elected to be the one who'd explain Charas to Kana, who—as it turned out—was deathly afraid of ghosts.
⁂
The presents came as they were all lounging on a cluster of beanbags, the cake now a delightful memory, and Yaya had just finished regaling them with a particularly adventurous tale involving a scooter and three-legged cat.
From Yaya, a box-within-a-box.
"Open it!" Yaya ordered, a wide grin on her face. Amu, suspecting she might regret the act, obeyed. Within, she found an array of stickers: hearts, spades, diamonds and clubs, and a rainbow. There was also a small pocket mirror. She raised an eyebrow, her expression curious.
"Because you're Amu," Yaya declared. "And rainbows are cool."
"Thank you," said Amu.
Rima's present was next, wrapped in simple, plain paper, and she handed it over with a smile. Inside was a card, and a bag full of colourful hairpins, along with a matching pink scarf.
"Su said it would help keep the winter chill away. She taught me how to knit it," Rima explained, and Amu had to swallow past the sudden lump in her throat.
"Thanks, Rima," she managed.
Kana pulled out a small box. Amu would have been happy with nothing, but Kana, at least, hadn't been given much time.
"This is from Naomi, and from the rest of us," she said. "She wanted me to give you a message, too, but I'd rather not, not here." She smiled. "Just so you know... Naomi's happy that I made a friend. Even if she's like... that."
"Oh," said Amu.
The present was a small bracelet, with a tiny charm attached. It was a simple thing, a white feather, but Amu could sense the care that had been poured into its creation. Literally—she could feel the warmth, the hope, the care, the love that had been woven into the gift, it practically vibrated in her hands. The last time she'd felt anything like it was—Amu swallowed. Lulu's gems, though those had been a brittle, crystalline shine.
"Yui-chan made that for you," Kana explained. "It doesn't do anything. It's just a feather. But I thought..."
"I'll treasure it," Amu said, thinking of her missing friend. Lulu had gone off to Europe, and they hadn't spoken in nearly a year, and all of a sudden she really wanted to. "Thank you, Kana."
Kana gave her a curious mental nudge.
'A friend,' she told her. 'I'll tell you about her later.'
That had been everyone, except for Kukai, Tadase, Utau, and...
"Where's Ami?" Amu asked, suddenly realising her little sister had been gone for some time.
"Upstairs," Utau replied, her voice a little dry. "Finishing your gift. She told me not to let you wake her until she's done."
"Ah."
"You can go check, but I don't think she'll appreciate it," Tadase offered. "And, speaking of, our gift is a joint effort. I hope you don't mind."
"Kukai found the... base material," said Utau. "Tadase and I helped him... finish it." She chuckled lightly, and Amu narrowed her eyes at her.
"You two are planning something."
"No," said Tadase, his voice as earnest as it ever was. "It's a gift."
"Just open it," said Utau, the faintest hint of a smirk playing about her lips. "You'll see."
They prodded her over to the sofa, where Tadase presented her with a thin package, while Kukai grinned in the background.
Amu settled on the edge of the sofa, the thin package in her hands. The wrapping paper was smooth, cool to the touch, with a subtle sheen that caught the light, casting playful shadows across her fingers. It was tied with a simple ribbon.
With her friends gathered around, watching with a mixture of excitement and barely concealed knowing looks, she peeled back the tape with a deliberateness that belied her growing curiosity. The paper fell away, revealing what looked like a simple pocket mirror.
"It is a mirror," Tadase said, his voice filled with a warmth that one reserves for a carefully chosen gift. "But not just any mirror."
Amu's eyes flicked up to meet his, an unspoken question in her gaze.
Utau leaned in, the light playing off her eyes in a mischievous dance. "It's been enchanted," she whispered, as if confiding a great secret. "It's meant to reveal your innermost—"
But before she could finish, the mirror came to life. Swirls of colour cascaded across the surface, and for a brief moment, Amu thought she could hear the distant sound of laughter—Lulu's laughter.
Her heart clenched with a mixture of nostalgia and longing. Lulu, her friend who had ventured off to Europe, leaving a Lulu-shaped hole in their circle. The mirror wasn't just reflecting light; it was reflecting memories, moments, feelings.
"—it's meant to reveal your innermost feelings," said Utau. "Well, that was the plan. In practice it reflects mostly the outermost, and I have no idea what you see. I see a lot of green clouds, some purple, but I'll admit, it's not that useful. Still... it took us a while."
Kana, who had been silent, gave Amu a gentle mental nudge, a soft whisper of curiosity amidst the chaos of emotions. Amu turned to her, her eyes misty.
"It's Lulu," Amu said softly, more to herself than to anyone else. "Or at least, it reminds me of her."
The room was still, the only movement the flickering colours playing across Amu's face as she gazed into the mirror. Tadase and Utau exchanged a glance, a silent conversation passing between them.
"You two are planning something," Amu accused, halfheartedly, her eyes never leaving the mirror.
"Nope," Tadase replied, his earnestness palpable. "Utau got a clearer picture, and you wouldn't believe what I saw."
"You wouldn't," Utau declared, her voice a low murmur.
"Heh."
The moment passed, and soon the group was swept up in the merriment once more, Kana's nervousness all but forgotten. Amu found a board game, and the rest of the afternoon was spent in a spirited round of 'exploding kittens', with Kana, despite her initial protests, joining in with gusto.
Ami showed up a good hour and a half later, dragging a stuffed seal and a box wrapped in a garish shade of pink.
"I did it!" she blearily declared. "Happy birthday, sis."
Amu's response was a hug.
⁂
"Thank you," said Amu. "For coming."
She had retreated to the porch, needing a little fresh air and quiet. The evening sky was aflame with the dying embers of the setting sun, a fiery red glow illuminating the clouds as they drifted lazily overhead.
"You're welcome," Kana said, and Amu could feel the faint tingle of emotion, a mixture of contentment and melancholy, beneath her words.
"Did you enjoy yourself?" Amu asked.
"Yeah."
"Good," said Amu. "I'm glad."
Kana leaned into her, her warmth a pleasant weight against Amu's side. "I've never been to a birthday party before," she said, her voice low and thoughtful. "I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was nice."
"Glad you had a good time," said Amu, and then a thought struck her. "Um, do you want a hug?"
Kana looked at her, her expression one of surprise, but the emotion beneath was a soft, warm glow, a feeling of trust and companionship. "...please," she said.
Amu obliged, pulling Kana close and letting her rest her head on her shoulder. They sat in silence, watching the sunset as it slowly gave way to the darkening twilight, a blanket of stars emerging overhead. The air was filled with the quiet sounds of crickets, a soothing melody that washed over them, and for a brief moment, Kana was at peace. Thinking about nothing, other than how nice it felt, and how warm Amu was, and how the night sky seemed to stretch on forever.
"I should probably go home," Kana murmured, a faint trace of regret in her voice. "My friends are waiting for me."
"Right."
"Thank you," said Kana.
"You're welcome."
⁂
That could have gone worse. You can't lie with telepathy, or- like she says, at least Amu doesn't know how to do it. Which has upsides and downsides. It means Kana (at least) can trust her absolutely, but it also means Amu can't project calm without being calm herself, though she tried, and hugs were indeed had. With friends as close as these, you don't need to do everything yourself.
Anyway. Two votes, though only one of the results actually matters. I asked before how much you want to to tell Lulu, and nobody answered. In light of the preceding two chapters, has anyone changed their mind?
Also, just what did Ami bring for a present?
[ ][Lulu] Call her up, talk about your life, don't say anything specific.
It's been about nine months since last time you talked. Can't you just want to hear her voice? I'm pretty sure you can.
[ ][Lulu] Let her know that life is getting interesting again, without any specifics.
It isn't the first time. Lulu already knows about the whole Easter thing.
[ ][Lulu] Keep the conversation completely centred on Lulu.
This might be a little suspicious, but Amu is reasonably sure Lulu enjoys talking about herself.
[ ][Lulu] Write-in
[ ][Ami] A piece of fog in the shape of a sea shell
It is, unaccountably, solid. You can hear worried whispers when you hold it.
[ ][Ami] A moveable rainbow
You can stick it in the corner of your room, and it'll stay there.
[ ][Ami] A liquid shadow that forms a pool, much deeper than the half a millimetre it should be
Feels oddly like home.
[ ][Ami] A shard of moonlight
It's sharp, and looks deadly, but something keeps it from being sharp enough to cut.
Amu's birthday, eventful as it was, wouldn't be complete without a mention of Ami's gift. The first-grader had seemingly spent most of the party asleep, which Amu's parents had thought was laziness, and Amu knew was procrastination. The young girl had a severe lack of focus at the best of times, and had seemingly forgotten to find a gift until well after the last possible moment.
Which meant she'd spent the party asleep, searching for said gift somewhere in a dreamscape, and- Amu knew, better than anyone, how tough it must have been for Ami to give up the chance at cake. Which sounded funny, but Ami was seven years old. 'Impulse control' was still a work-in-progress. Amu knew to appreciate it when it happened.
She had come through in the end, and had even managed to wrap her present, which was more than she usually managed.
So, after Ami came downstairs with her box, Amu hugged her to within an inch of her life. Snuggling with her little sister didn't need an excuse, but it was especially nice to have one.
⁂
"Thank you, Ami," Amu murmured, and felt a rush of warmth and accomplishment coming from Ami. It was accompanied by her hug being returned; a sensation she doubted she'd ever grow tired of.
"I did it," Ami declared, her voice sleepy. Amu squeezed her a little tighter, and was rewarded with a squeak.
"You did," Amu agreed.
"Open it!"
"Okay, okay," Amu chuckled. "I'll open it."
This was still in the middle of her birthday party, with Utau—and the others—looking on. She glanced at Kana, and was met with a soft smile. Her friend had been enjoying herself all evening. It was nice to see, and nice to feel. Somehow Amu had been worried Kana might be jealous or something, and instead found herself being termed a little silly.
Kana's mental nudge was nonetheless encouraging.
'What?' she asked.
'You're cute,' Kana replied.
Amu felt a faint blush rising to her cheeks. Underneath the watchful eyes of her friends, not to mention Ami, she carefully peeled back the layers of haphazardly applied tape and glitter-strewn paper with a tenderness that only an older sister could muster. Each piece of tape removed revealed more of the box's contents, a slow reveal that had all the children leaning in with bated breath.
Finally the last piece of wrapping fell away, and Amu lifted the lid to unveil Ami's gift. Inside the box lay a shard of light that seemed to pulse with a life of its own. It was a slice of moonlight, sharp in shape, yet when Amu hesitantly reached out to touch it, her fingers met a warm and gentle resistance. It was as if the moonlight was encased in an invisible sheath, protecting anyone from harm.
"It's pretty, isn't it?" Ami said, her voice thick with pride.
"How did you-?" Amu started to ask, her eyes wide with wonder.
Ami rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand, her other hand still clutching her stuffed toy. "I dreamt of the moon," she yawned. "I decided to chase it. And when I woke up, this was under my pillow."
"Thank you," Amu said again, and hugged her sister tightly. "Thank you, Ami. I love it."
"You're welcome," said Ami, her voice muffled.
Amu held the shard of moonlight up, watching as the colours shifted and changed. Pale, soft, almost like an echo of the real thing. She had no doubt the shard was magical, and yet somehow felt entirely mundane. A part of her wondered what had happened, if someone had sent it to Ami, and how she'd gotten ahold of it.
Most of her was happy to take her sister at her word. It felt like an illusion. Beautiful, but untouchable. And yet, the moment her fingers brushed against the surface, it felt like a familiar memory. Like the moon, but not the moon. A fragment of something that had been lost. An eagerness to greet the future, despite the challenges that lay ahead.
"I saw a boy in the dream," said Ami, without prompting. She was snuggled up against Amu, her sleepy thoughts drifting freely.
"Oh?" Amu replied.
"Mhm," said Ami. "He said he wanted to help."
"Really?"
"Mhm." Ami's eyes were drooping. "He was really nice. He liked my rabbit."
'Rabbit?' Apparently there were things going on with Ami in her sleep. Her stuffed toy—Amu glanced down to check—was a seal.
"He did?" Amu asked.
"Mhm," said Ami, and yawned. "He had pretty hair. Like Ikuto's. Do I get my present now?"
Amu chuckled. "You can if you want. But wouldn't you rather have it while your friends are here?" She gently stroked her sister's hair.
"Mmm..." Ami mumbled, her thoughts a jumbled mess.
"I think that's a yes," Utau supplied, a small smile on her face.
Ami nodded slowly. Her eyes were closed, and she was resting her head against Amu's chest. She was already drifting off.
"Alright, Ami," said Amu, gently scooping her sister up. "I should have done this sooner. But since everybody's here…" She trailed off, looking over at Utau, Tadase and the others.
"Yes?" Rima said, her eyebrow arched.
"I'd like to introduce you to the other birthday girl." She turned to the others, holding up Ami. "This is my sister, Hinamori Ami. She's seven, and she likes rabbits and sleeping."
There were scattered giggles from the gathered group.
"Hi, Ami," said Tadase, smiling. "Happy birthday."
"Happy birthday, Ami-chan," Yaya added.
"Happy birthday," said Rima, and the others chimed in with similar sentiments.
Ami smiled sleepily, her mind a muddle of warmth and appreciation. She'd have her own party, of course. It was just going to be tomorrow—the 25th, the day after her actual birthday. And her parents would be there, and her friends from school.
It wouldn't be as unique as Amu's, but, well, Ami was seven.
Still, Amu could tell that she appreciated the attention, even if she couldn't quite stay awake. She settled down on the sofa, still carrying her little sister, and smiled up at her friends. She was now less than twice as old as Ami, and there was some horror in that—Ami could talk back, sometimes she was even fun—but, overall, Amu felt she was okay with the changes.
"Thank you," said Amu, "for being a part of my day. And for Ami's, too."
= = =
It's not very long, and there aren't any choices to be made, but I felt I might as well hand this off. It'll give some people ideas, I'm sure, so I'll repeat what I stated before: The shard of moonlight is really just a toy. There is no possible way for it to be a danger, least of all to Amu of all people. If it were... it'd be the exact same kind of thing she's already practiced at cleansing.
[X][Lulu] Call her up, talk about your life, don't say anything specific.
September 27, 2009
The phone clicked several times, then started ringing. Amu held her breath, her fingers clasped tightly around the receiver, her mind a tumultuous mix of hope and uncertainty. What if Lulu didn't pick up? What if she didn't want to talk to her? This was the second time she tried to call, and nobody had picked up yesterday-
"Hello?" a familiar voice said, and Amu's breath caught.
"Lulu?"
"Amu!" There was a rustle of movement, and the sound of a chair being scraped across the floor. "It's been ages! How are you?"
"Good, I'm good," Amu managed, and felt her cheeks grow hot. She was a teenager. Teenagers were not supposed to be nervous. They were also not supposed to be so happy that a simple conversation made them feel like they were going to explode, and yet, here she was.
"I've missed you," Lulu said. "Sorry I didn't catch you yesterday. I've been super busy. Work's been crazy."
"What are you doing now?" Amu asked, a hint of curiosity in her voice.
"Right now? Talking to you," Lulu replied. "But, well, you know. I'm not exactly working at a corner store anymore."
"Oh."
"Yeah," Lulu agreed. She sounded tired. "But enough about me. How are things with you? Quiet, I hope?"
"Yeah," said Amu.
"You sound a little off," Lulu observed.
"Um, nothing much. Just..." Amu hesitated. She didn't want to lie to her friend. "You know my birthday was three days ago?"
The silence on the line stretched out, and Amu could almost see Lulu's expression shift.
"No," Lulu replied. "No, I did not. Ugh, Amu-" She could hear the frustration in her friend's voice. "You never told me."
Well, that was just awkward. Amu winced, a mixture of embarrassment and guilt bubbling up inside her. She sat down on her bed, phone clutched in one hand. Miki bounced a little, then raised an eyebrow at her. She was reading manga. The little traitor.
"I'm sorry," Amu mumbled. "It... slipped my mind."
"It's fine," Lulu sighed. "We're talking now, right? Happy birthday, by the way. What did you do?"
"Thank you," Amu managed. "My friends, we, um, we had a little party. And then..." She trailed off, her gaze wandering to the shard of moonlight that now sat upon her desk, a soft glow illuminating the room. "Ami got me a gift. It's very pretty. Um. I... I think it's a piece of the moon?"
There was a few seconds of silence.
"Amu," said Lulu, her voice serious. "Do you remember what we talked about, the last time we talked?"
"About how I attract weird stuff?" Amu replied.
"Yeah, that." Lulu's tone was dry. "Did it arrive through the mail? Did it drop from the sky?"
"Neither," Ami replied. "Ami got it in her dreams."
The silence this time was profound, and Amu found herself fidgeting uncomfortably. If Lulu had been actually here, she might've been able to sense the worry and concern radiating from her. As it was, Amu was left guessing, and the guesses were not particularly pleasant.
"You know," Lulu said, after the silence had stretched on for an unbearable length of time. "We really, really need to catch up."
"We do?"
"Mm. But, Amu, listen. If this is what I think it is, this is not a joke. You need to pay closer attention to your sister. Please."
Amu swallowed, a cold knot forming in the pit of her stomach.
"Why?" she asked, her voice a little hoarse.
"Because, Amu, this is not something to be messed with." Lulu sounded a bit frustrated. "I'm not supposed to say, but, look, I... ugh. Did I tell you, grandma got me a new part-time job? She was really not impressed by Easter. I didn't get the full story, but it sounded like some kind of scandal? Nothing you need to worry about, though. We've moved on."
"So you're not...?"
"Not involved in anything dubious, no," Lulu replied. "At least, not in the same way. I got a good talking-to, too. 'Lulu, you're meant to tell us if something sketchy's going on! Look at your cousin, he's the perfect example. You should be like him!'" She snorted. "And, well, grandma can be kind of scary when she wants to be, so..."
Amu couldn't help a small giggle. She could picture the scene clearly, and the way Lulu imitated her grandmother was spot on.
"I can imagine," Amu murmured.
"But, Amu, look, that's not the point!" Lulu continued. "I was being a little shit, and yeah, thank you for looking out for me. You were totes right, okay? And now it's my turn to give you the same advice. So listen, and stop giggling, because this is important."
"Right," said Amu, and winced. Lulu could also be a little bit scary, sometimes.
"Listen, this isn't a joke. Promise me you'll pay attention to Ami. If you spot anything abnormal—if she acts weird, or if something happens, anything at all—you let me know. Please. I don't want either of you to get hurt, okay? Because that would make me really, really sad."
Amu could almost picture her, her friend's blue eyes wide and serious.
"I promise," she murmured, and the tension eased somewhat.
"Thanks," said Lulu. "I know it's a lot to ask, but..." She sighed. "Okay, enough about that. Let's change the subject.
"You're welcome," Amu replied, and felt the knot in her stomach loosen. "So, what's this new job?"
"That's not important," Lulu said, and the lightness in her tone belied the concern that still lingered. "Grandma got me an internship with the French meteorological society. It's really, really boring. And, no, before you ask, I don't get to wear a labcoat or anything. I just sit around and make tea, mostly. It's boring, but it's a family thing, and I don't really have the option to say no."
"Oh."
"Yeah," said Lulu. "It's kind of a punishment, because I'm not as boring as my cousin. Anyway, that's been my weekends lately. How about you?"
"Nothing much," said Amu, a faint blush rising to her cheeks at the lie. "I've, um, spent a lot of time practicing my telekinesis. That's the term, right?" She'd used the English word, but wasn't confident enough in her pronunciation.
"Yep, that's the term," Lulu agreed.
"It's been kind of tough," Amu continued, her voice hesitant. "At least, fine control is tough. Ran was better at it, except she had no idea what she was doing. Moving big stuff is easy, but moving small stuff... I can do it, but I keep breaking everything. And that's, um, kind of scary."
"How are you doing it?" Lulu asked, her voice a little curious.
"Oh, it's..." Amu paused. How did you even describe it? If she was telling Utau, she'd just have a mental nudge. "Um. I can kind of... reach out, and grab hold of something. It's sort of like holding it, except with an extra hand. Only, I have to use my mind, not my hands."
"I don't think that's very helpful," said Lulu, her voice dry.
"Well, I'm not sure how to explain it better," Amu admitted. "I'm just kind of sticking spokes in reality and making it bend. That's the best way I can put it."
"Huh." Lulu didn't sound convinced. "I'm not sure if I understand."
"I'm not sure if I do, either," Amu admitted. "But I'm getting the hang of it. Sort of. Um, Lulu, how do you do your gems?"
"My gems?" Lulu echoed. "Oh, my gems." There was a faint note of amusement in her voice. "It's a family thing. We've been doing that sort of stuff for years, though not many people outside the family are aware of it. 'Lightning is a little life, and jewels are its eyes.' That's how my grandmother puts it."
"Lightning is alive?" Amu said, a bit doubtfully.
Lulu's laugh this time was hearty, a loud and rich sound that warmed Amu's heart. "You can say that, if you want. I won't deny it. Lightning is definitely alive, and it's been around for longer than humans. It's just, well, lightning is a very, very small life. If you store it in a gem, you can make it do stuff. You know, I'd love to show you. Next time we meet, maybe?"
"Sure," said Amu, knowing that might be years—if ever. "Next time."
"Yeah," said Lulu. "We should try and keep in touch. I've missed you. And, Amu?"
"Mhm?"
"Remember your promise. If something goes wrong, if Ami is in trouble, you let me know. I don't care how small the problem is. You call me, okay? No more excuses."
"Okay."
"Good," said Lulu. "Now give me the scoop on your school."
They chatted for a while longer, swapping stories about the mundane things in their lives, the weather, and the recent news. Lulu shared her thoughts on the current riots in France, and Amu shared her thoughts on the latest school drama, and somehow, it was nice. She avoided telling Lulu much about Kana; in Amu's retelling she was a random girl whom Amu had run into less than a week before, then hit it off with.
"-and her birthday present was this pretty charm bracelet with a feather attached," she finished. "I didn't think she'd give me one, but I guess she really wanted to." Amu lifted her wrist, and the light caught the delicate chain, sending a glimmer of rainbows dancing across her skin.
"She sounds nice," Lulu said, a note of warmth in her voice.
"I guess," Amu agreed, a faint blush rising to her cheeks. "She is, actually. She's a bit intense, and her guardian's more so, but, well..."
"What do you mean, intense?"
"Oh, well, her guardian's a little..." Amu struggled to find the right words. "I guess she really cares about Kana? And they're both teenage girls, so... she worries. I guess."
"You guess," Lulu echoed, her voice dry.
"It's hard to put into words," Amu replied.
"Sure."
"She is nice, though," Amu said, after a pause. "It was really nice chatting with you, Lulu. I wish I could come over and visit sometime. Your home seems amazing."
"You're always welcome here, Amu," Lulu said. "We've got plenty of guest rooms. Though, um, I might not be there. The internship's taking me all over the country. Grandma's thinking about sending me overseas, next year."
"Overseas?"
"Mm," Lulu agreed, her voice wistful. "I might go, but... it's not certain. There's a lot to do here, and I'm not really that eager to leave, you know? My life is here, but then again... I'll have to see. Besides, I need to keep an eye on my cousin, you know? All work and no play makes boys like him into very dull adults indeed, and he'd just hate that, I know it. I'd never let him hear the end of it."
Amu had no idea what that meant, but nodded along anyway.
"And on top of everything else," said Lulu. "You're there. So that's a benefit of going."
"I am?" Amu was taken aback.
"Of course you are," said Lulu. "What kind of a person would I be if I left a friend behind? So, I mean, it's not for certain, but—I might come back to Japan. I was going to tell you later, but... surprise!"
Amu blinked, her mind trying and failing to process what she'd just heard.
"You'll be coming back to Japan?" she echoed.
"Yes." Lulu sounded almost amused.
"Oh."
"You sound almost like you don't want me," Lulu said, a note of mock-offence creeping into her voice.
"I didn't mean—" Amu started to protest, then caught herself. "I'm glad. That you're coming back."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes," said Amu, her tone firm.
"Good."
There was a pause, and the silence stretched on, the seconds ticking by. Then Lulu spoke again, her voice softer.
"Grandma's not sure what she's going to do yet, though, so... maybe, maybe not. I'll try and visit, if she does send me away. Betcha it's going to be busy, but I'll be living in Tokyo, so... yep." Lulu sounded satisfied with herself. "We should totally meet up, if I do end up in Japan."
"That sounds nice," said Amu, a little shyly.
"It does," Lulu agreed. "Now, how's Miki doing? Is she nearby?"
"Of course she is," said Amu.
"Can you get her to say hi?"
Amu did as requested. Miki took over the phone, and the rest of the hour was spent talking, trading stories and ideas and observations, with the occasional question lobbed at Amu. Lulu was clearly having fun, and Miki was too. Amu, who was mostly content to listen, didn't really mind.
Yes, she thought, her stomach unclenching fully. She'd needed this, and so, she suspected, had Lulu. Something was going on in Europe, and Lulu didn't want to tell her, but... that was fine. It was good enough to know that she might come back. And that Lulu knew she had a friend.
She'd take that.
⁂
Lulu put the phone down, then leaned back in her chair, a faint smile playing about her lips. The call had gone well. Better than she'd expected, in fact, for forgetting about Amu for nearly a year. Amu-chan had clearly gotten herself into something, though she'd been cagey about details, and Lulu wasn't going to press her on it. The fact that Amu had reached out, however indirectly, was enough.
Her gaze drifted across the room, and settled on a framed picture of her, Amu, and the Guardians. The frame was a simple silver affair, and the picture was an old one, from when they'd both barely been twelve years old. They'd had so much fun, back then.
The photo was the first thing she'd put up in the room her grandmother had assigned her. Her room, not a guest room. She was no guest, not anymore.
Her hands automatically started working on the lapidary she'd been fiddling with, and a soft glow spread across the gemstones, the facets of the black sapphires catching the light. The foundation-stone of the pattern she was trying to make was already there, a tiny seed. Now, it was time to add the rest of the facets.
Lulu's eyes narrowed, and the stones began to dance.
This wasn't part of her duties, exactly.
Lulu's thoughts were elsewhere, and she didn't really need her eyes for this. Her fingers moved through the familiar motions, her mind reaching out, and then the light dimmed as hours passed.
A knock on the door interrupted her reverie. She glanced up, a familiar face framed in the doorway.
"I was wondering where you went," her grandmother said, a faint smile on her face. At a little over sixty, the woman was still a force to be reckoned with. She was dressed formally, the white suit and skirt she wore contrasting sharply with the black streaks in her otherwise silvery hair.
"Hello, grandma," Lulu murmured. "Did you need something?"
"Your presence," her grandmother stated, a note of amusement in her voice. "You missed lunch. Did you get any sleep at all last night?"
"Some," Lulu muttered. "I got up early, and..."
Her grandmother raised an eyebrow.
"...and yes, grandma, I was working," Lulu sighed. "Yes, I am aware that it's Sunday. Yes, I am aware that I am not supposed to be working today. But it was an emergency, and I needed to finish my lapidary, and—"
"Oh, hush," her grandmother said, waving her hand. "I'm not here to scold you. I was just worried. I haven't seen you come up for air since you started working on your little project."
"It's not a little project," Lulu mumbled. "It's a major one, and I'm getting close. It's going to work, I can feel it."
"I'm sure," her grandmother said. "In any case, it's a lovely evening. Your parents have set up camp on the veranda. We're having tea. Why don't you join us?"
"I've got so much left to do," Lulu protested.
"That is not a question," her grandmother continued, her voice firm. "You won't be of help to anyone if you collapse. Now, please. We'll worry, otherwise."
"But-"
"Additionally, the liaison is there."
"Fine."
Lulu rose from her chair, and her grandmother paused, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"You've grown," her grandmother noted, a small smile on her face. "When did that happen?"
"Grandma," Lulu muttered. "I'm a teenager."
"Of course, of course."
They made their way downstairs, through the halls and passages that had been her playground, her sanctuary, her prison, whatever you wanted to call it. The Morcerf family grounds had grown gradually older over the century or so before her birth, but you wouldn't know it, to look at it now. Even those three years she'd spent in Japan had brought huge changes. The once-crumbling manor now shone with a quiet elegance, the old stones cleaned and restored, the interior redone and upgraded.
As they walked, Lulu felt the faint buzz of energy against her senses, the subtle tingle that accompanied her grandmother's magic, as it seeped into her senses from gems set throughout the castle. Her hand clenched and unclenched on a gem she'd made on her own; a simple quelling. An anti-demon grenade, in effect. Less refined than her grandmother's, more powerful than anything Viscountess Morcerf could have made.
"It looks like you're ready," her grandmother observed.
"Just in case," Lulu murmured. "It's better to be prepared."
"I suppose."
They emerged onto the veranda where Lulu's parents sat, chatting quietly. Across from them was a representative of Japan's sibling agency, dressed in their habitual yellow and black.
"Ah," the agent said, rising to his feet and extending his hand. "Viscountess. Welcome back."
"Hello," Lulu greeted, the Japanese word rolling off her tongue with the ease of practice.
"And Lulu," the man continued, his smile a little brighter. "You're looking well."
"Thanks," said Lulu, taking his hand and shaking it. "It's been a year. How's business?"
"Your cousin seems to have usurped their agency," said her grandmother, and Lulu couldn't quite suppress a snort. "So, you'll have to forgive the man if he is a little put out."
"I wouldn't dare," the man chuckled. "But, well, he does have the talent. Not to mention the personality. And the name."
"Of course," said Lulu's grandmother. "Would you like a drink?"
"Tea, please," the man said. "Thank you."
Lulu settled into the empty seat beside her father, who smiled, his eyes crinkling in a way that told her he was more pleased than she'd imagined. And thought. While the adults discussed recent events, she tried her best not to fidget. She was thirteen. Thirteen year olds were not supposed to be fidgety, nervous, or any of the things she felt, but what Amu had told her, what she'd sensed during the call, had set her on edge.
And now, hours later, she was no less troubled.
It wasn't even so much what she'd said. Ami worried her, but a lot of what she'd seen in Amu's city should have worried her, had she had the sense god gave a particularly dull rock. And now, she had to wonder—what had she left unsaid?
"I'm glad you were able to make the time," her grandmother was saying. "With everything that's been going on lately, it's not easy to find a time when we can coordinate."
Amu wasn't the type to hide things, not unless she thought it would hurt someone. Or scare them. And yet...
"We do apologise for the short notice," the man was saying. "Things have gone a little crazy on our side as well."
...had Amu been afraid?
"Oh?" her grandmother prompted.
Lulu narrowed her eyes. That would make sense, but if so, of what? Not her, surely. The things she hadn't said... had they been about her family?
"Yes," the man sighed. "Our agency has been, shall we say, a bit more active than usual. You may have heard some reports."
"Reports," her grandmother echoed. "D-type events? We've got those here as well."
No. Lulu shook her head. She'd confronted Amu about Ami. If there had been a genuine problem there, then Amu would have told her. Which meant it was something else, either something she hadn't mentioned at all—like her school, Lulu realised belatedly, Amu acted like she'd barely noticed middle school—or one of her new 'friends', and her bet was on the latter. After Utau, Ikuto and herself, Lulu could only assume that Amu's taste in friends was...
...not great.
"We've noticed," the man said.
"Is there something we can help with?" her grandmother inquired, her tone neutral.
"Well, yes," the man said, and hesitated. "The reason why I came, viscountess, was to request your aid. If you'll take a look at these maps of the disturbances, you'll see we've picked out a pattern in the events."
He was holding out a sheaf of papers, and Lulu's grandmother accepted them, her expression carefully controlled. She looked, and Lulu leaned over, her eyes quickly scanning the contents.
It was a little odd, actually, that they were letting her stay here. It wasn't even the first time. They didn't talk much in front of her, but Lulu wasn't an idiot. She could tell that they wanted her here, that the two agencies were slowly, steadily, building trust, and her grandmother's hints about going to Tokyo-
Her eyes stopped moving, seizing on a world map, her breath catching.
"This," Lulu breathed, her heart suddenly pounding. She'd used patterns like that, on a small scale, usually in hope of fixing a slightly malformed gemstone. Usually it broke them. "Why is there a calcinating circle centred on Japan?"
She glanced up, her eyes meeting those of her grandmother, who looked at her with a mixture of pride and sadness. The other adults, meanwhile, had turned to stare at her, the man with a surprised smile, her parents with a hint of confusion. But Lulu only had eyes for her grandmother.
"I think that's the question, yes," her grandmother agreed.
⁂
The two weeks after were quiet, which Amu appreciated.
She did have school.
She did have tests.
And, despite what the teachers seemed to believe, she did have other responsibilities, though none of them had cropped up yet. She'd promised to help Kana, she'd just yet to figure out what that meant, precisely.
Her birthday had been a bit special, but Amu was more than happy to settle back into her normal routine. It was nice, almost. Normal, in the sense that nothing particularly crazy had happened. She'd visited Kana's home, more than once! And you'd think that would count as 'crazy', except, well, the place was pretty normal. A little bigger than the Hinamori household, maybe, and a little nicer, and with a slightly smaller yard, but still, it wasn't all that much.
It was a house, and Amu had imagined that maybe Kana lived inside a warehouse or something. Or, well, a lair, or a dungeon, or a bunker. Someplace you'd find a villain, not a house. And maybe it was a bit silly, and a little presumptuous, but she couldn't help her expectations. There was the question of how they could afford to live here, but—Amu had decided not to ask about that.
Naomi was nice, when she wasn't being protective. Aoi was cute, in a girl-next-door way, and good at word games; she was fifteen, good at cooking, and Amu could see why Kana looked up to her. And Yui was-
Yui was a sweet girl, but not quite all there. The nine-year-old never seemed to sleep well, and always seemed a little drowsy, as if she'd been up too late. She was a bit like a teddy bear: Cuddly, tiny, quick to trust, and not very mobile, so it didn't take long before Amu found herself with Yui on her lap.
Yui, too, was scared of sleeping. The moment she started to nod off, Kana swooped in to scoop her up, and it seemed to be an unspoken rule: Don't let Yui sleep, unless Kana is there to help.
Amu was a little curious as to what Kana did, to help.
She didn't ask, and Kana didn't volunteer. But time passed like that. Week by week, Naomi seemed less on edge, and her attitude towards Amu gradually softened. It was a relief, honestly. Amu wasn't used to having anyone angry at her, and even less so for what they thought was good reason.
Kana herself was just as friendly and supportive as ever, and the rest of her family was slowly growing to accept her. It was... nice. There was one of them she hadn't even met, but—it was nice. She was sure she would. Eventually.
So of course it didn't last.
= = =
This is not an interrupt. This is 'something happens, but what'. There are three ongoing story threads of note; you can pick one to focus on, and the others will process in the background. Or, if you so wish, you can vote for something entirely different.
[ ] Something unexpected happens
- QM mystery box. I know what's behind this card; you don't. It's likely (but not guaranteed) to bring Amu closer to the Scavengers.
[ ] Amu has her promised talk with Naomi, on the subject of asking people for help.
- Write in your preferred strategy for that discussion, as well as who you think she should ask.
[ ] Amu, while getting to know her classmates, discovers something odd.
- This might be a chara user. It also might not be. I've got a list, and will be rolling a dice.
[ ] Write-in - While the options above let you decide which storyline to focus on, they say nothing at all about what happens. Which is intended, and there are limits to what I'll accept as a write-in, but if any of the other aspects of the world strikes your interest…
Amu wasn't really used to them, and yet somehow they'd grown less and less rare, the more time she spent around Kana. Her friend wasn't really one for going out in the evenings, and was a lot happier to stay in, with a movie, or a board game, or just relaxing with her friends. Which now included Amu.
She wasn't complaining, exactly, but she couldn't help feeling a little wistful at times. Sometimes, when she visited, Kana had bruises and scrapes. She never talked about it. When she did, it was always, "I'm fine, I'm fine," and, "It was just a little fight."
Sometimes Naomi was the one who was hurt. And she didn't complain about her burns, but Yui would, and Amu would get snippets. She had a feeling that she'd befriended a group of vigilantes. That was the nice way to put it, but once, she'd walked in on Naomi counting a stack of cash, and Amu could guess where that had come from. But they had to make money somehow, right? Those were Kana's words, unspoken, and Amu couldn't think of a rebuttal.
And yet, somehow, things still felt off.
Like they were waiting. The calm before a storm.
Tonight Kana had fallen asleep, her head resting against Amu's shoulder, and Amu found herself the resting site of both Kana and Yui, who'd crawled onto her lap and was using her leg as a pillow. It wasn't uncomfortable, but it was a little awkward, and Amu didn't have the heart to wake them up. She had the television on—a program about a bunch of high school students playing a card game, which was, to put it kindly, a little silly—and was doing her best to watch it despite leaving the audio off. There weren't any subtitles, so it was more like watching a silent detective drama, which was interesting in a way.
It was hard to focus. She could feel the heat of Kana's body against hers, her hair against her shoulder. Yui's slow breaths were easing Amu towards sleep, and the sound of Kana's heartbeat was distracting.
But the evening was otherwise quiet.
"Hey," a soft voice murmured.
Amu jumped, her eyes opening. She'd drifted off, it seemed. Kana was still asleep, her head still resting against her shoulder. Yui was curled up against her, clutching her stuffed bunny 'Bun-bun', her thoughts a tangle of dreams and nightmares.
"Hey," Aoi murmured again, and Amu glanced up.
"Hi," Amu whispered back.
Aoi smiled.
"Mind if I join you?"
"No," Amu said. "Go ahead."
Aoi sat down beside her, a blanket in her arms, her feet bare, her hair still damp from the shower. She smelled faintly of shampoo, and the light floral scent mingled with the smell of Kana, a faint hint of smoke and metal, and Yui's strawberry scent.
"What are you watching?" Aoi asked, her voice quiet.
The teenagers on the screen were now fighting some kind of robot, though the details certainly escaped her. Cards popped up every few seconds, and the characters' mouths were moving, but without sound?
"I have no idea," Amu admitted. "Some sort of card game."
"Ah." Aoi spread the blanket across them. "Is it a magic show of some kind?"
Amu blinked up at the screen, where one of the robots was now wearing a pink tutu, and the main character (presumed) had summoned a giant red lion. With a glance up at Aoi, she made to protest the absurdity of the question, but her words died in her mouth. Aoi was smiling placidly, certainly, but her eyes—yellow and faintly luminescent, like Amu's—were looking straight past the television, missing it slightly.
"Of some kind," Amu mumbled.
"You should go home," Aoi murmured, settling into the seat next to her. "It's getting late."
"It's nine thirty."
"Exactly."
"But-"
"Shh," said Aoi, her smile widening. "Kana enjoys having you here. And I've never seen Yui this comfortable around anyone but Kana. But, Amu, it's almost ten."
"I suppose," Amu sighed. She wasn't used to being treated like a child, and was torn between a sense of gratitude and a feeling of annoyance.
"We had a tiring day today," Aoi continued, a faint smile still playing across her lips. "Productive, but tiring. I think we're going to be busy for the next few days."
"What are you doing?"
"Things."
"Oh," said Amu, and then, a little more quietly, "I don't mind, you know. Staying here."
"We don't mind having you here," said Aoi, and her smile was fond. "I've been meaning to ask, though. Have you ever been in a fight, Amu?"
"Yes," Amu replied.
"I don't mean against schoolyard bullies," Aoi said, her voice a little more serious. "Have you ever been in a real fight? The sort where someone tried to kill you?"
"No," Amu murmured. "Yes. Sort of."
That clearly wasn't the answer Aoi had been expecting. She raised an eyebrow.
"There was a time when a teacher attacked me," Amu said, after a pause. "But I didn't really fight. I ran away, mostly. And the teacher didn't try to kill me, just crush my soul... I'm not sure if that makes it better. Then there was the time my friends and I had to fight off a guard dog. And there were guards, and a giant monster, and... then a building fell on us."
Aoi's gaze shifted back to the television, where a large white-robed man had materialised and was currently engaged in battle against a robot, though she clearly wasn't seeing it. Her eyes were glazed over. Had been, Amu realised, for the entire conversation.
"You know," Aoi said. "Every time I think I've heard the end of the story, I learn something new. I guess you've told Kana the whole thing?"
"Um, more or less," Amu said, a touch of hesitance entering her voice.
"Do you mind if I ask her about it?" Aoi asked.
"I don't, but," Amu said, and stopped, unsure.
"Yes?" Aoi prompted.
"Why not ask me? I'm right here," Amu said, and then flushed.
"Because," Aoi said, "It's nearly ten. And unlike us, you have school tomorrow. So, why don't you head home? I'll have a word with Kana."
"It's not ten yet," Amu muttered, glancing at the clock. "And I can handle myself, you know."
"And your parents are going to worry. Unlike us, you still have those. So why not head home?" Aoi's voice was a gentle rebuke. "They're going to worry."
"Um."
"And it's going to rain. Starting in five minutes"
Now she was just cheating.
"How do you know?" Amu demanded.
"Call it intuition," Aoi murmured.
"Fine," said Amu, a note of annoyance creeping into her voice. "I'll head home. Let Kana know, please?"
"Of course."
"Good night, Aoi."
"Night."
Amu rose from the couch, tucking the blanket in around Kana and Yui. Kana stirred a little, her eyelids flickering, but didn't wake.
"Amu."
Amu paused, halfway out the door, and looked back.
"Thank you. But don't come back next week."
Aoi was smiling.
"Okay," said Amu, a trace of puzzlement entering her tone. "I'll, um, see you next time?"
"I hope so," Aoi agreed. "Good night."
Amu wasn't really sure what to make of the conversation, but didn't get the chance to dwell on it. It was starting to rain, as Aoi had predicted. She unfolded her phone, letting her parents know she was on the way home now, and started making her way to the bus stop. Then, she thought better of it. It was raining, yes, but rain was just falling water. If she focused just right...
It took her several minutes, and Amu was drenched by the end of it, her clothes sticking uncomfortably to her skin, but the result was worth it. As she walked, a shimmering shield formed overhead, keeping her dry. Some of the rain still fell on her hair, and some of it—shattered, for lack of a better word, bursting into puffs of steam that drifted lazily through the air—but most of it slid neatly aside, leaving her a clear passage.
All in all, a good night's work.
⁂
School the next day was more of the same. History class, especially.
Amu wasn't sure what she'd expected, but somehow, despite the quiet and calm, a sense of foreboding had grown in her heart. She spent the day fidgety and anxious, unable to focus, and while her teachers had noted her distraction, they weren't saying much. So she was a little on edge, a little distracted, so what? It wasn't as if the classes were difficult.
That was probably why she gave up on the classes themselves. She wasn't learning anything new, and her classmates' thoughts and emotions were... not a distraction, exactly, but...
It was a little sad, really.
She'd been in middle school for half a year. She ought to have found some new friends, maybe even a club, but so far she'd managed neither. It wasn't as if she'd particularly tried. Her old friends were still there. Kukai was right there—the class above her—and she spent half her free time with Tadase. Every couple of days they visited Rima and Yaya. She wasn't-
She wasn't lonely, exactly. Even her non-Guardian friends from her grade were still there; they'd just been shuffled into parallel classes. She wasn't lonely.
She just didn't have any friends in her class.
Class had just ended, and Amu looked up from her desk and found herself staring at a class full of people who barely knew her name. Or, no. They knew her: As 'Amu, former student council member'. Or 'Amu, cool and spicy semi-delinquent', which was Kukai's joke, not hers.
Her gaze swept across the room, taking in a group of girls, their chatter filling the air.
"I'm thinking I'll try for a sports scholarship, but I'm not sure if they're good enough..."
If they are good enough?
"My dad says that I should do track. That I'm too lazy for anything else, and that a girl needs to know her place. It's not like I can be an Olympic runner or anything." The taller of the girls giggled—Makoto, if Amu remembered correctly. She smiled a little, leaning on her hands and listening in on the conversation. The girls sounded nice.
"Your dad's an idiot. You're the fastest girl on the team, and you know it."
"I am not!" Makoto protested, but her eyes were twinkling. "He also thinks his stopwatch is broken."
"But, um, don't you have a 100m time of 12 seconds? Isn't that good?" a smaller girl asked.
"11.8," Makoto corrected. "Well, yeah..." She preened, and then the expression dropped from her face. "But, like, how do I know? It's not like he'll let me join the school team."
Why had she never done this before?
Amu frowned, her eyes narrowing. She flicked a stray hair from her face, and her gaze fell on a boy a couple of seats ahead, his eyes half-closed, his hands folded behind his head. He looked like he was dozing off, but she could tell, from his thoughts, that he was paying attention to everything, and- just like Aoi, his thoughts were reacting to movements he couldn't possibly see.
"-not that good. Not compared to the queen. I mean, you saw the tryouts, right? You can't beat Amu. The best you can do is just run and hope you look better than everyone else. That's the only way you'll ever get to stand on the same stage as her."
Amu's face twitched, and her gaze snapped across the room, back to the small girl with a bob cut.
"I'm not going to the tryouts. You guys can have her. She's just so- she's scary."
"I'm sure she's not," said another girl, her voice low.
"But she's so cold, and she never says anything."
"I'm not really like that," Amu muttered.
"She's just like, you know, like a princess, and I can't compete. And even if she isn't, I'm not trying out. It's a waste of time. I can't possibly beat her and you, Mako-chan."
"You can't just say that," her friend protested. "That's what the tryouts are for. She might not even take part!"
"Oh, I know," said the other girl. "But, you know, it's a given who'll get the spot if she does, isn't it?"
Amu closed her eyes, and the voices faded away. She'd had a good few weeks, after all, and why should she mind if her classmates were afraid of her?
Her hands clenched on her lap, and she stood up, a slight frown on her face. Her eyes narrowed. She turned away from the window, her eyes scanning the room. They were, perhaps, a little redder than usual. Of course she should mind. She'd been through this before, she wasn't doing it again, and- no.
She didn't notice her classmates flinch back, didn't notice the sudden silence that had descended-
"Ohohohoho," laughed a familiar voice, a hand rising to cover her mouth. "As if! Amu's too perfect. There's no way she won't show up. She's not going to pass up a chance to show off. It's all about the attention for her, you know."
Silence.
She wasn't the one they had flinched from.
"No way," the bob-cut girl said. "What are you saying, Saaya? You've got it all wrong."
"Oh, have I? Have I, really?" Saaya, Yamabuki Saaya, laughed, her voice bright and sharp. That's right; she was in her class. Amu had almost managed to forget. "Well, you should see it. She's got everyone wrapped around her fingers. Her old friends, that cute boy... and, of course, Tadase-kun. Everyone loves Amu."
She was sitting on the windowsill, her back against the window, her legs swinging carelessly. A faint smirk crossed her lips, and her eyes scanned the room, lingering briefly on Amu. As they did, her mouth twisted into a snarl. Only for a moment, before the smile returned, wide and innocent.
"And, of course... you, right? Have you ever asked, even for a second, why you're so attached to her? Or did she get to you too?"
"That's not-"
"It's true," Saaya insisted. "You all know it is. You just don't want to admit it. She's got her hooks into everyone. She's got the whole school wrapped around her finger, and she's not even doing anything. Just by existing, she gets her way. That's how Amu is."
Amu could feel the emotions in the room, the sudden rush of anger, confusion, and fear.
"I've had enough," Makoto growled. "It's been half a year of this, and now you're doing it in front of her. Saaya, just what the hell is wrong with you?"
"What's wrong with me?" Saaya repeated, her eyes going wide, her voice high and sweet and brittle. She jumped to her feet. "Nothing. I'm just telling the truth. Nothing that's happened the last three years makes sense. We should be scared of her, and yet we aren't, because she's Amu. She's nice. She's cute. She's not even trying, and the teachers love her. Even when she doesn't pay attention, her grades don't drop. She jumps off the gym roof, and floats in mid-air, and everyone just thinks it's fine. It's like- like magic, but nobody even cares!"
Her words echoed across the room, and the silence stretched.
"Saaya," Makoto murmured. "You can't just-"
"Why not? It's true!" Saaya's gaze was fixed on Amu. "Look at her. She doesn't even care! She's breaking the laws of physics, and it's fine, because it's her, and everyone just- just ignores it! Why is no one upset? She's not even human!"
There was a gasp, and a murmur rose in the classroom. Amu took half a step forward, her fists clenching, and stopped.
"She's a freak," Saaya continued, her voice lowering. "That's what she is. She's not human, and we shouldn't have to put up with her. Just because she's cute, and everyone wants her, doesn't mean that she should get her way."
The classroom was quiet, the murmurs dying away, the tension building. On one side, Saaya. On the other, literally everyone else.
Amu couldn't think of anything to say, couldn't think of a way to respond. Her emotions were a muddle of shock, hurt, and fury. She nearly reached out, wanting to push back, to do something, but she couldn't. She was rooted to the spot.
Saaya smiled, her lips thin, her eyes glittering. She reached out towards Amu, their minds clashing with a feel like snapping twigs in-between, and-
And-
It felt almost like a dream.
Saaya was still standing there, a sneer on her face. Her hands were on her hips. She hadn't reached out at all, except mentally. The air in between them looked shattered, as though a window had cracked and the shards were falling apart. Amu could feel Saaya's emotions. Fear, anger, jealousy, a hurt, vulnerable honesty, and a desperate loneliness, all fused with a gravel-like, grating feeling that Amu couldn't quite describe.
It was the sort of feeling you got when you were holding a not-wet-enough ball of sand, and it was about to slip away.
And then, as if someone had pressed a reset button, the world snapped back into focus. Saaya stumbled backwards, a hand over her mouth.
"Oh, fuck," she mumbled.
Amu bent over, an intense wave of nausea washing over her, and retched. Nothing came out, but she could taste bile in the back of her throat. She swallowed, hard, and looked up. Distantly, she heard several more of her classmates throw up.
"Shit," Saaya gasped. "Did you see that?"
"Yes," a boy said, his voice shaky. "What was that?"
"It's not-" Saaya reached out a shaking hand, pointing at a spot in mid-air, well above heir heads. "It's not gone. She did it! She's a-"
"Don't be stupid, Saaya," Makoto growled, and the tension in the room was rising. "This isn't the time. Amu-chan, what's going on?"
"I-" Amu swallowed, and straightened. "I don't know."
She followed the line of Saaya's finger, and found herself staring at a crack in the air, like a windowpane that had shattered, or a sheet of paper crumpled into a ball. The cracks were jagged and uneven, and through them, Amu could see a warped, shimmering desert landscape, like a heatwave in the distance.
"You can see it," Saaya breathed. "Can you see it? You can see it, right? It's not just me."
"It's not just you," Amu said, her voice hollow. A third of her classmates were focused on the crack. The others were staring in the same general direction, their eyes fixed, but if their emotions were any guide, they weren't seeing it.
"Good," said Saaya, and took a deep breath. "Because I have no idea what's happening, but you have to fix it. You have to fix it, and-"
The air rang with the sound of shattering crystal, and the crack widened a fraction. Amu felt the hair on the back of her neck rise.
= = =
Someone should do something about this.
[ ][Rift] Escape, for example. Escaping is good.
- A safe option, for your specific class at least. Maybe a bit irresponsible.
[ ][Rift] Call the teachers, and-
- And do what? Please expand.
[ ][Rift] Run to find Tsukasa
- Plus, he seems very capable. Minus, he's rarely findable.
[ ][Rift] Make some sort of attempt at fixing it yourself
- You have no idea how, and suspect you're the cause! This has a ¾ base chance of outright failure.
—
[ ][Saaya] Ignore her
- It's worked well so far.
[ ][Saaya] Fight back
- Enough is enough! And your classmates clearly have your back.
[ ][Saaya] Take pity
- She's not in a good place. You don't make a habit of mind-scraping your classmates, but you can tell that much. And her points didn't strike home, but they're also not exactly wrong…
—
[ ][Classmates] Lead
- There's an unspoken understanding that yes, you're a magical girl, and yes, you'll deny that if asked, but they're happy enough to follow instructions. You do need to have some.
[ ][Classmates] Cooperate
- Let's be honest here, you haven't the foggiest. Maybe some of the assorted preteens and thirteen-year-olds are better informed?
[ ][Classmates] Evacuate
- It's definitely safest for them to not be here. Well, probably. At least, assuming this isn't going to eat the school or something.
As usual, all of these options also permit write-ins. Votes are by plan.
Note: I don't usually use dice very much, but almost every plan here (besides Maximum Escape) will involve dice rolls to determine the outcome. Which brings in the stunting rules… but I'll explain that tomorrow. For now, suffice to say that votes which describe how you do something, and not just what you try to do, get a bonus.
The world snapped back into focus, and Amu blinked. She was still standing, somehow, and her classmates were slowly getting to their feet, looking around in confusion. There was a crash as a desk fell over, and the sound of several people throwing up, but Amu barely heard it.
Saaya had fallen on her butt, and was staring up at her, her eyes wide, her face pale.
"You," Saaya breathed, and then, her voice rising, "You did this! You did this, didn't you? You must have!"
She didn't sound like she believed it.
"No," Amu replied, her voice quiet. "I didn't."
She looked away from Saaya, who was starting to cry, and turned to the class, her hands clenching at her sides. Saaya was the last thing on her mind right now. Amu was more worried about the tear in reality. She could feel it, like a wound, a gash in the air that was steadily leaking—something. She couldn't tell. But it felt like the air was thinning, and she didn't know how to stop it.
She didn't even know where to start.
"We have to get out of here," Amu called, and the class turned towards her, their eyes wide. "It's not safe."
"You think?" a boy muttered. "That thing is getting bigger!"
"I know," Amu snapped. "Just- everyone out. Get away from the rift. Makoto-" She racked her brain to recall the name of the boy, then gave up and pulled it from his mind. He was the one who seemed clairvoyant. "And, uh, Takuya. Go find Tsukasa, or anyone else who might be able to help. Everyone else, form groups. Someone, go to the A and C class and get them out of here..."
She was feeling her lack of familiarity. Someone had to evacuate the neighbouring classes, and she didn't know who! She was starting to feel a little frantic. She should have known, shouldn't have let herself drift, but she had, and now she was-
"It's okay," a girl said, her voice firm. "I'll take care of it."
Amu nodded, not bothering to check who it was. The rift was still growing, and she didn't have time.
"Everyone else, stay back!"
Amu glanced at the class. Some were already making a run for the door, but others were still standing, frozen, their eyes fixed on the crack—which had now spread to cover most of the back of the classroom. She gave them a mental jolt. That unfroze them.
"Good. And, um, the rest of you. Just split up and find the headmaster, or the guardians, or anyone who can help. And get away from here!"
Makoto and Takuya nodded, and dashed out the door, their expressions grim. The rest of the class was following, and Amu glanced over her shoulder, her eyes flicking between the crack and Saaya, who was still sitting on the floor, her head in her hands. She hesitated, and then started to turn away, her thoughts racing.
But, in the end, she couldn't.
Amu took a deep breath, head full of thoughts of her own stupidity, and stepped towards Saaya. She knelt down while keeping one eye on the rift, which was now starting to spill an actinic, painfully bright light. A few of her classmates who hadn't run yet, and hadn't seen it earlier, were starting to freak out, and Amu couldn't blame them. She gave them another jolt. They ran.
"Saaya," Amu murmured, and reached out a hand.
"No," said Saaya, her voice low and fierce.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
"Am I okay?" Saaya repeated, her voice hollow. "You're asking me if I'm okay? After you did... after you did whatever you did, and-"
This wasn't the time, Amu knew, but she couldn't help it. Saaya wasn't nice. Saaya wasn't a good person, Amu had always known that, but she couldn't ignore her, either. They'd been classmates for years, and she'd never seen her happy, not once. Gloating, yes. Vindictive. Jealous. But never happy. And lately, she hadn't spotted even those.
She couldn't ignore her.
"I'm sorry," Amu murmured.
"Sorry? Sorry? You're sorry?" Saaya laughed, and it sounded a little hysterical. "What good does that do? You did this, didn't you? This is your fault. Everything is always your fault!"
She shook her head. This wasn't working. She reached out for Saaya's mind, but it was still a tangled, thorny mess, and Amu flinched back.
"What was that?" Saaya asked, her voice soft.
"What was what?"
"You did something, just then. I don't know what, but..." She glared up at Amu, her eyes wet with tears. "Stop doing that! Whatever it is, stop doing it!"
Amu froze.
"I'm sorry," she repeated.
She couldn't think of anything else to say. She nervously glanced at the rift, which was definitely growing. Carefully, a little worriedly, she reached out mentally in hope that maybe she could telekinetically pull it closed or something, and-
The world rang, like a gong, and the Humpty Lock hanging around her neck got painfully hot for a moment, then went as cold as ice. Amu flinched away, her head suddenly tight and painful.
"You're not, and you shouldn't be," Saaya told her, distantly. "I wish you'd just leave me alone. Leave me here. I'm a monster as well, so it's only fair, right? You're the only one who's not- not- not-"
Her voice caught, and she choked off a sob. Amu looked up, her gaze flickering back towards the crack, which had started producing a low-pitched hum. The air around it was vibrating, and a faint breeze was starting to blow. Amu shivered, and a sense of foreboding settled over her, as if she was watching a storm cloud. Same as that morning, except in the morning it had been like storm clouds in the distance, and now they were straight overhead, and she could feel the electricity crackling in the air.
She had to focus. She couldn't let herself be distracted by Saaya. This was bigger than her.
"Just... go away, Amu." Saaya sniffled, and wiped her eyes with the back of her sleeve. "Just- just go away, and don't come back. I'm not- I'm not-"
Her words trailed off, and her head dipped forward, her shoulders starting to shake. And Amu, cursing herself, settled in for another attempt at making the damn fool girl just leave. They couldn't stay here! At the rate that was growing, they'd be cut off soon.
"Saaya, come on," Amu said. "We need to go."
"Go fuck yourself," Saaya mumbled.
"Saaya, we don't have a choice! We have to get out of here, now!"
This time Saaya didn't even respond. Amu got to her feet, standing between Saaya and the now-towering crack, and looked up. The air around it was starting to shimmer, like a heat haze. The wind was getting stronger, and she could feel the rift itself starting to tug, as though it was drawing her towards it. The air in the classroom was being pulled in. The back of the classroom looked like it had shattered, or someone had made a stained glass painting in the shape of a classroom. And the hum was growing louder.
She shook her head, subconsciously leaning back against the pull. Staying was a terrible idea, terrible idea. So, of course-
She physically took hold of Saaya and dragged her away from the rift. Or at least she tried—she got the other girl a couple of metres, then Saaya bit her. As Amu jumped away, cursing, Saaya curled up into a ball and wept.
She should leave her.
-the classroom would be destroyed if she didn't do something. The school, possibly. Distantly, beyond the roaring air, she heard the sound of a fire alarm and running feet. Someone must have used some common sense, and hopefully the school would be empty soon. That was good. She could leave. Probably this thing would stop soon, right? She-
Memories of talking with the Guardians, or playing with Yaya in the flower garden, or… Amu took a deep breath, cursing herself for her sheer insanity, and pulled out her cellphone. Lulu had said to call her if anything weird happened. This definitely counted. She dialled the number, and waited.
Come to think of it, was time was it in France? Would Lulu even-
"Hello?" a voice said, sounding a little sleepy.
"Lulu?" Amu said. She had to speak up a little, to be heard over the sound of the wind. A stray pencil rolled past her foot, and disappeared into the rift. "Are you free? Something weird is happening, and I don't know how to fix it."
The walls seemed to be bending. The floor was rippling, and the desks and chairs were starting to shake, as if they were caught in an earthquake.
"Yes," said Lulu, sounding much more awake. "Of course. Is it your sister? Or is it-"
"Not Ami. Something else."
"What's going on? Explain," Lulu said, her voice clipped. She'd caught on to the tone in Amu's voice.
Amu gave a brief explanation, her voice a little shaky. As she did, she watched as the walls were pushed backwards, the ceiling starting to bow, and the crack—still growing—spread out, pushing aside everything in its way. Including the back of the classroom, which was starting to look swizz cheese. She hoped, very much, that her classmates had gotten everyone else out, and were safely evacuating everyone in 1-C.
"I see," said Lulu, and then, more sharply, "Where are you?"
"School! My classroom!"
"And the crack is spreading?"
"It's starting to look like a portal of some kind." Not that she'd ever seen one. Amu backed away further, until she was nudging Saaya with a foot. The other girl didn't respond, not even to pull out of the way. "Um. I'm not sure what to do."
"I am," Lulu snapped. "Get out of there, now! It's too dangerous."
"I- I'm not sure I can."
"Why not?"
"Because the wind's picking up, and the pull's getting stronger, and- um." She looked to the side, where the rift—the corruption—had grown enough to encompass the classroom door and windows. Most of it didn't have that stained-glass look, but the desks were being… crushed, slowly breaking down as it touched them, as though they were sculpted from paper that someone was crumpling.
It seemed to be avoiding the half-circle in front of them. She didn't know why, or how long it'd last.
"I think it ate the exit?"
"Then use the window," Lulu said, her voice strained.
"There aren't any windows. There's just the crack, and I don't- I don't want to get close to it."
"Break the wall! Amu, I'm going to hang up so I can make some phone calls. Do not, repeat, do not stay there, or try to stop it." Amu, who had been about to try just that, guiltily pulled back. Mentally, it felt like nothing. Just... nothing. She still felt numb from earlier. "I'll send specialists there to help, so just run. You can't do anything on your own. Is anyone else there with you?"
"There was, but they ran."
"Good," said Lulu. "Run too. Please. Stay safe."
The call was cut off.
"Lulu?"
Oh. And then there was Saaya. Right. She was there too.
Amu glanced down, and her mouth set in a frown. She'd nearly forgotten. Saaya was still curled up on the floor, her hands pressed against her ears, her eyes closed. Her mind was a muddy tangle of emotions, full of cracks, and menacing with thorns of fear. Saaya, it must be said, was why she was still there at all—and Saaya, dammit- Amu didn't swear, but this time she would—Saaya seemed to have a death wish, all of a sudden.
"Saaya," Amu said.
The girl didn't react.
"Saaya!" she shouted.
Nothing.
Amu tried again, reaching out with her thoughts, at the same time she reached down and physically grabbed her shoulder.
'Saaya!'
Still no reaction, and something was happening to the rift. A faint pinprick of light appeared in the middle, accompanied by a tinkling laugh. It didn't sound merry in the slightest.
= = =
Saaya is one of those people. If you've never met anyone like her, count yourself lucky. However, despite what it might look like, Amu is in no way trapped. You have two basic options: You can take Lulu's advice, or you might not.
[ ] Escape
- Feel free to define how, but no dice roll is required for this. (Punch the wall.)
[ ] Escape, with Saaya
- She doesn't seem willing to leave. A dice roll may be required, depending on what method you go with… on a failure, it won't be harmless to Saaya. (Punch Saaya then punch the wall.)
- This roll is difficulty 1.
[ ] Make another attempt at convincing Saaya to leave
- Write-in how. There's at least one option that guarantees success; some will be contested rolls. Regardless of what you choose, this will take long enough that something else will happen.
- (Punch Saaya in the brain?)
- You're trying to do therapy in combat time. This is difficulty 2.
- If you end up in a fight, it may or may not be harder. Depends on whether or not Saaya is helping.
[ ] Spend that time preparing to fight
- Amu has some experience with things flying up to shoot emotional bullets at her, and the only difference she expects in this scenario is that the things might not be shooting bullets, emotional or otherwise. She's creeped out already.
- (Punch a fairy in the mouth.)
- The overall fight will be difficulty 1
Which set of attribute+ability scores (+ psionic / willpower if applicable) get used will depend on the approach you suggest, and yes, I realise how that will bias your thinking. Not every combination is actually usable, in any given situation. Creativity can overcome that.
[X] Plan: Dream Again - [X] When Amu thinks Saaya will be able to actually hear her: "Saaya, I know you don't want to hear from me right now, or probably ever, but we don't have time. I've given you what I got, back when I was first learning about all this. The day we met, actually. The Lock is going to give you control, help you, and I'm going to try and lend you my power as well. I don't want you to die Saaya. I'm sorry for what's happened, but we are in this together now. If you can, remember that I was trying to help, when you Dreamt last."
-- [X] This isn't the best speech, and that should work in our favour. Saaya will hopefully be able to tell that we aren't using UMI or reading her mind, that this is just plain old human speech.
- [X] If it can be done and still remove the Lock after, transform before the next action.
- [X] Remove the Humpty Lock, and loop it around the unresponsive Saaya's neck. It will boost her resistance further, yes, but that's what we want. Push her hazy partial immunity into the full bloom of Psionics, to bring clarity to the confusion, while giving her back the skills she is so scared of someone else using on her.
-- [X] If she isn't moving even after that, then we will have to take a wider view. Attack her one last time, mentally, to force her to defend herself. Not with full power, but enough to force her to react and wake up.
-- [X] If she is the cause of the rift, then her control should be improved enough to fix it.
--- [X] The Lock took the brunt of this rifts rebound earlier when we looked at it, so we are going to need to lend our power to Saaya.
The rift was growing at an alarming rate, the wind escalating from a mere storm to a deafening gale. Air was finding its way from everywhere around her—the cracked walls, the open classroom door—to hurl itself into oblivion. Amu felt it tugging at her, an almost magnetic force pulling her towards the blinding light of the rift. She shielded her eyes with her arm, but it was barely enough; the light pierced through, revealing the fracturing reality around her—the classroom, a thumping wound in the mental space surrounding her, and an indescribable elsewhere that seemed to stretch the very fabric of her understanding.
Somewhere that she couldn't see. Somewhere she could barely sense at all, except that the mental space was getting bigger, in a way she found impossible to describe. The tinkling laughter was getting louder, crueller, and had somehow gained an undertone of irony.
She glanced down at Saaya, sprawled on the floor, and felt a knot of fear tighten in her stomach. It wasn't fair. Saaya might have been mean, but this... this was a nightmare. Amu's heart pounded against her ribcage, each beat screaming that she was just a kid, too young for this horror.
But then, so was Saaya.
And she'd done this before.
Lulu's words echoed in her mind—get out, leave—but Amu's gaze was fixed on the other girl. "Saaya!" she yelled, her voice almost swallowed by the gale. No response, only the eerie laughter from the rift and Saaya's faint whimper, as well as the rumble of debris rolling, sometimes flying from all around the classroom, tumbling towards the rift. A desk tumbled by, crumpling as it went until a small sphere of rubble vanished into the rift.
Amu's breath hitched. She couldn't, shouldn't, go any closer. Panic clawed at her throat, her mind racing. She should grab Saaya and run, but where? What if the portal kept growing? What would happen to everyone else?
The rift's expansion seemed to be avoiding Saaya.
A horrifying thought struck Amu—was Saaya somehow restraining it? The realisation made her skin crawl. For a fleeting, shameful moment, she considered leaving Saaya behind. But that thought alone sent a wave of guilt washing over her. She couldn't abandon someone, no matter what. It wasn't who she was, or who she wanted to be, despite the terror that threatened to overwhelm her every thought. And Saaya?
She wasn't pleasant company, but Saaya was still human, still someone she knew, and it wasn't as though every single memory was bad. A memory flashed in Amu's mind: Saaya, carefree and laughing, suspended in mid-air as Lulu's gem gave her what she'd apparently wanted.
She reached for Saaya's hand, and recoiled as a bolt of electricity lanced up her arm. It felt like static shock, but a thousand times worse. The Humpty Lock, still looped around her neck, turned ice cold.
Gritting her teeth, Amu reached for Saaya's hand again, only to be jolted by another surge of pain. It was like a thousand static shocks fused into one, sending her nerves into a frenzy. Despite the pain and her instinct to withdraw, Amu held on. Saaya's skin was scorching to the touch, yet underneath the heat she was sweating, her entire body shaking. Her lips moved, her teeth clenching and unclenching as she mumbled under her breath, a string of syllables and gibberish.
"Saaya!" Amu shouted, her voice barely audible over the howling chaos. Saaya seemed lost in her own world, unresponsive to Amu's call.
That was it, then. She had to reach her telepathically; it was the only choice. Or simply carry her out, but breaking a hole would take time and-
She sat down, to hold Saaya down against the pull of the wind. Closed her eyes. And dropped out of reality.
⁂
She didn't often do this, and never before while she was in danger. Amu felt a little frantic, and more than a little lost. She was standing—or not really, since there was no ground—in a field of swirling lights and vague impressions. They weren't thoughts, not quite, but they weren't just energy, either.
She was dragging Dia up out of her semi-comatose slumber as quickly as she could, but that wasn't fast, precisely. In the real world, her eyes dimmed. Had anyone been there to see them through her closed eyelids, they would have seen them lose their faintly luminescent glow, regaining the same pure brown colour that they'd had when she was younger. But no-one was, and no-one did, and even Amu had never experimented with Dia in front of a mirror.
The rift was still present in this world. Amu could sense it, a gaping wound in the space around her, and a distant part of her was aware that it was continuing to grow. But there was no wind here, only a distant awareness.
Instead, she focused her attention on Saaya.
And Saaya's mind was a mess. Amu couldn't tell where the world around her began, and where her mind ended. They were fused together, fragmented shards of Saaya spraying sparks and arcs of energy, her consciousness splintering. Amu reached out, and-
She was drowning. She was-
She was Saaya.
Saaya, whose parents were ignoring each other again. Whose father had just come home late, and was arguing with her mother about how he was late, and he hadn't meant to be, and he'd been with a girl, and that was-
Her parents, giving her a brand new macintosh for her birthday, when she'd asked for a gaming console. Not paying enough attention even to realise they were different, just picking out the most expensive option.
Saaya, sitting on the couch, a glass of apple juice in her hands, listening. She'd never realised how much her parents argued before. She'd never listened before, hadn't known to, but then Amu had told her classmates about her summer vacation and how much fun it had been. How her cousin had gotten married, and how much her dad and mum loved each other, and Saaya had-
Saaya, watching Amu. She was always so confident, always seemed to have everything in control, and it wasn't fair. It wasn't fair!
She wanted what Amu had.
Saaya, cutting her hair short on one side of her head, and being told off for it. She'd thought it looked cool, but it turned out she'd gotten a bad haircut.
Saaya, staring at Ami, her heart in her throat. Amu's sister was adorable, and sweet, and perfect, and Amu didn't even appreciate-
That night, with a burning heat pounding inside her, she'd realised how weird that thought had been.
She'd gone home, and-
That dream. That stupid, impossible, stupid, wonderful dream.
And the next day, she'd woken up, and it was just her, in her room. Just Saaya.
And she'd punched a hole in her door. Ripped it to pieces. She hadn't meant to.
She'd been told off for that, too.
And the day after that, and the day after that, and the day after that, and-
She had punched out against Amu, wanting nothing more than to turn her smirk into a hole, and had realised only a second after she'd done it what that would do to Amu, that she'd just tried to kill her classmate, and Amu hadn't even seemed to notice, and then-
Reality had come apart, a yawning feeling just like her door-
And then-
She was-
'Dying,' Amu realised. Sayaa's mind had been splintering for months, and now it was coming apart. Her last conscious thought, the one reverberating between all her shards, was that she had to fix this. That she'd broken the world, so she had to be the one to fix it, but she was going to die before she could.
And on some horrifying level that Amu was firmly not going to deal with right now? Saaya was okay with that. Her classmate was almost seeing it as a relief, to exit the stage early, to escape without it being her fault.
But.
'I don't want to die,' Saaya's thoughts whispered, a million times over. 'I don't want to live,' said some, and 'I wish I'd never met her,' and 'I hate her, I hate her, I hate her.'
But most of all, she just didn't want to die.
And she was still there, her consciousness a muddled jumble. A million versions of Saaya, none of them able to agree on anything. But they all had a core, and they all agreed on a single fact. They were scared of everything, including themselves. They were attacking everything, including each other. They couldn't fit the pieces back together, couldn't remember what not being broken felt like.
She was already gone. If Amu moved her right now, the rift would tear her apart. And some of her was being drawn in already—was already there, dragged away from Saaya and torn into a rain of diamond dust that was still, somehow, lashing out. That's what was holding it back.
'How do I-'
There was no time. The rift was still growing. Saaya had been holding it back, but doing so was tearing her apart. She was-
'Saaya!'
A thousand fragments turned her way, some greeting her with mocking laughter, others with rage, or confusion, or hope, or-
'Saaya, you have to stop!
'Why should I?' the fragments replied.
'It's not Amu's fault,' said a thousand fragments, and 'I want her to suffer,' and 'You have to run away!'
Some threw themselves willingly at the rift, any end a relief. Others were dragged, pulled apart. A handful fought, stubbornly, and one by one they were torn to pieces, their last thoughts a desperate desire for help.
⁂
Amu tore her way back to reality, gasping for breath. Her face was wet, her cheeks stained with tears, and she wasn't sure when she'd started crying. Her eyes were sore. Saaya's hand was still in hers, and Saaya was-
Amu reached out, and Saaya was-
Still there, her mind a shattered ruin, a storm of emotions and fear and rage and-
Amu took a deep breath. She couldn't stay too close, and not just because Saaya had asked her not to. She glanced back at the rift, which had barely changed. How long had it been—seconds? It must have been seconds, but it had felt like an eternity. Running away with Saaya was, apparently, out. Her hands burned, a thousand mental cuts where she was touching her, and the air was starting to smell of ozone. She had to check to make sure her hands weren't being shredded, but there was no blood; only the feeling of papercuts.
But Saaya's mind, the fragments that remained, was still there.
'Su?' she thought, then discarded the idea. Su was the part of her that knew how to fix things—yes, but that was messes on the floor, or a broken toy, or a mistake, not- not a literally shattered soul.
She looked down at Saaya, whose mind was in pieces, and realised she didn't know what to do.
She didn't know how to put a mind back together, or even how to start. She wasn't like Dia.
Dia-
Her hands moved, nearly on automatic. She reached up to the locket hanging around her neck, and undid the chain. She held it up, the Humpty Lock glowing in the light of the rift, her hands shaking a little. She'd held onto the amulet for nearly four years. What it did was a mystery even to her. Support her transformations? Let her fly? Yes, but she could do those even without it, most of the time. What it did do—what she was sure that it did, with a certainty coming from nowhere at all—was act as a shield, a focus. A scaffolding.
There was a single future in which Saaya lived, and was able to shout at her again, and it was the one in which she did this. She could see that future clearly now. Saaya walking next to her, snarking about her choice of clothes while they searched for a cafe to eat lunch in.
She could do the things that led to that future.
Amu took a deep breath, then slipped the locket around Saaya's neck. It was an awkward fit, given the girl was lying down, but the lock clicked shut. Her hands were shaking as she gently brushed a strand of hair from Saaya's face.
She knew the Humpty Lock didn't act on its own, and Saaya was in no state to control it. With a deep breath, Amu reached towards the locket nestled against Saaya's chest. She didn't touch it physically; instead, she focused her intent on it. The locket responded, glowing a vivid pink that swiftly morphed into a dazzling, almost blinding, shade of deep-sea green.
Saaya's reaction was immediate and terrifying. She began to scream, a sound filled with agony and fear. A shockwave ripped through the room, hurling debris in all directions. Saaya convulsed, her back arching off the floor as a torrent of green light burst from her, forming emerald ribbons of energy that writhed and then retracted back into her.
The screaming abruptly ceased. Amu sensed something like ethereal bars of light pressing into Saaya, knitting the scattered pieces of her mind back together. The process was far from perfect; she was riddled with enough scars and missing pieces that Amu wasn't sure how she would ever recover. But she wasn't dying anymore.
Meanwhile, the rift was in turmoil. The odd cracks in reality widened, the light pulsing erratically but intensifying. A sound akin to a wooden house collapsing filled the air. The gale-force wind was still there, stronger than before, pulling towards the rift. The fissures were reaching towards Amu now, the divot left by Saaya's self-destruction hungrily filling in now that she was no longer holding back the tide.
The Humpty Lock was still, softly, glowing. Amu stared at it, then tucked it away inside Saaya's blouse. The other girl's eyes were still closed, but her lips were moving, tears streaming from her eyes. Amu pulled her into an embrace, then pushed herself to her feet, lifting Saaya with her.
They were going to get out. They would.
She just had to figure out how.
She'd barely gotten started on that, hesitating between punching a hole in the wall behind them or a floor, when Saaya stirred.
"No," she whispered.
"What?" Amu said.
"Stop," said Saaya.
"We can't, not now, we have to-"
"Just..." Saaya opened her eyes, the pupils dilated and unfocused. She sluggishly looked around, her gaze sweeping across the walls, the ceiling, the rift. "Wait," she repeated.
Amu sighed, frustration building like a knot in her throat.
"Saaya, no. We have to go, now."
"No, no, no," Saaya said, her words barely audible over the cacophony of noise and the roar of the wind. She stared at the rift, and slowly, ever so slowly, her face relaxed. The rift, still expanding, was now almost three-quarters of the width of the classroom, and the air was filled with a sharp tang, like the scent of lightning.
"Saaya..."
"I did this," she mumbled. "This is... me."
"You. Did not," Amu said, her voice suddenly fierce. "Saaya, I know you don't want to hear this from me now. Or probably ever. But this isn't your fault, and it isn't mine either."
Saaya sluggishly shook her head.
"I can fix it."
Amu stared at her. She could feel the sincerity in her thoughts. She could tell that Saaya thought, in some corner of her mind, that she really could fix it. She couldn't, though. Definitely not.
"Well, I won't let you." Amu's arms tightened, and she started to rise.
"What," Saaya whispered, a faint tinge of anger creeping into her voice.
"I'm taking you somewhere safe."
"You can't. You can't make me."
"Actually, I can." Amu said, a touch of desperation entering her voice. "I can pick you up, and throw you through a window, and fly us out of here. Do you think you can stop me?"
"I," Saaya said, her eyes widening.
"Look at the locket you're wearing," Amu continued, her voice growing sharper. Saaya's eyes dropped, staring down at her own chest.
"You... you gave me your locket," she whispered.
"I did."
"I didn't want-"
"Do you really think I care?" Amu snapped.
"Why would you?" Saaya muttered.
"Because you're not a bad person, and you deserve better."
Saaya went quiet, her gaze fixed on the Humpty Lock, its emerald glow barely visible through the fabric of her shirt.
"That's the locket I got , back when I was first learning about all this. The day we met, actually. The Lock is going to give you control, help you, and right now it's all that's keeping you alive actually." Amu took a deep breath, her arms tightening around Saaya. "I don't want you to die, Saaya. I'm sorry for what's happened, and I'll listen if you want to shout at me, but I'm not leaving you here. If you can, remember that I was trying to help, last time we fought."
Saaya was silent, and the seconds ticked past, the rift still slowly expanding, the walls buckling under the strain. Then, slowly, she raised her arms, resting them lightly on Amu's shoulders.
"I'm scared," she murmured. "I don't- I don't want to hurt anyone."
"I won't let you."
"You don't know-"
"You're not going to, because you're not alone. I'll help."
"I hate you," Saaya mumbled, her hands tightening. For once, Amu didn't need to be psionic to hear the undertone. 'I hate myself'.
"I know. I'm sorry."
"I hate that too."
Amu nodded, then stood up, her hands moving to Saaya's sides. "Let's get you out of here. I have no idea how to close the rift, but I'm not risking you, not anymore. Okay?"
Saaya nodded, her face pale. "Okay."
Amu stepped back, then stopped, her gaze drifting to the side. She could feel Tadase in the corridor, his mind the same blazing inferno of self-righteousness it always became when he used his transformation mode. He'd gotten better about hiding it, but not enough to hide from Amu.
She suppressed a smirk, then looked towards the rift, which was emitting a low-pitched groan. The expansion had slowed.
"What," Saaya whispered.
"Tadase's outside," Amu explained. "He's holding it back. Now will you leave? Please?"
Saay looked back at the rift, her eyes wide, her hands trembling. "Okay," she said, then turned to look at the outside wall.
The emerald glow from the humpty lock intensified slightly. Then the wall, already weakened, and entirely without Amu's say-so, exploded.
= = =
This was supposed to be a no-win scenario. The rest of you didn't make any mistakes. Anyway, I guess… this is where we're at now. Saaya will be keeping the Locket for the foreseeable future, but Amu doesn't need it that much anymore.
The overall situation is:
- Saaya needs to get to sleep, right now. She could use a few weeks' rest. Give her at least a day or three… is what I'd like to hope. Never mind. She isn't an asset at present, and Amu knows that, but she is a concern for later and shouldn't be in this fight.
- Tadase is currently resisting an irresistible force by using an immovable object (himself), and slowly being pushed backwards. Amu doesn't expect him to get tired, but that might not matter.
- Amu didn't notice Nagihiko doing anything blatant, but you can probably assume he's there as well.
- Kukai is likely helping with the evacuation of the second floor, which undoubtedly has taken damage as well.
- Amu needs to evacuate her classroom right now, because the location she's in will have a rift there in another few seconds.
- Amu is at 5/6 WP.
You can expect a difficulty 2 fight.
It's been about two and a half minutes since this course of events started.
Choices, choices…
[ ] Evacuate the vicinity
- You're down a lot of energy, missing your locket, and your head aches. You're not in good shape for a fight. If anything appears, hopefully the other former Guardians can handle it.
[ ] Evacuate Saaya, then come back
- You can't leave Tadase and Nagihiko on their own.
[ ] Evaluate the situation before doing anything
- While that might sound obvious, you are in a situation where seconds count. It might or might not be a good idea.
[ ] Call Lulu and update her on the developments. Yes she's going to yell at you, but if she's calling people in to help, they need to know what they are rushing into.
[ ] Look for Miki. Chances are she's in the grade-school section with Ami, and you know the area well.
- [ ] If she is in the grade-school section, she's near Yuu. Maybe he knows something about this from Easter's research?
- [ ] Or Hikaru might.
- It will take valuable time for them to answer either way, and every second counts.
