Chapter Text
~~~0-0-0~~~
Two days later… After the battle with Netzach that ultimately led to the Sephira's demise, Chito's group including herself, Yuuri, Mikoto Misaka, Yuji Itadori, Megumi Fushiguro, Nobara Kugisaki, Jolyne Cujoh, Kenpachi Zaraki, Nero, Shadow the Hedgehog, Lloyd Irving, Genis Sage, Stardust/Davie Wonder John, Allen Walker, Tusk, and Aleister Crowley III came to the Taya Residence to discuss what transpired, which included fixing things with Mao Ninagawa after the mess they dealt with for a week due to her actions.
In the two-day interim that happened, the group discussed the next phase of their plan: to stop the remaining Sephirot including Tiphereth, Cochma, and Yesod, who are still on the loose, and the Aesir on the other side of the conflict coin. The rest who did not partake in the battle against Netzach with Chito's group informed Chito and the rest about the continuing presence of Einherjar and their increasingly frequent attacks across the city, as well as finishing matters within their friends at Hoshinomiya within the next day by sorting out their personal problems with Hinako, including those of Sanae Nishida, Rin Sanada, Kei Narimiya, Ako Ichinose, Shihori Sugamoto, Chihiro Inoue, Fumio Taya, Kaori Mitsui, Mao Ninagawa, and Rika Yoshimura; with Hinako Shirai telling the group hours beforehand about it.
To ease things up, Chito started assigning a three-group team: one to deal with the remaining Sephirot led by herself, the other to tie loose ends up with the rest of their Hoshinomiya friends led by Davie, and the rest to keep an eye on Einherjar presence led by Nero.
Which includes the following…
Chito's group: Chito, Yuuri, Mikoto, Yuji, Nobara, Megumi
Davie's group: Davie, Tusk, Allen, Crowley III, Jolyne
Nero's group: Nero, Genis, Lloyd, Shadow, Kenpachi
At the same time, word of Chito gaining Vermilion Lightning in place of her now-former Crimson Lightning sent shockwaves across her teammates. Yuji, Lloyd, Genis, and Allen were among those who were stunned at the prospect of her gaining new powers, with Lloyd advising her to keep it under control should things go bad. Her family could also not believe at the new "eye" Chito has obtained a few weeks after losing her biological one following the awakening of her powers.
Within the next day, Davie's group went to Hoshinomiya and were up to the task of assisting Hinako, Lime, and Yuzuki Shijou in fixing their friends' problems and spent the whole day dividing and conquering the job, going back and forth into the Common while dealing with literal demons in there.
Allen, Crowley III, and Jolyne dealt with Chihiro being overwhelemed by her classmates' adulation; Shihori's strange interest with Hinako and stealing her undergarments, something that caused severe dismay for the two Innocence especially Allen; Rin having to be burdened of the responsibility regarding planning the school gathering; and Kei's efforts being sabotaged in a basketball match from her seniors out of jealousy, forcing Jolyne to join forces with Hinako and Rika to win the game, thus settling the matter.
Davie and Tusk dealt with Fumio attempting to please the audiences with her rather happy piece, with Chito telling the group out of personal reasons to help her own cousin; Rika, according to her friend Marin, disappearing after running away to the rooftops, forcing the two to solve her dilemma of her insecurity of not being normal to her peers; Sanae's fondness for rap battle who gets herself much into it; Kaori's dilemma regarding a false rumour of her seeing a guy, who turned out to be a young boy interested in cosplaying and attending cosplay events together; and Mao joining forces with the heroes on some sleuthing to uncover a suspicious plot regarding corrupt student officials undermining the budget for her and Hinako's play, forcing the two to expose the traitors behind it.
Nero's group, meanwhile, stopped a pocket of Einherjar settled at the now-abandoned warehouse that was used by Odin and Mao to hold Lain Iwakura captive before, finishing for the day as Nero patched in Chito about it.
However, one question lingered within the group for weeks to come: how did the Shijou sisters become alive again, even after revealing that they were dead for over a year? What secrets are they truly hiding to the group?
~~~0-0-0~~~
[Ninagawa Residence, Earth-146692]
4:25 P.M.
A day after sorting out the rest of the problems from their Hoshinomiya friends save Sarasa Morikawa, who still told the rest to wait until the time is right for "reasons", it was time for Chito and the rest to fix things with Mao by visiting her mansion for the first time in a week after momentarily distancing themselves with the Ninagawas.
The group were seen watching TV, with the others sat around the mansion, as they waited for Mao before some of the maids and butlers served some of them matcha tea, with Davie's group recounting their experience yesterday.
While things went kind of swimmingly during that moment with dealing the rest, Allen was wholly embarrassed of the mess that transpired with Shihori and Hinako, with some of the group poking fun at him. Crowley III, on the other hand, stayed neutral to that, yet he could not resist the urge to poke fun at his teammate. Jolyne only smirked at Allen.
To twist the knife further, Yuuri glanced at Allen.
"Come on, it wasn't that bad!" Yuuri said with glee. "I'd expect Shihori-chan to be that assertive outside of her looks."
"Oh yeah, you'd be thinking that was a nice moment, well I for one don't even share the same sentiment!" Allen argued back.
"Won't be that bad." Yuuri casually commented with a smirk.
"'Won't be that bad'? Says the weirdo herself." Allen repeated in annoyance with a huff.
"Nothing bad about witnessing Shihori-chan having some 'fun time' with Hina-chan at the-" Yuuri mischievously said, but was immediately interrupted by Allen's righteous blow.
"Say it again or I'll reveal the mess you caused with that Naruko girl!" Allen threatened suddenly.
"You better get her out of this!" Yuuri suddenly changed her tone quickly at the mention of Naruko.
"Oh, Yuuri-san." Mikoto suddenly blurted as she gave her a mischievous smile. "You know that I can easily tell the rest about it, right?"
"You don't dare!" Yuuri exclaimed with a blush on her face.
"That you are in love with the older Noda sibling." Nero quipped as he twirled his Blue Rose. "You're the type to throw a wrench and somehow wormed your way out of it." He added with a grin.
The rest of their group sans Chito, who had known about it, caught up to it. Davie only stayed stone-faced as he watched the commotion and with Chito only sighing as she knew it already.
"For a person with a mischievous mind, Naruko is your biggest weakness." Jolyne said, as a metaphorical arrow struck right through Yuuri's heart. "Wonder how the family was still getting used to that crap, including the patriarch himself."
"Jesus Christ… Am I defeated now?" Yuuri gestured as she only dazed above. "Just don't remind me of it…"
"Well, we already know of it." Lloyd added as he stuck his tongue out.
Mao then showed up as she interrupted the hearty conversation. She is seen wearing her pajamas as she looked at the group. The group steeled themselves as they prepared to discuss serious matters with the hot-blooded actress herself.
[OST: Kenichiro Suehiro - Shirogane (Girls' Last Tour OST)]
"Mao-san." Chito and the rest greeted her. "Ready to discuss things?" She then asked.
"Sit down and we deal with this." Davie added.
Mao then sat down in one of the chairs opposite from where Chito is, as she maintained a neutral expression on her face. Beneath Mao's usual temperament she knew that she could not help but to feel guilty of what she did to Lain Iwakura, something that the group desperately wanted to deal with. The atmosphere tensed as soon as Mao began to talk.
"I do." Mao simply answered.
"Well, where do we start?" Yuuri remarked as she twirled a blue-coloured .338 bullet with her finger. "Look, Mao-san. We told ya that we're not letting you off the hook over what you did with Lain-chan. I get that you were desperate for validation in the past, but trusting a madman who caused us undue trouble especially to Chii since day one here and ever since he started hiring freaks like Mahito, which you should know by now, is the worst idea you can come up with."
"It's a matter of, you know, commonsense." Lloyd blurted as he crossed his arms before looking at Mao.
"Perspective." Chito added as she drank her tea. "After observing what Odin is truly capable of, he is clearly not to be trusted which included whatever bullshit coming out of his mouth. To think of such a serious threat like him, nonetheless capable of usinig your insecurities and past as a form of blackmail, is frankly disgusting. He's after my head and unfortunately trusting him is asking for suicide."
Mao only stood her ground as she tried to reason with Chito.
"It was because Odin threatened into killing my mom if I didn't comply. You knew how serious he was with his words!" Mao argued.
"And look how that turned out when you blindly believed him like nothing, Mao-san." Chito added with a barely contained sternness as she ate a melon bun in one go. "Odin only 'cares' about you when it fits his disgusting motives. You're telling us that you wanted to fulfil your desires by trusting the same bastard who sent those four assholes into our former hideout and ruined what left of our peace? Not to mention you doing some questionable things to Hinako-san." She continued.
"What can I even do? I just did what needed to be done at the time!" Mao said with a gesture.
"Still doesn't excuse what you did." Chito chided with a matter-of-fact tone. "Look, you have to understand that you are simply being used by him. Unfortunately, with that said moment, Odin will never live it down. He is definitely out of blood after you turned on him." She warned.
"I… I want to know how Lain-san currently is." Mao offered all of a sudden.
"Still in comatose." Kenpachi suddenly answered. "Even Piltz cannot cure it with her own abilities."
"It might take her weeks or even a month or two for her to get out of it." Chito revealed somberly. "But she's still fine as of the moment."
"Besides the point, what happened in the past is something we cannot fix, but we do better. And that includes you." Megumi quickly added.
"Trust is gonna take time to fix. It's never simple to fix it after breaking it." Yuji noted.
"That means we're starting it from here." Chito stated straightly. "Same story. The rest of my teammates will stay here and keep an eye on you."
"Who would it be this time, Chito?" Genis asked.
"The same as it was week ago." Chito answered.
Chito then assigned the same group of people who would stay within the Ninagawa mansion including Jolyne, Kenpachi, Nero, Shadow, Lloyd, Genis, Davie, Tusk, and Aleister Crowley III. The rest of the group would stay at the Taya Residence, as always.
"Now for the real matters at hand." Chito declared as she placed the tea cup at the desk before putting papers on the desk. "Dealing with the last three Sephirot. Only Cochma, Tiphereth, and Yesod remained. We also have to keep an eye on the Einherjar, since that's gonna be most likely that they will appear."
"That we still have to kill." Kenpachi said.
"Correct." Chito answered straightly. "Before we end, there's still one more thing that still lingered on our mind for weeks. How did Lime-san and Yuzuki-san even came back from the dead after an accident? Lain-san really opened the case wide-open about who they really are."
Chito's precise words about the Shijou sisters took the rest off-guard. For the past week or two it remained a mystery as to why the sisters came back from the dead and how it caused such undue trouble for Yuri S. because of it.
"It's honestly a lingering question for us." Tusk said as he twirled a bullet. "There's no way they can just come back from the dead without a catalyst for it. I mean at least in Embryo's case it was unravelled later on."
"Even if that surprised us, we still hafta know how that even happened." Yuuri suggested. "Mao-chan, did Y.S.-san even know about it?"
"Not at the moment." Mao answered as she shook her head. "The Shijous were a mystery even for Shirai, Saiki, and the rest. No records of them nor their presence seen from the photos of 1-A." She explained as she drank her tea.
Crowley III only sighed in disbelief. "Yet another day of them hiding secrets."
"For a good reason. Even if Yuri-san worked at the same organisation that the Shijous' father are in, the real truth must have been kept under wraps." Chito said, before looking at the tablet.
"So we have to deal with this same nonsense again." Megumi replied concisely.
"We still have no idea what truly goes on, but we're getting close." Mikoto said as she flipped a coin.
"After all the stressful stuff we dealt with earlier in Hoshinomiya, it's no surprise that we are dealing with the sisters again." Davie added straightforwardly with his arms crossed.
"We only act on it when it is the right time." Chito suggested. "Cannot risk causing yet another drama for us to deal with." She said, recalling the chaos that happened after the unravelling of Yuri S.'s ties to the Shijou sisters following their first encounter with Tiphereth. "Nor we tell Yuri-san about it, yet. After all Yuri-san is slowly mending fences with them and that can ultimately turn it into an even bigger problem for us."
"I mean, Shadow, your partner is hiding a hell lot of secrets there." Lloyd stated in a casual manner.
"Guh." Shadow huffed. "That's none of your business."
"With that said, we're done for today. And Mao-san, be on your best behaviour." Chito said with a warning tone.
As the meeting concluded, Chito's own group including herself, Yuuri, Mikoto, Yuji, Megumi, and Nobara left the residence as the two groups decided to keep in touch with each other.
Today was an exhausting day for Chito. After dealing with Mao's bullshit, as well as stopping Netzach and dealing with yet another secret that the Shijous are hiding, the girl is still torn as she still had no answer over why the sisters were even alive to begin with.
~~~0-0-0~~~
[Taya Residence, Earth-146692]
As night ticked in at around 7 P.M. after the discussion within Mao's mansion, with her own team staying at her family residence, Chito was in her room with Fumio, before going to the balcony. The petite woman was seen drinking a bottle of Kirin beer as she smoked. She is seen dressed in her pajamas, while Fumio was wearing a nightgown.
"So uncle and aunt are out on a business trip today, huh?" Chito asked Fumio.
"Yeah. And grandma did the same thing too. Heard some meeting was happening with her and the rest." Fumio answered before smiling.
"It's wild how things changed here when I firstly knew of my relations with you. It was a wildfire." Chito stated as she drank another shot. "Are you still doing those 'death marches' or no?"
"No, not anymore." Fumio replied at the topic as she shook her head. "I learned how to balance pleasing both the audience with self-expression. Even if I wanted to be a famous pianist like my grandma, I knew that I went overboard sometimes and it led to me being rampant twice." She added in concern. "Shirai, others, and you had made me seen it."
"Keep it that way." Chito said with a sigh. "Frankly, after hearing my wild megacity stories with Yuu to you, I'm surprised that you even got used to it."
"The time you said you met those mushroom-like creatures that can talk was something I couldn't even imagine, Chito-onee-sama." Fumio reacted with a surprising tone. "I mean the Sephirot or those Cursed Spirits or Einherjar soldiers is one thing, but mushroom people that can talk is something else."
"You learn a thousand things every day, Fumio." Chito remarked. "So, why not flatter me with your current piece?" She offered.
"That I can do!" Fumio answered confidently.
On the other room, Yuuri was also at the balcony talking to Naruko, while drinking a bottle of Sapporo. She is seen wearing in her usual red track pants and track suit. The blondette observed Chito and Fumio socialising with each other before they headed inside, which gave her a smile to her face, before observing Yuji, Nobara, and Megumi, who are at the backyard doing some training on their own.
Yuuri received a call from Nero.
"Oi, Yuuri. Any update regarding the Sephirot?" Nero called in on the other line.
"Not at the moment yet." Yuuri replied. "Ensure that we're connected to the Reflectors about it, as well." She added as she drank. "Also, good work with Davie-san's team earlier."
"Yeah, it was a fucking stress ball for them to deal with it for the whole day." Nero answered with a tired chuckle. "Dealing with teenage issues is not in their mind, especially with half of us being past the point of it."
"Well, for sure." Yuuri added with a sigh. "And here I am having to still hoping that me and Naruko-chan would patch things up. It's like I'm screaming to the void." She added with a self-deprecating tone as she chuckled. "Though she's at least forgiving for the moment."
"I mean you destroyed her marriage in one go and started the fire quickly with the mess you caused." Nero bluntly stated. "You told me fuck all about her being engaged to some androgynous girl, then her being married to some man, and you willingly tossed a wrench to it. Gotta say it's a record."
"It was because she was suffering from the inside. You know what they say, a loveless marriage is worse when finance is at hand." Yuuri said ruefully before drinking again.
"Ya, just talk to her." Nero ended the call, before Naruko took Nero's stead as she called her.
Yuuri immediately scrambled from her chair as she saw the sudden notification of her lover calling.
"Naruko-chan?" Yuuri asked at her.
"You seemed stressed lately, Yuuri-chan. What's happening on your end?" Naruko asked out of concern. "Don't worry. You are safe telling it to me."
"Between the unpatched mess between the two of us and the chaos here, where else?" Yuuri answered straight to the point. "To be frank, Naruko-chan, it felt like my world turned upside down after that point where Chii isn't who she is. Chii had a real family while I'm still… I don't know… Empty. We've battled an army of Norse lunatics and giants in this world and I felt like I've reached my limit."
"That your friend isn't who she seems later down the line? I get it. This was like the engagement to Sora, where the latter even had to admit that she isn't a male, which caused a whole lot of mess with our father and mother." Naruko added with a bitter chuckle. "And of course your crazy actions ended my marriage, which I have to start over again. Being a hero isn't sunshine and rainbows, Yuuri-chan. You need to gauge your expectations and expect the worst that the unknown has to offer. Figure it out for yourself." She explained rather tactfully. "After all, you should know that's how Tennyson-sensei recruited you and Chito-chan to the organisation."
"I don't know if heroism would do things like you and I being able to forgive each other." Yuuri said to her. "Chii and the rest were able to have Y.S.-san mending fences with the Shijou sisters. Yet I don't know…"
Naruko's face turned to that of concern after hearing Yuuri's words.
"Forgiveness is a long path." Naruko replied. "Yuuri-chan, stop beating yourself over it. I get that your actions caused harm upon me, but I'm mending fences with you as well." She said with concern. "This was your promise, right? You wanted me to be freed of such emotional hurt, even if it was unaccounted for. To be my fiancée and for me to yearn for actual love." She explained with a warm smile. "Have confidence in yourself, Yuuri-chan. You're even more headstrong than Sora."
"Naruko-chan…" Yuuri uttered with a tear.
"Come on, what happened to the brave hero who stopped an army of crazies with the rest from another kingdom?" Naruko added with a joking tone as she looked at Yuuri. "The point is, we're almost there. In that matter, we finally bury this pain and end this shadow lingering upon us. Don't let that past mistake drag you down."
"Oh, we will." Yuuri answered with a smile. "Love you, Naruko-chan."
"Love you too, Yuuri-chan. Keep fighting the good fight. Kotone, Shinobu, and Shizuku will like to see you once you finish your mission there." Naruko responded as she only smiled before ending the call.
Yuuri only giggled before glancing at the Jujutsu trio below, breaking the poignant atmosphere.
"Hey guys, how's things there?!" Yuuri called out at them.
"Just having a little of a warm-up here!" Nobara replied as she then looked at Yuuri. "Judging with that tear on your eye, you talked to that Naruko lady again?"
"Yeah. There's progress at least." Yuuri answered with a blush. "Naruko-chan's a little worried about me, though things are at least lightening up a little."
With that, Yuuri spent her night drinking as she ate some sushi, smiling to herself as she glanced at the moonlight. She only heard the humming sounds of Bach's Chromatic Fantasy in D Minor performed by Fumio herself. Her happy moments are interrupted when Hinako sends a really strange text message.
"Please don't talk to me." - Hinako
Yuuri's jaw dropped at the weird message.
"Eh, Hinako-chan?" Yuuri asked herself as she then focused her attention on the Jujutsu trio below. "Hey, guys. Did you get some weird message from Hinako-chan?"
On cue with that, Chito's message appeared.
"Yuu, something weird is going on with Hinako-san." - Chito
Yuuri then replied back.
"Hinako-chan's acting a little weird lately." Said Yuuri's text message before sending it to Chito.
~~~0-0-0~~~
[Hoshinomiya Girls' High School, Earth-146692]
10:25 A.M.
Within the next day, Chito's group came to the academy as always as they met up with Hinako, but both the Shijou sisters are strangely missing and with Hinako acting a little off. The group were still keeping their suspicion high in terms of the Shijou sisters as to what they're hiding. The group asked her but all they got was nothing more than an empty response or the mere "I don't know".
Earlier, the group sans Hinako, as she was talking to Sarasa about a "personal matter", visited Yuri S. at the science club room above the school's rooftops to ask anything about how Yuzuki and Lime came back from the dead. But they got no response from her. However, things turned sour when Yuri S. revealed a shocking truth.
"After observing the battles, I've had a grasp of the current situation, Chito-san." Yuri S. said as she said with a quiet tone.
"Which is?" Yuuri asked as she drank a can of Red Bull.
"Namely, the Common. This school, Hoshinomiya, connects these two worlds." Yuri S. revealed. "This is related to the incident from-" She added.
"-where Keter sent me to another world. Temporal anomaly." Chito quietly said.
"Oh yes, that same Sephira who attacked this world 23 years ago." Yuuri blurted as she drank.
"The temporal anomaly… The Sephirot are trying to take control of the gateway." Yuri S. added as she laid out some info on the whiteboard.
"What Saiki has been saying is that it's all connected." Davie added. "Anything else?"
Yuri S. only nodded.
"Lime and Yuzuki, as well as Shirai and even the rest of us are guardians of the human spiritual realm." Yuri S. stated as she had reminisced. "But you are all unaffected by the world's rules here. Which is why…"
"That the Sephirot's time-stopping powers are of no effect against us." Chito said.
"Guess why the Cursed Spirits and now those Einherjar can just show up and attack us when we fight off against the Sephirot." Nero answered hesitantly. "Odin and Heimdall are basically unaffected by it."
"You told me of this Odin, right?" Yuri S. questioned.
"He used Mao's desires to attack us." Chito said as she gestured, before grabbing Yuri S. by the shoulder. "That fucker… All-Fucker… You had no idea what trouble he had caused us for the past few weeks! He isn't stopped and so is his bastard excuse of a son! Mahito and the Disaster Curses… It was all his doing!" She ranted in annoyance before bashing the wall with her fist. "I was mad when Mao easily fell for it! Nevermind the fact what happened after it! My once-peaceful life went to shit because of him!"
Yuri S. only widened her eyes.
"Chii, calm down…" Yuuri said in concern.
"Sorry." Chito apologised.
"You remember Shirai's wish, right?" Yuri S. asked, with the group dreading the question.
"In that she wanted to have her legs healed to be able to dance again, right?" Chito asked Yuri S. "I'm thinking that there's strings attached to it."
"Chito-san… The thing is… Her wish isn't real." Yuri S. said somberly. "Nothing will change after it. The only thing that would change is world peace. It's not going to heal her leg, nada. In short, no wish that she makes comes true." She explained regretfully.
The group could not believe what they heard, especially Chito herself, who completely lost it.
"Yuri-san, what is this all about?" Chito questioned in indignation.
"So the cat's out of the bag this time." Jolyne commented.
"EXCUSE US!?" Yuuri fumed angrily. "You're saying that your two friends are goddamn liars after all this time!?"
"Oi, beg your pardon over here!" Kenpachi exclaimed.
"Are you fucking serious!?" Nero exclaimed loudly. "So this is why Hinako doesn't even want to talk to us! I should have known by now that something is wrong!"
"Lime-san and Yuzuki-san reviving back from the dead and Lain-san digging bizarre info about them, everything is adding up now!" Chito said as her eyebrows furrowed in anger before her eyes narrowed. "When is this shit gonna stop!? I, no we, trusted those two and all they did was to throw a pity party over what they are truly hiding after all this time!" She said with her tone increased.
"Please…!" Yuri S. said as she teared up. "You have to understand that-"
"That we're fucking done being lied upon!" Chito fumed as her expression contorted to anger. "What, we just spent our weeks risking our asses helping them, only to find out those two are lying to us! Why are you hiding this!"
"I… It's complicated!" Yuri S. added with an insistent tone. "Even if I mended fences with the two, I cannot ruin the friendship I had with them!" She gestured. "You know that I was heartbroken when they passed away."
"Then why hide this? You know how much trouble we could avoid?" Chito said with a softened tone, before seething. "You know how we believe those two?! Everything we learned about those two is fucking wrong after all this time! I'm mad at this and it pains me to this extent, Yuri-san!"
Then if things couldn't get any worse, the group heard what looked like some argument outside. It was between Sarasa and Hinako over the former's insecurity yet again. However, Hinako's words have exacerbated it, as Hinako mentioned the revealing words she got from the sisters and Yuri S. about the truth behind her wish. Sarasa, as a result, became rampant.
"Is… Is this my fault?" Hinako questioned, before Chito and Yuuri, as well as Mikoto, Nero, and Shadow showed up. "Chito-san, Yuuri-san, Mikoto-san? And Nero-san and Shadow-san?"
"What happened to Sarasa-san?" Mikoto asked.
"She went rampant!" Hinako answered immediately.
"Hinako-san, we're gonna talk while we deal with this." Chito sternly said as she grabbed some strands of her hair. "This is just borderline ridiculous."
With that, the group entered inside the Common.
~~~0-0-0~~~
[Fear and Sorrow Zone, The Common]
Inside the Zone, Chito was stuck in a chaotic tumult of her own over believing Lime and Yuzuki, only to be exposed as a liar for failing to disclose the truth about it. After learning that Hinako's wish was a lie and nothing would change after the Sephirot were defeated, Chito's capacity for patience finally snapped. She was also mad at why Hinako sent such a strange message to the group that left everything to be desired, instead of talking it out.
As expected, Lime and Yuzuki were nowhere to be seen. Chito only grumbled out of frustration as she turned her attention to Hinako.
"Where to begin?" Chito dismayingly gestured as she looked at Hinako. "Tell me, Hinako-san. Tell me." She demanded.
"Yeah. Chii right now is not happy lately." Yuuri simply said.
Hinako only told the group hesitantly about what Yuri S. and the Shijou sisters had said to her about the reality of the Reflectors, the Sephirot, and most importantly her wish. And how after all this time… It was bogus as it wouldn't change her for good, nor it would heal her leg.
"It also hurts me hearing that I was tricked into this!" Hinako said as she teared up before looking at Chito. "For the past week… You all helped us defeating Mahito's Disaster Curses and the Sephirot, you encouraged me about the ethos of the Unity Force… And now all I got was a wish that was just nothing but lies!" She said as she gestured before standing at a rock pillar with tears from her eyes. "Lime and Yuzuki lied to me! To us! What the hell did I even fight for after all this time?!"
Chito finally lashed out at Hinako. "Then why you didn't tell this problem to us in the first place?! You texted us yesterday and sent us a cryptic message without any further elaboration… But then we found out why!" She raged as she grabbed a piece of the pillar and tossed it. "I'm absolutely mad at where this is going! This is already infuriating for us to deal with this!" She gestured.
"Chii… Please." Yuuri attempted to reassure Chito.
"Being lied upon for days finally pushes it, Hinako-san." Chito said with a clipped tone as she ignored Yuuri's concerned tone. "To deal with a walking corpse and now it turns out that they had more to hide pisses us off." She said with finality. "Let's find Sarasa-san's Fragment."
"This is honestly fucked in the ass." Nero said as he simply grumbled.
[OST: Hayato Asano - Selectivity Filter (Blue Reflection OST)]
With that, the group decided to look for Sarasa's Fragment. Nero and Shadow were simply neutral to the matter, but even the latter could not help but to be infuriated of what Lime, his partner, has been hiding. He had trusted her for days, but Shadow himself, who was used to this kind of treatment thanks to the past he went through with G.U.N. in the past, had become more infuriated of the truth behind her.
"To think we even believed her is a question mark." Shadow simply commented as he took out his Shadow Rifle.
"This is feeling like we headed straight into a trap." Nero added.
"If we meet up with those two, we're gonna deal with them later on." Chito said with a tired tone. "Unbelievable that we even have to deal with this shit."
Hinako only stayed silent as she went along with the rest of the heroes there.
After minutes of roaming around the Zone while avoiding Demons along the way, they reached to an area where Sarasa's Fragment lay, as well as an army of Anxiety Coffins standing right next to it.
"You know what to do." Chito said as she stanced herself. "Everyone, ready yourselves." She said as she activated Vermilion Lightning, creating her trademark Vermilion Hammer.
"I've been itching for this battle just to clear this mess." Nero said as he took out his Red Queen. "Bring it on!"
With that, the group faced off against the monsters.
[OST: Hayato Asano - Kosuichinokakusuranakiku.Exe (Blue Reflection OST)]
Chito came first as she proceeded to dodge the attacks from the Anxiety Coffins, as she created a Vermilion Shield around her. After the attacks were blocked, Chito then jumped high above as she then unleashed a powerful blow from the hammer, destroying the Coffin in one blow, before the blow itself electrocuted some of them.
"Solemn Blanche!" Hinako shouted as she raised her sword high before aiming it to the Anxiety Coffins, where a large ball of electricity travelled right through the Coffins before it closed in, causing huge damage to them as they were also electrocuted.
"Come at me, you bitches!" Nero taunted with a smirk as he charged his Blue Rose for seconds. The Anxiety Coffins then aimed right at Nero, before releasing the trigger, causing blue-coloured bullets to emerge from the barrels, with the blow enough to send them flying into the edge of the Zone. "Well, you're in for a ride with me!" He added with his boasting as he revved his Red Queen, where the Coffins charged at the Demon Hunter, with Nero then unleashing a spinning attack, Roulette Spin, that sent the creatures flying above before slicing them in half.
Shadow brandished his gun as he proceeded to use Chaos Control before dodging the attacks of the Anxiety Coffin and fired his Shadow Rifle, hitting them precisely to the head. He then dodged another incoming attack from the Coffin as he then proceeded to grab one of the Coffins and slam him to the ground. He then charges forward as he curls himself tightly into a concussive ball while in locomotion before shooting himself forward, driving himself through several of the Coffins, creating holes from their chests, killing them.
Mikoto then manipulated iron sand as she turned it into three whip swords, before using them as she grabs some Coffins with them. "Not that fast enough!" She mocked with her tone dripping with sarcasm as she then killed several Coffins with the whip sword, slicing them in half.
Yuuri then tossed a magazine full of red 30mm grenade rounds as she quickly caught it with her hand. "You might be having a little 'explosive feeling' with this one, fuckers!" She grinned as she immediately pulled the trigger, firing three flame explosive rounds at once as it then hit the multiple Anxiety Coffins, causing them to burn in extreme agony.
With that, the battle is over.
"Job done, I guess." Nero commented as he holstered his revolver.
"Hinako, you know the deal with this one." Chito simply said out of reluctance, with Hinako nodding as she held the Fragment close to her, before thoughts about Sarasa and Hinako can be heard regarding the latter's drive to do ballet again and the former's anxiety over Hinako being unable to dance again because of her leg, but only because she did it out of concern and care for her friend.
"Chii, I have something to confess to you." Yuuri suddenly said.
"What is it, Yuu?" Chito asked.
"I felt like the conversations I had with Naruko-chan… I told her how even after we mended things with the Shijou sisters and Y.S.-san, I still felt empty. You had a family. A real one. I don't have one, on the other hand."
"Yuu… I get that feeling." Chito said with kindness dripping on her tone.
"Naruko-chan, for all her faults and mine, cared for me. But I felt like I don't have anything to repay her the favour." Yuuri added. "It's like I just destroyed her marriage and her life, all because I'm desperate for validation. I'm mending fences with her."
"It's almost like with grandpa." Chito said as she leant to the wall. "I know I was guilty of deadpanning what you did before, but dealing with Naruko-san is going to be tough. I ask you this: why did you want to even be in love with her?"
"Chii… You told me of this saying once. 'Happiness is not based on money. And the best proof of that is our family.'" Yuuri admitted. "Naruko-chan married to some man because it was arranged, which is not out of love; Sora-chan called off the engagement because she doesn't want to put Kotone-chan into a barrage of problems. I sensed Naruko-chan's emotional pain. She's essentially in a prison even with all the smiles she has. I just wanted her to see it."
"Which I get it." Chito answered as she smoked. "But as what you told me about Naruko-san getting mad at you, you could have dealt with it normally. Not by barging at their family mansion and caused a ruckus about it. Look, you have to understand that boundaries are a thing, especially in a very personal matter like romance."
"I do…" Yuuri quietly said, with Chito only patting her shoulder. "I felt safe talking it out to her."
"Then do it." Chito ordered.
"I got it!" Hinako exclaimed.
"Then let's get out of here and meet up with the rest." Chito simply stated, before the rest of the group left the Common.
~~~0-0-0~~~
After sorting out Sarasa's problems within the Common, with Hinako talking to the rest of the group as she and Sarasa later apologised and ultimately befriended with each other, tensions momentarily loosened up.
"Are you okay now, Sarasa-san?" Chito asked.
"I'm okay now, Chito-san. I'm sorry if I went out of line." Sarasa added with a reassurance. "When Hinako said those words, I felt embarrassed expressing those feelings. But she wanted to let it all out to me-"
However, that moment of peace was interrupted when they heard a familiar quake from a distance, and they knew what they were up against: Sephirot.
"I thought you guys defeated this thing already!" Sarasa exclaimed as she saw the Sephira.
The rest of the heroes showed up.
"Guess not." Chito simply stated.
"It's that blasted thing again!" Kenpachi exclaimed.
"Perfect timing, but we have a new problem!" Chito exclaimed.
However, this time, they are faced with a much greater problem than just one of them. Instead, they're facing two of them, much to the shock of Chito's group.
"Sephira?!" Nero exclaimed in shock.
"And another one joined in too!" Mikoto added.
"Cochma. But it's not just him. Tiphereth, as well!" Chito exclaimed as she saw the cherub Sephira flying, who is seen a few metres away from Cochma. "Get Yuri-san and the others ready!" She ordered.
Both Tiphereth and Cochma appeared at the same time, as the latter drove through the campus.
"We're actually facing these two fuckers at once…?!" Yuuri questioned.
"This is gonna be tough." Chito simply commented.
[TO BE CONTINUED]
~~~0-0-0~~~
A/N: This story is inspired by the ideas of Tamama900. It will continue in the next chapter.
And with that, have a nice day!