Work Text:
Please, Shiho, don’t die on me.
Ichika carried Shiho, running as fast as she possibly could, going to the nearest place that she knew was safe: Saki and Honami’s apartment.
It was a place that was a home for her, where she and Shiho crashed after all their missions, and woke up in the morning to a domesticity that they desperately wished could be permanent. Honami would wake up first, and for the times that Ichika was awake, she saw Honami leave a kiss on Saki’s forehead, and would glance at Shiho and Ichika. Maybe it was Ichika’s subconscious desires, but once, she felt a slight pressure on her forehead, a whisper of a touch. It only added more questions to what the entire group was. Regardless, it was a place that was safe, and Shiho desperately needed a safe place to get patched up and changed so she could get to the hospital without questions.
“Ichika, are we going home?” Shiho blearily looked at Ichika, numb to the pain and rapidly losing blood. Ichika’s throat tightened, trying not to let her tears spill out.
“Yes, we’re going home, and you’ll be safe. We’ll be safe.”
“Did we,” Shiho coughed, “did we complete the mission?”
“Yes, we did.” Ichika avoided Shiho’s eyes, and continued leaping across the rooftops as fast and as carefully as she could.
In truth, they’d abandoned the mission, and this would surely be deemed a failure, but to Ichika, Shiho was much more important than any mission in the world. Shiho got shot, and the bullet lodged itself in her abdomen. She’d collapsed on the spot, and Ichika quickly knocked out the guard creeping up on Shiho, picked her up, and fled. The artifact that they were assigned to steal was left untouched, and now the guards would be on higher alert. It was a failure, and Miku and Luka were not going to be happy about this. Shiho wouldn’t be happy about this either. She was willing to risk her life for these missions, but was a hypocrite and wouldn’t let Ichika risk hers. Once they were on the rooftops, Ichika quickly took a glance at the bullet and saw that it went deep. That’s when she started running as fast as humanly possible.
Ichika found herself on autopilot, and arrived at Saki and Honami’s apartment in record time.
She rapidly knocked on the window, the SOS signal that had never been used before, and Saki hurriedly opened it. She took one glance at the bleeding Shiho and brought Ichika and Shiho in. Saki then closed the window and blinds.
Saki looked over Shiho’s bullet wound, and winced upon seeing how far it had lodged itself in her abdomen. She looked at Ichika and Ichika looked back, a silent promise to tell Saki what happened. Ichika’s face felt wet, and she found herself crying quietly, trying to hide the tears. A hand handed her tissues and rubbed comforting circles on her back.
“Hona-chan, can you please help me undress Shiho-chan?” Ichika looked over at Honami, who was still holding her tissues, and realized that she was so worried about Shiho that she didn’t notice Honami coming in. The guilt of not noticing Honami come in compounded with the already existing guilt of letting Shiho fall into mortal danger. Saki and Honami undressed Shiho while Ichika sat and felt helpless about how she couldn’t do anything to fix this.
“Honami, Saki, can I please go and change? I… I need some time to myself.” Ichika then quickly excused herself, and rushed over to the bathroom, where a clean set of clothes were waiting for her. It warmed her heart to know that Honami and Saki were so considerate, and it was just a testament to how well they knew her, since they got her favorite flannel, jacket, and jeans. She took a shower as quick as she could, trying to avoid spiraling about her failure to keep Shiho from getting grievously injured, and that Shiho could die because of her mistakes. It didn’t work though.
If I was a bit faster, or if I was a bit stronger, or a bit smarter, Shiho wouldn’t have been hurt, and she wouldn’t be at death’s door. Shiho…
Ichika drifted into thoughts about her and her partner. They made up the Wolfsong Duo, infamous partners-in-crime, on the same level as BAD DOGS, if not even better, but they were more than that as well. They were childhood friends, and had each other’s backs when they needed it. They were each other’s source of comfort. They laughed together, cried together, and saw each of the other’s highs and lows.
They were partners. And maybe there was potential for something else, but Ichika didn’t want to think about it too hard, or too much, because if she did, she feared that it would disappear. This thing between them was a delicate thing, and maybe they knew what it meant, but none of them voiced what it was.
They kissed each other before a mission and teasingly flirted with each other, but that’s all it was. It was something that was left unsaid, because if they did say anything, it would make losing the other so much worse.
But now, Ichika regrets not saying anything. Shiho could die, and Ichika never told her how much she loves her. She was deep in love, love for her childhood friends, and nothing would ever be the same if-
Ichika, nothing is going to come of you catastrophizing, just get out of the shower and get dressed. A voice that sounded like Shiho’s echoed through her head, and she quickly dried herself and got dressed.
“Icchan, are you ready to go?” Saki’s voice was soft as she went up to Ichika and hugged her tightly. Ichika returned the hug and buried her face in Saki’s shoulder, and if tears appeared on Saki’s shoulder, she didn’t comment on it. “Hona-chan already left with Shiho-chan, and we can go to the hospital as well. She’ll be watching over her.”
“Yeah, I’m ready. It’s just that…” Ichika buried her head deeper, and clutched Saki tighter, as if afraid that she would lose her too. “It’s just that I could’ve done so much to prevent it, if I was just a bit faster, or if I managed to react sooner, or if I did literally anything, things would’ve been different and Shiho wouldn’t be half-dead, and it’s all my fault!” Ichika was crying hard now, and Saki quietly tried to calm her down with platitudes and words of comfort. When Ichika stopped crying so heavily, Sakigently moved Ichika’s head and placed her forehead against Ichika’s.
“You can’t change the past, Icchan. But know that you did everything you could. It’s because you acted fast enough that we were able to get her to a hospital. It’s not your fault.” Ichika’s breathing slowed down.
“...Thank you, Saki.”
“Let’s get your face cleaned up.”
“Okay.”
Saki got the tissues, and gently wiped Ichika’s tears away. “Here, take some so you can blow your nose, I’m not cleaning that up.” Ichika laughed, and then took the tissues to blow her nose.
“I’m ready to go now.”
“Let’s get going then.”
ミ⛧
It was a quiet drive to the hospital. Ichika closed her eyes, and before she knew it, she was dreaming of the conversation she and Shiho had before the heist.
“Ichika, you ready to go?” Gods. Shiho always said her name in such a way that Ichika never got sick of hearing it.
“Ready when you are.”
“How about a kiss for good luck before we hit the road?” Shiho had a mischievous grin on her face, and every time Shiho shot her that grin, Ichika found herself tripping and falling face-first in love again.
Ichika fondly rolled her eyes, and gave Shiho a peck on the cheek. Shiho looked semi-disappointed, but before Ichika could really register what that meant, Shiho dashed off.
“Shiho, wait up!”
“Nope, you got to catch up to me first!” Shiho let out a carefree laugh, and Ichika laughed with her, both unaware of what would happen in the near future.
They ran across the rooftops until they reached their destination: MEI Co. Apparently Meiko used to run the place until she got overthrown in a coup, so by all means, this heist should be easy assuming the information they got was correct.
“Fuck.” Shiho looked up and down the building, looking for a possible place of entry.
“What is it?”
“They redid the place. Meiko’s info is outdated.”
“I remember seeing on the news now that the building got recently renovated, so we should’ve done this earlier.”
“No shit Sherlock, we probably should’ve done this the day before renovation.”
“But wouldn’t the artifact have been taken out of the building?”
“...True. I spotted a point of entry a quarter down from the top. You up for some scaling?”
“Always.”
The scene shifted, and Ichika found herself in MEI Co. with the artifact being mere feet within her reach. Then, she saw Shiho. With the sense of increasing horror, she realized she had a gun in her hand, and she slowly raised it until it pointed at Shiho.
The gun fired. Shiho fell.
Ichika watched as Shiho bled out, betrayal evident in her eyes.
No, no, this shouldn’t have happened. Shiho, please, I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry, I’M SO-
“Icchan, wake up! You’re having a nightmare!” Saki’s worried voice shook Ichika awake, and she looked to Saki for an explanation. “You were crying out in your sleep.”
“Ah.”
“I have my hunches on what it was about, but for now, let’s see Shiho-chan in the hospital.”
They got out of the car, and entered the hospital. Ichika was led by the hand by Saki to presumably Shiho’s hospital room.
Room 1164.
Saki opened the door for her, with a quiet “after you” and Ichika braced herself for what she was about to see.
“-and I commend you for acting upon your friend so quickly, because you cleaned up the wound, save for the bullet, pretty well, and it’s clear from the sterile gauze that you tried to stop the bleeding. We will have to remove it so we can conduct surgery and get the bullet out, but again, I commend you for acting with good judgment and reason.” A purple haired woman, perhaps around the group’s age, and was that Asahina-senpai, was talking to Honami, and Ichika looked towards the hospital bed.
Shiho looked so lifeless and small with the IV fluids and the blood transfusion needles stuck into her arms, the oxygen mask on her face, and the pale blue hospital gown that seemed too big for her. It was such a stark contrast to how she was before, with such a strong aura that was like the sun, and the sharp look in her eyes, constantly searching for something.
“Unfortunately, I have to leave now, since my coworker would probably want to be informed about her sister getting shot, and I also work as a cop, and it’s my turn to be on duty.” Mafuyu left in a flash, quietly excusing herself.
There was just tense silence in the room, Saki looking like she would rather be anywhere but here (and really, Ichika couldn’t blame them since Saki had been here for a few years back in middle school), Honami shooting concerned looks at Ichika, and Ichika avoiding the gaze of everyone.
“So. Who seriously works as both a cop and a nurse? Isn’t that a bit contradictory? Like one kills indiscriminately and the other heals indiscriminately… most of the time.” Saki’s nervous voice pierced the silence, and Honami and Ichika let out nervous laughs.
“Clearly Asahina-senpai does. Out of all the jobs I’d expected her to choose back when we were in high school, she chose being a cop. It doesn’t make sense because of how smart she is, because the police are corrupt, and she has surely figured that out, but maybe she’s working from the inside?” Honami spoke up, and Ichika mutely nodded.
“Ehh, who knows? Anyways, let’s just stay here for the night, I wouldn’t want Shiho-chan to wake up without anyone beside her.”
“You’re right, dear. Let’s wait for Shiho-chan.” Just from Honami’s voice, Ichika let herself believe that just for a split second, they were back in high school, and they were waiting for Shiho to pack up her bass. Of course, now, they were waiting for her to wake up after getting shot, but for a moment, Ichika let herself pretend. It was much more appealing than facing the truth.
Ichika walked over to Shiho’s bed and pulled up a chair. She sat down, and intertwined her fingers with Shiho. At least this way, she can try and hang on to her.
Before she knew it, she was being lulled into a drowsy state by the murmurs of Saki and Honami, and soon, they joined her as well by Shiho’s side.
— — —
“Hinomori-san, your sister got shot.”
“Shii-chan?! Is she okay?! Let me know her hospital room number, I need to be-"
“Don’t be so hasty. I think I know how she got shot.”
“I am well aware of what activities have caused this, so let me go…!”
“No, I need your help to retrieve the artifact that your sister couldn’t.”
“...What?”
“Hinomori-san, you’re not the only one acting as a double agent here.”
“Is there anything else you want to say?”
“Sign these insurance forms and hospital bills so Hoshino-san doesn’t have to pay for everything. We can afford it.”
— — —
“And as such, the bullet doesn’t appear to have splintered, which would make this a relatively easy procedure. My partner here will operate on the patient, and after that, she will need to stay here for another few days to recover. We will send her home after we have deemed her fit to leave the hospital.” The doctor was hastily scribbling down notes while Ichika, Honami, and Saki tried to blink the sleep out of their eyes after being awakened. “The cost of this procedure, plus inpatient care, will be 95 thousand dollars. Do you have any insurance that could cover the copay?”
Hold up. 95 grand? That’s so expensive? What is up with the healthcare system?
At this, everyone woke up completely. Ichika ran some quick calculations in her head, and put together that for the last 5 successful raids she and Shiho did, that would be enough to cover the costs. Miku and Luka paid handsomely, around 20 grand per job due to the fact that they were able to get away with most of the artifacts that Miku and Luka needed for the SEKAI. She didn’t know what the SEKAI was used for, but she knew it was something along the lines of a new way to instill hope into the people.
“No, we do not, but we have money.” At this, the doctor raised his eyebrows, and put two and two together to make twenty two.
“You must be from the Aoyagi family, right?” Ichika just nodded, refusing to give anything away to suggest she wasn’t. “You three can watch us work on your friend, but you must go outside and do not disturb us.” All three of them nodded and headed outside the room.
“D’you think Shiho-chan will be okay?” Saki leaned her entire being on Honami, the sight making Ichika’s heart ache in her chest.
“She will be. She has to be.” Honami leaned back against Saki in turn, and Ichika looked away, because she knew that she couldn’t ruin this moment between the two of them, even if she dearly loved them both.
And they waited.
…
…
…
…
…
…
Surprisingly, the procedure didn’t take too long.
Shiho was wheeled out into her hospital room, and then the doctors began discussing the payment for the procedure.
“The bullet pierced the small intestine, but didn’t go all the way through and caused internal bleeding. Also, we looked up the patient’s name on record, and found that her family has state-mandated insurance. The cost is now 45,307 dollars.”
Whew, that’s a lot less expensive than nearly 100 grand.
Ichika moved to sign the papers, only to find that Shizuku had already signed all of them. She didn’t know when Shizuku signed these papers, but she had no idea if she did it under legal premises because there’s no way she got ahold of these papers with legal means, so she faked signing the papers and handed them back to the receptionist.
The receptionist flipped through the papers, and after confirmation that all the papers were signed, she said, “Awesome, you can go up and see the patient now.”
The three all breathed a sigh of relief, and started sprinting as fast as possible to get to Shiho’s room.
She was still asleep, probably from the anesthesia. Since it was very late at this point, they all crowded around Shiho’s hospital bed and rested their heads.
𝅘𝅥𝅯
Shiho woke up with a groan, feeling ridiculously lightheaded, and her head was in so much pain, and gods, she desperately needed a drink of water-
And then she realized that she was in an unfamiliar place. She looked down, and saw her hospital gown, and deduced that she was hospitalized. She looked up, and she saw the three people who she held so dearly to her heart, resting their heads on her bed.
I’m sorry for making you guys worry.
Shiho ran her fingers through each of her beloveds’ hair, a habit she picked up after spending so many nights sleeping in the same bed with them.
Saki woke up first.
“Hey.” Shiho gave Saki a tired smile, and Saki looked up with wonder.
“Shiho-chan!” Saki looked like she was on the verge of tears, whether it be tears of pain or tears of joy, Shiho didn’t know. “You scared us so much!” Saki hugged Shiho the best she could, and Shiho let out a quiet cry of pain, hoping Saki didn’t hear it.
“Darling, careful with the recently shot.” The darling just slipped out, and wow, that was a really pretty shade of pink on Saki’s face, but she was dating Honami and it really wouldn’t be good to be flirting with her best friend’s girlfriend, even though she would like to flirt with said best friend as well. After all, she didn’t want to ruin the complicated yet soft relationship the four of them had.
Shiho suddenly felt the absence of the bullet, and realized that she had undergone surgery. That was an extremely expensive procedure, and Shiho panicked, because those were meant to be funds for when the four of them went on a trip together to some land, a trip for just the four of them. She wanted to take the others to go and see the world, and maybe so that way, after the Wolfsong Duo had no more use, they could all do band tours. They were already performing around Shibuya, and were pros in their own right (that collab with STANDOUT did help, in both the music industry and the vigilante scene).
“...Saki, how did you guys pay for my procedure?”
“Oh, Shizuku-senpai paid for it!”
At that moment, Shiho felt so grateful for her older sister, and resolved to get her a thank you gift when she could.
“But that’s beside the point, isn’t it. I can tell you want to say something.”
Saki took a deep breath in and a deep breath out. Shit. Shiho was really in for a whirlwind.
“You self-sacrificing idiot! You tell me to be careful and not to push myself too much, especially during band practice, but yet, you have no regard for your own personal safety! Icchan is often the fighter between you two, and yet you always come back home with more injuries! Please, for us, take better care of yourself. We don’t want to lose you!” Before Saki could say more, she broke into a coughing fit, and Honami woke up on instinct to bring her back down. Shiho looked to her right, and saw that Ichika was already up, and seemed like she had listened for the entirety of it.
“Saki!” Shiho shot up, but cried out in pain, and Ichika gently laid her back down. Her abdomen was still sensitive after the surgery, and it wouldn’t do well to stimulate it.
“Shiho-chan, before Saki-chan and I leave, there’s something that needs to be said.” Honami stood up to her full height, and had a steely resolve in her gaze that Shiho knew she learned from her. “Whatever you are carrying by yourself, let us help! It’s just not right to leave you to do it yourself! I want you to understand that we care about you, Shiho-chan. All of us! So please, I beg you, let us be there for you…!” She bowed her head at that last part, almost as if she was in prayer that Shiho would let them help her for once, and let herself be cared for. “We know you take the riskier missions solo so you can help us with our rent and we can indulge ourselves, but we can take care of ourselves as well! Let us take care of you, instead of the other way around!”
Shiho watched with her jaw slightly dropped, unable to process that she was loved. Well, she knew she was loved, just not this much.
And it was terrifying.
Shiho just looked away from Honami, unable to provide a response, and something in that room changed. Honami and Saki silently left, waving goodbyes without any response, and it was just Shiho and Ichika.
Gods. What was she even supposed to say to her partner?
Before she knew it, words spilled out of her mouth faster than she could reel them in.
“I need time to myself. You should leave with Saki and Honami.”
Well. Certainly not that. She pushed away Ichika, just like how she pushed away Saki and Honami, and it’s really all she knew how to do. She always just pushed away rather than pulled in, and it always ended up with everyone getting hurt.
Ichika nodded, clearly wanting to say more to Shiho, perhaps about what was between them, but exited the room.
And Shiho was all alone, once again.
𝅘𝅥𝅮
The week passed. Shiho got better. It was lonely and quiet in the hospital. She didn’t know how Saki stood this for three years.
As Honami picked her up from the hospital, it was a silent ride home. Shiho watched the buildings pass by, and recalled all the times she and Ichika had jumped across them, and when they were first learning to parkour around the city. She thought it would be fun if they took Saki and Honami around the rooftops someday, the view of the city was wonderful from above.
Honami decided to break the silence. “Do you have anything important on your mind, Shiho-chan?”
“Not particularly.”
“As Saki-chan would say, anything you think would be important to us, so just tell me what you’re thinking.”
“I’m just thinking that Ichika and I should take you two to go around the city on the roofs. There’s a really pretty view I want to show you guys.”
Honami went dead silent for a couple of seconds. Unbeknownst to Shiho, the shocked expression on Honami’s face shifted into pure adoration.
“That’s sweet of you.”
Shiho’s face flamed, and she turned away.
“How- what-” Shiho tried to control her flustered sputtering, and Honami simply let out a small giggle.
And maybe, just maybe, Shiho felt her heart leap out of her chest, overjoyed that she caused Honami to have this happiness.
(You are loved. Is that truly a sin?)
They were approaching where the SEKAI Guild was located, and Shiho tapped on Honami’s arm.
“Can we stop here? I have something I need to do.”
“Shiho-chan, I admire your work ethic, but you are not picking up another mission from the Guild.”
“It’s not a mission, it’s a mission debrief-"
“Ichika-chan already took care of that. Please, Shiho-chan, stay home with us and rest.”
That offer sounded so appealing to Shiho. To be able to rest, just for once in her life, with the people she adored so much, sounded like a paradise.
She heard Saki’s voice in her head, saying, ooooh you wanna stay with us so baaaaaad it makes you look stupiiiiiid and she internally retorted with so what if I do?
“Fine. I’ll stay with you. I’ll inconvenience you again, but just this once, and I-"
“You aren’t an inconvenience to us at all, Shiho-chan.” Honami’s voice dropped to a quiet whisper. “You mean so much to us, and it’s always a joy to have you with us. I know for a fact that Ichika-chan and Saki-chan think the same way.”
Shiho huffed, accepting her defeat. “Okay.”
The rest of the trip continued on.
“I meant what I said at the hospital, Shiho-chan. You can rely on us. Please, what is it that you need help with?”
Shiho took a deep breath. This was going to be a hard one. How was she supposed to answer this? There were a multitude of answers that she could choose from, and none of them were the right choice. So she decided on saying the best one.
Shiho carefully thought out and selected her words. “I’m just a bit stressed with the missions lately.”
“Shiho-chan, be honest.”
“It’s just…I’m used to doing things on my own, so you three could do the rest of the stuff with no problems. I sometimes feel like,” Shiho trailed off. Like I need to justify this dream I’m living in by constantly giving everything I’ve got. “...yeah.”
“I want to help you and be there for you, though. I don’t want you to feel like you need to carry everything on your shoulders for us.” Honami’s grip tightened on the wheel. “If you want, I can help direct and manage the mission schedule.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Liar, Shiho’s mind whispered. Honami looked disappointed, and Shiho felt that familiar guilt settling in her stomach. She wouldn’t want to get Honami and Saki more involved than they were already, after all.
𝅘𝅥
Shiho walked slowly to the entrance of the apartment, waiting for the opportunity to get some good food, play her bass, and go back to bed.
She knocked on the door in her typical fashion: a short, staccato triplet at 120 bpm, exactly. The door opened quickly, and she was greeted with a hug from Ichika.
“Pretty excited to see me, aren’t you?”
Ichika let go of the hug, and grabbed Shiho’s hand.
“I missed you.”
Shiho had a crooked half-smile on her face, and simply echoed, “I missed you too.”
“Don’t do that to us ever again. I don’t think we could take it.”
She brought their hands up, and gently kissed Ichika’s knuckles. “There are no guarantees, love.”
“Are you two gonna continue being gay in the doorway or are you going to come inside?” Saki peeked over Ichika’s shoulder, though she had to stand on her very tippy toes to do so.
Ichika flushed red, and mumbled apologies to Saki as she led Shiho by the hand into the second bedroom, which was really just a band practice room since all of them slept in one bed. Shiho went straight for her bass and felt the familiar and comforting weight it had in her hands. She winced at the weight, and Ichika quickly got a chair for Shiho to sit in upon seeing Shiho’s wince.
“Let’s get the others to join, and we’ll start with Meteor Pulse.”
“That one’s so old though!”
“Are you saying that you don’t remember how it goes?”
“No, but-"
“No buts. You know how it is with practice.” Shiho walked to the door. “Saki! Honami! We’re going to be playing Meteor Pulse in two!”
Saki and Honami dashed into the room, getting prepared as fast as possible.
“Wait, Meteor Pulse? Shiho-chan, that song’s so old, and it isn’t even on our setlist for our next live!” Saki looked up at Shiho in bewilderment, clearly extremely confused.
“I’m feeling a little nostalgic right now, that’s all.”
Saki had a mischievous glint in her eyes. “If you’re really feeling nostalgic, why not start with Stella?”
“Sure.”
“Hey, I didn’t expect you to give in that easily-"
“I haven’t been practicing for three days, and I need to get my bearings again.”
“Ohhhh, that makes sense, I forgot that you and your bass weren’t attached at the hip-"
“What is that supposed to mean?!”
While Shiho and Saki bickered, albeit with a bit more tension than usual, Ichika and Honami laughed, and eventually, the laughter and the conversation died down, and they got into their positions.
They played through all of their original songs and did a few covers as well. They took a break midway through to eat dinner. Shiho felt like the food was decadent as per usual with Honami’s cooking, and definitely beat the hospital food. Then, they went straight back to practicing, and they practiced long into the night.
“Okay, that’s practice. Great work everyone, we have another collaboration with Niigo coming up, so I wanted to make sure we’re all ready.”
“We’ll always be ready, besides, Kanade-san has a way to incorporate all elements of all of us into a piece so we can mesh together easily, so it’ll be fine, Shiho-chan.” Honami’s soft voice drifted across the room, comforting Shiho’s anxieties.
“Well, I’m going in for the night. Night guys!” Before Saki left, she gave a kiss on the cheek to Honami, and went to go take a shower.
Eventually, everyone changed and got ready for bed, save for Shiho who had to redress her gunshot wound after the shower.
Honami knocked on the bathroom door.
“Shiho-chan? It’s me, I just wanted you to know that I’m going to bed. Are you good to take care of yourself?”
“Yeah, I’ll be fine.” Secretly, Shiho was dressed in her day clothes, and assuming that the apartment was dearmed, she could sneak out to the SEKAI Guild.
Shiho listened for Honami’s footsteps to cease, the light switch flicked off, and she snuck out of the bathroom.
She grabbed Ichika’s knife on the counter, and opened the window in the living room. The apartment was a place where no one suspected anything of note to be, so no one would break in through there. Plus, it was a pretty high place, with a somewhat medium fall that only Shiho and Ichika got used to.
Shiho jumped down from the window. She winced at the impact, and took a moment to catch her breath. Then she started running.
It was a beautiful night out in Shibuya, and she breathed in the crisp air. This is one of the things that made her feel alive.
She then had to slow down, being out of breath due to her injury, but it was fine; the Guild was close by. She dropped down and knocked on the brick wall entrance in her signature knock.
“Password?” Kaito’s anxious voice echoed from the other side of the door.
“Colorful Stage.”
“Welcome back, Wolf’s Shadow.” The brick wall slid open, just barely big enough for Shiho to fit through, and once she stepped in, it closed behind her.
Shiho entered the Guild’s base room of operations: a surprisingly homey cafe hidden inside an old building; an old stage, perhaps. Shiho saw the Vivids having a drink together, with Meiko serving them, and waved. An and Kohane both raised their eyebrows, seemingly surprised to see Shiho, then quickly waved back.
Shiho looked around, waiting for the incoming reprimand from either Miku or Luka for the botched mission.
“Shiho, you really messed up big time.” Miku walked up to Shiho, with a disappointed expression on her face.
“Miku.”
“We’re not mad at you, because after all, you nearly died. We know why you work for us; you want Leo/need to live a comfortable life.” Miku stared straight into Shiho’s eyes, and Shiho slowly backed away. “However, you need to make up for the mission you messed up. Luka will give you the details.” With that, Miku disappeared into the shadows, reappearing with streetwear and lighter green hair without the red highlights, and went to talk to the Vivids. No one knew how all of the Vocals were able to change their looks and personalities so easily, but they just accepted them as they were. After all, everyone was willing to do anything to make this godforsaken place better, and the Guild was one of the most effective ways to reduce crime in the city. The police did absolutely nothing, and just made things worse most of the time.
“We don’t do this for just anyone, but for you two, we’re making a special exception.” Luka mysteriously appeared out of thin air, in deep contemplative thought. “We’re letting you guys take a compensation mission, or rather, multiple compensation missions. Since you two are extremely competent, but you are injured, we’ll give you multiple smaller missions in return for your failure at MEI Corp.” Shiho grimaced at the word “failure” and nodded.
“I understand.”
“Oh, before you go, take this gear.” Luka handed Shiho a costume, with seemingly more padding than her previous costume. If she observed closely, she could feel springs at the joints. “It’ll make your life a lot easier.”
“Thank you for this gift. I assume it’s a loan, but how could I repay you?”
“Just get the missions done. That’s all we really need you to do. Ichika took care of the rest. By that, I mean that she had this prepared for your next few solo missions by running some errands for all of us. Treat her well, okay? She has a good soul.”
“...Understood. And I’m well aware of that. All of us are.” With a farewell, Shiho left the Guild’s hideout, and headed towards home, where everyone else was.
Ichika and the others would not like it if they found out that she was taking these missions, and that she was once again putting her life in (slightly less) mortal peril.
Let’s hope that they won't find out.
As Shiho scaled the walls up, the loaned costume in tow, she looked into the window, and thankfully, the others weren’t up. She snuck back into the window, closed it, and headed towards the bedroom.
She saw under the moonlight Saki sprawled out across the mattress, with Ichika and Honami curled up at her sides. This is what she wanted to protect with all she had, no matter what. She got dressed in her nightclothes, and found a comfortable place to sleep, a space right in between Saki and Ichika, curled up, and found herself falling asleep.
𝅗𝅥
Saki woke up to the sun shining through her windows and right into her face. She felt coldness around her, which meant that everyone else was already up.
Then she felt someone shift at her side, pulling her closer.
She looked down and saw Shiho cuddling with her. She heard noises in the kitchen, however, which meant that she probably should get up to get breakfast. But then again, a clingy Shiho was an endearing sight, so maybe she should stay in bed.
Decisions, decisions. Always so hard to make.
Saki then shook Shiho slightly, and Shiho grumbled at that.
“Shiho-chan, we have to get up.”
“...No, I don’t wanna.” Shiho snuggled closer into Saki’s side, and Saki felt her heart melt.
“But what about breakfast?”
“World is cold and hard. You’re soft and warm.” Saki had an idea, and decided to tease this sleepy Shiho, just because she was adorable in this state. Compared to the wolflike person she normally was, this was like watching a clingy puppy.
“That’s kinda gay of you, Shiho-chan.”
“Well it’s pretty well known that I am a gay so take that. You guys make it easier to be like… yeah.” Saki’s face turned red, and she quickly got up and out of bed.
“Yeah ahaha wowzers bye I’m going to get breakfast, love you, et cetera et cetera, BYE!” Shiho groggily sat up, still not processing anything fully.
“What…?”
Saki ran to the kitchen, hugging Honami from behind and giving her a good morning kiss, went to Ichika and gave her a hug and a cheek kiss (although if she went a bit closer to the lips than usual it went unsaid) and grabbed her breakfast.
While eating breakfast, Saki heard Shiho get up and take a shower. She grabbed Ichika by the hand, they were both done with breakfast after all, and took her outside. She grabbed Honami as well, because the next conversation would probably be something she should know about.
“Okay, Icchan, I need you to answer this question, and fast.” Saki, looking uncharacteristically solemn, looked Ichika straight in the eyes, and asked the question that had been sitting on everyone’s tongues since Shiho returned from the hospital.
“What are we?”
“We’re humans?” Ichika quickly replied, trying to buy time. She clearly knew what was coming up, and Saki wasn’t taking any of it.
“You know exactly what I mean. It’s just, we nearly lost Shiho-chan. I already knew that you two were important to me like Hona-chan is, but- y’know, like-" Saki floundered for words, trying to express what she was feeling, and failing to do so.
“-like it made us realize that instead of trying to stay away, we should let our feelings bring us closer together?” Honami finished, Saki giving her a grateful smile.
“Yeah, that. Before, we didn’t act on our feelings because we were afraid of how much it would hurt if we lost you two. Heck, you two risk your lives on at least a weekly basis. But now, we understand that it would hurt a lot more if we lost you and said nothing at all, just because of all the times that we could’ve had together but didn’t act upon.”
“So Ichika-chan, I’ll repeat the question Saki asked earlier: What are we?”
Ichika’s eyes flicked between both Saki and Honami, both staring at her, waiting for a response, and she nervously swallowed.
“I don’t know, to be honest.”
“Do you mind hearing what I think, Ichika-chan?” Honami spoke up, and with a single look, told Saki that she should probably go inside.
“Oh, Shiho-chan’s done with her shower, I’ll go and get her breakfast.” Honami gave Saki a grateful look, and Saki headed inside.
Conveniently, Shiho decided to walk out just that moment, dressed in Saki’s t-shirt, Ichika’s low cut jeans (which were just regular for Shiho) and Honami’s jacket. It was a sight that made Saki realize just how gay she was, and she tried to suppress it all with a smile and a plate of pancakes.
“Thanks, Saki. Where’s Ichika and Honami?” Saki found herself falling for the way Shiho said their names so tenderly, before she actually processed the question, and pointed towards the door.
“They’re having a private conversation.” Shiho nodded, and accepted the explanation.
“So,” Shiho took a bite of her pancake, “is there anything you want to do today?”
Saki stole a bite of the pancake, with a lighthearted “hey!” from Shiho, and simply got out a book she’s been meaning to read, taking her glasses out.
“Y’know, I don’t really like wearing glasses that much. Yes, they help me see, but I often misplace them and ugh, it’s such an inconvenience.”
“Either way, you look cute with them on.” With the way Shiho casually said that, Saki once again felt herself tripping and faceplanting into being in love.
Shiho brought her breakfast and sat at Saki’s side, leaning enough so she didn’t get too close, but in an unnoticeable way. Or so she thought.
Saki noticed, and leaned ever so slightly towards Shiho so their shoulders were bumping, and moved the book so the both of them could read.
“If you gather a small star, you will seize a small amount of happiness. If you gather a large star, you will seize a large amount of wealth. If you gather them both, you will seize an eternal wish.” Shiho read out the opening lines, and recognized the book as a tale that Shizuku used to read to her when they were younger. “This is Starlight, isn’t it?”
“Yeah. Onii-chan took me to see the play a few times, with the last time being a subversion of the usual ending. Flora rewrites the tragedy of the narrative and rescues Claire, and the scriptwriter for that variation said she took inspiration from the book for that, so here I am.”
Shiho continued reading through the page, and then read, “And it shall be bestowed upon you,” and Saki joined in, looking at Shiho, “the star you have longed for.”
Saki turned the page, and they continued reading the tale in silence. Shiho moved to put her empty dish on the coffee table, and leaned into Saki, perching her chin on Saki’s shoulder. Gods, Shiho was going to be the death of her someday.
Shiho tapped on Saki’s hand, silently telling her that she wasn’t done with the page, and tapped again to tell her to turn the page. They continued in this manner for a while longer, until they reached the point in which Claire and Flora met again at the summer festival after a year.
“That’s a good place to stop, right Shiho-chan?”
“Yeah. This is where the story really picks up, so we can save it for tomorrow.”
Saki looked at the clock. It was already noon, two hours since they began reading. She heard Honami and Ichika come back in earlier, but Ichika left to do errands, and Honami left to go and clean Kanade’s house. This left Saki and Shiho to do whatever they really wanted to do, which included going on a shopping trip.
“Hey, Shiho-chan, since Hona-chan and Icchan aren’t home, do you want to go out as well and go shopping?”
“Sure, let’s go and do that.”
And as such, they headed out of the apartment, locked everything up, and went to the Miyamasuzaka shopping district.
Shiho was dragged around by whatever struck Saki’s fancy (“That pair of suits would look good on you and Icchan!”), and helped carry some of the goods (“Saki, you didn’t need to buy them for us.”), and they continued like this until it got dark.
“It’s a bit scary around this time, this is usually when criminals run around.”
“Not in this district. Vivid BAD SQUAD has made sure of that.”
“Oh really?”
“Yes really.”
“Do you want to go home now?”
“Let’s drop this stuff off first with Ichika and Honami, and there’s a spot on the roof I want to show you.”
“Oooh, field trip with Shiho-chan!”
“It’s just a quick climb up the steps to the roof, not a field trip,” Shiho said with a smile in both parts fond and exasperated.
“My point still stands!”
“It really doesn’t.”
Saki pouted. “You’re so mean, Shiho-chan!”
Shiho chuckled, and got the car keys out. “We’re going home now.”
“Hey, you’re avoiding the statement!”
Shiho simply bopped Saki on the head in response.
“HEY!”
After a long moment where the two just stared at each other, both of them broke into giggles.
Shiho loaded all the items into the car, and Saki rode shotgun, as per usual. They drove home, talking about everything and nothing at the same time, in the sense that they were telling each other so many things, but none of them had any consequence. It was an easy thing, being able to talk with Shiho like this. Saki treasured these moments she had with her, because she got to see Shiho be a bit less guarded than she normally was, and that was something she would always treasure.
Saki walked to the door, knocked on it, (shave and a haircut, two clips!) and dropped the bags at Honami’s feet.
“Saki-chan-"
“Can you please take those inside Hona-chan? Love you!” She dashed back to the car, then grabbed the rest of the bags, then gave them to a resigned Honami once again, then grabbed Shiho and ran up the stairs to the roof.
“Saki! You can take your time, remember, I’ve still got a gunshot wound to heal from!” Shiho shouted as she was dragged by Saki, with Honami and Ichika laughing at the commotion as they brought the bags inside.
Saki stopped, and looked at Shiho, who was a bit short on breath. “Whoops, sorry Shiho-chan! I’m just really excited about that place you were talking about!”
“It’s nothing really special, it’s just that you can get a good view of the city and the sky from there.”
“Both of those components make it really special in my book though!”
Shiho let out an amused huff. “Of course it does.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“Whatever you want it to mean.” Shiho wore her crooked half-smile, and Saki returned that smile with a bright one of her own.
Shiho blinked, practically blinded by Saki’s smile, and started to lead Saki by the hand up the stairs. She got her phone flashlight out to see better, since the steps weren’t really visible under the night sky, and when they finally reached the top, Shiho turned it off, and walked to the edge of the roof.
“Shiho-chan? What are you- OH MY GOD!” Shiho jumped over the edge of the roof, and Saki quickly ran over, only to see that Shiho was standing perfectly fine on a ledge a few feet down.
“Did I scare you?”
“Yes???”
Shiho laughed, a full sound, and climbed back up the wall.
“There’s a really nice spot there, but I understand if you don’t want to do that. And it’s fine, I’m okay. See?” Shiho gestured around herself, with zero scratches or injuries to show. “Besides, we can just take a look at everything from,” Shiho gently dragged Saki not quite to the edge, but close enough, “right here.” Shiho sat down, and patted the spot next to her, and Saki sat down close to Shiho.
And oh. Everything was so beautiful from here. She could see the city below, and the night sky above. Speaking of which…
“Ooooh, Shiho-chan! There’s a shooting star! Make a wish!” Saki pointed at the sky above, and a star streaked across the sky.
Shiho took a deep breath. “I don’t need to.” She looked at Saki, a soft smile on her face. “After all, I have everything that I could possibly wish for right here with me.”
Oh. Oh.
It felt nice, knowing that Shiho loved them all too. Saki already knew this, but still, she would tuck this moment deep into her heart, the moment where the universe seemed a bit brighter.
Saki leaned so she could gently bump her forehead with Shiho’s. “Yeah. I get that.”
“We can stay here together for a little longer.”
Saki looked at Shiho, and contemplated discussing what happened at the hospital. But she didn’t want to ruin the moment, so she forced a grin and pointed out the constellation Pegasus in the sky. It could wait for later. She would rather live in this special moment now.
𝅝
Honami headed up the stairs to fetch Shiho and Saki for dinner. When she got up to the top, she saw the endearing sight of them leaning on each other and pointing out the constellations she taught them.
She watched them from afar, quietly taking comfort in their joy. Eventually, she decided to call them down for dinner.
“Saki-chan, Shiho-chan, it’s time for dinner.” Shiho and Saki jumped back, and looked at Honami. They scrambled to get up, and they ran towards the stairs.
“Coming!”
Saki and Shiho nearly bowled Honami over with how fast they were running, and Honami quickly moved out of the way so she wouldn’t fall down the stairs. She grimaced as she remembered that one time when they were children when Shizuku fell down the stairs and had to stay in the hospital for a while. She didn’t want to go through that.
“Helloooo? Earth to Hona-chan?” Honami snapped out of her thoughts, and saw Saki dramatically waving at her with Shiho watching her as well. “C’mon, let’s eat dinner!”
“Alright, I’m coming down!” The three all went down into the apartment, and found Ichika waiting at the prepped table.
“It certainly took you guys some time,” Ichika said with a fond expression on her face. “What were you guys up to? I recall that Saki just dropped the bags at Honami’s feet, and then dragged Shiho up the stairs.”
“Oh, Shiho-chan took me to a neat spot on the roof to see the stars!” As Saki and everyone else moved to sit at the table, Ichika’s eyes widened in panic, and she looked at Shiho, asking a silent question.
“No, Ichika, I didn’t take her to that spot, I took her to the other spot.” Shiho slowly leaned towards the left to avoid Ichika’s concerned look. She bumped into Saki, and sat up straight again.
“The other spot? Shiho, why would you do that, that spot is really hard and is dangerous to get to, and-" before Ichika could continue, Honami quietly grabbed Ichika’s right hand under the table and squeezed it. “...Thanks, Honami.” Saki raised her eyebrows in surprise, and Honami resolved to tell Saki about her and Ichika’s conversation later.
Shiho looked slightly confused, then slightly shook her head and replied to Ichika. “I took her near the spot on the roof. Close to the edge, but it’s impossible to fall.”
“Oh, you took her to that spot.”
“Yes, that spot, Ichika. Did you really think I would make Saki go through all the jumps to get to our spot?”
“Your guys’ spot?”
“Yes Saki, we have our own spot, and no, you can’t go there unless you learn how to parkour and run around the city like we do-"
“Hey! I can do it just as well as you and Icchan if I learn-"
While the three bickered, Honami ate her food with a smile, watching all of them engage in lighthearted banter was nice, it gave her a sense of normalcy, which she desperately needed after the last few days.
They finished eating the food, everyone giving thanks to Honami, and they all went to bed.
Well, everyone except for Shiho went to bed. Honami knew Shiho had to put on her bandages, but it really shouldn’t take this long.
Oh well, it was surely nothing of notice.
…Right?
Honami decided to think nothing of it, and gently shook Saki so they could go into the kitchen to talk about things.
Saki yawned, and pointed towards the couch, and leaned on Honami when they walked over there.
“So,” Saki let out a huge yawn, and Honami found herself hopelessly endeared, “what did you want to talk about with me, Hona-chan?”
“Well, I want to tell you what Ichika-chan and I talked about earlier.” Honami recalled what happened between her and Ichika a few hours ago.
“Do you mind hearing what I think, Ichika-chan?” Ichika looked strangely calm, and both of them watched as Saki headed inside and closed the door behind her.
“About,” ice blue met sky blue, and Ichika took a deep breath. “About what we are?”
“Yes.”
“Then I wouldn’t mind.” Ichika leaned in slightly, and Honami reciprocated.
Honami gave herself a moment to think through her words, and took the courage she needed to say them out loud.
“I think we’re something close to love,” Honami whispered. Since when did she and Ichika get so close? Since when did Ichika’s eyes flicker down to Honami’s lips, and met Honami’s gaze once more, as if nothing happened just then.
“I would disagree. I think we’re already far past that point.”
And Ichika leaned in to put her forehead against Honami’s.
And then she leaned in further.
They separated, and they both giggled.
“I think we’ve had that one a long time coming.” Ichika interlaced her fingers with Honami’s, and smiled confidently. “To answer Saki’s question, I think I’m dating you guys now. I love Saki and Shiho too, just like I love you.” It was in how utterly sincere and vulnerable Ichika was right now, and that touched Honami.
“Ichika-chan…” Honami started crying, and Ichika wiped away her tears.
“Yeah, me too.” Tears were at the edges of Ichika’s eyes, and Honami hugged Ichika. “Me too.”
They stayed like that for a little while. A small moment in time, for them and their love.
“So we’re in a polycule now. And we’re waiting for Shiho.” Saki was grinning, and was laying across Honami’s lap.
“That sounds about right.”
“Wait, I didn’t kiss Icchan goodnight, since we’re technically dating now. Goodnight Hona-chan!” Saki kissed Honami, and went to the bedroom, and Honami found herself smiling like a lovestruck fool. Which she was, but that was beside the point.
Shiho finally came out of the bathroom, and nodded at Honami. Honami got up, and went to take a shower.
“By the way, Honami, I think I left something on the roof, so I’ll be up there for a while.”
“Okay, that’s fine Shiho-chan.”
Honami headed to take a shower, and heard a door close.
After she finished her shower, she went to bed, laid next to Saki who was next to Ichika, and waited for Shiho to come back.
And the time passed. Shiho still wasn’t back, but Honami was slowly falling asleep, with her last conscious thought being, Shiho-chan, I hope you’re safe.
— — —
“That’s two missions down! Three more to go.”
“Thanks, Miku. Where’s the next one?”
“Doing two in one day? You already did a recon mission yesterday, and did some message ferrying, quite close to record time, today. I don’t want you to strain yourself with that gunshot injury. Can’t you get Ichika to do the rest?”
“I don’t want her to know about this. But, if you insist, I won’t do another one today. I know this is a recompensation set of missions, but is there any way that we can go on leave after this?”
“Sure! We’ll have to give the missions that we originally wanted you guys to do to the Showtime Phoenixes.”
“That’ll be fine then.”
“Okay! Go home now, your bandmates are waiting. You’re not getting more missions for the next few days. Rest up, Shiho.”
“...Thanks, Miku.”
And Shiho went home.
— — —
Time suddenly changed pace from a slow crawl to a fast sprint. Suddenly, it had been a week and a half since Shiho was dismissed from the hospital, but strangely, she was healing slower than the doctor said she would.
“Saki, you really don’t need to get Kamishiro-senpai to check up on me-"
“No, I insist, Shiho-chan! If you’re not healing up well, then Rui-kun will find a way to get you to heal up better! He’s one of the brightest minds in our country at the moment, surely he can help-"
And in the middle of all this bickering was Rui. And of course, he decided to interrupt.
“Fufufu, Shiho-kun, I just need you to talk with me a little bit. Once we deduce the cause, then we can treat things accordingly.” Shiho nodded, seemingly amenable to that, and Rui looked at Saki. “Saki-kun, you wouldn’t mind if I take your bandmate here to talk in private?”
“But why?”
“Saki, it’s probably stuff related to the Guild as well. We do need to talk in private in the band room for a bit.”
Saki frowned, slightly suspicious, but didn’t make any comment on it.
Shiho and Rui headed into the band room, and while they were talking, Saki suddenly remembered that she and Tsukasa were going to meet up at a cafe that day. She quickly wrote a note to Shiho, and then dialed up Tsukasa.
“Hello, Tenma Tsukasa, future world star here! How may I help you!”
“Onii-chan, it’s me, do you remember our meetup today?”
“Oh! Saki, I am very much delighted to meet up with you today! I just need to get approval from Asahina-san, and I will go and leave!”
“Okay! Bye!” Saki hung up on the call, and opened the door. “Shiho-chan! I’m going to meet with Onii-chan! See ya later!” She dashed out the door, going to the cafe (usually WEEKEND Garage) that she and Tsukasa regularly met up at.
— — —
“Shiho-kun, this wound is healing slower than it should because of too much physical activity.”
“It’s needed though.”
“I understand, after all, your tasks are getting delegated to my group when you take your leave, right?”
“That’s correct.”
“I know why you’re doing this. It’s for them, right? Just know that the truth will come out sooner or later. The machinations of the stage never stay a mystery forever, after all.”
“...I will keep that in mind.”
“I shall take my leave; the curtain call is near.”
— — —
Saki hummed the chorus to From Tokyo, as she practically pranced on her way to WEEKEND Garage.
She looked around Vivid Street, looking for her brother. Then, she saw his familiar peach-colored hair in the crowd and waved so he could see her. His eyes lit up in recognition, and he ran over to give her a big hug.
“Saki! It’s been awhile since we’ve seen each other in person! How are you?” As they went into WEEKEND Garage and ordered from an exasperated looking An, they caught up on the ins and outs of each other’s lives.
“So, I may be a little bit in love with all my friends, y’know how it is.”
“They grow up so fast… it seems just like yesterday that you and Honami were dating, and now you’re dating Ichika too! And from what I’ve gathered, you’re waiting for,” he took a moment to realize that his sister was into three different girls, evident from the amount of expressions that he cycled through in one second, “Shiho?”
“Yep! That’s right!”
Tsukasa started fake crying dramatically. “I’m so proud of you, Saki! You’ve come so far, from my darling little sister to a capable adult-"
“Onii-chan, I’m literally a year younger than you.”
“Still! My point still stands!”
Saki smiled, remembering the conversation between her and Shiho after shopping in the Miyamasuzaka shopping district, and echoed, “No, it really doesn’t!”
“Ah! You wound me Saki, and here I am, always being made the fool wherever I go…!” Tsukasa’s expression turned serious, as he was thinking, although Saki had no idea what. Knowing him, he was about to just say it right then and there.
“So, while I’ve been working in the station, I’ve been hearing reports about vigilante activity.”
Now, this was nothing new, as Tsukasa clearly was well intentioned, but Saki knew that most of the vigilantes Tsukasa were talking about worked for the Guild and were not worsening the crime in the city. She remembered one time when he tried to warn her about the Wolfsong Duo, and tried not to break out into laughter when he didn’t know that they were people he had known since childhood. It didn’t help that she and Honami were housing and were in love with them as well.
“Oh no! Well, onii-chan, what’s the intel?” Saki did her best to look interested, though knowing Tsukasa, he was going to talk about how someone stole something or how Vivid BAD SQUAD was getting in the way of the police’s crime ops, even though crime rate has gone down due to VBS, or he was going to talk about how some newbie was in action. Saki always fact checked this with Ichika and Shiho at home, and always found out that the newbie was someone with barely any skills who was no threat at all.
“Well, I’ve heard reports about how after a weeklong hiatus, someone has gone back into action! They’re known for raids that require high skill to pull off, but since they only specialize in thievery, they would only go after what seems to be things with high value. They’re like a pirate! Except without the killing. They’re unusually pacifistic for a vigilante, save for the times that they’ve broken a bone or two of some of my costars…”
As Tsukasa rambled on, Saki felt her stomach drop lower and lower, and the dread she felt was slowly increasing. She swallowed, and asked the question that would turn this day and the past few upside down.
“Onii-chan, what’s the name of this vigilante?”
“Saki, I’m surprised that with how many times I’ve told you about this vigilante, you haven’t identified them yet!”
Tsukasa looked her straight in the eyes, amber meeting pink.
“It’s Wolf’s Shadow, of course!”
And Saki’s blood ran cold.
𝄌
“Shiho-chan, do you remember what I said in the hospital? Why didn’t you listen?! Would you please just consider your safety for once, and- WAIT, SHIHO-CHAN!”
Ichika quickly ran into the bedroom, where Saki and Shiho seemed to be arguing, but Shiho was nowhere to be found. Ichika looked at the now open window, and deduced that Shiho just ran when she was being yelled at by Saki.
It was kind of odd, Saki telling Shiho to take care of herself when it was usually the other way around, but things have been odd for the past few weeks anyways.
Saki took one look at Ichika with an expression that pleaded her to go after Shiho.
And of course, Ichika obliged.
Ichika jumped out of the window, and saw Shiho’s figure run across the rooftops, heading in the direction of their stargazing spot. She saw Shiho stumble, but quickly regained velocity while clutching her abdomen.
There’s no way that Shiho was fine. Ichika let herself pick up speed, her taller frame allowing her to slowly catch up with Shiho.
Eventually, Ichika was running right by Shiho’s side, right around where their stargazing spot was. She sped up slightly, even if it hurt her legs to do so, and cut Shiho off. Shiho crashed into Ichika, with Ichika taking most of the impact of the fall.
Shiho got up and reached out a hand to Ichika. Ichika accepted, pulling herself up. But she noticed that Shiho’s posture was tense, almost ready to go on the run. She kept an iron grip on Shiho’s wrist, preventing her from fleeing.
“Shiho, please, don’t go.”
“I must do this, and you wouldn’t understand.”
“To hell with it! We want you to be healthy and well!”
“I will get healthy and well after I complete these missions. Now let me go.” Shiho gave an experimental tug, but found that she couldn’t break free from Ichika’s grasp.
“No. I don’t want to run the risk of ever losing you again.”
“Are you going to force me to not leave?” Shiho looked into Ichika’s eyes, a challenge to Ichika’s will. Ichika looked back into Shiho’s, responding with a challenge of her own.
“I would rather not, but if I have to, then I will.”
Shiho yanked her wrist from Ichika’s grasp, and looked up at her, chin raised in a show of defiance. “Then make me.”
Ichika didn’t expect to make the first move, and her assumptions were correct.
Shiho threw the first punch, a punch to the face that Ichika barely dodged.
So. It’s come down to this then. Ichika ignored the screaming of her heart, devastated that she had to fight one of her beloveds. If she looked into Shiho’s eyes then, she would see that same devastation reflected back at her.
Shiho threw another punch, which Ichika once again dodged. Shiho kept throwing blows, with Ichika exchanging none of them.
“Are you going to be a coward? Or are you actually going to try and stop me?” Shiho screamed at Ichika, the sound echoing around the rooftops. “Just fucking-" a kick towards the stomach, “fight-" a grab towards the collar, “back!” Shiho punctuated that with another kick to the stomach, and Ichika caught her leg and pushed it away.
“Please, Shiho, just stop! I don’t want to do this, but you’ve given me no other choice…!” Ichika was getting tired from dodging nonstop, and gained a steely glint in her eyes.
Ichika went in for a leg sweep, and Shiho easily jumped over it. Ichika just noticed that Shiho was dressed in the loan suit, and gritted her teeth. This caused Shiho to be at her usual agility, which Ichika couldn’t match.
But then again, Shiho couldn’t match her for power.
And that’s when Ichika got an idea.
Shiho always tried to keep a distance, and Ichika always went up close. They covered each others’ weaknesses. But this also meant that they were the other’s weakness.
Ichika let out a broken laugh upon this realization. Of course they were each other’s weakness. Of fucking course.
Shiho paused, her eyes brimming with tears. “Ichika…”
“Shiho…” Ichika looked away from Shiho, staring at the ground instead.
And oh. Oh. Tears were falling on the rooftop, and Ichika could make out the individual drops. She was crying. She looked up at Shiho. They both were.
…It hurts to fight with your beloved partner.
In the back of Ichika’s mind, she remembered when Kaito warned her that secrets could ruin a partnership.
And he was right. She could feel it. The bond between her and Shiho was so close to breaking at this moment, and she didn’t know if the outcome of the fight would even fix the damage that this fight would cause. Whether she or Shiho won, both would be in pain nonetheless.
Through her blurred eyes, Ichika charged at Shiho, and went for a kick. Shiho ducked underneath it, and retaliated with a punch to Ichika’s ribs. Ichika snarled, and tackled Shiho, and they went rolling. They were getting precariously close to the edge of the building, and both realized that they needed to watch their step.
Ichika tried to pin Shiho, but Shiho’s small frame allowed her to slip out of Ichika’s grasp. She was so close to escaping, so close to running away, and Ichika knew that she couldn’t let that happen.
“Shiho! Are you just going to run away once more?!” The sky glowed orange, and Ichika could see purple creeping at the edges. Another set of blows exchanged. “What are you even putting yourself in danger for?” Shiho grimaced, going on the defensive. “For a higher ranking within the Guild? For greater renown? For what?!” Ichika grabbed Shiho by the collar. “What are you even fighting for?!”
By now, both of them were heaving for breath, Ichika from yelling, and Shiho from exertion.
Both of their eyes were red, and they had no more tears to cry.
“Please, Shiho, just stop fighting for once. Please, stop trying to change fate by yourself. Let us do it together. I would do anything to stop the pain you’re going through.” Ichika’s voice went soft, and before she knew it, she had let go of Shiho, and she was tightly gripping Shiho’s wrists, and had her forehead against hers.
“Really? Anything?”
“Yeah, anything.”
“How about letting me go?”
“No.”
Shiho laughed. “It was worth a shot. I’m going to stop running.”
Ichika leaned back a little bit, and looked up, and saw the first few stars shining above them. She felt the adrenaline fading, and she could tell that Shiho felt it too.
“Shiho, are you sure about that?”
“Yeah. One hundred percent. Now c’mon, let’s watch the stars appear together.” Shiho gently tugged her wrists free, and laid down on the roof, hands behind her head.
Ichika followed, mirroring Shiho’s position.
“Shiho, you never answered my question earlier. Why are you doing all of this?”
A pause. Then a deep breath.
“I’m doing it for you guys. I’m doing it so we can have a moment where it’s just us, no crime, no heists, nothing to worry about.”
“Just don’t do it on your own.”
“I know that now.” Shiho was no longer looking at the stars, and was looking at Ichika. “I saw how much you guys were willing to help me from the start. I just didn’t accept it.”
“Why?”
“I wanted to do everything by myself, as a surprise for you guys.” Ichika felt her smile soften, and giggled.
“Honami was right. You really are a sweet person.”
“Wh- Ichika, I-" Shiho was left at a loss for words, and Ichika just laughed, and Shiho soon joined in.
“It’s probably late now. We should go home.” Ichika got up, and cried out in pain. Maybe the blows Shiho landed did hurt a bit after all.
Shiho winced in sympathy, and let out a quiet apology. Then she got up as well, and sucked in a huge breath. “Well. We really did a number on each other.”
“Here. Lean on me.” Ichika slung her arm around Shiho’s shoulder, and Shiho did the same. “Now we can make one functional human being.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Was that not funny?”
“Saki’s right. Some of the stuff you say is bizarre sometimes.”
“Shiho!”
They laughed as they slowly walked home, the moon and the sky watching over them.
After a long time, Honami and Saki saw them, and in Ichika’s opinion, their somewhat sorry state, and quickly opened the windows.
Yeah. Maybe she and Shiho just had one of the biggest fights they’ll ever have, and maybe they’d upset the others in the process, but as she looked at all of her beloved’s faces, she only had one thought in mind.
They’ll be okay.
Honami and Saki got a ladder that Ichika had forgotten was in their apartment, and the smell of dinner awaited Ichika and Shiho. Maybe they’ll talk about this later, and maybe they won’t.
But yeah.
They’ll be okay.