Chapter 1: Breaking the Cycle
Chapter Text
“Ahhh, Gigi, where are you going?” Raora asked her phone as she monitored the gremlin’s progress from Mission Control (her room).
“I’m following her trail!!” Gigi retorted. “You know she’s a meanderer.”
The beeg cat squeezed the Chattini lying on her stomach. “A ‘me-yandere?’”
“She doesn’t follow a straight line- ooh, don’t mind if I do!”
“Gigi, there’s no time for pretzels!” As she said it, though, she saw the pretzels on offer and had a change of heart. “Get me one, too, okay?”
The gremlin laughed as she joined the line. “It’ll be cold when I get back, though.”
“That’s what microwaves are for.”
“For pretzels?”
“Yes,” Raora reassured. “Oh, Liz is coming. I’ll check in again soon.”
“Okay!”
She ended the call, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath, refocusing her attention on her surroundings. Even with years of practice, the mortal mind isn’t designed to have one of its senses in one place and the rest in another. Really, she was lucky she didn’t have a constant stomach ache.
Liz knocked on her door. “Eyes on?”
“Eyes off!” She called back, and her boss walked in. “Gigi has her scent.”
“Right, good, very good. We found the bau-baus, so Cecilia and I are heading to their location.”
Home alone? Sounded perfect to Raora. “Okay. Good luck!”
“Thanks, luv.” She blew her a kiss. “Be back in a jiff. Keep your eyes on Gigi - this is the first time that we’ve seen her in months.”
“I will!”
Over half an hour later, though, she hadn’t checked in again. The Chattini pestered her as she sketched, telling her she should call Gigi, but unlike with the other Advent girls, the gremlin didn’t really ever lose track of her current quarry. It was a good thing, too, because-
A book fell off her shelf, and she jumped to her feet with a squeal.
Black liquid spilled out from a bookmark Raora absolutely didn’t remember putting there. Whose book was that, anyway? Maybe Gigi had left it in her room the last time they’d-
“Hey,” the puddle spoke, and the cat hissed. “Aww, is the little kitty-cat upset?”
“I’m a BIG cat! A-and that means you’re in big trouble!” Granted, she didn’t feel very dangerous at the moment, considering…
Shiori Novella, the Wardens’ Most Wanted, rose out of the ink, staring directly into Raora’s eyes with a wicked smile. “Is that so?”
“Y-yeah! It is!” Could she sound less confident if she tried? “Liz!”
“I know you’re the only one here, Raora Panthera.”
She squeaked. “You know my name?”
“I know a lot of things.” Shiori glided around the room, a hand lightly resting on Raora’s bed. “That’s why I’m here, actually.”
“How did you get in here? We have wards and stuff!” She backed away from the escaped convict, towards her bedroom door-
-and felt something wet as she stepped into another puddle of ink. Shiori giggled. “That tickles~ Almost as much as the thought that you assumed you could protect yourselves with magic~”
“Strega del cazzo!” Raora pointed her artist’s glove at the archiver, hand shaking. “U-unless you’re turning yourself in-”
“Why would I do that? If I left right now, you wouldn’t find me again.” *shlorp* She disappeared into the ink which now covered the floor.
Justice had infiltration protocols, but they didn’t drill them regularly. What was she supposed to- “AIYEE!”
“My hands aren’t that cold, are they?” Shiori purred in her ear. “Relax, kitty-cat. We don’t have to stay enemies.”
“W-what’s that s’pose to mean?”
The archiver walked her fingers along Raora’s shoulder as she stepped in front of her. “This can go one of two ways, Signora Panthera - you can give me your eyes, or you can give me your word.”
“Give you my-” Raora shook her head violently until Shiori set her fingers knuckle-first under her chin. “You can’t have my eyes!”
“Then you’ll need to promise me something~” She giggled.
Raora couldn’t possibly- Oh wow. Did this woman have cats at home or something? As the archiver gently gave the big cat scritches, she relented. “What’s the prrrrromise?”
“There are some things I can’t see that your eyes can.” Shiori leaned in closer, whispering in her ear while still tickling her throat with her nails. “If I ask nicely, you’ll show them to me, and you won’t tell Justice about our little arrangement. Can you promise me that, Kit-Kat?”
“K-keep a secret? From them?” What if she accidentally-
The archiver stepped back, arms behind her back, yellow eyes pinning Raora’s soul to a metaphorical cork board.. “Cat got your tongue?”
“I-” Downstairs, a door slammed open. She turned on her God Eyes. “Gigi’s back.”
“So what’ll it be, Kit-Kat? Deal or no deal?” Shiori twirled her fingers, ink dripping from her sleeve and twisting into a pen.
The gremlin was pounding up the stairs. Raora stared the archiver down, ready to wa- Why’d the pounding stop? She turned her attention back to Gigi-
Face face face face; there was a pen pressed against her throat. “Raooooora~ I need an answer.”
“What did you do to her?”
“Stalling won’t do either of us any good,” the archiver emphasized, “so if you’re gonna make me take your pretty little eyes, you should puss out now.”
The beeg cat, feeling as small as she ever had, took a deep, shaky breath. “...No.”
“Alright, then.” Shiori’s pen flew to Raora’s forehead- and poked it.
She flinched, blinking. When they opened again, the archiver was gone.
“RAORA!” Gigi crashed into her room and her, knocking them both to the floor. “Oh! Sorry. I brought back pretzels!”
“D-did you lose Shiori’s trail?” Raora asked from underneath her.
The gremlin chuckled. “Who do you think paid for the pretzels?”
“...Eh?” The cat crawled out from under Gigi. “What do you-”
“What, doesn’t she ever buy you stuff? I’d make a better girlfriend than her. Anyway, the cinnamon one’s for-”
Raora picked the gremlin up by the collar of her hoodie, eyes wide. “GIRLFRIEND?”
“Yeah?” Gigi’s usual smile thinned. “You’ve been dating for months now-”
“Where is she?”
Gigi shivered. “I think she’s with Advent right now, at their safehouse. W-what’s wrong, Raora?”
“...I can’t use my Eyes.” She let go of the gremlin with a sigh. “Thanks for the pretzels. I’ll come back for mine.”
“Are you going to see her? You’re angry she paid for the pretzels?” Gigi asked, following her out of her room.
Raora stretched her fingers, nails sharpening into proper claws as she did. “Watch the chattini while I’m gone.”
“Your stuffed animals?” The gremlin shrugged, lingering at the top of the stairs as the cat descended them. “Sure, I guess…”
Finding their hideout was no issue at all; her phone’s Map app had the address saved as a bookmark. The driver knew where she wanted to go - expected it, even, with a wink and knowing smirk like they were dropping her off to see her paramour.
It made her blood boil. She opened the front door - unlocked - and found Shiori’s smiling face on the other side.
"Welcome home, bug. Do you want to be eaten, squished or be put on display for the world to see?"
If she’d intended to throw the cat off her rhythm, it almost worked. “What did you do to me?!” Raora nonetheless demanded.
“Oh, nothing you didn’t want,” the archiver shrugged, beckoning her guest to come inside. “Can I get you anything while you wait?”
“Wait for what?” She remained in the doorway, crossing her arms under her chest.
Shiori’s smile widened slightly too far. “For your decision, of course.”
“What do you mean, I already said no!” Raora flexed her fingers. “I’m not giving you my eyes!”
“So you’ll let me visit every now and again?”
She hissed. “I’m not doing that, either!”
“You can’t say no to both, Kit-Kat.” The archiver waved a hand, and the wall beside Raora contorted to nudge her through the doorway and seal the entrance behind her. “Your eyes, or your time. Which do you value more? The answer seems obvious to me, since you’re being so stubborn about this.”
“You come into my house, and you threaten me, and you’re surprised I refuse your demands?!”
Shiori didn’t actually get a chance to answer that before Raora pounced on her, knocking them both to the ground. As the cat rose a claw, a familiar voice cheered her on. “YEAH, get her, Raora!”
“GIGI!” Raora kept her eyes on the archiver, sure she’d slip through her grasp at any moment, as the floor beneath them shifted. “Get the- Wait, did I-”
“I underestimated you,” Shiori admitted, lips pouting but eyes sparkling.
The cat’s eyes narrowed. “So? You can just escape, can’t you? Melt into a puddle or something?”
“And how would I do that?” The archiver’s Cheshire Cat grin returned. Her teeth weren’t as sharp as the first time. “I’m a sorceress, not a monster.”
Raora didn’t believe that for a minute. As the gremlin walked around her to put a suppressor collar around Shiori’s neck, her eyes stayed locked with the archiver’s, following every subtle motion. Gigi patted her shoulder when the suppressor was in place. “She’s secure. Wanna take ‘er to Lockup yerself?”
“...Let’s go.” She kept one of Shiori’s wrists tightly clasped as she pulled her off the floor. “Are Ceci and Liz back yet?”
“They left?”
“Yeah, to catch the bau-baus.” A flicker of concern crossed the archiver’s face. “Did you bring back pretzels?”
The gremlin’s eyes widened. “I did! Shit, did I leave them in Lockup? Maybe!”
“You went to Lockup today?” She’d been chasing Shiori, so how had she-
“Well, I lost track of Shiori, so I started wandering around the mall, and Ravencough-”
“Ravencroft,” Shiori corrected flatly.
“-Frameratedrop asked if she could visit, so I brought her back! She’s in her usual cell waiting for Liz.”
Raora giggled, the rush of success finally turning her mood around. “So we’ve almost caught them all? In one day?”
“Crazy right?” Gigi pumped her fists. “I can’t believe it, either!”
“So you haven’t found Biboo yet?” The archiver asked with what the cat heard as a note of desperation.
Before either of them could answer, they heard loud barking from the steadily-nearing Lockup area. The gremlin grabbed Shiori’s other arm and started pulling both captive and captor along behind her. “They’re back with the bau-baus!”
Liz and Ceci had, in fact, returned with the Abyssgard sisters caged and complaining… and a silent 3rd captive as well.
“They were all in the same house,” Cecilia reported as she rolled the bau-baus’ cage over to the first of two holding cells set aside for the twins. “She didn’t fight back. Not that we can reduce her sentence for that… Alright, this one’s yours, Mococo.”
Both Abyssgards made a dash for the wider space, but a shock collar knocked the fluffier one to the floor before she could join her sister in her cell. The living gem turned a deeper shade of blue as the door sealed behind Mococo and the noise suppression engaged to silence her howling. Fuwawa’s unfortunately remained quite audible until she was placed in her cell, cage and all.
Bijou hadn’t been locked in a cage, or even bound; Liz held her hand and walked her to her cell, and she dejectedly entered it on her own power.
“And then there was one.” All of Justice turned their attention to Shiori. Raora tightened her grip as Gigi released hers. The archiver sighed. “How long before they come to take us back?”
“A week or two,” Elizabeth solemnly replied.
The cat blinked. “That fast?”
“They are the Wardens’ highest priority.” The knight sighed. “Nerissa asked to see me, I expect?”
“Yep,” Gigi replied bouncelessly.
She nodded. “I’ll attend to her invitation, then. See you for debrief, luvs.”
As Raora walked Shiori to her personalized containment unit, and the others left to go about their business, she wondered why it all felt so wrong. Shouldn’t they be happy? They’d finally caught Advent! Literally the reason their team had been put together!
…But what would that mean for them after the Wardens took them back to The Cell?
“Are you satisfied?” The archiver in her grasp asked, her rebuke dulled by despair. “Is this Justice to you?”
“You could’ve escaped. Why didn’t you?”
Shiori shivered. “I didn’t know everyone else got caught.”
“You didn’t-” The cat stopped, mere steps away from the door that’d free her of this burden. “Is this another dream?”
“More of a nightmare for me.”
Raora turned back to her. “You really didn’t know?”
“I can’t have eyes everywhere at once.” She clenched hers shut. “Why do you think I asked for yours?”
“To…” She didn’t have an answer that sounded fair anymore. ‘To help you commit crimes’ was the Warden training in her talking; what crimes had Advent committed since escaping the Cell, anyway?
The archiver wiped her eyes. Mascara came off on the back of her hand. “We just wanted out. Is that so hard to understand? Did they think, after hundreds of years in Hell, that we wouldn’t chase the hope of a few days in Heaven?”
“Was it-”
“We suffered longer than you’ve walked this earth.” Shiori’s voice shook. “How is eternal damnation for a moment’s indiscretion ‘justice,’ Raora Panthera? How have we not paid our dues?”
Her hands moved by themselves. The collar around the archiver’s neck fell to the ground in two pieces.
Raora was shaking now, too. “Take them.”
“You-”
“Take them while you can.” The cat let go of the archiver and backed herself against a wall. “If you don’t now-”
Shiori conjured a pen and poked her forehead, eyes filled with gratitude. Raora’s vision faded to black as she felt her body slip to the floor.
She dreamt of Advent’s escape, watching through the archiver’s eyes as their targets slipped through their fingers at the last possible moment. She watched them run for the garage, hijack one of the housekeeper’s cars, and drive into the night.
She saw Shiori look into the rear-view mirror, eyes staring through the dream and into Raora’s soul. She heard footsteps around her, felt her eyes opening as her team stole her back to reality, but not before reading the archiver’s lips’ reflection.
“Grazie mille, gattone.”
Chapter 2: Impeccable Timing
Summary:
what do you mean this wasn't supposed to be a one-shot anyway
Chapter Text
“And there… we… go!” Cecilia shut the doors of the moving truck and flashed the driver a thumbs-up. “That’s the last box!”
“I can’t believe they made us give back all the computers,” Gigi grumbled as the truck drove off.
Liz patted her shoulder. “Chin up, there, Gigi. We already ordered the new ones.”
“But they won’t be here todayyyy!” The gremlin’s hands twitched. “I’m going through withdrawals.”
“They’re coming here tomorrow?” Raora asked, leaning against the threshold. She’d been on scanning duty, making sure they didn’t hang onto anything of the Wardens’ now that… well, that their assignment had “changed.”
Ceci sat beside Gigi, slid an arm around her shoulders. “The computers, Raora?”
“Advent.”
“That’s why we had to send off the tech, innit?” Liz’s phone started ringing. Raora stepped outside to let her past. “Gotta take this.”
“I’m sure she does,” Gigi giggled, setting her head against her automaton’s shoulder.
“Did you get her number yet?” Cecilia asked, eyes on Raora.
The big cat hesitated. “Why would I ask for Rissa’s number?”
“You know who I meant.” Raora tried not to react, but she couldn’t control her tail well enough. “Raora-”
“I’m gonna monitor the truck! Make sure it gets back to the Wardens!” And as fast as her long legs could carry her, she scurried back to her room, barely managing not to slam the door on her way in.
She didn’t need Shiori’s number, no matter what Ceci or Gigi said. She didn’t have feelings, she had questions, the kind of questions that left her awake at night, staring at the ceiling, trying to catch glimpses of Shiori through others’ eyes…
Her phone was ringing. It was Cover’s phone; only the staff would have her number. “Ciaora!”
“Ciaora?” Shiori asked on the other end. “That’s a cute one, gattone.”
“How did you get this number?” Raora sat up, tail straight as a spike.
“Mane-chan.”
That poor man. “A-and why are you calling me now?”
“What, can’t a girl check on her gal pal?” She imagined Shiori twirling a finger through her hair. Was that woman making her see things again? “I was startin’ to forget the sound of your voice.”
“You-”
A book on Raora’s shelf fell to the floor. She jumped off her bed. “I wanna show you something.”
“J-just ask for what you want, Shiori!” The big cat hissed, mostly out of shock. “You know I don’t like when you do this stuff…”
“Sorry, I thought that was just cuz we were enemies. Can I come over?”
No no no no, if the others found out- “Yes.”
“I won’t keep you waiting, then~” The call ended. A black pool slowly formed around the fallen book-
Someone knocked on Raora’s door; she dropped her phone as her claws came out. “Raoraaaa whaddya want for dinnerrrrr Liz said she’ll buy it!”
“Pizza!” No response. “Gigi?”
“What does Shiori want?”
What.
The gremlin laughed. “Just kidding!”
“GIGI-” But the cackling was already fading away. Raora sighed. “I swear, that girl…”
“Does that mean I can’t stay for dinner?” The fully-formed archiver asked, leaning back against the bookshelf.
Did… Did she want to? “Do you eat food?”
“I’m mostly mortal still,” Shiori shrugged. “...You and your girls are joining Hololive.”
“Yup.” Everyone was on the same page there.
The ink around Shiori’s feet retreated into the bookmark. “The bau baus are putting a little orientation together, but I thought I’d drop by, see if you had any questions for me before you’re swamped with homework.”
“Oh! How sweet.” A little awkward, but Raora’s tail was already starting to swish. “They don’t have to be about Hololive, right?”
“Anyt- Almost anything you wanna know.”
Anything, she says. “Did you know I can see you now?”
“With your ‘special eyes?’” The archiver shrugged. “I had a feeling. Were you watching us?”
“It’s my turn to ask you stuff,” she weakly protested, knowing her blush at the question already gave her away.
Shiori didn’t follow up on it, though. “Go ahead.”
“Did…” The cat held her tongue. Too many questions in her head all at once, too many things she needed to know at that moment. Her English failed her as she asked in her native language, “Did you find heaven after all?”
“...Almost,” the archiver replied in Imperiale.
Raora’s pupils dilated; the language barrier had disintegrated, and with it, any reason not to ask everything. “You learned Imperiale?”
“I’m still learning to speak it,” Shiori admitted. “It’s enough for me easy to understand.”
“Why didn’t you contact me again when you were safe?”
The archiver blinked several times, shook her head, switched back to English. “Sorry, I don’t think I-”
“Can’t you always go to where that bookmark is?” Raora pointed at her copy of Freesian Cold Nights that was still on the floor. “Were you scared that I’d try to catch you again?”
“What? No! Not you, at least. Did you want me to visit you?”
Her tail curled around her bedpost once, twice, thrice. “I just wanted you to want to.”
“...I thought about it.” Shiori sighed. “Everything happened so fast, and I was so relieved that you let us go, that I didn’t give you a proper ‘thank you.’”
“You said it to me while you were driving away.”
The archiver shook her head. “I thanked the idea of you.”
“...Alright.” Raora walked around her bed. “You can thank me now, then.”
“Can I…” Her hands twitched.
The cat reached for Shiori’s hand, pulled her closer… and rested it under her chin. “You have cats at home, right?”
“Uhh.” Shiori blinked. “Shoot, I think I misread the room.”
“Eh?”
Her visitor’s hand slid behind her cat ears to provide the affection Raora’d requested. “I mean, this is fine, too-”
“W-wait.” Before she lost her mind in the rapture of ear scritches, Raora had more pressing questions. “What did you think I wanted?”
“Well-”
BANG BANG BANG. “RAORA THE FOOD’S ALMOST HERE!”
“Shit,” they said in unison. Shiori stepped back. “Maybe another time-”
“What?” The cat clung to the archiver’s arm. “You’re leaving??”
“If she sees me here-”
BANG BANG BANG. “BRING HER WITH YOU!”
“She KNOWS I’m here?” Shiori’s eyes flew open. “Oh frick me, I’ve gotta go-”
“Shiori? Don’t you want to stay for dinner?” Nerissa asked from beyond Raora’s bedroom door.
The archiver shook her head. “No, no, that’s not her, that’s ERB mimicking her voice-”
“It’s fine.” Raora let go of her arm. “You don’t hafta stay.”
“...I promise I’ll come back.”
Nerissa opened the door. “Shi- She left after all?”
“Who left?” Raora asked, closing the book she’d been reading. “Is it time for dinner already?”
“You let her get away again?” Gigi shook her head-
-which Ceci thumped the back of. “Not everyone’s as desperate as you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” The gremlin shot back, and the two spiraled into a debate as Raora walked with them down the stairs.
“She’s not scared of you,” Nerissa assured her, lagging with Raora behind the others. “Gigi, though…”
She sighed. “It’s fine.”
“And besides, you’ll see her tomorrow. I just couldn’t wait that long~”
“Charlie’s bringing the food up from the car,” Liz informed them as they joined her in the “meeting room” (where the couches were). “Where’s Shiori? I thought you said she was here, Gigi.”
Gigi popped open a pizza box as Raora answered for her. “She couldn’t stay.”
“Well, that’s a shame. I brought out a vintage bo’oh o’ Clorox just for her.”
“More for me!” The gremlin cheered, reaching for it the same instant Cecilia grabbed her wrist to keep her from it.
After that, it was just another night at Justice HQ. Being around Justice made life easier, happier, and Nerissa was a delight as always… But lingering in the back of Raora’s head now was an endlessly twisting knot of information, a twirling ball of twine that wouldn’t be nearly as fun to mess with as the one she found herself batting around in her room after dinner.
“At least you know she’s interested, right?” One Chattino reassured her.
“She definitely wanted to do more than pet you, Mama,” chimed another.
“Not enough to stay for dinner,” A third noted, pressing glasses against their nose. “If you ask me-”
Raora tossed the twine ball at the plush, knocking them to the floor. “I didn’t,” she grumbled, clapping to turn off her room light.
Her phone vibrated; a text… from Shiori. “Sorry about earlier. I didn’t know Rissa went over.”
“It’s fine.” Raora’s new favorite phrase on the subject.
“I wanna trust them, too. We’re all on the same team now.” *Shiori is typing* “I’ll see you tomorrow, gattone.”
Why did she keep calling her that?... Not that it was a problem, the gattone just wondered how she’d decided on it. “Have a good night.”
“Sweet dreams.”
Raora wondered if the archiver meant anything by that; when she finally fell asleep, she certainly did dream sweetly.
The Shiori in her dreams never ran away, after all.
Calligo on Chapter 2 Thu 23 Jan 2025 09:37AM UTC
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J3Puffin on Chapter 2 Fri 24 Jan 2025 09:08PM UTC
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