Chapter Text
Akaashi finds herself on the floor of a big room with tall ceilings and a fancy chandelier at the very center. As she sits up, she can feel throbbing in her head. The room was bright, the light coming through huge windows at her side. She could see a queen-sized bed to her right, covered in a transparent curtain, and a large wooden chest sat at the edge, clothes draped over it in a messy heap. Looking around, she notices more fancy furniture, a vanity table at one side of the room, covered in a variety of bottles and brushes. Some tall white bookshelves and an open walk-in closet with racks upon racks of nothing but brightly colored dresses.
“Wake up, you ugly pig! Mother is expecting us at breakfast, says she has big news,” a loud and pitchy voice yells out from behind the grand white room doors.
Mother? Oh no, which fairytale is this? Akaashi thinks to herself. She looks down at herself and notices a big, bright fuchsia dress. The fabric was scratchy and had far too much volume. As she gets up, she notes that it makes her look quite round. She barely fits in the reflection of her vanity mirror.
“Oy! Do you hear me? Anastasia, don’t make me walk in there and wake you myself,” the voice behind the door yells again.
“Anastasia?” Akaashi whispers to herself. “I’ll be out in a moment!” she yells out in response.
She hears a frustrated grunt before silence once more. Akaashi’s head continues to throb, questions flooding her mind. Which character is she? What is her role? Where is Bokuto? Looking around the room, she didn’t see any sign of the adventurer. Akaashi would’ve expected some noise to appear to indicate that she was around. She just hoped Bokuto wasn’t getting herself into trouble already.
Taking a deep breath, Akaashi steps out of the bedroom. Her heavy, brightly colored dress was dragging along the floor. The small heels she had on clicked and echoed with each step. She felt uncomfortable and itchy; she hadn’t worn a dress in years to begin with, and this one seemed to be made from the worst quality fabric. The corset she had on slowly started to feel suffocating.
She walked around aimlessly, unsure of where breakfast took place. Eventually, she heard noise from the room up ahead and made her way to it. She entered the dining room and was immediately met with a scolding from her ‘mother’ as well as some snarky remarks from the girl sitting across from her. Akaashi sighed as she sat down next to the girl, who wore an identically brightly colored dress, this time in lime green. As she spoke, Akaashi recognized the girl to be the voice from behind her door earlier. Her black hair was clipped up at the sides and held together by a bright turquoise bow.
“Now that both of you are here, I can finally make my announcement,” the mother says as she places down the little book she was reading, “I’ve received news from the castle.”
“The castle! Mother, do be serious!” the girl next to Akaashi exclaims.
“Drizella, calm yourself,” the woman says, “The King is inviting everyone to attend the ball tonight. They say the prince is ready to choose a bride!”
A fit of squeals escapes the girl next to her, Drizella. She does everything in her power not to cover her ears. Their mother nods with satisfaction before noticing Akaashi’s lack of enthusiasm over the announcement.
“Anastasia, how come you’re not excited about this?” she asks.
“Oh, I am! I’m very excited,” Akaashi says as she lets out a weak little squeal.
The woman stares at Akaashi for a long moment. Before she could speak again, a hand interrupted her glare. A pretty girl with her blond hair tied back, in a beige and brown work dress, places a plate down on the dining room table.
“Cinderella, do not block my view like that!” the woman says, her tone angry.
This cannot be what I think it is, Akaashi thinks.
“I’m very sorry,” the girl’s voice is gentle.
“Cinderella, bring me cookies. I want the ones with the big chocolate chunks,” Drizella orders.
Akaashi takes a deep breath amongst the chatter in the room. Am I the fucking ugly step-sister? She felt utterly disrespected by the magical book. Was this her punishment for being so overly critical of its magical abilities? Unbelievable.
Well, if she were the ugly step-sister, she might as well start acting like one. She extends her hand to grab one of the pastries on the table and intentionally knocks over her cup of tea. The brown liquid spills out onto the white table sheet. With a disgusted gasp, Akaashi snatches her hand away from the mess, “Cinderella, clean this up immediately! Your placement of platters is absolutely horrendous. You’re just making accidents happen! This is all your fault!”
“I’m very sorry, Anastasia! I’ll clean it up right away,” she says as she begins to frantically soak up the spilled tea with a rag. Akaashi watches as the stepmother’s face visibly relaxes, and a small smile starts forming on it. Awful woman, she thinks.
“Mother, do you have more information about the ball?” Akaashi asks, trying to keep the conversation flowing in the room. Might as well try to assist Cinderella in her story.
“Yes, the prince will be choosing a wife tonight. Every woman in the family is invited to go to the event and present herself,” she says.
“Every woman?” Cinderella speaks up, “Would that mean I can go as well?”
The other step-sisters’ obnoxious chewing stops immediately, and the stepmother places her teacup down harshly, “No.”
“Why not, mother? You said that every woman can go.”
Drizella speaks up quite loudly, “You don’t have a dress! You can’t go without a dress!”
“Perhaps I could borrow one of yours?” Cinderella says quietly.
“No! I won’t let you touch my dresses,” the girl next to Akaashi pouts, “Mother, tell her!”
“Now, unless Anastasia here-”
“No!” Akaashi cuts her off.
“Well, that settles it. You cannot go with us,” the woman says, “No dress, no access to the ball. End of that. Now, clean up this mess. Girls, be ready by 6 o’clock sharp tonight, we will not be late to such an event.”
With that, the woman gathers her book and walks out of the room. Drizella follows suit, keeping her nose high up in the air, screaming about how excited she is for the ball. Akaashi rolls her eyes as she stands up from her chair, unwrinkling her dress a bit. She watches as Cindirella cleans the table, her expression overcome with sadness. Akaashi’s hands itch to help the girl clean, but in this fairytale, she must play the part to get the ending they need. So, instead, she knocks over a container of sugar that was on the table, looking away with her nose raised in the air.
Before completely walking out of the room, Akaashi stops in her tracks, “Did you happen to see a woman with wild black and white hair anywhere around here?”
“Um, no. I haven’t,” Cinderella says.
With a dissatisfied sound, Akaashi turns and walks out of the room. She turns the corner, looking to see if anyone might spot her, then, picking up her puffy dress, she starts quickly making her way down the estate's hallways. “Bokuto,” she whispers as she enters every open room. She looked everywhere she could, every room, in the servants' hall, even out in the garden and farm, with no success. Bokuto was nowhere to be found.
A twinge of anxiety starts to bubble up in Akaashi’s chest. Her mind begins racing with the worst possible scenarios for why Bokuto was missing; didn’t make it through the portal? Ended up in a whole different fairytale? Though the progression of the book cannot be changed, so that wasn’t it. Died? Akaashi stopped in her tracks. No. No, she had to be somewhere. She couldn’t have just… disappeared.
A thought pops into her head– maybe she’s one of the mice. Akaashi picks up her dress again and begins running this time. Making her way towards the attic, where Cinderella’s room should be located. Approaching the stairs, Akaashi drops her dress and looks around, making sure no one is following her. As sneakily as she can in her bright, scratchy, fuchsia dress, Akaashi starts climbing the stairs. Walking into the small room, she sees a single mattress on the floor with covers neatly folded. There’s a little carpet on the floor and a stack of books next to the mattress. A window fills the room with light, and she can see specks of dust flying around.
Akaashi’s heart fills with sorrow at the sight. It was incredibly unfair and cruel for Cinderella to be living in such conditions. The comfort of knowing that her happily ever after would happen soon eased a bit of Akaashi’s sadness. And she would ensure a happy ending for the girl.
Scrunching up her dress in her hands once more, Akaashi gets on her knees and bends down to the floor, hoping that she might be able to spot a little mouse that looked a little too similar to an annoying girl and ease her anxiety for good. In the end, no mice came out, and the familiar raspy voice of the adventurer didn’t respond to Akaashi’s calls. Giving up on the idea that her companion was one of the mice, Akaashi stands up, ready to leave before Cinderella finds her here. However, before she walks out of the room, she remembers the dress, Cinderella’s mother’s dress, that she needs to patch up before the ball. Akaashi frantically looks around, trying to spot the pink dress. She finds it in a small chest off to the side of the room. Pulling out some of the fabric, she gently closes the chest, making sure that enough material is visible for Cinderella and her mice to find. With that task complete, Akaashi makes her way back to her room and begins getting ready for the ball.
–
By the time it was 6 o’clock, Akaashi had fully glammed herself up to look her absolute worst. Her eyeshadow was messy and just as bright as her signature fuchsia gown, abandoning her glasses so that her slightly squinting eyes added to the look. She pulled her hair up in a high bun, her layers making strands of hair fall out every which way. Her earrings didn’t match her necklace or bracelets. She wore a dress that covered most of her skin, with a high neckline and the most atrocious shoulder puffs. If she were to be the ugly stepsister, she would win the ugly competition.
Making her way downstairs, Akaashi sees her sister and mother waiting by the front entrance. As she approached them, she could see the shocked expressions on their faces, though neither said a word. Akaashi is quite satisfied with their reaction.
After a moment's hesitation, the step-mother speaks up, “The carriage is waiting outside.”
Looking around, Akaashi didn’t see Cinderella anywhere. Did she not find the dress? If she hadn’t found it, then she wouldn’t have fixed it. No dress means no destruction of the dress and no fairy godmother to help. Akaashi bit her lip, thinking.
“Wait!” she yells out, “my earrings don’t match my necklace. I need to change them!”
“Oh, good, you noticed. You look atrocious,” Drizella says.
“I’ll be quick.” With that, she hurries upstairs towards the attic staircase. As quietly as possible, she approaches the door to the small room, listening for any noise. She hears a muffled voice behind the door before a clear “I think I’m ready, goodbye guys!” from the other side.
As quickly as she possibly could, Akaashi ran back down the stairs and into the corridor where the stepmother and stepsister were. Out of breath, she tells them that she’s ready to go.
“You didn’t change your earrings,” her mother says.
“Oh? I liked it more that they didn’t match,” Akaashi responds with a weak laugh. Giving a confused look to her, the woman decides it would be too much trouble to discuss this further. The three of them begin to approach the front entrance when a voice breaks through the silence.
“Wait! Please wait,” Cinderella calls out as she runs down the stairs.
“Mother!? What is she doing?” Drizella whines.
“You said I couldn’t go to the ball without a dress, right?” the blonde girl says, a bit out of breath. “Well, I have one now! That means I can come with you all!”
There was a long and painful moment of silence. Akaashi could see Drizella practically fuming next to her. The stepmother’s face was slowly contorting into something truly nasty. Looking over at Cinderella, all Akaashi saw was hope and excitement in her eyes as she looked at all of them expectantly. Akaashi hated herself for what she was about to do, but the story needed to be completed, and there would be no happy ending without any pain.
With a sharp intake of breath, Akaashi reached over and snatched Cinderella’s pearl necklace off her neck, the band ripped off, and the pearls dropped to the floor. “That was my pearl necklace, you thief!” Akaashi exclaims.
Jumping at the opportunity to be nasty, Drizella grabs the pink bow atop Cinderella’s head and snatches it. A few strands of blonde hair stay attached to her hand as she holds the bow, saying that bows were her specialty. Akaashi makes a move to rip off a piece of fabric on the dress, saying how it was her specific color and that Cinderella was not permitted to use it.
The two continue to rip apart the dress as the step-mother watches with a satisfied smile. Once Cinderella was left in a ripped dress, the two stopped. Akaashi could see tears falling down the poor girl's face. Her heart tightened at the sight, sadness, and despair so clear on Cinderella’s face. Akaashi looks away as her mother tells the two sisters to get in the carriage.
On the ride there, her mother kept praising them for getting rid of the girl. Drizella was continuously boasting about how she was planning to destroy the dress all along. Akaashi sat in silence, looking out the carriage window and feeling incredibly guilty over her actions. Fantastical story or not, she had consciously done those things and intentionally ripped apart Cinderella’s dress along with her dreams. Her chest tightened at the memory of the girl’s face. Akaashi closed her eyes and allowed the rocking of the carriage to carry her off. She hoped to find Bokuto at the ball; perhaps this story had a princess as well as a prince.
Upon arrival, the three of them stepped out of the carriage. Akaashi could see the grand castle in front of them. It was white. Extremely white and lit up by the force of a fairytale, it seemed like. She could only spot lights at the entrance; the rest of the pointy, tall castle glowed on its own. It was fascinating to look at, even if it was slightly blurry to her.
The family was led inside the castle, following behind several other families in the grand hall. Each group was being introduced one by one, and an announcer was presenting everyone's names. They waited their turn, and once the announcement was complete, they followed behind others and made their way towards the royal family. The King and Queen sat in their large armchairs on a lifted stand a little ways away, and the prince stood at the front, just below the stand, bowing to every upcoming lady.
The prince was… average looking, Akaashi thought. Though to her, most men looked average. Her ‘sister’, however, could not stop gushing over him as they made their way to the front of the line. Drizella pushed Akaashi out of the way so she could be the first to speak to the prince. Though mildly annoyed, Akaashi took this moment to look around for any sign of the adventurer. The uncomfortable, anxious feeling in her chest had only heightened since they started making their way to the castle. She wished so desperately to ease it with the sight of her companion. To know that she wasn’t alone in this. Without Bokuto, Akaashi thought of every way this fairytale could go wrong if there was a missing puzzle piece.
“Uh, miss?” the prince calls out. Akaashi whirls around, now facing him. Her sister and mother have both moved out of the way and stood to the right of the prince. Clearing her throat, she approached the man and bowed as badly as she could without losing her step. On the way up, she gave a gentle giggle that she ended with a disgusting snort. It took a lot of effort not to laugh at the prince's stunned face. Aside from being completely horrible to poor Cinderella, Akaashi very much enjoyed anonymously making a fool of herself. Sorry to the Anastasia of this world, but it was her time to be ridiculous.
Her family gives her judging looks as she walks past them and away from the prince. Come on, Bokuto. Where the hell are you!?
–
Bokuto feels her feet touch something solid before her body and face collide with the ground. She could smell the dirt underneath her, small pieces of grass tickling her nose. As she lifts her head, she sees the last bits of bright white light vanish, leaving her alone, surrounded by darkness. As she props herself up on her elbows, noting that she’s in some sort of garden, being only slightly lit up by fairy lights all around.
With a grunt, she tries to stand up and immediately gets caught up in far too much fabric. Flipping over to a sitting position, she looks down at herself, “What the hell–”. She’s sparkly. With every movement, sparkly dust comes off of her and falls to the grass around her, and on the bright, white dress she has on. Her chest is threatening to spill out from the uncomfortably tight corset. Strands of her white and black hair drape over her shoulders. It takes Bokuto a moment to remember what was happening. Which character is she? What story is this? Akaashi!?
She whirls her head around to look for the grumpy girl, only seeing a bunch of flower bushes around her. She turns back and starts moving a bunch of the dress's fabric around until she finds her legs. Heels!? Bokuto hasn’t even looked at a pair of heels in years. She immediately flips them off her feet and tries to stand up. Two large puffs on her arms obscure her vision during the movement. Standing up, she pushes her bangs out of her face and gives a frustrated exhale. Who even needs to wear this much fabric?
Standing at her full height, Bokuto sees a lot more of the garden. She’s surrounded by rose bushes, but off in the distance, she sees a greenhouse with lights all around it. A large house sits quietly farther away, and only a few small windows are still lit up.
“Akaashi!” Bokuto yells out loudly. A startled yelp responds to her. Bokuto whirls towards the sound, finding a girl leaning against a small bench in the garden. Her make up running down her face from the tears. Hair and especially her dress are both completely messed up. The dress is ripped apart, torn, and loose in all the wrong places.
Bokuto frowns deeply, “Are you alright? What happened?”
“Oh, my sisters ruined my dress,” the girl says with a big sniffle.
“Your sisters!?” Bokuto exclaimed, which startled the girl. Bokuto knew what it was like having sisters and their often teasing and mean ways, but this… this was evil. “That’s so awful! I’m so sorry they did this to you. What’s your name?”
“Cinderella,” the girl says as she wipes at her face.
“Well, Cinder– wait,” Bokuto’s train of thought stops suddenly. A crying girl in a destroyed dress, two evil sisters who tore it apart, a big sparkly dress that Bokuto wore… there’s no way. A thin, long wand materialized in Bokuto's hand. Am I the Fairy Godmother? Are you so serious!?
Bokuto sighs deeply and drops her head and arms in defeat. She was already planning to help the girl feel better, but she supposed she would now be doing a lot more than just that. Taking a deep breath, she forces herself to get into character for the story’s sake.
“Cinderella, my dear child, I’m your Fairy Godmother!” Bokuto says dramatically as she lifts her arms, her dress puffs getting in her face again, “I’m here to make all your dreams come true.”
“My Fairy Godmother?” the girl sniffles.
“Yes! With this lovely magic wand, and some help from a kind magical book, I will help you patch up that dress of yours,” Bokuto says, “And assist you in having the best night at a ball with the prince of your dreams. Sounds pretty good, yeah?”
The girl slowly stands up and dusts off her dress. She seems confused but willing to listen. Bokuto takes it as her cue to begin. She forces her way through the rose bushes, watching as the dress gets caught in the sharp thorns. Only after she’s through them does she notice the small entrance off to the side. Sticking her tongue at it, she ignores her lack of awareness and turns back to Cinderella.
“Now, let’s see, we need a carriage, people to drive it, a dress, and glass slippers,” Bokuto says as she taps the magic wand on her other hand.
“Glass slippers? Why glass?” Cinderella asks.
“No clue. It’s just how the story goes,” she says, “I heard they’re comfortable though.”
Bokuto stretches out her arms, instinctively pulling up her sleeves, only to get frustrated with the stupid puffs on her arms, “Ugh! Stupid things. Alright, Cindy, do you have a pumpkin somewhere around here?”
Looking at her funny, Cinderella says, “Yes, we do. They should be in the greenhouse.”
Determined, Bokuto makes her way towards the greenhouse. Her feet touch the cold, earthy ground. She makes a disgusted noise when she accidentally steps on something wet and slimy. The greenhouse was tall, made mostly out of glass. It was quite beautiful, she thought. Vines were covering each side like snakes trying to climb to the top. Two large floor lanterns illuminated the entrance to it. Walking in, she can see a variety of plants on each side; the place is filled to the brim with greenery. It was very beautiful to look at, and Bokuto is certain that her eldest sister would have an absolute blast in such a space. She always preferred plants and flowers, but Bokuto mostly liked making mud towers and then stomping on them as if she were a giant destroying a castle. She laughs slightly at the memory, Cinderella at her side, looking at her funny yet again.
In the middle of the room, Bokuto spots a few large pumpkins. She picks out the largest one in the center, “This one should do!”
She whips out the wand and stands in a ready position. Cinderella asks, “What are you about to do?”
“We are gonna turn this pumpkin into a carriage!” Bokuto says excitedly.
“How?”
“Magic, baby!” Bokuto smiles excitedly. She swings her wand around a few times before dropping it and having it point down at the pumpkin. After a few seconds of nothing happening, she stands up straight and observes the wand in her hand. “Hm.”
“Are you supposed to say something?”
“Oh! You’re so right! Maybe there are words for this,” Bokuto thinks back to the original fairytale. She couldn’t remember what the actual fairy godmother says, but maybe she could come up with something of her own. “Pumpkin into carriage!” she yells out and points the wand again. Nothing happens.
Placing her hands on her hips, Bokuto stands and thinks. Maybe she did need the actual words? No magic came out of the wand at all. What if she wasn’t the fairy godmother? No, that’s not it. She wouldn’t be forced to wear this ridiculous dress if she weren’t her. Tapping the wand on her chin, Bokuto remembers one little thing that helped her and Akaashi in the last fairytale. With a gasp, she turns away from Cinderella, raises her arms, and says boldly, “Oh, magic book of fairytales! Pretty please give me the Fairy Godmother's magic skills so I can help Cinderella get her happily ever after!”
Silence takes over the room once she’s done. She can feel the awkward tension, but she needs to focus on her request; otherwise, this would never work.
“What?” Cinderella asks.
“Give it a second. I’m waiting for the tingles,” Bokuto says, closing her eyes to concentrate deeper. A twinge of fear passes over Bokuto as she doesn’t feel anything for a long while. Just as she opens her eyes to check if anything about her physically changed, that’s when the little needle-like pokes appear on her fingertips, and like clockwork, on her lower back as well. She lets out an excited laugh over her success. Yelling out a big thank you to the book before she turns to the pumpkins once again. This time, with even more concentration. She stands at the ready, the same pose she would use if she were about to start swordfighting, and moves the wand around in a circle before pointing it at the pumpkin, yelling out, “Pumpkin into carriage, please!”
For a split second, nothing happens until she sees the pumpkin twitch slightly. She laughs excitedly as the pumpkin starts growing in size. Doubling then tripling. And then, far too quickly, she realizes that the pumpkin is growing too fast and that she and Cinderella are stuck inside a closed building.
“Uh… we should leave,” she says as the pumpkin expands even more, “Now!” She grabs Cinderella’s arm and runs as fast as she can through the little greenhouse doors. Only seconds later, the pumpkin grows far too large for the building and begins shattering the glass around its enclosure. Bokuto keeps pulling Cinderella away from the chaos, hoping that none of the glass shards fly at them. The two watch in stunned silence as the pumpkin destroys the entirety of the greenhouse and explodes all around, then just as quickly, it returns to itself, and all the broken greenhouse glass shards and pumpkin shards begin to move together. Swirling magically, they form a new shape. Once the magical twirl of debris is complete, a beautiful golden carriage stands before the two girls.
Bokuto whoops loudly, shoving her fists into the air. Cinderella stands stunned next to her, eyes wide, observing the wonder in front of her.
“Ready for more!?” Bokuto asks.
“Yes!” the girl says excitedly. The two laugh together in pure amazement.
“Alright, where are your little friends?”
“Friends?”
“The mice! We’re making them into horses,” Bokuto says.
“Oh! Please don’t harm them,” Cinderella pleads.
“I won’t! The magic is harmless,” Bokuto rubs her neck, “Probably.”
With some hesitation, Cinderella bends down into a crouch and calls on the little mice. They appear suddenly from behind some bushes and run into her hands. She lifts them and faces them towards Bokuto. The little creatures seem frightened but curious. Bokuto tries to appear as non-threatening as possible. She’s sure that her very round and sparkly dress helps in that.
“Hey, guys! I need you to be really brave for your Cinderella here,” Bokuto says softly, “She needs some mighty horses to pull her carriage to the palace so she can have a fun night with the prince. What do you say? Ready to help?”
The little mice give out some exciting squeaks, so Bokuto takes that as a sign to begin. She asks Cinderella to put them down, telling her to back up just in case, too. Once again, she instinctively pulls up her sleeves, this time getting even more frustrated with the stupid puffs. She waves the wand around before pointing it down at the little mice sitting on the grass, “Mice into horses, safely please!”
Bokuto backs up after casting the spell, and the two girls watch as the mice grow in size, covered in more magic, before they are suddenly revealed as the most beautiful white horses Bokuto has ever seen. Cinderella immediately runs up to them and starts petting the horses, cooing about how beautiful and brave they’re all being. Bokuto’s heart softens at the sight. She always had a soft spot for sweet girls, and Cinderella was no exception. For a moment, she wishes she were chosen as the prince for this story.
Once Cinderella is done praising and calming the horses, the two of them led them to the carriage and strapped them to it. As they were doing this, Bokuto heard a loud quack off in the distance. With a quick spell, she turns the goose into the coachman.
“Alright, now, it’s time for you, Cinderella,” Bokuto says softly.
“Me?”
“Yes! We can’t have you going to a ball in that,” Bokuto points at her torn dress. “Now let's see, blue is traditional, I think.”
“Is there a way to keep it pink? In memory of this dress. I loved it dearly,” Cinderella says sadly.
“Hm… I can probably add some pink sparkle to it,” she says, thinking, “I just don’t want to stray too far from the story.”
“Story?”
“Yea, don’t worry about that. It’s for me to know and for you… to not know. Alright, ready?”
With a nod, the girl stands with her arms to her side, shoulders up in anticipation. Cute, Bokuto thinks. She raises her wand, swirls it around, and points it at Cinderella, “Torn dress for a new beautiful blue and pink dress, please!”
Like all the previous times, magic swirls all around Cinderella, her dress turning from ripped fabric to a beautiful, large dress instead. Deep blue with pink sparkles all over. The fabric drapes down and cascades to the ground. Her hair is pinned up into a neat bun, a pretty sparkly blue headband sits on her head, and her bangs fall nicely over her face. A picture-perfect princess.
“Wow! It came out even better than what I imagined in my head!” Bokuto exclaims.
“This is so beautiful! Thank you so much, Fairy Godmother!” Cinderella says as she twirls around in her new dress. Just like Bokuto, sparkles fly off of her with each movement.
“Do you have the glass slippers on?” Bokuto asks. Cinderella lifts her dress to show shiny, reflective slippers. They look fragile and beautiful, yet as the girl moves, they appear to be incredibly sturdy. The two do some happy jumps together at the results.
“Ah, I’m so happy this worked out!” Bokuto says, resting her hands on her hips. With a gasp, she goes, “Wait! The rules! You can’t leave without knowing the rules!”
“The rules?”
“Yes! First, no one will recognize you at the ball. Your family won’t know who you are, so don’t worry about hiding. Second, all of this magic will be undone come midnight tonight! When the last bell rings at midnight, everything will be turned back to the way it was. Pumpkin, mice, and a torn pink dress.” Bokuto says hastily, “Please don’t forget!”
“I won’t! Oh, thank you!” Cinderella exclaims, and she starts climbing into the carriage, “Thank you so much for all of this!”
“Of course, “ Bokuto beams, “Have a great night!”
With that, Cinderella waves at Bokuto from the moving carriage. Bokuto waves back enthusiastically until the girl is completely out of sight. Turning back, she observes the damage she caused with the whole pumpkin spell. Sighing, she raises her arms– the stupid arm puffs! Bokuto lets out a frustrated cry and rips the sleeves off her dress one by one. Dropping the fabric to the ground, she laughs with victory at the relief. No more puffy sleeves to get in her way. After releasing herself from the confines of the sleeves, she turns back and continues with her movements. Lifting her fabric-free arms, she casts a spell that restores the greenhouse to what it once was. Feeling satisfied with her work, she turns towards the estate with a new goal in mind– find Akaashi.
—
She looked everywhere. Every room, every corner, every closet. There was absolutely no sign of Akaashi in the building. Bokuto did, however, find the girls’ glasses resting on a vanity table in one of the rooms. Making her way back to the room, she looks around, trying to figure out which character Akaashi was and how Bokuto would be able to find her. It was a fancy room, fancier than those of the maids. Fancier than Cinderella’s sad little attic, Bokuto was overcome with a lot of sad emotions when she first looked into that room. The comfort of knowing the girl was probably dancing with the prince by now eased her sadness.
The room with Akaashi’s glasses in was big. A large bed to one side, a closet full of bright clothes. This was not a workers' room, Bokuto deduces. She plops down on the bed, tapping her mud-covered feet on the bedframe. Think Bokuto, think! She was not a maid; the room was too fancy. She wasn’t Cinderella or one of the mice. She wasn’t the evil mother because her room was locked. So, that leaves the sisters. Bokuto’s thinking face starts morphing into a mischievous grin before a solid laugh escapes her. No way Akaashi was the ugly stepsister.
Catching her breath after laughing, Bokuto stands up and grabs the magic wand from behind her ear. Tapping the wand on her hand, she begins to think up a spell. Bokuto now had two goals in mind– find Akaashi and make fun of her. With one solid twirl of the wand, Bokuto vanishes from the room.
—
Dizzy and disoriented, Bokuto falls into some bushes the second she materializes near the castle. With a grunt, she shoves herself up, removing a stick from her cleavage as she does so. The castle was tall and spotlessly white; it hurt her eyes slightly, so she looked away. Noticing a bunch of people still outside, she quickly runs behind a tree before anyone can spot her. She goes to grab her wand from behind her ear, only to find that it’s missing. Panic runs through her body. She dives back into the bushes to see if she dropped it, which she did. The bright silver wand stands out from the dark green nature. Grabbing it, she hides behind the tree once more.
Waving the wand in the air, she points it at herself with a spell, “Please let me be invisible and silent to everyone but Akaashi.” Giving it a few seconds, Bokuto moves away from the tree and towards the people.
She interferes with the couple, “Hey there! What a night, am I right?” she says as loudly as she can. Neither the couple nor anyone in the surrounding area reacts. Perfect, she thinks. Placing the wand behind her ear, Bokuto picks up her dress and runs into the building. She’s sprinting past everyone until she reaches the grand ballroom. Standing at the top of the stairs, she looks around, trying to spot a familiar face. The task quickly becomes impossible since there are just far too many people. She does, however, notice that two individuals are standing alone at the center of the room. A prince and a girl in a beautiful blue dress. Bokuto raises her fist in success.
She decides to go down into the ballroom and walk around until she finds Akaashi. She didn’t really know what the girl would look like in this story. From observing herself, Bokuto assumed that Akasshi would still have her own features. She walks around aimlessly, dodging people as she goes. The fancy music for a special dance started, and it seemed like everyone was occupied with watching the prince and Cinderella dance. Bokuto heard whispers from people gushing over the dress or mulling over who the mystery girl may be. She felt great pride at how successfully she and Cinderella were able to achieve this.
Bokuto stops in her tracks suddenly as she spots a familiar girl standing next to a window, pouting deeply. Her eyebrows were scrunched up, her makeup wild and awful. Her dress was worse than Bokuto imagined, and her hair… goodness. Bokuto approaches quietly and says, “Wow, Akaashi, you look like shit.”
The girl turns suddenly, eyebrows going up for a second before dropping down again into an angry scowl, “Where the hell have you been!?” she whispers.
“Whoa, hey! My part in the story didn’t happen for a while, so I was just… floating around, I think,” Bokuto defends herself. “Don’t change the subject. You look terrible.”
“I know that! I did this on purpose,” she says, crossing her arms and looking at the dancing pair.
“No, I think you just suck. You know, it gets better with practice,” Bokuto says smugly. This earns her a solid elbow to the ribs. She doubles over, not expecting Akaashi’s strength.
“You look ridiculous, by the way,” Akasshi says while side-eyeing Bokuto.
Bokuto takes a deep breath, “Yeah, I know. You should’ve seen the giant, stupid arm puffs I had on originally. Ripped them off after a while. I don’t see why these characters need such extravagant outfits,” she says, crossing her arms, “Did I use that word right, by the way?”
Bokuto doesn’t hear Akaashi say anything for a bit, so she turns and finds the girl looking at her funny. Her face is slightly scrunched up, eyes wide. She notices Bokuto looking and turns away, saying, “Yes, you did,” in the process.
Bokuto follows her gaze and looks at the pair twirling together on the dance floor. She hums with satisfaction, “I did good, yeah?”
“You did moderately okay,” Akaashi responds flatly.
Bokuto turns to her, annoyed, “Would being nice to me kill you?”
“Yes.”
Bokuto takes a moment to consider her action and the consequences before deciding that it was completely worth it. She moves her hand back and, not harshly, smacks the back of Akaashi’s head before immediately turning and running away. She hears heels click behind her, Akaashi chasing after, whisper yelling curses. Bokuto laughs loudly.
A man steps right in front of Bokuto, forcing her to move to the side as quickly as she can. She turns and watches Akaashi stop before the man, “Miss, is everything alright?” he asks.
“Everything is fine. I’m just trying to catch an asshole,” Akaashi says, staring right at Bokuto. She sticks out her tongue at the girl in return.
The man looks behind himself before turning back to Akaashi, “What? There’s no one there.”
“What?” Akaashi says, baffled. Oh, right, Bokuto thinks, the spell. She watches as Akaashi’s confused expression turns into something truly deadly. Her eye twitches slightly. She straightens and, with a small smile, excuses herself. Bokuto did not take this into account… she might actually die tonight. She starts backing up as Akaashi begins to slowly walk towards her. They do this until they are out in a quiet hallway, with no witnesses around, to Bokuto’s great disappointment. Not that they’d be able to see her get killed anyway.
Akaashi just stands and stares at Bokuto, who has now started sweating from fear, “It’s a pretty good spell if you think about it.”
“Are you out of your mind!?” Akaashi yells out, “You’re making me look insane!”
“Hey, hey, hey, you made yourself look insane with this outfit and makeup,” Bokuto says, “The angry running at nothing was just an addition to it.”
Akaashi takes a step closer, Bokuto flinches, “Mark my word, Bokuto Koutarou, in the next story, the second I get a weapon in my hands, I’m ending you.”
Bokuto was taller than Akaashi by a very small margin, but right now, she felt very small and afraid. “Well… I’ll just have to make sure that you don’t get a weapon.”
Akaashi doesn’t say anything. She just turns and starts walking away.
“Where are you going?” Bokuto asks, following her.
“Somewhere quiet. Do not follow me,” she bites back.
“Akaashi, please, I’m sorry, okay! I forgot about the spell!”
“You also slapped me across the head!”
“That’s cause you’re so mean to me!”
“That doesn’t justify you hitting me!”
“Okay! I’m sorry for that too, I won’t do it again, I swear,” Bokuto whines, “Just don’t leave me alone. We gotta get through these stories together, right?”
Akaashi makes a frustrated noise as she rubs her hands over her face, “I need time alone.”
“How long?”
“Seriously?”
Bokuto nods shyly. Akaashi breathes out, “Give me like twenty minutes.”
“Twenty!?”
“You can’t be alone for twenty minutes!?”
“I can!” she says as she rubs her neck, “I just don’t want to. I spent like an hour looking for you earlier!”
“And I spent half the day looking for you.” Akaashi says calmly, “You can wait twenty minutes.”
Bokuto huffs and crosses her arms. As Akaashi walks away, Bokuto says, “You smudged your makeup by the way.” Which earns her an even angrier noise from the girl, who doesn’t turn back around. She just keeps walking away. Bokuto drops to the ground, her dress puffing out at the movement. She drops her head and sighs sadly. Here comes the most boring twenty minutes of her life.
—
Akaashi sits down on a bench on the big balcony. It’s fairly warm outside, but the fresh air helps. As her frustration builds up, she begins doing breathing exercises. Taking deep breaths in, holding them, and letting them out slowly. She does this until her hands are no longer shaking and she doesn’t feel like crying. This day has been beyond exhausting. Waiting for Bokuto to show up had made her more anxious than she liked to admit. Especially these last few hours at the ball, where she could do nothing but stand and worry. If Bokuto hadn’t shown up when she did, Akaashi was sure to have had a panic attack. The adventurer just had to be annoying tonight.
Though Akaashi supposed she was to blame as well. Ever since appearing in the book, she’s been beyond frustrated. With Bokuto, with herself, and the things she could’ve done differently. She hated this situation with all her might. Hated being stuck in some story that forced her to be anything but herself, pretending to be awful for the sake of the plot. Hated that her escape relied on a person she barely knew. Hated this stupid, itchy dress and the makeup that covered her face. And after hours of pure anxiety, she even hated looking ridiculous. As fun as it was at the beginning, she was now uncomfortable and beyond homesick. Her eyes started welling up with tears. She closed them immediately and started her deep breathing again.
Everything will be fine, she told herself. She would find a way out of here. Everything will be fine. When they’re back at the estate, she can take this dress off, remove the makeup, and rest. Sleep would be good. Sleep would help calm her down. Everything was going to be alright. She breathes out deeply, lifting her head. She opens her eyes and watches lanterns flicker in the distance. Keeping her focus on them as she tries to empty her mind of all her worries.
A few minutes later, she hears the shuffling of a dress. She knows who it is without having to turn around. “It hasn’t been twenty minutes.”
“Akaashi, I’m really sorry for slapping you… and then making you look ridiculous in front of people,” Bokuto says quietly, trying not to disturb the peace on the balcony with her loud voice.
Akaashi sighs and looks behind her. The girl is standing in her very large white dress, hair bunched up high, and a long, thin wand sitting comfortably behind her ear. She was looking at the ground, playing with her dress.
“I’m sorry too,” Akaashi says as she looks away, “I haven’t exactly been a pleasure to be around.”
Bokuto shuffles her way next to Akaashi on the bench, “No, you haven’t.”
Still looking ahead, Akaashi says, “You can’t exactly blame me, though. We did get stuck here because of you.”
“Yea,” Bokuto’s voice is very small.
“I’ve just been anxious,” Akaashi admits, “When I get really anxious, I start being…mean. It wasn’t fair to you, so I’m sorry for that.”
“It’s alright,” Bokuto says, “I understand. I did push your buttons a bit there.”
Akaashi hums in response. Overall, she was the one to cause most of their problems, but she appreciated Bokuto taking some of the blame. They sat together in silence for a while.
“You did good with Cinderella and her outfit,” Akaashi says this very quietly. Her statement doesn’t go unheard, and from the corner of her eye, she can see Bokuto beaming. Eyes small and scrunched up, dimples deepening, “Thanks, ‘Kaashi!”
They continue sitting in silence for a while, more than twenty minutes (Akaashi is baffled that this Bokuto can handle), before the midnight bell starts ringing. They listen to it, knowing that the next steps in this story are about to begin.
“Anastasia, there you are!” a high-pitched voice yells out from the entrance to the balcony, “Mother is furious. We’re going home immediately!”
Akaashi looks at Bokuto, and then both of them stand up and follow after Drizella. She leads them down to where the carriages are lined up. The step-mother was already waiting by one.
“Awful night. No one knows where that girl came from,” she says, frustrated as everyone climbs into the carriage, Bokuto included. “Absolutely ridiculous. How unfair it is to send a princess out when all the women of the kingdom were invited. How are lowly people like us supposed to compete!?”
She continues her complaints, Drizella chiming in now and then with her own frustrations. Akaashi stays quiet for the duration of the ride. Bokuto makes a few responsive noises here and there as the two women speak. Akaashi decides to close her eyes to the noise and hopes that the ride will go by quickly. When they reach the house, Akaashi doesn’t stick around for any more complaints. She bids her goodbyes, saying she doesn’t feel well, and starts making her way to her room, Bokuto at her heel. Entering the room, she immediately goes into the closet and finds the most comfortable night gown there was. Taking it with her to the washroom, she removes the itchy dress, washes off her makeup, and releases her hair from the confines of her hairtie. Feeling refreshed and much more comfortable, she enters her room again. Bokuto, it seems, followed in her footsteps and changed out of the ridiculous dress. She was now in the process of taking down her hair very unsuccessfully.
Akaashi approaches her near the vanity, “Sit.”
Bokuto does, without hesitation. Akaashi begins helping take the wild hair down; it’s softer than she expected. She attempts to be as gentle as possible as she takes out fancy bobby pins. After several minutes of methodical work, Bokuto's hair is free. Without any words, the two settle in on the bed, Bokuto standing up for a second to turn off the last lamp. Akaashi allows the darkness to envelop her, soothing away the last of her anxiety. Sleep is good. Sleep will help. It was only minutes later that Akaashi fell into unconsciousness.
—
There’s an obnoxious knock on the door; the impact of it shakes the two awake. Akaashi opens her eyes, watching as Bokuto springs up in the bed. Her untamed hair flying every which way. Akaashi turns her face into the pillow and groans loudly before letting out a very aggressive, “What!?”
“Breakfast! Mother is furious that you’re late again,” Drizella calls out from behind the door. Akaashi mumbles to herself, “When is she ever not furious?”
She can hear Bokuto let out a loud yawn, emphasizing every sound until she’s done. Akaashi looks up from the pillow, annoyed, just as Bokuto drops back into the bed. The motion shakes it around on impact.
“I’ll be out in a minute!” Akaashi yells back. Pulling the covers over her head, she feels herself drift off. However, the knowledge that Drizella would just keep coming back and irritating her prevented her from drifting off completely.
Suddenly, she removes the covers and wills herself to get up before she can change her mind. Bokuto, on the other hand, has made herself perfectly comfortable against the plush pillows. And from the looks of it, she was sound asleep again, lightly snoring with her mouth open. Akaashi cringes slightly. She turns away from the girl and goes into the closet to find an outfit for the day.
After some time, she walks to the dining room where her mother and sister are sitting. Today she decided to wear a pretty light blue dress, different from Anastasia's signature color. Her change didn’t go unnoticed, and with the recent events at the ball, the stepmother berated Akaashi on the choice. Calling her foolish and thoughtless, “How rude of you to wear such a color on a day like this!”
“Why does it matter?” Akaashi says as she pours herself the biggest cup of coffee she can get.
“Excuse me?” the mother snaps. The room goes quiet, even Cinderella, who was preparing some plates off to the side, slows down.
“Why does it matter? He’s already in love with the mystery girl,” Akaashi says while taking a bite from her piece of buttered bread. She glances at the room door as Bokuto walks in in her large white dress. She kept her hair down this time, Akaashi observes.
“He might not be!” Drizella whines.
“Yeah, right. He’s in love with her, and there’s nothing more we can do about it.” Akaashi rolls her eyes, “There’s no use complaining anymore. Maybe my blue dress will help me find another wealthy gentleman. All the more reason to wear it.”
The stepmother slams her hands on the table and stands up suddenly, “You ungrateful girl! I have done everything to get you to where you are now!”
“Done what exactly?” Akaashi raises her own voice slightly. This wasn’t good. She was far too irritated, and if she pushed it too far, she could change the outcome of the story. She couldn’t stop, however, “Everything you’ve done, you did at the expense of Cinderella. You’re cruel.”
“Why you–”
A knock comes on the door before a man bursts in, “Madam! Have you heard the news from the castle?”
The stepmother stares angrily at Akaashi as she asks what he means. Akaashi is making a point to not break eye contact. At the corner of her eye, she sees Bokuto stand at the ready by her side.
“The mystery woman lost her shoe last night. A glass slipper. The prince has ordered every woman in the kingdom to try it on so he can find his mystery love! He is to marry the girl that the shoe fits!” the man exclaims. At the opportunity to marry off one of her daughters to the prince, the stepmother removes her attention from Akaashi and goes over to the man. Drizella runs to their side. The three discuss how they can succeed in this before completely leaving the room, their chatter dying down before going completely silent. Akaashi relaxes against her chair and sighs heavily.
“Be careful,” Bokuto says, “We’re too close to the end to risk anything now.”
“I know. I’m sorry,” Akaashi says as she rubs at her nose bridge, lifting her glasses as she does so. “I’m just so tired–”
“Thank you, Anastasia,” Cinderella’s quiet voice chimes in. Both of the girls turn to look at her.
“Don’t thank me. I’ve been cruel too,” Akaashi points out.
“You have been. That can’t be changed,” Cinderella says as she plays with her working dress, “But I appreciate your words anyway.”
The three of them are silent for a while. Akaashi stares off into the distance, her mind loud yet incoherent, like static playing in the background. Bokuto takes the seat next to Akaashi, where Drizella was, and begins digging through the treats on the table. Stuffing them into her mouth with too much speed. Akaashi notices and pushes a glass of water towards the girl, “Slow down before you give yourself a cramp.”
“Who are you talking to?” Cinderella asks, looking questioningly at the girl seated at the table.
Akaashi sighs and says, “Just an imaginary friend. Don’t worry about me, Cinderella.” She accepts Akaashi’s words and continues to clean up, taking a tray of dirty dishes out of the room.
Bokuto pushes a plate of food towards Akaashi, “You need to eat too. We have no idea when we’ll get the chance again.” Accepting Bokuto’s logic, Akaashi leans forward and starts slowly eating the food. Time goes by as they fill themselves up. Akaashi abandons her coffee and pours herself a cup of tea. Hoping the lower dose of caffeine will calm her nerves. The two make light conversation while they eat.
“Why did you put the dress back on?” Akaashi asks.
“Mm, I looked for other clothes, but it was just more dresses,” Bokuto says mid-chewing, “Besides, I wanted to stay in character just in case. Hopefully, the next story gives me pants.”
“Me too.”
“Don’t like dresses either?”
“I like them just fine,” Akaashi says after taking a sip of her tea, “I just prefer the practicality of pants. I very much enjoy wearing dresses during special occasions.”
“I’m a suit kind of girl, personally,” Bokuto says proudly, “Dresses feel too… open.” She slightly puffs out her chest, her breasts rounding out a bit. Akaashi looks away quickly. She hadn’t realized how… full Bokuto was. The loose tunic she wore when they first met covered up most of her size. Akaashi had this same thought pass her mind back at the ball when she saw Bokuto’s arms for the first time. She assumed the adventurer was built and strong; these qualities come with the job, but Bokuto was… bigger than any regular adventurer Akaashi had met recently, most of whom had been skinny kids looking for a thrill. Bokuto’s muscles were well defined, flexing with every movement. Her back was broad and strong.
Akaashi focused completely on her cup, trying very hard not to look at the girls’ arms that were perched on the table. Konoha always did call her a lousy lesbian. She would not be telling him about this; god knows he would never let her forget it.
Despite herself, she glances over at Bokuto again, whose eyes are now closed, happily chewing on her sandwich. Light freckles dusted the bridge of her hooked nose, her wide shoulders, and her elbows. Her black and white hair, large and wild, draped over her shoulders and back. Her bangs were pushed up and away from her face, though some strands still managed to fall over. Bokuto’s dimples appeared with each chew, strong jaw moving rhythmically. Very suddenly, Bokuto opens her eyes, bright gold locking in with Akaashi’s blue ones. She forces her gaze away, but not fast enough.
“Want a bite?” the girl asks. Akaashi just shakes her head in refusal. She feels heat rise to her ears and cheeks. Get a hold of yourself, she thinks. She downs the rest of her tea and begins to stand up. Alarmed, Bokuto follows suit.
“I’m just gonna take a walk around, you don’t have to follow,” Akaashi says, “Continue eating if you want.”
Bokuto shakes her head, still chewing on the sandwich in her hand, “We stick together through these stories, ‘Kaashi. I can walk and eat.”
Akaashi looks at the girl for a bit before deciding there was no harm in it. She leads the way, Bokuto right by her side. They make their way towards the garden outside. The feeling of sunlight on her skin is like a breath of fresh air. Akaashi stops and takes it in, allowing the warmth to hug her body. Closing her eyes, she tries to calm herself down yet again. There was no need to get so easily irritated at the characters in this story. She was just one of them. Sure, she wasn't the character she would ever personally choose, but that didn’t matter. She had to play a part. And if the part required you to be mean, silent, and obedient, then she would play it even if it upset her. She was already pretty silent and obedient; it was just the mean part that she hated.
For a moment, she wished she could be as easygoing as her companion. Allowing situations and emotions to flow through her. To make the best of what was in front of her. Bokuto was not the worst person she could get stuck with. Sure, she was annoying at times, but Akaashi has proven to be a far more terrible companion. Taking a deep breath in, the deepest one by far, she opens her eyes and allows herself to become better.
When her eyes swing open, she realizes that Bokuto is no longer at her side. Akaashi looks around, trying to spot a bright white dot in a sea of nature. It’s not difficult, really. Bokuto sticks out perfectly against all the green in the garden. And from the looks of it, the girl is making her rounds around the rose bushes, sniffing every single one. From this distance, Akaashi watches as her face morphs into different emotions with each sniff. Some are happy, some look disgusted, and when she finds the one she likes the most, she lets out a very loud ‘Whoa!’. Akaashi allows a soft smile to sit on her face. Bokuto really was charming.
The girl near the roses notices Akaashi watching and starts frantically waving her over. Akaashi huffs a small laugh and makes her way to the adventurer.
“Kaashi! Smell this one, it’s incredible,” Bokuto says, a bright smile on her face. Akaashi leans down and takes a big whiff of the flower. Bokuto was right, it was a powerful, sweet smell. One that could only be described as the perfect rose smell. The one you would imagine if you had to think of said flower. She smiles fondly at the plant. When she’s back in her own world, she should set out some flower vases in her bookstore. And perhaps a small collection of allergy medicine for those who couldn’t handle the flowers.
Akaashi straightens up, “You’re right, the smell is incredible.”
She turns slightly, observing how Bokuto is now watching her with a sweet smile on her face. Akaashi allows herself to be better and returns the smile before turning away and looking ahead. From a distance, she notices a group of men on horses, carrying flags with the royal seal on them. The two girls watch as they make their way down the path leading to the main entrance of the estate.
“Ready for the end?” Bokuto asks, her eyes laser-focused on the group. Akaashi sees the same spark of determination pass over her as it did back at the little house with the elves.
Turning away, she says, “Of course.”
The two of them walk back into the estate, awaiting the knock on the door.
—
Far too many people now occupied the parlor. Her mother has seated her and Drizella on the cushion couch, standing up herself, making aimless chatter with the royal advisors and soldiers. Bokuto has left Akaashi’s side; she knew the girl was upstairs trying to unlock the attic door. Bokuto had noticed the stepmother lock Cinderella in her room as soon as she found out the royal group was on the grounds. It was now only a matter of time before the story would be complete, and Akaashi would ensure that there would be a happy ending for Cinderella.
“Ma’am, we need the girls to try on the shoe now,” says the head soldier.
“But of course! You’ll find that both of my daughters are perfect fits for the prince,” she exclaims, “Either one would make a wonderful queen.”
The man simply nodded and approached Akaashi. Drizella, however, pushed her way in front instead and shot out her foot at the ready. The man hesitated slightly before moving the shoe to face her. The girl attempts to place her foot in the shoe, but it is quickly apparent that her foot is far too large for it. Despite the obvious failure, Drizella is undeterred. She grabs onto the general's shoulders and begins forcing her foot into the shoe, grunting and whining in the process.
“Miss, please, your foot doesn’t fit,” he says, trying to gently push her away from him.
The girl was having none of it, “It fits! It fits! Just give me another minute.”
She wrestles against the shoe for a bit longer before the soldier has had enough. He stands up suddenly, making Drizella stumble backwards a bit. She yells out her complaints, but he silences her, moving towards Akaashi instead.
Akaashi had assumed that the fact that she was much taller than Cinderella would help with ensuring that the shoe didn’t fit, but a twinge of fear passed over her anyway. How disastrous it would be if her foot somehow fit into the little glass heel. Holding her breath, Akaashi gently moves her foot into the shoe. And by the grace of luck, it is immediately evident that her foot is too big as well. Gasping with relief, Akaashi allows herself to lean back on the couch a bit. At an instant, the stepmother and Drizella start pleading with the general to try again. That there was some mistake. That the shoe fit perfectly before, at the ball. The man, however, is having none of it and orders his group to start retrieving.
A small gasp echoes from the staircase just outside the parlor. Everyone turns towards the noise, “Ma’am, are there any other women in the estate?”
“No! The staff must have forgotten that I requested privacy. I’ll go take care of them,” her mother laughs awkwardly. Akaashi watches as she rushes off through the open double doors and out of the room. Oh, I don’t think so! Akaashi thinks as she gets up suddenly and runs after the woman. She enters the hallway and watches as the stepmother grabs Cinderella by the arm and starts dragging her up the stairs. Bokuto stands at the top of the stairs, ready to climb down, but Akaashi was much faster at that moment. She reaches the stairs and grabs the stepmother by her dress. A wild, angry tug of war ensues as Akaashi tries to pry the woman from Cinderella. With one solid yank of fabric, Akaashi pulls the woman away and down the stairs completely. The two stumble together and fall to the ground with a loud and hard thud. Akaashi doesn’t waste a second and climbs on top of the woman, wrapping her arm around her neck, holding her in a chokehold on the floor.
A few gasps are heard nearby. Looking up, Akaashi sees the general, his crew, and Drizella watch in stunned shock. The stepmother, under Akaashi’s arms, is thrashing and kicking, yelling out screams of protest and anger at her. Despite the noise, Akaashi yells out, “Cinderella, put on the damn shoe!”
The girl takes that as her cue to climb down the stairs and run past Akaashi and the stepmother on the floor, “Hello! May I please try on the glass slipper?” Her voice is sweet but frantic.
The general's alarmed expression moves from watching the scene on the ground to looking at the girl in front of him. Despite his confusion and slight fear, he follows his orders to have every woman try on the heel. He places the little shoe on the ground, extending his arm for Cinderella to hold on to as she slips her foot in. It fits perfectly. The stepmother gasps under Akaashi, and a loud ‘No!’ rings out from Drizella. Cinderella looks up at the general with a wide smile, and he returns it. Announcing loudly that the mystery woman had been found at last. His group claps at their success.
“What is your name?” the general asks.
“Cinderella, sir.”
He bows down, his group following suit, “Cinderella. The prince has offered to marry you. We will now take you to the castle, if you are ready.”
“I’m ready,” she says with a small laugh. The man stands and begins leading the girl out of the house.
“Get off me, you wretched girl!” the stepmother yells. Akaashi looks down, remembering that she was holding a person captive, and she lets go of her grip, getting pushed out of the way immediately. The woman stands up quickly, ready to say something to Cinderella, but she doesn’t get the chance. A bright blue light shines suddenly from inside the parlor. A few people gasp at the sight.
Akaashi looks at Bokuto from her position on the ground, and a silent moment of excitement passes over them. Bokuto flies down the stairs and is at Akaashi’s side before she has fully stood up. They run past everyone and into the parlor, Bokuto whooping loudly at the sight of the portal. They rush towards it before Bokuto grabs Akaashi’s arm and stops her, “Wait!”
Akaashi, baffled and slightly annoyed at the hesitation, watches as Bokuto grabs the wand behind her ear and twirls it around before pointing it at herself, saying loudly, “Let everyone see me and hear me once more!”
More gasps escape the people in the room as Bokuto finishes her spell. She turns to the group and waves excitedly at them, “Have fun with your happily ever after, Cinderella!” Akaashi doesn’t wait around to see if the girl responds. She turns her back on this story and jumps into the portal, holding her glasses in place as she does so.