Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Rei

He stared at the papers on the teacher’s desk. All of them various tests and quizzes taken over the last half term, and he recognised all of them as being his. And even if he didn’t, he’d recognise his own name in his own handwriting.

“I’m sure I don’t need to tell you what’s happening here, do I, Nishimori-kun?” the teacher asked. Her pink nail tapped at one test score: 44. And another: 42. And another: 49.

“I would normally call in your parents straight away because of this, but I wanted to talk to you first. This isn’t particularly like you, is it now?”

“No, Sasaki-sensei.” Rei said automatically. Sasaki sighed, and pulled out one paper. Rei recognised it instantly as his science midterm. 37. The worst score of all of them.

“Do you have any explanation as to why this is happening? In first year, your scores were solidly in the upper 80s. Your science and maths scores all went to high 90s at the beginning of this year. And now, you’ve dropped far below that. You’re failing. Is there anything going on at home? With your friends, perhaps?”

More than that.

“No, Sasaki-sensei.” Rei lowered his eyes and looked down at his lap instead. He didn’t want to see those grades, his failures. He couldn’t waver now. He was already wasting time, here with Sasaki.

“I seem to recall you were very active in setting up study groups for the class, which I noticed helped. Perhaps you should set those up again-.”

“I don’t have the time for that, sensei!” Rei burst out, cringing when he realised he had just interrupted the teacher.

“Nishimori-kun, did you not hear what I said?” Sasaki clicked her tongue and glared. “You’re failing. At this rate, you won’t be able to progress to the next year. You might not even be able to graduate. You are aware of the seriousness, aren’t you?”

“I am-I’m sorry, I can’t. I can’t.” Rei pleaded.

Sasaki sighed, and made a point of rearranging the pile of exam papers. The science midterm was right on top, taunting him with the failing score. What’s happened to me? Eventually, Sasaki looked back at him, and smiled faintly.

“You know, Nishimori-kun, there is a life beyond Niðavellir.”

No, there isn’t.

Rei pressed his lips together into a thin line to stop those words escaping, and tried to keep himself as still as possible. But Sasaki seemed to hear them anyway, because she sighed heavily and let her smile fall away before she got up and gathered the papers.

“I don’t think I can expect you to go back to your old standards that quickly, but I’ll give you until the next set of in-class tests for each subject to make some kind of improvement. If not, then I will have to get your parents involved and you will feel the consequences. Am I clear?”

“Yes, Sasaki-sensei.”

“And keep in mind what I just said. It will probably help.”

Sasaki left the classroom, but Rei didn’t move for a little while. Life, beyond Niðavellir? I don’t have that anymore. That’s the problem. He sighed, and reached up to adjust his glasses before remembering he wasn’t wearing them anymore. He had contacts in. Because it was easier and more convenient when fighting. See?

Feeling sick, Rei pushed back the chair, got up, swept up his bag, and quickly strode out of the room. He didn’t want to think about this anymore. He couldn’t.

…

Chika

At first, she didn’t quite realise what she had done, but after a few moments, reality came flooding back in, and she stared at Sora as he attempted to sit up, and Hiroto and Sanae dropped their own weapons and sprinted across the Green Room to help him. You should….probably say something. Do something, a little voice in her head chided her.

And she agreed, she really did, but instead, she turned and ran out.

“Hey, Kato! You can’t just do that! Kato!”

More protests came, but Chika blocked them out as she rushed away. I can’t do this anymore. She pushed open the door to the meeting room, but saw Kotone sitting at the table alone, reading some chunky, old looking tomes and making notes from them. She looked up at the intrusion, but Chika quickly closed the door and went away before she could ask anything, and went straight to the common room.

I could probably do with a coffee….To her relief, the common room was empty, but instead of going to the kitchen area and attempting to assemble herself a drink, she just stood there. Just as instinct had propelled her out of the Green Room after attacking Sora, it glued her to the spot she was standing on. What….what am I even doing? What am I doing?

“Erm, Kato-sempai? Are you alright?”

Somehow, slowly, Chika turned around to see Kou, Emiko and Haru standing just behind her, and her heart squeezed. But she remained where she was, and said nothing.

“You’re acting strange.” Haru informed her bluntly.

“…yes.”

Kou and Haru exchanged looks while Emiko just fidgeted nervously, and then Kou simply shrugged and turned to look back at Chika, a small and faltering smile appearing on his face. I haven’t seen that look in a while.

“Well…erm, actually, we were just coming to look for you. I made you something. Or, rather, we did.” Kou explained.

He dug in his pocket and pulled out something red and black. He flattened it, and held it out in his hands, and Chika could see that it was three red silk roses held together with black ribbon, with some length of ribbon trailing out underneath.

“It’s for your scythe.” Haru said when she didn’t respond.

“I don’t get it.” She said numbly. Haru rolled his eyes, and pointed at the scythe.  Chika held it out uncertainly.

“Ah, here, I’ll show you what to do.”

Chika watched as Kou carefully tied the silk roses onto the handle, at the point where the handle met the blade, leaving the ribbon lengths trailing. It looked quite nice-classy, even-, but she still didn’t quite get it. Kou looked up, and seemed to discern this, because he gave another smile.  I don’t deserve this. I don’t.

It hadn’t been her fault that his sisters had died, just as it was never her fault when everyone else whose souls she’d ever collected had died. But you could have stayed. When you snuck out and realised who the child was, you could have…..And instead, she’d run away.  Pretended that as usual, it didn’t matter. And it was far too easy to do that.

“It’s a spell.” Kou said as she swallowed her nausea. “The scythe won’t respond if it falls in the wrong hands. And if you get struck by it, it won’t hurt you.”

At this, Chika touched the side of her head. The bruise was fading now, and there was no scar to speak of, but even so, she’d almost forgotten it had ever happened, even though it wasn’t the first time this had happened. It had been far too easy to do that, too. And yet, this is too hard?

“That’s one nifty decoration.” She remarked.

“There’s one more feature, too.” Emiko spoke up. “Kurosawa-kun?”

“Oh, yeah! I thought this might be useful. Let me hold it, and press the gold beads in the middle of the roses.”

“What?” Chika stared.

“Just do it.” Haru muttered.

“Okay, okay.” Just as she let go of the scythe, she heard someone come into their quarters, and a few moments later, she could hear Hiroto and Sanae complaining to Arisa, their voices dipping up and down in volume, so she couldn’t hear too much.

“ Chi-Chan did? That doesn’t sound like………”

“…….playing favourites!....can’t just…….let her….”

“No, no, I will……firstly, is Takada-kun alright?”

“He will be, I was able to heal him pretty quickly.”

“Thank you, Abe-san…..is he able to……? Okay, then, let’s go into the meeting room.”

“Are you……..not going to……?”

“I will talk to her, but for now, tell me what happened, in your own words……ah, hey, Suzuki-san, is it alright if we stay here? We won’t be disturb….?”

Chika swallowed again, and met Kou’s eyes. He didn’t say anything, and just used his head to gesture at the roses as he grabbed ahold of the scythe.

“Try it.” He encouraged.

Chika hesitated, but obliged and watched as her scythe seemed to wink and vanish, leaving behind the roses and ribbon. Before she could protest, Kou, who had caught the silk in his hands before it could fall, turned it around and pointed to something shimmery.

“It’s there, see? The extra circle of fabric? If you want to bring back the scythe, just do what you did to make it fold in. “

Chika tested this, and sure enough, her scythe returned to its normal form. Neat. A laugh bubbled up in her chest, but she couldn’t get it out. Instead, she pressed at the gold beads again to turn her scythe back into what was essentially a hairband. Woah. The little voice in her head whistled, impressed, and she herself would have too, if she knew how.

“…why?” she asked.

“W-we thought that maybe it might be useful. You don’t need to drag your scythe around all the time, but it will still be to hand, and you’ll be able to wield it even when you’re not transformed.” Emiko explained.  She looked like she’d say more, but then she stared at Chika and went bright red.

“I mean, I didn’t…..”

Chika sighed heavily and made a dismissive gesture.

“Whatever, I get it. “ She shrugged. “I…thanks, I guess. But, why?”

“Like Chiba-sempai said, we thought it might be useful. And, uh, I thought you might like it.“ Kou went slightly pink.

“It was his idea.” Haru idly commented, pointing at Kou, who spluttered a bit.

“Yeah, but you helped with the designing,” he retorted.  “And Chiba-sempai found all the things we needed to make it, so it wasn’t just me.”

Emiko nodded in confirmation, but Chika didn’t pay much attention as she looked at the silk roses nestled in her hands, weighing them up.

“Wait, Nakahara-kun designed this?” Chika felt another trapped laugh form as this occurred to her, and Haru silently mock-glared.

“But, anyway, it was surprisingly fun. Like a kids craft project….I’d forgotten what those are like. Actually, I’ve forgotten a lot of things.”

Kou bit his lip at that, and looked down at the ground.

“Ah….are you holding up alright?” Chika asked him.

Kou took a while to lift his head up, and when he met her eyes she was taken back to what felt like so long ago, dealing with the stand that had gone up in flames and meeting Kou for the first time. She couldn’t remember the last time someone had looked at her like that, with so much awe, as if she was to be admired, not feared but grudgingly accepted as the way life worked. Everything’s changed.

“I’m getting there. “

No thanks to me.

“I….I, that’s good to hear. Keep your chin up, eh? And….thank you for this, really.” She held up the silk roses. “I’ve never had a boy give me flowers before.”

Kou blushed at that, and rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. So, I can tease the boy. That’s….that’s something. Chika didn’t know what to do with that realisation.

“Ah, that’s, well……you’re welcome.” She spluttered out.

“Okay, so you go rest up, sit in the common room, take something to eat and drink, whatever, I’ll find Chi-Chan and go to talk to her and-ah!”

They were all suddenly confronted by Arisa swinging open the door. Chika stared at her, and Arisa stared right back before her shoulders slumped and her grip on the handle loosened.

“You’re here. “She breathed out. “Right. Right, okay. We’ll go to the meeting room. Abe-san, Takada-kun, Miyazono-kun, you can stay here and don’t say anything. Chi-Chan, come on.”

“What’s going on?” Emiko asked.

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it, we’re sorting it out. Chi-Chan?”

“Mhm.”

Chika kept her head down-how can I look at them?-and scurried out behind Arisa, following her out to the meeting room and not looking up until she got there. Kotone looked up and tilted her head in greeting before getting back to whatever it was she was doing, and she noticed that she was had earphones in, and it randomly occurred to her that she had no idea what the idol liked to listen to herself. Why does it matter? She sighed and rubbed her head.

“Sit down, Chi-Chan.” Arisa murmured, pointing to a seat at the opposite end of the table to Kotone. Chika plopped into it heavily and then waited for what was going to come. A telling off. Disappointment. Her best friend giving her the same looks everyone gave her these days.

But instead, Arisa crouched carefully in front of her, and looked up, gazing at her so directly it was almost impossible to resist eye contact.

“What happened, Chi-Chan?” she whispered.

“Takada-kun told you, didn’t he?” Chika muttered right back.

“I know. But can you tell me, anyway?” Arisa asked. “Please.”

“I…..” Chika shut her eyes. “I don’t know, really. I…you know that cliché about the red mist coming down? It was kind of like that. I forgot for a moment that we were just practising and that I was up against Takada-kun.”

“Red mist, huh?” Arisa considered this. “What happened to trigger it? What made you angry?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know, Ari.” Chika repeated dumbly, opening her eyes.

“I suppose I should have seen this coming. You’ve not been yourself since the summer, have you? What’s wrong, Chi-Chan? Can I help you?”

“No, you can’t.” Arisa flinched when she said this, and she sighed heavily. “I wish you could, but…”

“But….?”

“It’s just…..I……this isn’t fun anymore.”

 God, I sound like a four year old.

“Yeah?”

“I’m tired, Ari. I’m just tired, of everything, but it won’t let up. The stuff here, people dying. “

“Do you want to leave?”

“I can’t, can I? There’s the Binding.”

“I know, I know, but I can ask Shiho, and-“Arisa halted as Chika held up her hand.

“No, there’s no point. People are still going to be dying, and in any case, reversing the Binding won’t make a difference.”

“Won’t it? You’d be freer. You could go home.”

“Nah, it’s…” Chika struggled. “In the first place being a reaper is what you say about being mahou shoujo but ramped up tenfold, but also, I think joining Niðavellir is a binding spell in itself. We were trapped, right from the beginning.”

Arisa tilted her head, seemingly lost for words. Chika knew how that felt, but she tried to elaborate a little more. 

“The thing is, even though I’m trapped here, I don’t want to leave. At least, I don’t feel the need to. I’m tired, but I….I don’t know, I just thought if I focused solely on the things I had to do, I’d find it again.”

“The fun?” Arisa asked. Chika nodded at that.

“Yeah, I guess. Just whatever it was that I liked about this mess in the first place.” She agreed. “I want to find it again.”

I don’t know if this is me talking, or the Binding, but it’s still true.

“So, you want to stay, then.” Arisa summarised. Chika nodded again, and Arisa sighed, rubbing her eyes for a moment. With the motion, Chika noticed that dark circles had started to show up under her eyes again, and she wondered if she had been responsible for them.

“Sure. I’d be a shitty friend if I left you in the lurch without a right-hand-man, right? Though I suspect that I’ve been just that anyway these past few months…”

Arisa shook her head vehemently at this, making some of her hair whip her face. Chika felt a genuine smile tug at her lips, and she let it.  

“That’s not true. “ Arisa stated. “But, Chi-Chan, you know, you can’t go on like this. Especially not now.”

“Yeah. Yeah, I know.” Chika murmured, sobering, clutching the silk roses tighter. Then, she asked the question she’d been avoiding.

“I…what did I do to Takada-kun, Ari?”

Arisa sighed.

“He’s mostly bruised. A few cuts. He sprained his ankle, too. Nothing that Abe-san wasn’t able to easily deal with. Mostly, he’s just shaken up. It could have been worse, but Chi-Chan-“

“I know. I know. I’ll go apologise now.”

“Have a shower first. And something to eat. “Arisa insisted, starting to get up.

“No, no, I’ll apologise first. I need to do that.” Chika insisted just as forcefully, following suit. Arisa shook her head tiredly.

“If you’re sure. I’ll get you a change of clothes and see you in a minute.”

Chika looked down at herself again, surprised to see that she was still in her magical form, and quietly transformed back. Her skin instantly felt grainier, her scalp greasier. And the tiredness hit her full force, and she had to hold out her arms to steady herself. Yet at the same time, she felt something that she could only label as positive. She tugged at her t-shirt, curiously wondering which one it was, and laughed aloud when she realised.

Arisa turned around almost instantly.

“Chi-Chan?”

In silence, Chika pointed at her top-Even Magical Girls Wanna Have Fun-And Arisa’s face lit up instantly, before she left the room to go to the storage cupboard. Chika took a breath, then strode back to the common room.

Kou, Haru and Emiko had left at some point, but Sora, Sanae and Hiroto were all still there, sitting on the sofas. They looked up at her arrival and almost instantly tensed, Sora in particular seeming to curl up in on himself, giving her the look she hated so much.  Don’t back away now. You told Ari you could stay. So she ignored it, pretended that they weren’t looking at her like that, and took a few more steps forward, until she was close enough to be sincere, but far enough away to feel safe.

“I’m sorry, Takada-kun.” She said before any of them could get a question in, bowing as far as she could go, staring at her old blue trainers. And then she waited. The moments seemed to tick by, and then..

“You can straighten up, Kato.”

Chika obliged and looked straight at Sora, who just looked slightly embarrassed now.

“As long as you don’t go all psycho on me again, I guess it’s cool.”

“I won’t.” Chika said, gripping the roses tightly to remind her. “You can count on that.”

“Meh, that works for me.” Sora decided.

I’ll make sure of it. I swear it, on these roses.

At that moment, Arisa came in carrying a small pile of clothes, breaking out into a smile.

“Pyjamas.” She told Chika, handing over the pile. “After showering, have something to eat, and then go to sleep. It’s important to take advantage of this relatively quieter moments to rest and refresh.”

Though the last statement was clearly aimed at Chika, Arisa made a point of telling the other three in the room as well, and they nodded.

“I’m still coming on tonight’s watch though, with you and Jeff, right?” Chika checked as she took the pile and carefully balanced her roses on it.

Arisa pursed her lips as she considered this, and then nodded slowly.

“If you rest now, then yes, that shouldn’t be a problem.”

Good, I’m glad.

“Alright then, see you in a minute.”

…

Once she was showered and cleaned, Chika dumped her old clothes in the basket they’d designated as the dirty clothes basket and went straight back to the common room. Arisa was sitting at the table in the kitchen area with two plates of rice and curry. The smell of it hit her as soon as she noticed, and she took a moment to just breathe it in. Mmmm. When was the last time I actually ate?

Pushing down the question, she quickly went over to Arisa and sat down in front of the plate that was meant for her.

“Well, this looks good. Did you make it?” She grinned. Arisa beamed back, brighter than she had seen her in ages.

“Yeah, I did. Shocked?”

“Very.” Chika did a mock-swoon, and then had to fight off the biggest yawn. “Alright, let’s eat before I fall in this and defeat the point of my shower.”

After giving a quick thanks for the food, they both tucked in in companionable silence. Occasionally, Chika would catch her best friend watching her carefully, giving smiles of varying degrees each time she was caught. But she didn’t mind, because with each bite and each concerned look she caught, she found herself settling back inside herself again. She was nowhere near what she was seeking, she knew, but for the first time since the summer she felt like she was actually on the way.

And so, when she finished and went straight to her sleeping bag to crash, she was able to fall asleep almost immediately.

…

Kenjiro (Jeff)

Kenjiro had no idea why he’d woken up until he turned over and noticed that the sleeping bag nestled between his and Chika’s was empty. Hiyama-Chan. Sitting up instantly, he looked around before slowly getting up, and he was just about to head straight out of the common room when something compelled him to look down at Chika.

She was still completely dead to the world, the sleeping bag barely containing her as she lay with her limbs as flung out as they could possibly be. One hand was still tightly gripping the silk roses she had received that day, the ribbons wrapped loosely around her hand. But most importantly, in the small amount of moonlight drifting in from the gap in the curtain, she looked peaceful. That’s good.

It had been hard, these few months, watching someone he loved so clearly in turmoil. So perhaps the way he loved Chika was a completely different way to which he loved Arisa, but even so. She’d grown harder, more distant and more reckless with her safety in a way that wasn’t the usual Chika-goofing-off-irreverence he was familiar with, and he’d worried that one of these days she’d disappear off when ‘death called’ and would not come back.

It didn’t help that there was no way to tell what had been pure stress, and what had been the Binding. How many times had he caught himself before going too far? How many times had he paused and realised that he was on the brink of a boundary he shouldn’t be anywhere near? Still, now it looked like that she was back with them, and that was all that mattered.

“We’ll be back soon.” He told her in a whisper, before grabbing his dressing gown and putting it on, and then taking Arisa’s own dressing gown and holding onto it tightly.

Now, where you could be?

…

When he opened the door and stepped out onto the roof, his panic was replaced with relief when he noticed Arisa across from the other side, only to be replaced with panic once again as he realised she was right by the railings, crouching down.

Okay, okay, calm down.

One step, and another, and another, and he gradually got closer to her, enough that he could see that she wasn’t on the wrong side of the railings, and the hammering in his heart eased.

“Hiyama-Chan?” he asked.

“Walk away.” She whispered thickly, without turning to him. “Walk away, please.”

He didn’t obey, but he didn’t directly violate her orders by moving closer. Instead, he waited where he was.

“You’re not talking about this immediate situation, are you?”

“No.” the response was more a breath than a word, and Arisa remained gazing out at the night in front of them.

“Then, what are you talking about?”

I know, I just want you to say it.

“Walk away, please. Please, Jeff-kun.” She said instead, finally turning around.

“Is that an order?” he asked evenly.

The answer didn’t come straight away, and she just looked right at him with wide eyes, before eventually she dropped her gaze to her lap.

“No.”

It’s a plea, isn’t it?

“Well, if it’s all the same to you, I’d rather not leave. I don’t want to.”

“…Chi-Chan said that, too.” Arisa sighed.

“And that’s why you’re asking me?”

“Yes.” She frowned. “Is it that obvious?”

“To me, maybe.” Kenjiro shrugged. “What’s wrong? I know, you’ve been worried about Kato-Chan, but I can tell it’s not that simple.”

“What, are you psychic?” He could tell it was supposed to be a joke, but Arisa’s voice was too exhausted for that to be so.

“Wish I was.” He said simply. “But tell me, what’s wrong? Actually, wait, could you come over here? The fact you’re so close to the edge is creeping me out a little bit.”

Arisa tilted her head, but then sighed again, before getting up and walking over to him, stopping right in front of him. The distance between them was almost non-existent, and he had to take a moment to remember to breathe. But he was fine with that, more than fine.

“Less creeped out now?” she asked. He nodded, and handed her the dressing gown he’d been holding.

“Yeah.”

Arisa looked down at it, and carefully took it from his hands and draping it over herself, tying it at the front in a careful bow.

“I forgot about this-silly me. “She remarked as she concentrated on the bow.

“Ah, it happens, but still. I wouldn’t want you to get a cold, and it’d be trouble for the rest of us too, right?”

“I think I’m already causing trouble as a leader.” Arisa responded bitterly. Kenjiro frowned.

“No you’re not.”

“Yes, I am.” She hissed. “Or maybe I’ve done it already.  I can’t tell.“

When she looked up, her eyes were full of tears, though none of them seemed like they were going to fall.

“What do you mean?” he asked, carefully.

“I thought I was doing the best I could with our situation. I really, really thought that this was what we needed to do. But I think I made a mistake. I was too busy thinking about what we would do to protect the school. I forgot about protecting us, and now it’s too late. “

“You’re talking about the Binding.”

“Yeah.” Arisa nodded. “Yeah. I knew the risks, and yet, I went ahead with it and look what it’s doing to us.”

He didn’t say anything to this, because what could he say? She was right. There was Chika, and how she’d been acting. Kotone had become mysterious and closed off, having taken to sleeping in the room of the dead and spending every spare minute she had working on the project she had revealed nothing about. It was hard to tell what changes in Kou were specifically down to the Binding and which ones were just grief, but he was definitely more spacey, and numb. Naoko seemed more irritable, and Rei more jittery and nervous.  And he could feel the effects in himself, heavy and hard to carry around. They were all more angry, more quick to attack. Many of them hadn’t seen their families or other friends since it all began, with the exception of the small group headed by Fukiko Inoue, who sometimes came by with clothing changes for some of them.

On the other hand, they were all aware of it. That, at least, was something.  But that doesn’t make it better.

“…Well, I can’t really deny that the Binding is a bad thing, but…that’s not on you. “

“Yes, it is. I’m the leader of Niðavellir, I’m supposed to protect you, as well.”

“And you’re still trying to do that, aren’t you? You haven’t stopped doing that, right? So you’re fine. And we’re fine. I promise you, we’re all fine.”

I wish I had a solution for you, something to take the troubles away.

“Chi-Chan wasn’t.” Arisa said stubbornly, wrapping her arms around herself.

“No….but she’s getting there, isn’t she?”

“Yeah, but……” she looked down.  “But……”

Kenjiro waited, waited for her to say what she was thinking, ready to do whatever he needed to do that would help her, even if just a little bit.

“God, I just want to scream.” Arisa muttered after a moment, still staring down at her feet.

“Go ahead.”

“What?” Arisa looked up wildly. “Was that serious?”

“Sure. Do you want me to stay, or to go?”

Arisa eyeballed him as if he’d grown two heads.

“I can’t actually scream, can I?” she sighed. “Inoue-kun and Nakahara-kun will probably hear and think something’s wrong.”

“I…yes, that’s a point, isn’t it?” Kenjiro considered this, and he thought of something.

“What about a hug?”

This time, she looked at him as if he’d grown three heads, which he supposed was fair enough.  He persisted anyway.

“It would muffle the sound.” He explained. Arisa narrowed her eyes for a moment.

“That’s….a weird suggestion to make. On the other hand, it’s you, so it’s nothing to worry about, either.”

“Um, thanks.”

“So…yeah, okay.” Arisa shrugged. “Okay.”

Kenjiro studied her for a moment, to be sure, and then he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, and closed his eyes. This feels nice.

It took him a few moments to realise that she was crying. Even accounting for the fact that any noises she was making were now muffled, she barely made a sound. It was only because her shoulders were trembling slightly that he realised at all.

Oh. Hiyama-Chan.

He searched his mind for something comforting to say, something that would help, but he had nothing. It was as if his capacity for reassurance had just depleted.  But he had to say something.

“It’s okay, I’m here.” I love you. But that was something he couldn’t say. Not now, anyway. He’d made a promise to himself the moment he’d realised what his feelings were-that he would wait until graduation, until she was free from Niðavellir and all of its burdens to tell her. Not a moment before, not a moment after. Some might have called that evasion, but he didn’t think that was so, not least because he knew exactly when he was telling her.  He thought it a kindness, especially once she had been appointed the leader. And he had no trouble with it. Your capacity for patience is astounding, just like your dad’s, his mother had told him once, years before he’d even met Arisa. He was more than capable of waiting.

“It’s okay, I’m here.” He repeated again, patting her back softly.  “It’s okay.”

But is it, really? With a sigh, he looked up at the sky above them, the stars quietly glittering in the patches of sky that weren’t obscured by clouds. For a moment, he wished that he had Kou’s ability, then he could ask the stars if it really would be okay, if they would be happy. If they would even make it to graduation so that he would confess. Niðavellir came with risk of death in the first place-their quarters had a whole room to remind them of this-but that risk had become tenfold since the summer. What would he do, if they didn’t make it? It didn’t matter whether she felt the same as him or saw him ‘only’ as a friend, he just wanted to be able to put voice to his feelings at the right time. And he wished he could ask the stars if his hopes could ever come true.

After a while, Arisa’s tears seemed to start to dry up, and she stopped trembling. Eventually, she looked up, and stepped back. Kenjiro had the urge to hold her for a little longer, but he let her go, sticking his hands in his dressing gown pockets.

“Sorry, I think I’ve soaked your shirt.” She murmured, wiping her eyes.

He looked down at his pyjama shirt. He had barely noticed, but she had indeed soaked it.

“It’ll dry.” He shrugged.

“Hmmm.”

She looked away, wrapping her arms around herself.

“Are you feeling better now?” he pressed gently. Arisa shrugged hesitantly.

“I guess, a bit. But the problems are still there. I need to figure out what to do next, how to protect you all.”

“We protect each other.” Kenjiro said.

Arisa looked back at him, and tilted her head curiously.

“It’s not just you, looking out for us. We look out for each other. Isn’t that why Kato-Chan’s sleeping right now, with those flowers?”

Her mouth opened slightly in surprise as she considered this, and she rubbed at her head.

“Yeah……”

Kenjiro chuckled at the look on her face.

“It’s okay, I understand. Shall we go back now? Get some sleep before it’s our turn to keep watch?”

“Yeah. Oh, and Jeff-kun?” Arisa looked up at him as they started to walk.

“Hmm?”

“Thank you.”

“Anything for you, Hiyama-Chan.”

Yes, anything at all. That was why he was waiting, after all. Perhaps there was no guarantee that they’d make it to graduation, but he would make sure that he did. That they did. And that was what would get him through this.

…

Hanayo

“Kawamura-san, if you don’t mind me saying, I think you’re a bit distracted.”

Naoko’s steps slowed, and she turned to gawp at Hanayo.

“I’m not distracted. What makes you think that?” she replied. Hanayo rubbed the back of her head absently and cringed. 

“It…it’s just a sense I got. I spoke out of turn, didn’t I?”

“It’s alright, you know, to say something if you think something’s not right.” Naoko shook her head. “Still, I’m not distracted.”

“Oh. Okay. “Then, what is it?

Naoko’s pace picked up again, and they continued their circuit of the school’s inner courtyard in silence, crossing the path that connected the two parts of the school building and then back again. And all the time, Hanayo watched her year-mate, trying to work out what it was she had picked up on.

“So…are you upset?” she ventured.

Once again, Naoko slowed and gave Hanayo a look.

“I….stressed, I suppose.” She admitted.

“What about?” Hanayo asked automatically. Naoko scrunched her face up.

“Well….let’s just say I’m looking forward to graduation.” She said eventually.

“Why?” Hanayo asked, even as she got the sense that this was an infinitely stupid question to have asked.

“Then I can be free of Niðavellir. I can get my life back. You can, too.”

“Niðavellir is my life.”

“It won’t be, always. Just a few months, and then you won’t even be a student of this school.”

“That’s…that’s impossible.”

No, no. I always knew it was coming. Of course she had. The few school lessons she hadn’t been able to get out of attending, they had been talking about what to do out of school-university exams, jobs. She, of course, had no hope of getting into university, so she’d tuned all that out. But she’d barely listened to any of the career advice, either. She couldn’t even see her life in the hours after graduating, let alone the days, weeks, months, years.

“That’s impossible.” She found herself repeating numbly. How could it be, that she had finally, finally found somewhere she really belonged, somewhere she had a purpose, and she’d be thrown out of it again? Please, please no. Let me stay just a little longer, please.

She realised that Naoko was staring at her, and she felt her cheeks burn up. How silly she must look, panicking like a child realising that her mother was leaving her. How incomprehensible she must look, to this girl with a normal life, who had a future and a place to go-who had a family. 

“You have nowhere to go, do you?” Naoko murmured softly. As far as Hanayo could tell, there didn’t seem to be judgement in her look. But there has to be, there always is. Hanayo just shook her head.

“Not even any idea of what you want to do?”

“No.” the word was painful to say, so painful, and she tightened the grip on her sword even more, to keep her anchored to the here and now. Naoko frowned at her.

“Let’s stop a moment. If we go over there, we can still see pretty much the whole area.” Naoko led the way to where she was pointing, and they leaned against the walls, looking out at their surroundings.

“So quite literally, once you’re finished schooling, you have to leave? You’re kicked out, just like that?”

“That’s putting it a bit harshly, but yes.” Hanayo replied.

“It is harsh.” Naoko retorted. “But I can’t imagine. I’ve not seen my parents or my siblings for ages, or even my uncle, but I know they’ll be there for me when I need them. I can’t even imagine not having that. Not having somewhere to go.”

“Hmmm.”

“What thoughts do you have, about the future?”

Dark, total dark, not even a few stars to light it. Spinning out of orbit, nothing to connect me to this world anymore.

“Maybe…..maybe I could stay here. Like Muraka-I mean, Shiho-san.”

“Shiho’s cursed. It’s not really like she chose to stay here.”

“It seems like the kindest curse to me. “ Hanayo burst out.  Naoko raised an eyebrow, and she shrunk.

“Sorry, she muttered.”

“Bloody hell, you don’t need to apologise for having feelings.” Naoko huffed.

There was silence for a moment, and Hanayo thought that the conversation was over, when suddenly Naoko started to speak again.

“You know, don’t you, that I want to be a police detective, like my uncle? I’m going to go into police training once we’ve graduated-I’ve already applied, and there are exams coming up, that I’ll be going to-“

“What about the Binding?” Hanayo blurted out.

“I don’t care about that.” Naoko scoffed, though her face twisted, just for a moment. Perhaps it doesn’t work on her as much. Or perhaps she would be strong enough to ignore it.
Hanayo couldn’t deny that the Binding was sometimes like a physical pain. But if it kept her here and let her belong for a while longer, what did she care? If she was making a deal with the devil, as Naoko’s friend had said months ago, then that was the price she had to pay for belonging, and she was more than ready.

But…

“In any case,“ Naoko continued. “Once that’s done, my brother has a flat-he’s getting married next year and he’s moving into a new house with his new wife so he can start a family. Which of course means he has no need for the flat, so he’s said he’ll give it to me, so I can live there while I’m training. I’m paying for some of the price out of my savings, but it’ll be mine outright. And it’s got enough space that I could have a roommate, if I wanted to. I’d be okay with you as a roommate.”

“I….me?” Hanayo’s brain took a while to catch up with what Naoko was talking about. “Me, live with you?”

“It’s a thought.” Naoko responded ambiguously.

“I….but what do I do?”

“Join the police, like me?” when Hanayo just gaped at her, Naoko smiled slightly. “It would suit you, I think. There are rules, a hierarchy. You enforce the law, you carry out justice, you protect and serve. It would be like this, what we do here, but wider, because the people you’re vowing to serve are the citizens of this town. There are restrictions, it’s not by any means possible the way Niðavellir is, but that’s probably a good thing. It would suit you, if you were interested.”

“I….” She was starting to see it, and almost hated herself for it. “Didn’t you say that you’d already applied? Doesn’t that make it too late?”

“No. There’s still time-the later application cycle.”

“And….and this would be the future?” Hanayo tentatively asked.

“It would open it up to you, certainly.” Naoko agreed. “When we change shifts, I’ll show you the information online-I’ve got the website bookmarked on my phone.”

“I….I…..”

What, what do I say? What am I meant to think of this?

“If I did join the police out of school, can I say it’s you?”

“What?”

“If I was asked, ‘what made you want to join the police’ can I say that it was you, like you’d probably say that it was your uncle that inspired you?” she explained.

There was a beat of silence after she said this, and once again she had the distinct sense that she had said something stupid. But to her surprise, it was Naoko whose cheeks seemed to be red.

“Well, if that’s the truth, then there’s no reason for you to not say it.” She answered.

“Okay.”

Naoko didn’t respond, and Hanayo wondered what to say. Was I stupid, after all? It was true, after all. She wanted to be like Naoko, so sure of her future and the life she led and her place in the world. And had she not been the one to just suggest the idea? If that wasn’t inspiration, what was? But….

She was about to suggest they start circuiting again, when suddenly, Naoko whipped around and looked up at the sky. Hanayo followed her gaze but saw nothing at first. Then, a few seconds later, Chika appeared, mid-flight, transformed, though she wasn’t carrying her scythe. When she landed in front of her though, she could see the silk roses in the younger girl’s hair.

“You-get everyone, you have to come!” Chika burst out, out of breath and messy as she pointed somewhere ahead.

Hanayo exchanged a look with Naoko, and they both nodded. Naoko ran off back inside the building to rouse the others, and Hanayo watched her-the future- do so for just a tiny moment before turning to Chika.

“Show me.”

…

Arisa

When she came around, she realised someone was carrying her. Holding her, as if she was little more than a child, as they walked, the slight bobbing motion making her feel calm, even as she started to wake up a little more, and her body started to ache, and the memories of what had led her up to this point began to flood back in. Who’s carrying me? She couldn’t quite tell, the torn white shirt of the person carrying her didn’t offer any clues, and she was still too tired to look up at their face.  Sighing quietly, she shifted slightly, resting her head against the person’s shoulder again.

“Oh, Hiyama-Chan, you’re awake.”

Startled out of her exhaustion, she looked up to see Jeff’s face smiling down at her. Though his eyes were as soft as they usually were, they were also slightly red, and his expression was a little too eager. Too relieved. And then she remembered.

It’s okay, you’re safe. Please hold on, I love you.

Those words, repeated over and over again, sometimes in different orders, but the meaning the same each time. A spell, except there was no magic to it. It had worked, in any case. But…there were things that she would need to ask him about the words he had chosen. Why he had chosen them. It wouldn’t be now, but it would happen. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that, but right now she was tired, he was warm, and there were more important things to worry about.

“Yeah…I must have scared you, huh? How’s everyone else? “

“Ah, we’re all fine, Ari!” Chika said cheerily, seeming to suddenly appear. “Took a bit of a beating, though you got the worst of it. “

“I’m sorry.”

“Eh, it’s fine. “ Chika scoffed. “Well, not fine, but Abe-san managed to get to you in time, and you’re alright.”

“Hmm….”

“Ah-you might still be feeling a little achy, Hiyama-san.” Arisa heard Sanae say. “I focused only on the more severe injuries, so I could conserve my energy in case someone in the other group needs help…”

“Don’t worry about it, Abe-san, that was the right thing to do.”

“Inoue-kun’s carrying her now,” Jeff murmured to her.

“Mhm.” Arisa sighed.  Then:

“Are you alright?”

“Yes, I am. I’d say ‘don’t worry about me’, but I know that’s not gonna work out so well, but even so.”

It’s okay, you’re safe. Please hold on, I love you.

“I’ll try.” She eventually said, after searching his face for some trace of those feelings, and not seeing them. Are we all hiding? It was not fair if he was, but who could blame him? This situation they were in, it pushed everything out. 

Hopefully though, it will end.

“Chi-Chan, how far are we?”

“Well, we’ve been walking in fields for ages, but we should be meeting up with the other group soon enough.”

“Oh, alright.”

They continued walking in silence. It was night time, and so it was dark, but the night was clear and the moon was high in the sky, so she could still see what was ahead of her. And indeed, they were still in fields. We’re so far from Asgard. Will the Binding lead us back, or will we get there through our own efforts? She knew which one she wanted it to be, but also knew that there was no way to be sure that would be so. But I will be, soon. The battle they’d just had was not the last one they would ever have, she knew that. But this particular set of ordeals was coming to an end, she was sure of it. And though she would gladly serve Asgard Academy until she graduated next year, she would be so glad to end this particular battle. Because after this, things would be different. They would be better, and perhaps the shadows surrounding them all would dissipate, and stay away forever. No, they will, I’ll make it so. It was her duty, as Niðavellir’s current leader, to make it so.

“Is that them, approaching?” she asked, lifting a hand to point in the direction of a small cluster in the distance. Chika made a noise of surprise and peered into said distance.

“Yeah, it seems like it. Shall I call out?”

“Go ahead.” Arisa agreed. It’s not as if anyone else is around, after all…

“GUYS!!!! We’re over here!” Chika yelled out, making Arisa wince slightly.

“Oh, so it is you!” a voice called out.

It took Arisa a moment to identify that it was Kou’s. The group sped up, and as they got closer they became more district to her. To her surprise, it was not Kou heading up the group, but Kotone. In her new transformation outfit-not so much a dress as it was swathes of delicate silk held together and criss-crossing her body-and the magical jewellery that Haru had devised for her, she was no longer a fresh-faced popstar, but something more ethereal, more dangerous. It made Arisa think of Freyja, beautiful and formidable. It scared her.

“Oh, you made it back safely! I’m so glad.” Kotone exclaimed, and suddenly she was herself again. You’re still you, that’s something.

“I’m glad that you’re all back, too. Is anyone in need of immediate medical attention?”

“No, no, just a few bruises and stuff, but nothing that can’t wait.” Kotone reassured.

“Yes, we’re all fine.” Rei reassured.

“Good, good. “

“Leader, you’re hurt though?” Hanayo asked in concern, Naoko close by her side and silently emitting the same feeling. The rest of Kotone’s group just stared at her, and Arisa felt her cheeks heat up-it was, after all, somewhat embarrassing to be carried around when you were supposed to be the leader. She cleared her throat and decided to brazen her way through the feeling.

“I took a major hit, yes. Let’s keep moving, I’ll explain everything that happened. Suzuki-Chan, you can explain what happened on your end too, okay?”

“Sure!” there was a flash of the Freyja side of her, even as she smiled, but it disappeared.

“Give me a mo, I’ll fly up and see which way we have to go.” Chika said quickly, leaping up before anyone could protest. Out of what Arisa knew to be a reflex, Chika turned invisible for a short moment before she reappeared and landed neatly back next to Jeff, ponytail fluttering slightly even once she was on the ground.

“Alright, straight ahead.” She pointed in the direction they’d been walking before they’d found the other group, and they started to move.

As they moved, both groups explained how their battles had gone, exchanged what information they’d known, and formulated strategies on what to do next. Arisa mentally compiled a list of questions she would ask Shiho, who’d stayed behind to look after the school building while they’d drawn the enemy away, added that list to the large list of all the different things she needed to do for Niðavellir in general. And she stared at all of them, looking for any hint of them not being themselves, studying them for any sign of danger, to make sure they didn’t slip back into the darkness that had threatened all of them.

Suddenly, though, there was a loud bang, and they all skidded to a halt. Jeff almost stumbled, but much to Arisa’s relief managed to steady himself.

“W-what was that?” Emiko stammered as another noise followed it, and another, and another. Everyone huddled closer together, someone placed a hand on Arisa’s shoulder and gripped it in fear, their breathing quickened as they tried to figure it out.

“A gun?!” Naoko gasped.

No, no, it can’t be. That doesn’t make any sense…..besides, why is there all this brightness?

“Guys, guys, look up!” Sora called out.

“What, why?!” Hiroto asked.

“Look!” Sora insisted. And so, they all did, only to see blooms of colour burst out of the sky and unfurl,  glittering brilliantly before fading after a single moment, replaced by yet another, and another.

“Fireworks?” Atsuya asked. “Why are there fireworks now?”

“That’s a good question, actually.” Arisa mused, looking up at them. Red, blue, pink, green, gold, and more colours besides that, ones she could not quite name.

So pretty….

“Oh!” Kotone gasped suddenly.

“What?” Haru demanded grumpily.

“It’s New Year’s Day!” she cried out.

“Ohhh.” Naoko, Rei, Kou and Atsuya said in unison. Oh, Arisa thought.

“New Year’s Day, huh?” Jeff murmured.

“Yeah. How did we not know that?” Arisa asked. No answer came, which was good, because she didn’t need one. She already knew how.

They all stood there, clustered together. And though she could sense they had all relaxed now they’d worked out there was no danger, they still remained together, all touching. Chika slung one arm lazily around Jeff’s shoulders, her fingertips curling around one of Arisa’s ponytails and tugging slightly. She could feel some of the others pressed in around the three of them, and even observed that Naoko and Hanayo’s hands were tightly intertwined, though curiously it looked like neither of them had realised this themselves.

“We’re invisible.” She heard Kotone breathe. She wasn’t sure what that meant, but she didn’t ask.

“Like we’re the only ones in the world right now, or something.” Haru commented.

“Yes, exactly.”

The only ones, huh? It feels like that, sometimes. Certainly, we’re the only ones in this world. And though she knew everyone would be seeing these fireworks right now, one way or another, they were the only ones doing so like this. They were the only ones viewing them from this place. They were invisible, the only ones in this world.

Huh, so I do get it.

Arisa turned her face to the sky continued to erupt with colour and sound. So beautiful. And the fact that they were all there, standing like this to watch it made it even more so. It’s New Year’s day. The start of another year. A new beginning.

But where do I begin with this new beginning?

A cluster of silvery fireworks faded away, and just for a moment revealed the stars in all their glory, before a set of pink and purple ones exploded and overshadowed them. And then, she had an idea.

“Kurosawa-kun?” she called, raising her voice slightly. After a moment, he responded.

“Yeah?”

“Have you ever read the stars from underneath fireworks?”

Since he was somewhere behind her, she couldn’t see his expression, but the hesitation told her a lot. Eventually though, there was a sigh.

“I’ve never tried before.”

“Could you try now, please?”

“I….what do you want to ask?”

“Erm…..” Arisa trailed off, and bit her lip.

“I’m guessing something like whether we’ll manage to get through this.” Chika suggested after a moment.

“If we’ll ever leave.” Naoko put in at the exact same time.

There was an awkward silence at this.

“What?” Naoko huffed defensively. “Hasn’t anyone else wondered if this Binding will end up being for life, instead? Doesn’t anyone else want to leave?”

Yes, I have, and I do. I’m sorry, Kawamura-sempai.

“That still doesn’t sound like the right question to ask, though.” Jeff pointed out.

“So….?” Kou asked hesitantly.

Arisa thought again. She glanced over at Chika, who caught her eye and grinned in her familiar and comforting way. She looked back up at Jeff for a moment. It’s okay, you’re safe. Please hold on, I love you. And then, back to the fireworks.

“Ask the stars if there’s any hope left for us.”

“Ah….sure, okay.”

A silence descended again, this one thicker and more serious. She had seen Kou read the stars before, so she could picture the way he was looking up and concentrating. The moments ticked by without a word, and then she heard him let out a breath that sounded halfway like a sob. But she waited for the answer.

“It’s….not very clear, exactly. But……” Kou eventually spoke up.

“Yeah?”

Please, please. Kou hesitated again, and the pause was the longest she’d ever been in. But then, the answer came:

“The answer is yes.”