Work Text:
"Suletta!!!!!"
Miorine screamed so loudly that she thought her throat would tear apart. Her whole body was trembling, she found it hard to breathe and her forehead was covered in sweat. She looked left and right trying to get her bearings, but her brain refused to process what she was seeing, as if a veil had covered all her senses.
"M-M-Miorine-san, are y-y-you okay? M-M-Miorine-san?"
Miorine turned and saw Suletta next to her, dressed in pajamas. Then she realized that she was sitting on her own bed.
"Miorine-san, you had a nightmare," Suletta held her hands. "Relax, it's over," she said in a calm voice.
Miorine clung to Suletta's hands like a castaway to a floating timber. Suletta stroked Miorine's hands with her thumbs and noticed how little by little the white-haired girl calmed down.
"Would you like me to get you a glass of water?"
"Yes... please," Miorine managed to say.
"I'll be right back." Suletta let go of Miorine's hands carefully and left at a brisk pace. She returned with a glass of water and a handkerchief.
"Drink it slowly."
Miorine nodded and took a sip of water. Between sips, Suletta wiped the sweat from Miorine's face with the handkerchief.
Suletta saw that Miorine was still shaking. She went to the closet, took her Holder's uniform jacket and draped it over Miorine's shoulders.
The warmth of the jacket was soothing, but there was something else that calmed her and aroused a mixture of sensations in Miorine.
The jacket smelled of Suletta.
Miorine had given Suletta a bottle of perfume that she had never used because it seemed too soft for her and she preferred more aromatic fragrances. However, she believed this perfume was perfect for the Mercurian girl. The fragrance reminded Miorine of awakening and rebirth after the long winter, the freshness and innocence of one who has a world to discover and who will reach her full potential when summer arrives. Soft, but warm. Sweet, but with an unbreakable will.
Miorine had learned to love that scent.
"Are you feeling better, Miorine-san? Do you want some more water?"
"Yes, I'm starting to feel much better already. I don't need any more water. Thank you very much, Suletta." She left the glass on the nightstand.
Suletta gave her a worried look and grabbed her hands again.
"Do you want to talk about the nightmare? If it's not something personal, of course. Maybe it will help you."
Miorine looked at Suletta and a shadow of sadness crossed her face. She closed her eyes for a moment, opened them again and sighed.
"I was... I was here, in Asticassia, but it was completely deserted. It looked like the School was abandoned a long time ago. The buildings had broken windows and unhinged doors. The walls were covered with vines and the floors with weeds."
Miorine fell silent. Suletta stroked her hands.
"I shouldn't have suggested it to you. Forgive me, Miorine-san."
"Don't worry. I'd rather... I'd rather not keep it inside me." Miorine looked fondly at Suletta. "It was a gray and very cold day. The gusts of wind swirled dark dust everywhere. Then I realized that the dust was ashes. I was running everywhere trying... trying to find you, but the only thing that was everywhere were the burnt remains of Demi Trainers from the School. After a while, I arrived at a huge clearing full of tombstones. Each one of them was engraved with the name of a student followed by 'KILLED IN ACTION'."
Suletta couldn't help but let out a gasp.
"There were so many tombstones. They reached as far as the horizon. I approached them in fear." Miorine's eyes filled with tears.
"Miorine!"
"In front of all... there was.... there was a tombstone with your name engraved!" Miorine couldn't stop crying. "That was when I woke up screaming your name! I didn't knew where I was! All I knew was that you were dead and I couldn't stand it!"
Suletta hugged her and began to cry. Miorine rested her head on her chest.
"Hold me, Suletta! Don't let me go!"
"I'm here, Mio-Mio!"
"Please hold me tight! Don't let me go, I beg you!"
"I will not let you go! I am by your side! I will always be, Mio-Mio!"
Miorine let all her pain, all her worst fears, flow with the tears that kept pouring down. In Suletta's arms she felt protected, safe.
She wished she could stay forever in her arms.