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dimensiontripperhibiki · 6 years

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Let It Burn (56/?)

Thanks for the likes/reblogs/comments guys! Hope you like this chapter! Warning(s): Sexual scenes, angst. “You prefer to be on your own a lot, huh?” Vera flinched at the sudden question. She had been staring out into the garden out back from the porch but she whirled around to find Kousaka Honoka standing behind there. She recognized her right away from the pictures she had seen as well as the vivid description her other mother had given her. Her hand flew to her face to make sure her shades were still on. “Huh?” “Sorry.” Honoka smiled sheepishly at the fact that she had managed to startle the girl. “I was just saying you prefer to be alone. I’ve noticed the others...prefer to be in a group.” “Oh.” Vera fell silent for a moment, unsure as to what to say. She felt overwhelmed at actually seeing her mother. Finally she shrugged. “It’s not that or anything…well maybe a little. Kikyo-nee...Kikyo just thinks I should be more inclusive. But I-I prefer to be alone. I think it’s genetic. Maybe. Honoka gave a soft smile. “You should rely more on people.”

“Yeah. No.” Vera rolled her eyes. “I’ve done that since I was a kid. I need to be more independent, not less.” “Hmm.” Honoka leaned against the doorway. “Do you have any hobbies?” “W-Well...I used to do ballet…” “Really?!” Honoka perked up at that. “My girlfriend dances too!” Vera bit her tongue. She didn’t want to say too much. “I bet you’re really good.” Honoka said brightly. “Me? N-No way. Not even close. I’m…” Vera trailed off, feeling herself blush. She felt anxious and uncomfortable, her usual cool facade completely disappearing. If Nozomi or Natsuki saw her acting so awkwardly they would tease her mercilessly. “I’m sure you are.” Honoka disagreed. She took another small step outside but didn’t close the door behind her. She didn’t notice Future Umi stepped closer to the ajar door, having been watching her silently from a few feet back. “Your name is Vera, right?” Vera nodded silently. “It’s nice to meet you, Vera-san. I’m Kousaka Honoka.” “I know.” Vera noticed confusion flit across Honoka’s face and hastened to explain. “I mean everyone knows. You’re the leader, right?” Honoka gave a nervous laugh and rubbed the back of her neck. “Just for my group. Chika-chan’s a leader too. And Sarah-san…” She frowned thoughtfully to herself. “I don’t really know if I could be called the leader of my group anymore. A-Anyway, do you have a last name?” “Classified.” Vera said quickly. “Sorry but you shouldn’t be prying into the future, Kousaka-san.” Honoka twitched at the comment. That tone was almost exactly the same tone as the one Eli had used back when she was student council president. “Right, sorry…” She muttered, frowning. She couldn’t help but feel curious about the newcomes to the house but she knew she shouldn’t press things. “Um so how do you know Rin-chan in the future?” “Classi…” Vera trailed off, noticing movement behind Honoka. She watched as a familiar white haired girl walked out of the house, pausing at the sight of them. “Oh.” Isla glanced between Vera and Honoka as if she was surprised to see the two of them together. “What are you doing, Vera?” “Nothing, don’t worry.” Vera answered stiffly. “I wasn’t doing anything so you can go and tell Rin-san that.” Isla huffed out a sigh. “You could be a little nicer to me, you know. Even if you don’t like me. Oh and I don’t report to Rin-senpai.” Isla scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Sure you don’t.” Honoka glanced between the two in confusion. “Wait, so you two aren’t friends…?” “No.” Isla answered firmly while Vera shook her head. “She says I irritate her too much.” “Well you do.” “Not the point!” Isla exclaimed in frustration. “We’re practically family! You’re meant to like me at least a little bit, you know? Your sister likes me just fine!” “Kikyo thinks you’re reckless, annoying and stubborn.” Vera corrected matter of factly. “She’s just too nice to be mean about it.” “Too bad you don’t have that problem…” “Wait…” Honoka shook her head, frowning slightly. “I’m confused. So are you two...what are you two to each other?” Vera glared at Isla. “She’s a pain in my…” “Language!” Isla intervened, holding a hand up. “Oh, you two are like me and Eli-senpai before she joined the group!” Honoka exclaimed suddenly, her eyes widening. “WHAT?!” Isla exclaimed loudly. “I have a girlfriend!” “She’s a pain in my ass!” Vera said in agreement, staring at Honoka in disbelief. “We would never get along!” “Uh-huh.” Honoka said with a skeptical smile. “You seriously think we’re dating or something? That’s crazy!” Isla said bluntly. “Yeah.” Vera agreed though she couldn’t help but blush slightly as she looked at Isla. “It’s not like she even likes me as a friend. Right, Isla?” “What? Of course I do, it’s you that doesn’t like me.” Isla turned, frowning at Vera. “I wouldn’t say no to being your friend. You’re funny. And you can be sweet at times, you just have...a front that you put up around people you don’t like. Like me.” Vera hesitated. “I just…” “Honoka!” Eli’s voice sounded suddenly, causing the three to look toward the door just in time to see her step outside. Eli’s eyes flitted between the small group and she hurried over to Honoka, lightly gripping her wrist. “What are you doing?” “Um...just talking to the new people.” Honoka said sheepishly. “I wasn’t doing anything.” “Come on, we need to go. We can’t talk to them, it might change the future.” Eli tugged at Honoka’s wrist but frowned when Honoka resisted her tugging. “Honoka!” “I was just talking to them.” Honoka said, clearly confused. “We weren’t talking about the future or anything like that. We were just trying to fix their friendship.” “We aren’t even friends!” Isla disagreed. “But you just called her sweet! And you obviously like her so why no-” “Okay, stop!” Eli interrupted loudly, feeling her head beginning to pound. She was relieved when the three fell silent. “Honoka, you need to leave them alone. It’s not a good idea to get involved with people from the future. It’s dangerous.” “Vera-chan doesn’t seem dangerous. And didn’t you sleep with my future self?!” Honoka asked, confused by Eli’s blunt behavior.” “Okay, ew.” Isla said with a distasteful expression. Honoka frowned over at Isla. “Didn’t you say you have a girlfriend?” “Yeah but we don’t…” Isla trailed off, blushing profusely. “Wait.” Vera glanced at Isla in shock. “You and Natsuki have never…” “No!” Vera smirked. “Oh so Natsuki is taking it slowly, huh?” “Shut up.” “It’s cute.” “Shut up. For your information, Natsuki wants to.” Isla straightened up, trying to look confident. “I’m the one who said no.” “Huh? But...oh, you’re nervous!” Vera chuckled softly to herself. “Want me to teach you a few things so you’re not as nervous when the time comes for you to do it properly.” “Sure.” Isla noticed Vera’s eyes widen in surprise and she smirked to herself. “Kidding. I’m just kidding.” “Okay, that’s enough!” Eli finally interrupted the group again, her voice loud enough to make Honoka flinch in surprise. “Honoka, come on. We’re going.” “What? But I wanna talk to Vera-chan and Isla-chan some more…” “Damn it, Honoka! Would you just do as I ask FOR ONCE?!” Honoka tugged her hand from Eli’s grip and took a few steps back. Isla watched as Vera flinched in response too. “We’d better go. You still want those lessons?” She didn’t wait for an answer before Isla grabbed her hand and used her speed to run off. Eli was left staring at Honoka. “I-I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Honoka. Just...you need to remember that these people could be anyone. We don’t know how they know Rin. Or us. You need to keep your distance.” “No.” Honoka answered firmly even as she stared at Eli with hurt in her eyes. “I won’t. Nobody else has to so why should I? I saw Hanayo-chan talking to the blue haired girl earlier. And Kotori is always with the red haired girl.” “It doesn’t matter! It’s not about them, it’s about…” Eli trailed off, realizing she was about to say too much. “Just stay away from them, Honoka. I’m asking you. Please. I love you. It’s for your safety, just trust me on this.” Honoka stared at Eli. “You’re keeping something from me.” Eli grimaced. “Honoka, I…” “Fine.” Honoka interrupted, looking away from Eli. “I’ll stay away from them because you asked me to.” She hesitated for a moment, unsure as to what else to say. She couldn’t help but feel a little upset about Eli ordering her around and keeping things from her. She let out a soft sigh and moved past Eli, heading back toward the door. “Honoka.” Eli caught Honoka’s hand on the way to the door. “I just want to protect you. I need you to be safe, that’s all.” Honoka frowned down at their hands. “You won’t tell me why though, right?” “Because you’re dead in their future!” Eli blurted out hurriedly. Honoka stared at Eli for a long moment. She had to admit it didn’t come as a surprise. “Why does that matter? Who am I to them?” Eli gritted her teeth. “Honoka, I can’t.” She felt Honoka’s hand slip from hers and her own fell back to her side. “I thought so.” Honoka mumbled, sliding her hands into her jacket pocket. She took a deep breath. She knew that she didn’t match up to her future self but it was as though nobody trusted her at all. “I can’t.” Eli repeated, a growing lump in her throat. “It’ll only hurt you. E-Even future Honoka isn’t talking to the future kids.” Honoka’s brow furrowed. “They’re around our age though…” Eli paled at her own slip up. “I-I didn’t mean that. I just mean...they seem a lot younger than us. Will you promise me you’ll keep your distance?”

“I guess.” Honoka muttered, looking away in annoyance. Eli swallowed thickly. “Are you angry with me?” “Yes.” Honoka briefly closed her eyes. “I’m going to find Yuki. I think she’s with Rin-chan and Hibiki-chan again.” “I want to tell you!” Eli exclaimed, tears brimming in her eyes. “I really do but it’ll only hurt you. Honoka, you being dead is the worst thing for Muse. I know you hate people lying to you, I know you especially hate me lying to you but...please don’t leave me. I just want to protect you, I-I don’t have a choice.” Honoka felt her own eyes prickle with tears as she noticed Eli’s tears. “There’s always a choice, Eli-senpai.” Her shoulders slumped in defeat. “I’m not a stupid kid. I’m NOT. I want to be useful to the group too but even you talk to me like I’m a stupid kid sometimes. I lost my family and I handled it, I almost lost my best friends twice, I know I’m going to die in the future because I’ve already SEEN it. I can handle whatever this is.” “I’m sorry. Please...please try to understand, Honoka. This is something we both need to stay away from. Those girls...we should keep our distance from all of them. Just trust me. Not just for us but for them. You trigger them.” “I’ll stay away from them. I promise.” Honoka said softly, avoiding Eli’s gaze. “You asked me to and I trust you. I just wish you trusted me too.” “I DO TRUST YOU!” Eli’s words rang out around the yard and Honoka’s eyes snapped up to lock with tearful icy blue. “I trust you with my life, Honoka. But there are things you shouldn’t have to deal with. This is one of them. You already have enough to think about with Yuki and Umi and Yukiho. And everyone else who relies on you. I wish I could tell you, I wish the future wasn’t what it is but...” Honoka felt her anger ebb a bit as Eli’s voice cracked. Watching tears slide down Eli’s cheeks she couldn’t help but step forward to hug the tearful blonde. She felt Eli gasp and hug her back tightly. “I’m still angry with you.” Honoka said softly as Eli buried her face in her crook of her neck. “I’m sorry.” “You’re lucky I love you so much.” Honoka mumbled before she slowly drew away from the embrace. She pressed her lips briefly to Eli’s forehead, feeling Eli take a shuddering breath. “Are we okay?” Eli whispered nervously. Honoka hesitated. “We will be.” She slowly let go of Eli and turned, walking back into the house. Eli cursed under her breath, her chest aching and her eyes prickling once more. ---- “You know I’m not dumb, right?” Isla flinched at the question. She had been busy staring at Isla as the girl paced so she hadn’t expected the question. Her breath caught as icy blue eyes turned to her. “Huh?” “I know that my ability isn’t teleportation. It’s something else.” Vera explained simply. Isla‘s brow furrowed in confusion. “Have you learned something?” “Take my hand.” Vera reached her hand out to Isla who seemed to hesitate for a moment before taking it. Focusing, she stopped time around them. Isla glanced around. She felt like she was in the speed force but she wasn’t. Everything was so much stiller suddenly. “Vera.” “See, we both have complications.” Vera muttered. “So...you want to be my friend or something, right?” She waited for Isla to nod before she continued. “I want to trust you. I just feel afraid.” Isla smiled softly. Vera was just like Eli, it seemed. “I won’t tell anyone, you know. If you don’t want them to know you’re friends with me. You can still call me annoying and reckless if you want to.” Vera smiled genuinely for what seemed like the first time in a long time. “Thank you. I-I can’t believe I’ve been shielded from this for so long. Like I’m some fragile doll.” “You’re not, you’re strong. I mean you didn’t even freak out when you saw your mom.” Isla said, wide eyed. “I saw mine for a few minutes and I ended up a mess. Pretty stupid, huh?” She blushed sheepishly, averting her eyes. “Damn it, you’re too cute to stay mad at.” Vera said playfully. She gently yet briefly touched Isla’s arm, ice blue eyes melting into something softer. “I-I guess we could be friends.” “Opposites attract, huh?” “Really? You’re using that phrase?” Vera raised an eyebrow playfully and leaned in. Isla blushed and backed away. “Um, I mean…” “It’s fine. You can say anything here.” Vera said, awed by the sense of freedom she felt. “I know Honoka will sense it and even Rin-san but I don’t care. I can be myself here.” “You can always be yourself when you’re with me.” Isla mumbled, earning herself a surprised look. “W-What? I’m just saying! I already wanted you to be my friend before so...ugh, stop laughing at me.” “I’m not laughing.” Vera said despite grinning. “So you’re saying you were attracted before?” “W-Well I mean I kinda knew you since elementary and always thought you were kind of pretty but always totally out of my league. And you acted like I was bothering you too so I decided to stay away. I-I mean...what am I saying?!” Vera smiled softly but didn’t comment. She instead tugged out her necklace from under her shirt, just a simple cross. “I can finally let this be free instead of hiding it. I know my mother has the same one.” Isla looked at the necklace, inadvertently looking at Vera’s chest too. She had to admit, the girl’s chest was nice. “Up here, speedy.” Vera teased, nudging Isla’s chin with her fingers to get her to look up. She smiled warmly when forest green eyes met her own. “Not that I don’t like the attention but we were talking so…” Isla shook her head in disbelief. “As if you don’t get enough attention already. I mean you’re hot.” Vera felt her cheeks flush. “I-I don’t get that much attention. It’s not like anyone sees me in that way. My friends just think of me as family and...” “Good thing we’re not friends then.” Isla joked, a nervous smile tugging at her lips. She noticed shock cross Vera’s face. “Ah, maybe that was too far. Sorry.” Vera looked away. “I guess since we’re being honest...I am slightly attracted to you. Physically. For being a year younger you actually have a well defined body.” Isla gave a slight laugh as Vera blushed. “Ah, thanks.” Icy blue eyes daringly locked with forest green. “So in this place we can let our emotions out, right?” “Yes.” “Don’t kill me.” Vera requested, inching forward. “I just want to get this out, nothing more, nothing less.” “I don’t judge. Promise.” Isla signed a cross over her heart, earning herself a exasperated sigh from Isla. “You’re an idiot. Well here’s to an eventually broken friendship.” Vera took Isla’s face in her hands and kissed her on the lips. She felt Isla kiss back for a moment before she slowly drew away. “Um...was that okay?” “Yeah.” Isla rasped in response. “W-Wait, I mean no. I mean it was nice. But I have a girlfriend.” “It’s our secret. Nobody will know anything.” Vera soothed gently, noticing Isla looked panicked. “I mean don’t you just want to get away from everything?” Isla thought about that for a moment before she lunged forward and kissed Vera hard. The two stumbled back against the wall and as Isla deepened the kiss she reached down to grasp the back of her newfound friend’s thighs, picking her up. She pinned her to the walls using her hips and felt legs lock around her waist. She growled under her breath, feeling nimble fingers tug her hair out of her signature ponytail. She had never felt such primal desire. With Natsuki it was sweet but with Vera it was just passionate. Isla didn’t want to pull away from the kiss but eventually her chest started to feel tight and she was forced to draw away to take a breath. Her hands, which had been resting under Vera’s legs shifted up slightly to keep her steady. She looked up at Vera, forest green eyes meeting soft blue. “I hate hiding. In the damn speed force. Always having to do what Rin-senpai says. I’m tired of ignoring my parents. Even if my mom is with Nico-san. I shouldn’t have to hide.” “I know.” Vera rested her hands gently on Isla’s shoulders, content to stay where she was for now. “It’s the same for me. Having no clue about my true ability. A stranger had to tell me! They’ve always been so overprotective. Always forcing me to stay indoors when other children could go out...I want to be free. I want to do what I want.” “Well you’re doing what you want now, aren’t you?” Isla said with a small smile. “That’s because we’re in this...whatever this is.” Vera said, glancing around in confusion. Everything around them looked the same but she could tell everything had stopped. “Do you...want to stop?” “No. But you have to save your energy. And I have a…” “Girlfriend. I know.” Vera said softly. “Then you should probably let go, Isla.” “I don’t want to.” Isla blurted out. She noticed Vera raise an eyebrow and blushed. “Sorry. It’s just...we’re friends now, right? In this...place. What if when we step out of it, we go back to normal? What if you go back to being pissed at me all of the time and I have to go back to pretending that you annoy me too even though I just want to talk to you and...and I’m talking too much. You must think I’m an idiot.” Vera smirked at the rambling. “How didn’t I know you had this kind of side to you?” She asked thoughtfully before she shook her head. “We could keep doing this. If you want.” Isla blinked up at Vera. “The kissing?” “No! I mean...well that too maybe but we could use this place more.” Vera said hurriedly. “I do want to explore more of this power and since you have so many different abilities we could...train together or other stuff.” “I don’t know.” Isla said hesitantly, her mind flitting to her girlfriend. “I don’t want to hurt Natsuki.” Vera gave a soft sigh. “Well...time isn’t really passing while we do this. So...I guess that means it doesn’t count, right?” Isla’s brow furrowed. “That doesn’t make sense. Does it? Ugh. I don’t know.” She carefully lowered Vera back to the floor but made sure she left a hand on her so as not to break their connection. “Nothing makes sense anymore.” Vera lightly pecked Isla’s cheek. “It’s okay, you can think about it. Maybe I’m just being selfish. Huh, I never thought I’d use that word. Sorry, I need to go to Kikyo-nee-san. She’ll be worried about me.” Isla felt time start around them, her brow furrowing slightly. She quickly took her hands away from Vera and watched as the girl put her shades on before teleporting away. “What are you doing?” Isla turned around only to find Hanayo narrowing her eyes at her. “Uh…” “Why were you with her and not your girlfriend?” Isla’s eyes widened. She knew that Hanayo couldn’t have seen anything really. “Uh…” “What’s wrong with you?” Hanayo frowned, unnerved by the girl’s reaction. “N-Nothing!” Isla exclaimed, her voice a little higher than usual. “Vera was just upset a-and…” Hanayo’s eyes glowed. “Don’t brush me off damn it. You’re worse than Hibiki, all of you coming in here, acting like you’re in charge…” Isla shrunk back toward the ajar door behind her, her eyes wide. “I should just pull your hearts out.” Hanayo’s eyes pulsed, glowing bright purple. “Especially that future version of Rin. She’s pissing off everyone, even my Rin-chan!” “M-Mo...I-I mean Hanayo, please...please calm down.” Isla backed away, her hands raised in front of her as Hanayo approached. Suddenly she felt her back collide with something and saw someone dart past out of the corner of her eye. “Hanayo, calm down.” Nico grabbed onto Hanayo’s hand and glanced over her shoulder as Nozomi and Maki entered too the room behind her. She glared at Isla. “How the hell did you activate her parasite?! She was getting BETTER!” “I-I…” Isla shook her head, her heart pounding against her chest. She could barely take in what Nico was saying. “I have to stop them.” Hanayo growled furiously. “I have to kill them.” “Okay, enough!” Maki stepped forward and pressed her hand to Hanayo’s forehead just as Nozomi grasped the girl’s other arm. She focused her ability and watched as Hanayo’s eyes rolled back into her head before she fell into Nico’s arms. “You okay?” Isla looked up at the person who had been clutching her shoulder, her eyes widening when she found her dad standing there. Her eyes clouded with tears and she surged forward, hugging him tightly. She couldn’t help it. She had never seen her mother look at her like that before. “Oh.” Raven’s eyes widened at the sudden embrace. “There’s...hugging. Right.” He glanced over at Nico, Nozomi and Maki, at a loss as he hesitantly hugged the girl back. “What the hell did you say to her?” Nico growled, ignorant of Isla’s state. “How did you do this?!” “Nico.” Raven frowned at Nico and shook his head. “Just leave her alone, okay? Not now.” “Seriously?!” Nico threw her hands up in frustration. “You don’t even know her.” “So what? I didn’t know any of you before and I still helped you. You’re scaring her.” Raven said, frowning at Nico. “Make sure Hanayo is okay. I’ll help...um…” “I think her name is Isla.” Nozomi said quietly, rubbing her temples. She wasn’t sure what she could feel from the girl in question but she knew it was a lot. “She’s a speedster.” “Right. Isla. I’ve got this.” Raven lightly gripped Isla’s shoulders, gently urging her away. “Come on, I’ll make you some tea. Or I’ll ask Kotori to, I’m not so good at it.” Isla let out a tearful laugh and nodded her head quickly in response. She forced herself not to look back at Hanayo as Raven led her from the room. “What’s the deal with that?” Maki asked in confusion. Nozomi sighed and shrugged her shoulders. “This timeline situation is getting ridiculous…” --- Hanayo stirred to a pressure upon the top of her head. Her eyes fluttered open and she frowned sleepily when she saw Nozomi sitting at her side. She glanced around, noticing Nico sitting at her other side while Maki was standing at the end of the bed. “What happened?” “You almost attacked one of the new girls.” Maki answered pointedly, crossing her arms in front of her chest. Hanayo groaned. “How bad was it? Did I scare her as much as I scared Hibiki?” “Well we stopped you before you phased your hand so…” Nico said, trying to reassure her girlfriend. “Yes, you did.” Nozomi interjected with a sigh. “You really scared her. I could feel it.” Hanayo pushed herself into a sitting position, frowning at Nozomi. “This isn’t my fault. She shouldn’t be here. None of them should be here!” “That’s not for you to decide and it’s not okay that you’re threatening to rip people’s hearts out.” Maki said stiffly, narrowing her eyes at Hanayo. “I thought you were getting this under control.” “I thought I was! I can’t help it!” Hanayo exclaimed loudly. “Split personality, remember? It’s not like I want to kill people.” “Your problem is you’re irrationally angry at the wrong people.” Nozomi pointed out, doing her best to speak gently despite how much the situation was frustrating her. “You don’t lose your temper like this around Tsubasa. And that girl hasn’t done anything to you. In fact I‘m fairly certain you were friends or something in the future. She wasn’t just scared when you tried to attack her. She was hurt. Betrayed.” “I don’t care, it’s NOT my future!” Hanayo pounded her fist down onto the bed, causing Nozomi to flinch slightly. “What? Are you scared of me now?” “Yes.” Nozomi answered simply. “Of course I am. You’re dangerous, Hanayo. You know that.” “Maybe we should have her be trained by Tsubasa.” Nico suggested, earning herself shocked looks from Nozomi and Maki. “Tsubasa seems to be able to control herself without help. Maybe she can help us. Hanayo needs help. She needs a mentor.” Maki and Nozomi shared a look before they both nodded reluctantly. “I guess we don’t have much of a choice.” Nozomi relented quietly. She didn’t like the idea but she didn’t know what else to do. “I don’t know what else we could try.” Hanayo frowned at the fact that they were talking about her as if she weren’t even in the room. She relaxed as Nico gripped her hand, squeezing it gently. ---- Vera stared at the ceiling, struggling to doze off. She couldn’t stop thinking about what had happened earlier. About using her ability for the first time. It both scared and excited her. She sighed softly, closing her eyes as her thoughts shifted to Isla. She didn’t know why she had done what she had. It was a spur of the moment decision. Usually Isla infuriated her.

Her eyes darted open at the feeling of a sudden gust of wind. She pushed herself up in bed to find Isla standing at the side of her bed. “Isla?” She whispered. She didn’t dare speak louder. Given that the only free beds were in the infirmary, most of the girl’s were staying together with the exception of Isla and future Rin. “Will you come with me?” Isla asked softly, holding out a hand to Vera. “I really need…” Her voice cracked and she briefly closed her eyes. “Please?” “Okay.” Vera slipped her hand into Isla’s and watched as the girl moved, lightning quick to pick her up before dashing from the room. Vera blinked and the next thing she knew she was outside. She didn’t recognize where they were, only that they were outside, seemingly in a park of some kind. She shivered as Isla set her down on her feet. “Sorry.” Isla took her jacket off and wrapped it around Vera’s shoulders. “What do you want to talk abou-” Vera was cut off as Isla suddenly hugged her tightly. Her eyes widened in surprise at the abruptness of the action. “Um...okay, what’s happening?” “I’m sorry. Can you just hug me back? Just for a minute. I need this.” Isla’s voice was thick with emotion as she spoke. “Please, Vera.” Vera hesitated for a moment before she hugged Isla back. “What’s wrong?” “I just want to forget everything. I want to go home.” Isla whimpered, clutching Isla tightly. “I-I think my mom wants to kill me.” “Wait, what?!” “She said she’d tear my heart out. And that I shouldn’t...shouldn’t be here.” Isla said tearfully. “She doesn’t know who I am but...she hates me, Vera. She really hates me.” “That’s crazy.” Vera slowly drew away, clutching Isla’s arms and tugged her over to a nearby bench, sitting her down. She took a seat next to her. “I mean there has to be a reason!” Isla shrugged her shoulders. “Her eyes were glowing. She hates me.” Vera sighed softly as tears tracked down Isla’s cheeks. “I’m sorry.” She lifted her hand, gently wiping Isla’s tears. “What’s wrong with me?” Isla asked in a whisper. “It has to be me, right? My mom hates me, you hated me, I-I don’t even have any friends besides Kikyo and Natsuki. And my aunts.” She bowed her head, blinking back tears. “What’s wrong with me, Vera?” Vera opened and closed her mouth. She didn’t know what to say. She wanted to reassure Isla and tell her she had a lot of friends. She did, in the future. And Isla’s sister adored her. But she couldn’t force the words. Instead she cupped Isla’s face in her hands and kissed her gently. Isla sniffled softly when Vera drew away. “What are you doing? We’re not in your...time thing.” “Shhh.” Vera kissed Isla again, more insistent this time and felt the girl slowly relax. She slowly crawled into Isla’s lap, intent on distracting the girl from what she was worrying about. She felt hands settle at her waist and allowed her lips to wander from Isla’s down to her neck. “I don’t hate you.” Vera whispered hotly into Isla’s ear. “I never did.” Isla shuddered at the comment, warm breath brushing against her ear. “Vera…” “Isla.” Vera said back, her voice husky. She lightly nipped at the skin beneath her lips, her breathing growing heavier. “Should I stop?” Isla shook her head quickly. She turned her head, catching Vera’s lips in a deep kiss as she drew the girl closer to her. It once more struck her by surprise that kissing Vera felt so right, even though it wasn’t right at all. She had a girlfriend. But not even kissing Natsuki felt like kissing Vera. She pressed her tongue past Vera’s parted lips, deepening the kiss and heard her whimper softly, the sound causing a shiver to course through her own body. It was only when she felt a hand trail down to her chest that she pulled away. “V-Vera-san, wait. What are we doing?” Vera looked away guiltily. “You’re right. My apologies. You’re still not ready for that.” Isla blushed. “That’s not what I mean. Just...I’m a mess. And I have…” “I know.” “But I want you.” Isla said softly, her brow furrowed in confusion. “But I have a…” “I know.” Vera interrupted again. “I have to talk to her. I can’t...this is so confusing.” Isla sighed and tilted her head back to look up at Vera. She didn’t know what to make of her sudden attraction to her. A day ago they hadn’t even been friends. “Let me take you home. Thank you for...this.” Vera flashed Isla a teasing smirk. “It was good for me too.” “Vera!” Isla sighed and shook her head but surprised Vera with another quick hug. Before Vera could think to say anything else, Isla took off running and a matter of seconds later, Vera found herself in bed again, Isla nowhere to be found. Sighing, she lay back down, staring at the ceiling once more. It seemed like it wasn’t going to get any easier to sleep. ---- Natsuki was just dozing off when she heard a creak behind her followed by a dip in the mattress. She turned over to see Isla sitting on the edge of the bed. “Isla? Hey, you coming to bed?” Isla shook her head, wringing her hands nervously. “What’s wrong?” Natsuki asked in concern, pushing herself into a sitting position. “Nothing, I’m fine, Nat-chan.” Isla replied quietly, looking down at her hands. “Well...I-I need to talk to you about something.” Natsuki frowned. “What is it?” “Do you love me? I-I mean I know I’m your friend but are you...in love with me?” Isla noticed Natsuki looked surprise. “You can say no. I just want to know how you feel about me?” “W-Well I’m not really ready to say...in love but…” “Nat-chan.” Isla interrupted quickly. “I-I think we should maybe...go back to being friends.” Natsuki’s eye twitched. “A-Are you serious…? What? WHAT?!” Isla cringed at the hurt tone in Natsuki’s voice. “Don’t make me say it.” She hesitated when Natsuki narrowed her eyes. “I think I like Vera. And it wouldn’t be fair for me to stay with you when I want to…” She trailed off, blushing at the thoughts that had crossed her mind more than a few times. “So that’s it, huh?” Natsuki asked softly. “I thought you liked me too. You told me you loved me.” “I-I know but...I do. I meant it. You’re my best friend. But I have feelings for Vera and…” “Okay, Isla.” Natsuki interrupted hurriedly. “Alright. I understand. If you want to see where things go with Vera, it’s fine. I figured this might happen anyway so...I hope it works out.” Isla stared at Natsuki in surprise as the girl settled back down in bed. “Wait, are you serious?” “Yeah.” Natsuki threw an arm over her eyes with a tired sigh. “Goodnight, Isla.” “R-Right. Goodnight.” Isla stood from the bed, her stomach in knots and her chest tight. She slowly backed away from Natsuki and turned, leaving the room. Natsuki waited until she was sure Isla had left before she turned onto her side, her shoulders shaking with silent sobs as she curled up under her blankets. She wasn’t sure how long she lay there, going over what Isla had said before she felt her blankets being tugged away. She looked up, catching a flash of blue hair. “Move over, I’m getting in.” Kikyo said softly. She waited until Natsuki scooted over before she climbed into bed with her. “I...I heard.” “I am in love with her.” Natsuki whispered tearfully, almost afraid to admit it. “I love her.” “I know.” Kikyo shifted, letting Natsuki moved closer to her. She wrapped her arms around Natsuki and gently rubbed her back. “She might come back.” “Why would she? It’s been obvious since we were kids that they liked each other. Your sister just doesn’t know how to speak to Isla properly. I don’t know what I was thinking, getting myself into this...” Kikyo sighed, running her fingers gently through red locks. “I’m sorry.” “Yeah. I know.” “No, I mean I’m sorry. Vera’s my sister and...I’m sorry that she...that they hurt you.” Kikyo said quietly, her brow furrowing. “You know Vera understands Isla. And I know they both yearn for freedom from different things. So maybe it’s not anything more than them being attracted to each other and trying to make something more out of it. There’s more to a relationship than what they have. You and Isla are good for each other. She’ll be back, I know it.” “She never wanted to go all the way with me either.” Natsuki said thoughtfully, mostly to herself. “Maybe she wasn’t that attracted.” Kikyo buried her face in Natsuki’s shoulder. “Shameless.” “At least I’m not the only single person, huh?” Natsuki joked weakly. “You’re twenty one and you still can’t talk about sex.” “Natsuki, shut up!” Natsuki smiled softly at the response. “Will you stay here tonight? If anyone asks tomorrow I’ll make something up. I’ll tell them I had a nightmare or…” “I’m staying.” Kikyo replied without hesitation. “I don’t care what you tell everyone.” “Thank you.” Natsuki breathed a sigh of relief and closed her eyes. Across the room, Vera gritted her teeth. She was shocked and angry that Isla had broken up with Natsuki but at the same time she felt giddy at the idea that Isla might be thinking of choosing her. Still, she felt guilty too as she listened to Natsuki sniffle across the room. Natsuki was a close friend to her and she didn’t want to do anything to hurt her. She sighed softly. She needed to talk to Isla but she wasn’t even sure what she would say to the girl. She didn’t want to turn her down, she just wished that Natsuki could be happy too. ----- Kanan couldn’t help but notice that You seemed a little distracted as they trained together. Or not exactly distracted but like she was focusing intently on what they were doing, to the point that she wasn’t moving as naturally as she usually would have, Kanan realized after a few moments. “You okay?” She asked, ducking another of You’s punches. Naturally she felt the urge to use her power in response but that wasn’t what the training was about. “Yeah. Just trying to focus.” You answered, turning to face Kanan. She half-heartedly blocked a kick from Kanan, using her right arm. “Okay, let’s take a break.” Kanan stepped back, her breathing slightly heavy. She turned, making her way over to the towel she’d dropped on the floor. “What’s going on? You seem like you’re overthinking this too much. We’re just training.” “I’m not, I’m just...thinking about other things.” You answered vaguely. She watched as Kanan wiped her face with the towel. “Were you guys ever scared of my ability?” “No.” Kanan answered without hesitation. “Why would we be scared?” You shrugged her shoulders. “I could really hurt someone. You know the kind of things I can do with this ability. I could kill someone.” “I could too. Are you scared of me?” “It’s not the same.” You said, frowning to herself. “I have super strength, I could accidentally hurt any of you.” “But you never have.” Kanan sat down on the floor, leaning against the wall and patted the space next to her. She waited until You sat down before she spoke again. “Where is all of this coming from?” “I have before. I hurt Chika-chan.” You drew her knees to her chest, distress evident on her face. “When she wasn’t feeling anything, I-I had to punch her. That’s how we got her to feel again. She could only feel me touching her so I was the only person who could do it and Raven-san said he could amplify her senses to fix her. I didn’t want to.” Kanan shifted closer to You, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “Hey, calm down. Do you remember when your abiility first started to develop?” You’s flinched, tears pricking at her eyes as she thought about it “You pushed me really hard.” Kanan reminded You. “You were about seven then. My ribs were fractured and I couldn’t swim for a month.” “Why are you making me remember that?!” “What did I say to you after it happened?” Kanan asked patiently, refusing to draw away from You. “Y-You said you weren’t scared of me! But you should have been!” You exclaimed loudly. “I hurt you. I hurt you really bad, Kanan!” She turned to look at Kanan in anguish. “If I did that now it would be worse. A lot worse.” “I know. But you wouldn’t. You only did it then because you didn’t know your own strength. You do now. And you have control. I trust you, You.” You bowed her head, tears streaming their way down her cheeks. “I’m scared I’ll lose control. What if I get so angry that I just lash out? What if I hurt you or Chika-chan or someone else from our group of Honoka-chan’s group? I promised I would protect you and Chika with this ability but i-it’s useless! It’s not good for anything but hurting people.” Kanna gripped You’s arm, gently turning her before she hugged her tightly. “You protect us all of the time, You. You…” “I couldn’t protect Riko-chan!” You blurted out, pressing her face into Kanan’s shoulder. “I couldn’t do anything but watch her die! And I couldn’t protect Chika-chan when Tsubasa attacked her!” “You can’t do everything, You. I should have protected Riko-chan too. I’m more responsible for that than you, I-I’m the oldest. I was meant to protect you.” Kanan gently rubbed You’s back, trying to soothe her. “It’s not your fault. If you ask Chika she’ll tell you the same thing. You should talk to her. Sounds like you need some love and Chika’s the best person to give you that…” “Kanan-chan!” You pulled away, blushing and teary but still managed a small laugh. “I mean because you love her the most. You’re a pervert.” Kanan teased, giving You a gentle nudge. She was glad she’d managed to get a laugh from her friend though. “But really, you should talk to her.” You nodded slowly, brushing away the rest of her tears. “Yeah. Yeah, thanks, Kanan-chan. I’ll talk to her.” “Good. But don’t forget you can talk to me about anything too. Unless it’s about how good sex with Chika is. I don’t need to know that.” You gently swatted Kanan’s knee, earning herself a soft laugh. “See? I told you you had control.” “Yeah, yeah…” --- Future Umi scanned the attic surrounding, taking in the dusty walls and boxes that surrounded her. She wasn’t sure she had ever been in Kotori’s attic, even when they were children and used to play hide and seek around the spacious house. She remember that Honoka had always been in awe whenever she had visited either Umi or Kotori’s houses because Honoka’s was so much smaller than theirs. She sighed softly, looking down at the futon she was sitting on. She had figured she would be fine in the attic but she felt nothing but lonely when she was sitting on her own. She longed to get back to her own Honoka in her own timeline. Lost in her thoughts, she jumped in surprise when Future Honoka suddenly appeared in front of her. “Honoka!” She gasped, her hand going to her chest. “You shouldn’t use your ability for trivial thi...what’s wrong?” “I just wanted to see you.” Future Honoka dropped to her knees in front of Umi and hugged her tightly, her eyes shrouded with tears. Surprised by the suddenness of the embrace, the collision caused Umi to tumble onto her back, Honoka going with her. “Honoka…” “I-I’m sorry.” Honoka said tearfully. “I didn’t know who else to go to, I can’t...I can’t…” “Shh, it’s okay.” Umi wrapped her arms around Honoka even as her heart pounded against her chest at the position they were in. “What happened?” “Those kids are ours and Eli-senpai’s. Kikyo is yours and mine and Vera is mine and Eli’s. Kotori is dead, I’m dead, Hanayo is dead...Screw future Rin. Damn it.” “H-Honoka…” Umi wasn’t sure what to say, overwhelmed by information. “I’m sorry.” Honoka whimpered again, pressing close to Umi’s warmth. “I wish I could tell Nozomi but Rin won’t goddamn let me! She’s probably spying on me but you’re part of the future so you can know. It’s just...nobody from this timeline can know.” “It’s okay.” Umi soothed, her hand moving briefly to Honoka’s hip. She let it rest there, lightly caressing and fought the urge to kiss Honoka’s head. This Honoka wasn’t her Honoka but they were built so similarly. “It’s going to be okay, I promise.” “You smell like her.” Honoka buried her nose in Umi’s collar. “Like my Umi.” Umi exhaled slowly. “I thought I could handle being here with you but...damn it. I’m not going to lose focus on my mission and I’ll certainly keep focus enough to give you and Nozomi your happy ending.” “You’re so selfless it’s sickening.” Honoka muttered. “I know. But remember we are friends and I’ll do anything to make you happy.” Umi said hesitantly. She hoped Honoka believed her. She knew Honoka was probably still a bit wary of her though it didn’t seem like that was the case at the moment. “Nozomi makes you happy.” “I don’t think I make her happy.” Honoka whispered sadly, her heart wrenching at the thought. “I thought I did but I don’t think so now.” “She’s dating a time traveller. I kind of understand why she’s scared.” Umi said softly. “You may be there one day but the next day you could be gone.” “Am I difficult for you?” Honoka lifted her head to look into Umi’s eyes. “I like difficult. I love it.” Umi said softly, locking eyes with Honoka. “I wouldn’t want anything else.” Honoka managed a small smile at that. “I love you.” She watched as Umi’s eyes widened and blushed. “Ah, I’m sorry. That was...really selfish to say. I meant to say I loved you. I loved...my Umi. But you’re the closest I have an I didn’t get to tell her before she died protecting me. I love you. That’s why it hurt so badly when you betrayed me. I knew I was with Kotori but I always...thought about you when I’m most scared. When I was about to die. And then Eli-senpai took that place. And then Nozomi. But I did have feelings for you. And I want to just have one more thing before I finally move on from you. I wanted to tell you how I felt. I’m sorry if that made you uncomfortable or…” “I love you too.” Umi answered, effectively silencing Honoka. “I loved you too. Even when I...did what I did.” Honoka leaned in carefully and pressed her lips to Umi’s cheek. Slowly, Honoka eased away. “Thank you...for letting me tell you.” Umi didn’t say anything else as Honoka slid off of her and lay down on her side next to her, her head resting on Umi’s shoulder. Umi stared at the ceiling as Honoka slowly drifted off. ---- Vera was halfway down the stairs when a gust of wind blew her hair up and isla appeared in front of her. “Damn it! Isla, what the hell?!” “Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” Isla said with a sheepish smile. “Can we talk? I-I wanted to ask you something.” Vera stared at Isla. “I heard what you did to Natsuki. What the hell was that about?” “Huh?” Isla blinked at Vera in surprise. “Oh, I was...I was just...I-I don’t know. It wasn’t working between us and I like…” Vera scoffed and pushed past Isla before the speedster could finish speaking. “Whatever. I have things to do, Isla. Can you ask Kikyo or someone whatever it is you need to ask?” “I didn’t want to ask them, I want to ask you.” Isla jogged down the stairs after Vera and grabbed her hand. “Wait. Vera…” “Damn it, Isla. I’m BUSY!” Vera snatched her hand away, glaring angrily at Isla. “Maybe you should be talking to Natsuki, not me. You broke her heart you know.” “That’s not true.” Isla frowned at the comment. “Nat-chan didn’t even care when I told her last night. She just told me to leave. She doesn’t love me.” “You really don’t know her at all. Unbelievable.” “Huh?” “Just leave me alone for a bit. I’ll talk to you later when I’m not in the mood to yell at you.” Isla felt herself flush with anger as Vera turned to walk away from her. “When aren’t you in the mood to yell at me?! I thought it would be different with us now. I thought we could be friends but it’s just the same, isn’t it?” Vera paused for a moment at the accusation. “Leave it alone, Isla. I can’t talk to you about this right now. You need to sort out the mess you made with Natsuki.” Isla watched Vera leave, her shoulders slumped in defeat. She didn’t know what to say to stop her. She didn’t even know if she should try. She bit the inside of her cheek, feeling her eyes mist with tears. She cursed and quickly wiped them away. She shouldn’t be getting upset. She had expected this, at least somewhat. She took a deep breath and took off running. She didn’t know where, she just had to get away from the house. --- Vera crept down the dark hallway to the office at the far end. She knew that was where Isla was staying with Rin but she’d never been there before. She’d never felt the need to go there. Reaching the door at the end she slowly pushed it open and let herself into the darkened room. She saw two futons but only one of them was occupied. Taking a deep breath she walked over to the futon on the floor, pausing next to Isla’s form. Her hair was down, she noticed. Splayed across the pillow and it seemed like Isla was sleeping. She didn’t even stir. Taking a deep breath, Vera slipped into the bed next to Isla, tugging the blanket over both of them. “Isla.” She whispered, pressing close to Isla’s back. She curled her arm around the speedsters waist, vaguely noticing how warm the other girl was. She pressed her lips lightly to the nape of Isla’s neck. “Isla.” Isla’s brow furrowed but she didn’t respond. Vera could tell that she wasn’t sleeping though, she was simply trying to ignore her. “Wake up.” Vera whispered against the bare skin her lips were pressed against. “Isla. You can’t stay mad at me all night.” Isla didn’t reply and Vera pouted, stubbornly deciding that she was going to convince Isla to talk to her. She slid her hand under Isla’s shirt, running her fingers over the girl’s stomach. “Isla.” Isla bit the inside of her cheek to stay quiet, not wanting to be the one to give in. It was only when Vera’s hand crept a bit too high, fingers brushing the underside of her breast that she let out a breathy moan. She quickly drew away though, her cheeks burning with embarrassment. “VERA! Damn it, you are so confusing.” “Most girls are.” Isla glared angrily. “Oh so now you want to talk?!” “I was in a bad mood, I told you!” “You made me think you were going to go back to ignoring me, you…” Isla trailed off as Vera sighed and straddled her in a single movement. She flushed in response. Vera really looked like the second in command Pyro even with her ginger hair. “What are you doing?” “What do you think? I’m going to make you feel better.” Vera reached down, lightly caressing Isla’s cheek. “I’m not good at expressing my feelings…” “You don’t say…” Isla muttered. “I’m trying, okay?” Vera said with a sigh. “But Natsuki was my friend too. One of my first actually.” “Why are we talking about Natsuki?” A flash of hurt crossed Isla’s face. “She didn’t love me. I probably did her a favor by breaking up with her. Maybe she was just staying with me out of guilt or something. But she didn’t care when I broke it off. So what does it matter?” Vera frowned at that. She knew that Natsuki had been hiding her real feelings with her reaction. “I just don’t want to hurt her. You were her girlfriend first.” Isla scoffed slightly in response. “It won’t hurt her.” “You’re so…” Vera trailed off, barely managing to stop herself calling Isla dense. “I understand. Just talk to her tomorrow. But be a little careful or Kikyo-nee-san. She’s always been protective.” Isla stared at Vera for a moment before she looked off to the side. “I’m sorry I caused all of this. I just…” “Don’t apologize.” Isla said with a shake of her head. “I wanted to kiss you just as much. Stubborn fool…” Vera felt her eyes prickle with tears and she quickly leaned down, catching Isla’s lips in a deep, open mouthed kiss. She felt arms go around her waist and pressed close to Isla, holding herself up with one hand. She pulled away after a moment, deep aqua eyes meeting forest green before Vera moved down, her teeth finding skin and her hands bunching up Isla’s shirt, tugging it up. As she tugged the shirt over Isla’s head she felt her tank top being pulled up her back too. Isla wasn’t sure what it was about Vera that turned her on so much, only that she’d never felt like this with Natsuki. She moaned softly as Vera sucked hard at her neck. Quickly she tugged Vera’s top all the way off, craving more skin. It seemed Vera had the same idea as her hands roamed eagerly over her stomach and chest, lips fixed to her neck. As quickly as it was happening Isla couldn’t stop it. She didn’t want to. ------ Future Honoka was about to open the door to her bedroom when it was pulled open instead and Hanayo stepped out, almost bumping right into her. “Oh sorry, I didn’t know you were in there.” “It’s fine.” Hanayo muttered simply before she slipped past Honoka and continued down the hallway. “Weird.” Honoka said thoughtfully as she entered the bedroom. She found Nozomi sitting on the bed, a tired look on her face. “You’re working from home now?” Nozomi smiled softly at the joke. “You could say that. Hanayo needed a session. Maybe I do too.” “Hmm?” Honoka closed the door and walked over to Nozomi, climbing onto the bed behind her. She hugged her from behind, resting her chin on her girlfriend’s shoulder. “Why? What’s wrong?” “Everything.” Nozomi leaned back into Honoka’s embrace, closing her eyes. “Hanayo is shaken and scared. She’s scaring other people. Even me. Nicocchi is full of guilt because she can’t...well it doesn’t matter. Kotori-chan is still affected by when she was with Sonoda. Elichi is scared she’s losing Honoka-chan. Maki-chan is overworking herself…” “Maki’s not the only one.” Honoka said gently, giving Nozomi a squeeze. “Yeah, I guess.” “Tell me what you’re thinking.” Nozomi’s lips turned up. “I figured you would know.” “I’m not a mind reader. I can feel that you’re stressed.” Honoka gently brushed her fingers over Nozomi’s chest and closed her eyes. “You’re worried. And you’re hurting. But I don’t know why.” “I just want to get away from this. From everything. I just want to be with you.” Nozomi admitted quietly, her own eyes closing. “It feels like we’re so far away from all of this being over.” “At least we’re together through it.” Honoka pointed out quietly. “We still don’t know what this being over means.” “You’re not going to die. I won’t let you.” Nozomi said strictly. Honoka gave a gentle laugh. “I know you won’t. But anything could happen, you know that.” “You’re not going into that continuum without me.” Honoka fondly rolled her eyes. “I love you, Nozomi. You always have an answer for everything, huh?” “Damn right I do. When it comes to us, I do.” Nozomi turned in Honoka’s embrace so that she was sitting sideways on the bed. “We’ll be together. That’s all that matters.” “You’ll be stuck in the continuum. If you stayed you could find someone else and-” “We both know that’s not going to happen.” Nozomi looked away, frowning. “Even if I wanted it to. Which I don’t.” Honoka didn’t know how to answer that so she settled for pressing a warm kiss to Nozomi’s lips. “I love you.” She repeated softly as she drew away. “I won’t leave you behind. No matter what.” ----- “Are you sure we should be going this far away?” Chika asked breathlessly as she jogged after Kanan who was tugging her along by the hand. “I-I mean it’s a train ride away and Minami-san said we shouldn’t even go outside. It’s dangerous.” Kanan grinned over her shoulder. “Don’t worry, I can protect us. Besides, don’t you want to smell the sea air again?” “I think You-chan would have liked this more than me.” Chika commented though she followed Kanan nonetheless. “Yeah, that girl practically lives on mine and he dad’s boats.” Kanan said thoughtfully, spotting the beach ahead. She picked up her pace slightly. “She told me she’s thinking of maritime school. I think I want to go to a diving school. Or be a marine biologist.” “Wow, Kanan-chan. You’re smart, you could do it.” Kanan laughed. “Only because Dia pushes my face into books. I do like working at the aquarium though.” “I don’t know what I want to be.” Chika said quietly as she followed Kanan. “I guess that’s always been a fear of mine.” “You’ll figure it out.” Kanan said supportively as she stepped onto the beach. Feeling Chika’s hand leave her own she stopped and turned, finding Chika in tears. “Chika?” “I met Riko-chan on the beach.” Chika said tearfully. “I-I don’t even know if I’m going to be alive before graduation. I don’t want to lose any more of my friends, I-I want Riko-chan, Yoshiko-chan and Hanamaru-chan back! I don’t want you or You-chan to die!” Chika choked on a sob before she felt strong arms wrap around her, drawing her close. She collapsed into the embrace, hugging Kanan back. “Why does all of this have to happen to us?! We haven’t even seen our future selves, w-what if we’re dead in the future?” “That’s not going to happen.” Kanan soother gently. “Us not being here doesn’t mean anything. Maybe the timeline issues focus around Honoka’s group. We’re not them so that’s why. Don’t worry, Chika. We’re going to have a future. All of us.” “Really?” “Yes.” Kanan drew back, lightly kissing Chika’s forehead. “I promise. I’ll keep us safe. And we have the others too. Dia and Ruby and You. We’ll be fine.” Chika breathed a sigh of relief, leaning into Kanan. “I miss Riko-chan.” “I know. Me too.” Kanan whispered, her eyes shifting to the ocean. ---- Honoka flinched as she felt arms go around her waist from behind. She turned her head to the right only to catch a glimpse of familiar blue hair. She slowly allowed herself to relax. “Umi-chan.” “Since when do you make your own breakfast?” Umi joked, giving Honoka a light squeeze. “Since we stay in bed until eleven.” Honoka replied, giving Umi a quick kiss. “And I’m only making toast. I figured I’d let you sleep a little longer.” Umi smiled softly at the comment and let her chin rest on Honoka’s shoulder. She peeked over at the tea her girlfriend was making. “You were going to bring me breakfast?” “Well yeah.” Honoka mumbled in embarrassment. Umi chuckled, deciding to spare Honoka any further teasing. Usually it was the other way around and Honoka was teasing her. “You don’t think Yukiho minded Yuki sleeping in her room last night, do you?” Honoka shook her head. “I think Yukiho was just as excited as Yuki. I’m glad they’re getting close.” “Me too.” Umi mumbled, trying not to think about what would happen when Yukiho had to go back to her own timeline. “It was nice having the night to ourselves at least.” Honoka smirked, leaning her head back against Umi’s shoulder. “It was nice having you to myself.” Umi blushed, just like Honoka had predicted she would. “Honoka.” “Sorry.” Honoka turned in Umi’s loose embrace. She tugged at Umi’s shirt to draw her close but paused as she noticed movement at the doorway. Clearing her throat, she turned back to making the tea. Umi turned in confusion to see Eli walk into the kitchen in a sports bra and track pants. She was sweaty and her hands were wrapped, a bandage on her cheek. Umi raised an eyebrow. “Did you sleep at all?” “Wasn’t tired. Needed to burn things.” Eli answered simply. “Burn things?!” “Just some targets.” Eli paused, her gaze shifting toward Honoka whose back was to her. She swallowed anxiously. “You didn’t come to say goodnight last night.” “Sorry.” Honoka answered hesitantly. “Yuki stayed with Yukiho and I was busy with Umi-chan for a while. It just slipped my mind.” “You should sleep at least a little.” Umi said, frowning at Eli in concern. “You’re going to make yourself sick.” “I’m fine.” Eli answered with a stubborn shake of her head despite the fact that she looked exhausted. “I can sleep later.” Umi glanced between Honoka and Eli with a troubled look on her face. It wasn’t often that those two disagreed on anything. Certainly not disagreed to the point that they argued. She wasn’t sure she would be able to play the role of mediator. Even between herself and Honoka, Kotori was always the mediator. She looked down, her brow furrowing when she noticed a slight redness to Eli’s hand. She couldn’t see below the bandages. “You burnt your hands.” “A little. It’ll be fine.” Eli replied simply as she walked to the fridge. She glanced at Honoka, noticing her girlfriend had turned slightly to look at her. She was relieved at that at least. “Can I take a look?” Umi asked, following Eli across the kitchen. “No.” Eli replied, ducking out of Umi’s way as she reached for her. “Do you want to spar later?” Umi sighed heavily, her hands falling back to her sides. She supposed that would give her the opportunity to talk to Eli about Honoka at least. “Sure. If you want.” “Great.” “Eli.” Umi moved forward and grasped Eli’s wrist, tugging it up as the bandage slipped down slightly to reveal blistered, bleeding hands. “What the hell is…?” Eli wrenched her wrist away quickly, hiding her hand behind her back. She stepped back when Umi advanced. “Don’t.” “I just want to…” Umi reached out a hand only to have it swatted away by Eli who immediately cringed in pain. “Eli…” Honoka frowned, having noticed the action. “What are you doing?!” Eli’s gaze shifted to Honoka. “I just…” “It’s fine, Honoka.” Umi said softly. “It’s not fine.” Honoka growled angrily, walking over to Umi. She grasped the girl’s hand, tugging her close to her side. “I don’t know what’s wrong with you, Eli.” Umi’s eyes darted to Honoka in surprise. Eli opened and shut her mouth, her eyes shifting between Umi and Honoka. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I just...I can’t get rid of it. I don’t know how to keep this from you a-and I want to tell you but it’ll just cause chaos and I...damn it.” She felt tears cloud her vision and her shoulders slumped. “I just don’t want this secret anymore.” “Umi-chan, can you go and get Rei-san, please?” Honoka asked, letting go of Umi’s hand. Eli’s eyes darted up. “What? I don’t want that, I…” “Umi-chan.” Honoka glanced at Umi who nodded in response and quickly left the kitchen. She waited until Umi had left before she turned to Eli. “Sit down.” Eli’s lower lip trembled in response, her eyes shimmering with tears. Nevertheless she lowered herself into her seat. “Honoka, I’m…” “I’m sorry.” Honoka interrupted before Eli could continue. “I-I’m sorry I tried to force you to tell me. It still hurts that you won’t but I understand that whatever the secret is you’re keeping, you’re keeping it to protect me. If I had to do that, I-I think I would keep secrets from you too. I know I would. But it still hurts. Sometimes I feel like you just see me as some dumb kid you have to protect.” She slowly reached out and gripped Eli’s wrist, pulling the bandages off. “Rei-san will help. But why did you hurt yourself?” “I don’t know. I thought if I kept turning the temperature of my flames up, I could forget everything. I hurt you, I was being horrible to you but I just can’t tell you anything even if I wanted to. I’ve been having nightmare after nightmare of you dying and I don’t want that to happen.” Honoka hesitated, biting her lip. They’d both had the same nightmare more than once so she could only imagine it was something more. She didn’t mention it though. “I just want to protect you. So you can have a future.” Eli whispered tearfully, staring down at her reddened hands. “So we can have a future together. I know it’s hard right now. We’re not together as much as we want to be and I can’t even sleep with you but I want this to work. I love you, Honoka. If I didn’t have to keep this a secret I wouldn’t.” “I know.” Honoka said quietly. “What do you want me to do, Honoka?” Eli asked pleadingly. “Just tell me and I’ll do it.” “Sleep in my room again. Please.” Honoka crouched down in front of Eli and gently grasped her wrist, wary of touching her hands. “I want us to go back to how we were before. I miss you.” Eli’s eyes filled with tears. “You don’t hate me?” “I could never hate you.” Honoka replied before she kissed Eli softly. Eli leaned further into the kiss, sliding to her knees in front of Honoka. Her burned hands went to Honoka’s waist. They slipped under Honoka’s shirt and she cringed slightly at the heat from Honoka’s skin. She had forgotten her palms were still injured. “You’re sure you don’t hate me?” Eli checked, drawing away slightly. She pressed her forehead to Honoka’s. “I would. Maybe.” “Of course not. I love you more than anyone. You’re my Eli-senpai.” “Even Umi?” Eli felt her stomach drop as the question left her. “Sorry. That wasn’t fair.” Honoka didn’t respond. Instead she kissed Eli again, her arms going around the girl’s shoulders. Just as Eli deepened the kiss though she heard someone clear their throat. She pulled away, looking to the doorway to see Rei standing there shaking her head while Umi stood next to her, blushing. “Seriously?” Umi muttered. “Now?” Honoka smiled at the question. “I couldn’t help it. Eli-senpai is ho-” “Honoka!” Umi warned as Rei walked into the room. Honoka stood up, gently helping Eli up too. She stepped away after a moment to give Rei time to heal Eli’s hands. “Did you figure things out?” Umi asked quietly as Honoka stepped toward her. “I think so.” Honoka said softly. TBC.

#NozoHono #Honoeli #Honoumi #Kotomaki #Nicopana #Fanfiction

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