Archive of Our Own

             Advent was a group that was scarcely known to be quiet in any given situation. They were a close-knit group of friends, bonded with one another through their shared time in the Cell, that were comfortable with one another and never missed the chance of having fun wherever and whenever. 

             Yet this particular morning as all of them sat at the dining table for breakfast, it was completely silent. The sound of cutlery was the only thing being heard for several excruciatingly long minutes and neither of them wanted to be the one to say what the reason was out loud. 

             It didn’t have to be said though as they were all undoubtedly glancing at that very reason and thinking about it. 

             At the head of the table, sat on a stool that was a tad too tall and causing them to stick out like sore thumb more than they already were was a teenager with similar traits to two particular members of Advent eating without a care in the world. 

             Beatrice Niori World Destroyer Novella as she had introduced herself as, arrived in the Advent household last night quite literally out of nowhere. It was approaching midnight and the girls were settling in for some late night movie watching when a portal appeared out of thin air. Before any of them could even say a word or react, Beatrice fell right through and landed directly on Shiori, the portal closing shortly after.

             After the initial shock subsided, the questions began to roll in.

             The first thing Beatrice explained was that she was from the future. Apparently she had made a mistake and accidentally ended up in the past, hence the portal she popped out from. Second, she established that she meant them no harm. For the kicker, the third and final thing she revealed was that she was in fact the daughter of Shiori Novella and Nerissa Ravencroft.

             Back in the present day, Shiori glances at the girl sitting next to her from the corner of her eye. She still couldn’t believe what happened last night and a part of her truly thinks this was all some crazy dream but that was hard to back up when Beatrice was quite literally right there. It wasn’t even the time traveling aspect she couldn’t get over, it was the fact that she was her child. Not only her child either but her child with Nerissa of all people.

             To refute the idea proved to be even more difficult for the similarities spoke volumes. She had horns and wings like Nerissa did albeit much smaller, her eye color was a combination of theirs, hell she even had Nerissa’s ornament in her hair. And even if Shiori wanted to say that the strand of white in her hair was purely coincidental as well as her fashion choices, her mannerisms, as far as Shiori was able to tell, were just like hers.

             The reason why she knew despite the short time she had known Beatrice was that the young teen had slept in her room last night due to lacking an extra guest room in the house. She had been given a choice and wasted no time in picking Shiori’s room to sleep in. So the two-tone haired woman already spent a considerably decent amount of time to know how Beatrice acted. 

             It seemed that this daughter of theirs inherited a majority of Nerissa’s physical traits while her personality traits came from Shiori.

             Before Shiori can even think further on the topic though, at long last the silence is broken by Nerissa who sits across from her.

             “So, Beatrice, how do you plan on getting back to your timeline?” she asks and Beatrice swallows the food in her mouth before replying, “Oh it’ll probably take a few days, no biggie. Just gotta stay put on my end, last time I moved around I got an earful cause I was so hard to find. Not fun so I hope you guys don’t mind if I stay longer.” “Of course not,” Nerissa smiles reassuringly, the rest of Advent also giving various words of agreement but Shiori raises a brow.

             “Aren’t your…” Shiori clears her throat, “...parents… Going to be worried?” Beatrice waves her hand dismissively, “Nah it’ll be fine.” She takes another bite of her toast before continuing. “Time moves differently between timelines if that makes sense. So say a couple days pass in this time, in my time it’ll really only be a couple of hours.”

             “So you don’t have to do anything?” Shiori confirms and Beatrice nods rapidly, “Nope! Just gotta wait for someone to reopen that portal for me and we'll be fine.” “Well you're welcome to stay as long as you need till then,” Nerissa tells her and the teen beams happily. “Thanks Mama!” the name takes Shiori off-guard but Nerissa seems nothing if not delighted at it. She stands up before grabbing both hers and Beatrice’s plate off the table. “No problem darling,” she chuckles, “Now you must be feeling lethargic from yesterday, how about a nice warm shower hm?”

             She looks over and calls Fuwamoco who perk up at the mention of their name, “Do you think you can show Beatrice here to my room?” They both agree simultaneously and Nerissa thanks them before looking back at Beatrice, “Just use the shower in my room okay? There are fresh towels in there too so feel free to grab any. I’ll pass you some clothes when I’m done with these. Sounds good?’ The girl nods then gets up to follow Fuwamoco up the stairs with a skip in her step.

             Shiori watches her from behind, her stare lingering until she was out of sight. 

             “Well,” Shiori faces Biboo who yawns in her seat while stretching her arms above her head. “That was an eventful night last night and today, I think I’m going to go catch up on some sleep now,” she informs and Nerissa who just came back from the kitchen makes an inquisitive hum. “How long did you sleep last night?”

             The gem shrugs, “I played games since the movie night was canceled so I didn’t sleep.” “Oh Biboo…” the demon sighs as she grabs the twins plates from the table, “Go right ahead then I guess, don’t let us stop you.” Biboo nods and she also starts heading upstairs, “Goodnight guys, remember to not make things weird between each other.”

             Shiori’s mouth falls open, feeling scandalized but no words leave her mouth. She looks around to see if Nerissa had heard but she is nowhere to be seen. She figures Nerissa had most likely already gone back into the kitchen, 

             Part of her was sorta thankful for that.

             With a scoff, Shiori picks up her plate as well as Biboo’s before heading to the kitchen where she spots Nerissa busy washing the dishes. Even from behind, Shiori could tell Nerissa was in a good mood. As for her, well, not much needed to be said about that truthfully.

             Placing the plates next to the sink, Shiori walks back to lean against the kitchen island. “So what do we do?” she asks out of the blue, crossing her arms. Nerissa hums as she briefly looks over her shoulder, “What do you mean what do we do?” The Archiver sighs as her shoulders slump.

             “I mean what do we do about Beatrice?”

             Nerissa laughs softly as she takes the plates next to the sink, “We wait until her guardian picks her up of course.” Shiori’s eyes narrow as she clenches her fists, “Are you serious?” That seemed to signal to the raven that something was wrong. She turns off the tap and wipes her hands on a dry towel before turning around to properly meet Shiori’s gaze. “Yes? What’s the problem Shiori? She’s just a kid, our kid no less. She may be from the future but are you actually worried that she could harm us?”

             Shiori scoffs again, “What? No, it’s just-” She pauses and Nerissa quirks an eyebrow, waiting for a reply, “Just?” The two-tone haired woman huffs as she throws her hands up in the air in frustration. “Never mind, I’m going to go to sleep as well.”

             Behind Shiori, she hears Nerissa call out her name but she pays it no mind, partially due to how tired she was both mentally and physically. Mentally because of what just happened, physically because she, much like Biboo, hadn't slept at all either. She just never mentioned it.

             Since Beatrice had slept in her room, the young teen took the bed while she slept on the window seat. The window seat wasn’t the most comfortable place in the world but it was at the very least manageable. Still that wasn’t the problem. The main problem actually came from the mere presence of Beatrice in her room. 

             And this is only day one.

             Shiori sighs as she finally enters her room and plops face down onto her bed.

             Maybe when I wake up it’ll really all be just a dream…

_____________________________

             Shiori ends up waking in the afternoon several hours later to finally get started on some unfinished work. As she walks through the hallway towards the Archives, still rubbing at her tired eyes with the back of her hand, she feels someone bump into her.

             “Ah! Sorry! I wasn’t looking where I was going!” It was Beatrice. Shiori had honestly almost forgotten the events that had occurred the night before and earlier today when she took that nap. On the outside, she does her best to smile reassuringly, “No it’s fine. I wasn’t looking where I was going either.” 

             Beatrice laughs nervously as she gives Shiori a once over. “You look tired. You didn’t sleep?” she asks and Shiori shakes her head. “Why don’t you go back to sleep?” “I have work to attend to. I don’t wanna procrastinate on that,” Shiori answers easily. Thinking the conversation was over, Shiori moves to walk past the young teen when she feels a hand tug at her wrist.

             “Wait! You’re going to the Archives right?” Beatrice exclaims and Shiori raises an eyebrow as she looks over her shoulder, hesitantly nodding. “Do you think I can come with? I’m so bored! Mama says I can’t go outside so now I’m stuck inside and bored out of my mind!” she begs.

             Shiori’s mouth tightens into a thin line as she thinks the request over. On one hand, she understands why Nerissa had forbidden Beatrice from going out. There was a harpy problem in the woods nearby the house that hadn’t been dealt with and letting this teen out and about unsupervised would be unwise. Yet on the other, she’s not too sure about being left alone with Beatrice.

             As Shiori looks down at the girl in question with the intention to say no, she sees her giving puppy eyes and her heart clenches painfully in her chest. “Sure…” “Yes!”

             So now the two were walking side by side to the Archives, no words being exchanged for the first few seconds. It was just complete awkward silence. At least for Shiori it felt that way. It was hard for her to tell if it was the same for Beatrice. 

             Shiori sniffles as she glances at the girl next to her, “So how do you know about the Archives?” “Of course I know about the Archives, you were the one that brought me there in the first place. Who else even has access besides the Archiver herself?” Beatrice says and Shiori clicks her tongue in response. “Right… that makes sense.”

             The rest of the walk continues on in silence all the way until they arrive. Upon reaching the door, Shiori raises her arm to undo the seal keeping it shut and right as it opens, Beatrice is already rushing in. “Careful! Make sure not to touch anything you’re not supposed to!”

             “I know!”

             The Archiver shakes her head as she heads over to her usual working table, covered in stacks of books she hadn’t finished archiving. While Shiori takes a seat and cracks her knuckles to begin, she hears Beatrice shouting in the distance. “Oh man! This place is just the same!... Oh but a section is missing… Woah! How have I never seen this before?”

             She acts like she owns the place…

             Not wanting to waste time any longer though, Shiori pushes away current and all thoughts in her head to focus solely on the task at hand. Hours seem to pass by in a flash and Shiori does a good job in getting a majority of her work done when she decides to take a quick break. It is then that she hears Beatrice call out to her. “Hey Mom! Do you think you could help me with this!”

             Without a second thought, Shiori gets up and walks towards the direction of the voice only to find Beatrice struggling to reach a book high up in one of the bookshelves. “Which one do you want?” Shiori asks and Beatrice smiles as she points up, “That shelf! The third one from the right please!”

             The two-tone haired woman snaps her fingers and in an instant, the book appears right in Beatrice’s hands. “That never gets old.” she grins and Shiori takes that moment to take a look at the book Beatrice wanted to get ahold of so badly.

             “A kid’s book… on cats…?” she reads out loud from above Beatrice’s shoulder and her brow quirks in confusion, “Why did you want this?”

             Beatrice giggles as she flips through the pages of the book which didn’t take long considering there wasn’t a lot. She looks up at Shiori with a wide smile right after. “I just wanted to confirm if this was the book I thought it was. And it is!” she explains which only causes Shiori to be even more confused. 

             “Why though?” “It was the first book you showed me when I was a kid, I just can’t believe it’s been here for that long…” Beatrice elaborates, trailing off and gently tracing her fingers over the cover as a small smile tugs at the edge of her lips.

             Shiori watches in fascination, unsure of the emotions that brew deep in her heart but when Beatrice looks up to meet her gaze, all that she ends up feeling is fear. Staring into those eyes that looked so much like her own and Nerissa’s combined, Shiori’s instinct tells her to run.

             “I-I’m going to go get tea. Be right back.” 

             Without even waiting for the teen to respond, Shiori is hurrying to the door and rapidly making her way to the kitchen. There, she sees Nerissa in the process of making lunch with her back turned to her. Not wanting to interrupt, the Archiver takes a minute to sit at the kitchen island to catch her breath which inadvertently alerts the demon to her presence.

             “What happened to you?” Nerissa questions without turning to look at Shiori. 

             “Beatrice.”

             The other woman chuckles as she looks behind her briefly to check on Shiori and see if a certain teen was there too. “She’s quite the marvel isn’t she? Just as inquisitive as her mom and kind as her mama,” Nerissa says dreamily, “I spent time with her earlier already so now it’s your turn to get to know her more you know?”

             “There’s no way I can do that.”

             Nerissa freezes as the words leave Shiori’s mouth, her hands suspended in midair as she replays what she heard in her mind over and over again. Nerissa turns around slowly to confirm if Shiori was being honest and she gets her answer when she sees the frown on her face as well as the furrowed brows.

             “Why not?” she questions and Shiori shrugs. “I just don’t believe that’s our daughter.”

             “Wha-” Nerissa gasps and her mouth stays open for several seconds before finally she responds. “Shiori.” she takes a deep breath for a second to remain calm, “That girl has both of our features and you’ve seen how she acts. What else is there to prove?” 

             “Maybe it’s easy for you but I just can’t accept it,” Shiori huffs stubbornly, her fists clenched tightly in her lap. Nerissa places a hand on her hip and Shiori gets the sense the raven was about to argue some more so before she gets the chance, Shiori stands up abruptly.

             “I’m going out to deal with the harpy problem.”

             She was just about to leave the kitchen when Nerissa scoffs loudly, “Don’t be ridiculous Shiori.”

             The two-tone haired woman stops in her tracks. “How many times do I have to remind you that you can’t just deal with harpies alone. Even if there is just one of them,” Nerissa says and Shiori turns around, her frown deepening by the second. “They’re twice my size and that’s still being generous. It’ll be best to have all of Advent deal with it together.”

             Shiori crosses her arms and avoids Nerissa’s stare, acting more like a child than the one currently in her Archives. She knows the danger. She simply didn’t care. To her it, the possibility of being ripped apart by a harpy seemed better than being ripped apart by the seams by a young teen.

             “We can deal with the harpies after we handle this whole daughter from the future thing. As for now we wait. No one is allowed out, including you Shiori,” the demon finishes and Shiori rolls her eyes, heading back upstairs to go to her room without so much as a word. 

             “You’ll have to face the future eventually, Shiori! You can’t run from it forever!” Nerissa shouts from below.

             Shiori hisses and takes a sharp turn, begrudgingly making her way back to the Archives.

_____________________________

             It was breakfast time again at the Advent household.

             Thankfully, it wasn’t as quiet nor as awkward as a couple days prior but instead it was in fact livelier. The twins and Biboo were conversing loudly about a new game to play together while Shiori was scrolling through her phone mindlessly at the dining table. In the kitchen, Beatrice was helping Nerissa make pancakes, the two of them interacting animatedly with one another as they did so.

             The Archiver lets out a sigh as she closes her phone before laying her head on her crossed arms on the table. From behind, she watches as Nerissa and Beatrice talk with each other in hushed tones as if sharing a secret only they can know of. A smile unknowingly makes its way onto her face.

             Shiori couldn’t deny, the sight was endearing.

             Yet at the same time, it perplexed her to no end. Why, despite how well those two matched with each other, Beatrice still sought her out whenever she could. Whether it be because she wants access to the Archives or just to talk about everyday mundane things, Beatrice seemed to always look for her.

             These instances often left Shiori feeling terrible.

             She didn’t have the capacity to entertain Beatrice as well as Nerissa did. Her answers were short, her topics were boring while Nerissa was filled with color, with passion and the drive to clearly interact with Beatrice.

             So why?

             Shiori buries her face into her arms, groaning internally as she feels the start of a headache coming on. 

             It’s way too early for this…

             “Mom~ No sleeping at the table, lift your head up! We made breakfast!” she hears Beatrice exclaim and Shiori does as she’s told. Right after she lifts her head, a plate of pancakes is placed in front of her, generously topped with strawberries and whipped cream with the words ‘Special for you’ as well as a heart written messily with chocolate sauce.

             Shiori’s lip twitches as she glances at Nerissa who takes her usual seat across from her. “Very subtle Rissa,” she comments but there is only amusement on Nerissa’s face. “I didn’t do that,” now it was Shiori’s turn to be confused. “Then who-”

             “I did Mom!”

             Shiori feels her heart get caught in her throat as her mouth hangs open slightly “O-Oh really? If so… thank you Beatrice…” the girl in question grins before walking over to her seat at the head of the table. Everyone else begins digging into their food while Shiori stares at hers for a moment.

             Slowly grabbing her utensils, Shiori cuts a small piece of pancake and adds as many toppings as she can before bringing the fork to her mouth. As soon as she takes a bite and the flavor hits her mouth, Shiori’s eyes widen and her hands clench so hard it borders on painful.

             Suffice to say, Shiori finished her breakfast way faster than she usually did. Once breakfast was over and all the plates were washed, dried and placed where they were supposed to be, Advent went their separate ways. Shiori for her part began making her way to the Archives like she usually did at this time and as she walks, she hears the sound of footsteps trailing behind her.

             “Hold up Mom! Wait for me!” Beatrice calls. The two-tone haired woman lets her follow, no questions asked. She simply doesn’t bother to anymore, allowing Beatrice to do as she pleases for she had long come to the conclusion that there wasn’t much she could deny from the young teen anyways.

             In the Archives, they end up spending time together much like they always do, with Shiori doing work while Beatrice sat across from her reading whatever it is she got her hands on. Sometimes Beatrice would ask a question and Shiori would answer it without looking up from what she was doing. Other times, she would go on and on about a certain aspect related to a book or story while Shiori would listen. Occasionally humming and giving comments when prompted or needed.

             Shiori figured it was a tad ironic. After so long of being known as the one who was prone to enter all sorts of tangents, she now finds herself on the receiving end for once. 

             The sound of the door creaking snaps Shiori out of her daydream and catches Beatrice’s attention too. A certain demon pokes her head in with an apologetic smile on her face, “Hey girls, sorry for intruding. Is it a bad time?” 

             “No, not at all,” Shiori coughs, “What is it?” Nerissa doesn’t say anything before disappearing back behind the door and just as Shiori was about to question her intentions, the door swings open wider. Then in walks Nerissa, carrying a tray in her hands.

             She makes her way to them and places the tray down on the table to reveal a tea set with two cups already filled with tea alongside a plate with an assortment of cookies on top. “Aw yeah, thanks Mama,” Beatrice says, already reaching out to grab a cookie and the raven smiles down at her daughter, “Anything for my darlings.”

             “You should join us Mama!” the young teen suggests, causing Nerissa to chuckle as she glances at Shiori, “Oh I don’t want to bother.” “I’m sure Mom won’t mind, right Mom?” they both turn to look at Shiori but the Archiver remains silent.

             “Mom?”

             “It’s okay darling, I don’t mind at all. Just feel free to call if you-”

             “You can stay. Take my place instead,” Shiori cuts in abruptly, already standing up from her seat to leave. “Wait Shiori-” “No. It’s okay. You two would have a better time having tea together without me. I’m going to handle some other business in the meantime,” before any of them can protest any further, Shiori is already out the door.

             The two-tone haired woman is only able to take a couple steps past the doorway when she feels a hand grab her by the wrist. “Shiori, wait,” the woman in question stops in her tracks but doesn’t turn to face Nerissa. “Let go Rissa,” she tries to tug her arm free but Nerissa only tightens her grip. “Where are you going?” she demands. Shiori resists the urge to scoff.

             “Out.”

             The two had been on pretty rough terms ever since Beatrice’s arrival and the days following it only seemed to make matters worse. Their conversations as of late mainly revolved around their daughter and usually ended in a multitude of disagreements with Shiori walking out almost every single time. 

             Even the rest of Advent had begun to notice the divide between the two. It was hard not too, for the tension was beginning to become unbearable. Yet aside from some indirect comments and vague words of advice, neither of them tried to push for the two to properly make up. The subject matter was simply too complex to broach from their perspective 

             Hence the remaining members of Advent were forced to do nothing but cross their fingers and hope the two most mature members of the group would be able to work things out on their own. 

             “Out where Shiori? I swear,” Nerissa firmly closes the door to the Archives before continuing, “I swear if this is about the damn harpies again, you and I both know that isn’t the problem right now.” “I can’t do this Rissa.”

             Nerissa narrows her eyes at Shiori. “Can’t do what?” she asks and Shiori exhales loudly, “I think you know full well what I’m referring to.”

             “No, I actually don’t Shiori. Why don’t you enlighten me, hm? You’ve been such an enigma these past few days, I feel like I just can’t-”

             “There is no way Beatrice is my daughter.”

             Silence engulfs the two as Shiori’s words hang heavy in the air. 

             “What?”

             “There is absolutely no way Beatrice is in any way related or has any relation to me whatsoever. It just makes no sense,” Shiori finally confesses, inhaling deeply after days of keeping this turmoil close to her chest. Nerissa’s hold around Shiori’s wrist loosens and as the Archiver turns around to briefly look at the other woman, she sees her with her mouth open, no doubt a million rebuttals at the tip of her tongue.

             But before Nerissa can even get the chance to voice any of them, the door to the Archives opens once more.

             Beatrice walks out, an awkward smile on her face as she glances between her parents. “A-ha ha, don’t mind me. Just passing through,” “Beatrice-” before either of them can get a hold of the teen, Beatrice bolts it down the hallway.

             Sharing a quick look with one another, Nerissa and Shiori chase after her but it’s cut short when Beatrice makes the unexpected move of leaping out one of the small windows. “Beatrice wait!” Nerissa cries as she leans out the window, spotting the girl unfurling her wings to soften the impact of her fall before running off into the night. The raven tries to jump after her but unfortunately she wasn’t small enough to fit.

             “The back door, come on!” Shiori exclaims and not a minute later, the two are running outside in a desperate attempt to follow after their daughter. “This way! She was heading to the forest!” Nerissa informs.

             At the mention of the forest, Shiori wills herself to run faster. 

             Upon entering said forest though, things only get more difficult. Nerissa had already lost sight of Beatrice and there was no sign of the girl absolutely anywhere. The forest wasn’t small either, being several acres big, the possibility of finding Beatrice was gradually becoming slimmer and slimmer.

             “We should’ve called the doggos but,” Shiori hisses, “there wouldn’t have been enough time- AH! Damn it!” She runs a hand through her hair as she takes in deep breaths to try to keep a level head. “This is all my fault, I didn’t mean for her to hear that… Why did I say that?” Shiori curses under her breath.

             “Why did you say that?” Nerissa echoes, “Why are you so against the idea of Beatrice being your daughter?” The question finally comes to light and in spite of its significance, Shiori considers ignoring it for a second. Too fixated on the goal of finding Beatrice but her mind is so fuzzy, she can barely think straight. 

             She supposes there was no other choice than to settle this right here, right now.

             “Beatrice can’t be my daughter,” Shiori says and Nerissa barks out a laugh, “I know that Shiori! You keep saying that over and over again but my question is why . Why doesn’t it make sense? Why can’t you accept it? Why can’t you believe it?”

             “Because there’s no way I would have done that well of a job raising her!”

             After a beat of silence, Nerissa’s eyebrows furrow in confusion. “What?”

             “I never had a childhood, Rissa. My earliest memories are just me coming into contact with forbidden knowledge which, might I remind you, landed me in the Cell!” Shiori begins pacing back and forth, “I don't even have the slightest clue about how to raise a child, you know that. You at least had parents. My parents…”

             Shiori stops her pacing and Nerissa clenches her jaw as she looks down at her feet in remorse.

             Shiori’s parents had always been a sensitive topic within Advent. Not because of any traumatic event or instance but because Shiori literally couldn’t remember them. Coming into contact with forbidden knowledge had effectively wiped her memories clean, leaving her a blank slate. All that was left in her mind was the need to archive, archive and archive. 

             It wasn’t until she had escaped the Cell and bonded with Advent did the Archiver learn the value of treasuring such memories. Of its importance.

             So coming to terms with her memories regarding her origins being lost forever had left a hole in Shiori. A sore spot that had been abused brutally in the past few days. 

             The two-tone haired woman laughs half-heartedly as she looks down at her hands. “I don’t know how to take care of children. Even just the thought of it is enough to scare me half to death…” droplets of water land on her palms. She hadn’t even realized when she started crying. “I can’t imagine… can’t even begin to forgive myself if I ever mess something like that up. To know I ruined a child’s life, I would rather die an agonizing death.”

             She wipes the tears that fall down her face with her hands before continuing, “They’re so innocent, Rissa. At that point in their lives, they’re so new and naive to the world which can be so cruel to them in turn.” 

             Shiori’s head hangs low as she clenches her fists tightly, “I don’t want them to face that cruelty.” A choked cry involuntarily leaves Shiori’s lips and she wipes more of her tears with the back of her forearm.

             “It doesn't matter if I’ve ended up this way, but I don’t want the same thing to happen to my children. To any child.” She lifts her head to stare directly at Nerissa, “I want them to have a normal childhood. One with loving parents and a safe environment to grow.” 

             Shiori swallows the lump in her throat, struggling to even breath at the current moment.

             “I’m scared, Rissa. The future scares me. I don’t know what to do and don’t even get me started on our relationship. If you can even call it that.”

             It goes completely quiet after that. No sounds coming out from either of them and leaving only the ambience of the forest to be heard.

             Shiori eventually breaks eye contact with Nerissa, unable to stare into her eyes anymore and turns on her heels before scanning her surroundings. “I’m going to go find Beatrice,” she declares, fully intending to scope out the whole forest if she had to. 

             “What makes you think I’m not scared?”

             Shiori pauses mid step and looks over her shoulder. “Did you also forget that I was in the Cell too? The first prisoner there, locked away for 9000 years?” Nerissa mutters. Shiori turns her body around fully to get a proper look at the demon and she sees her visibly shaking with her fists balled up at her sides.

             “I don’t know the first thing about raising a child either!” she shouts, shocking Shiori for a moment from the sheer volume of it. “But you know what?” Nerissa stares intensely at Shiori, wine red eyes seemingly burning a hot fiery red.

             “I chose to believe because if Beatrice really is from the future and is the way she is, that means we did something right. And I’m inclined to think she is because… because…” she inhales deeply and Shiori’s breath hitches.

             “Because I know… no matter how scared I get, it’s you by my side. It’s you that I can rely on. Just like how you can rely on me.”

             The Archiver’s eyes widen and she remains frozen in place as Nerissa approaches her. She doesn’t even flinch when the raven reaches out to cup her face with both her hands. “I admit, despite all your antiques, I myself haven’t been the most open to you about my feelings or my loyalty,” Nerissa chuckles mirthlessly, wiping the stray tears on Shiori’s face with the pad of her thumb.

             “So let me tell you now. There is no one that I would be willing to share my life with more than you Shiori Novella,” she whispers with such emotion that it stuns Shiori to her core. Nerissa leans in closer, her intentions clear but she waits to see Shiori’s reaction. Waits to see if she pushes her away or pulls her in.

             When she doesn’t pull away and instead leans in ever so slightly, lips quivering and still a bit hesitant, Nerissa helps close the remaining gap. 

             The moment Nerissa kisses her, Shiori’s eyes flutter close and her arms wrap around the taller woman’s waist on instinct to keep her balance. Nerissa’s hands are still on her cheeks and she feels the demon tilt her head slightly to the right to deepen the kiss just so. 

             There’s pure admiration there. Unbridled reverence even. Felt in the way Nerissa firmly kisses her lips and holds her close as if being this close was her only lifeline. In return, Shiori does her best to reciprocate as much as she can, unfamiliar but always willing to learn. Her arms around Nerissa’s waist tighten and she leans up to the best of her ability to show just as much admiration.

             Running out of oxygen, the two eventually pull away, Nerissa leaning her forehead against Shiori’s as the two pant heavily to catch their breath. 

             “I’m sorry…” Shiori sighs after a while and Nerissa rubs her cheek then kisses the top of her head, lingering there before fully separating to look Shiori in the eye. “It’s okay, we can deal with this later. Right now, we have another pressing matter to attend to.”

             Nerissa gives one final kiss on her forehead before stepping away. They exchange nods and Shiori feels determination thrum through her veins, “Let’s go find our daughter then.”

             A smirk forms on the raven’s lips, “What’s the plan Shiorin?”

             “We split up,” Shiori answers instantly, “You fly up and scout the general area. With your eyes and wings, you’d have better luck than me.” “And you?” Nerissa asks as she unfurls her wings in preparation. “I have a few choice locations in mind,” she explains and with that the two promise to return to that same exact location in one hour’s time. 

             “Take care of yourself Rissa,” “You better do the same Shiorin.”

             In the blink of an eye, Nerissa ascends up into the air with a strong flap of her wings while Shiori runs as fast as her legs can take her deeper into the forest. 

             If I were a teen looking for somewhere to run, where would I go? Shiori thinks. Multiple ideas come to her mind but one idea in particular sticks out. This way!

             Now with a proper destination in mind, the two-tone haired woman turns and traverses the uneven forest terrain with no sense of caution, running through whatever thicket and shrubbery was in her way until she stumbles upon a beaten path. Following the path, Shiori eventually arrives at the old abandoned fire lookout tower.

             She looks up, her eyes squinting as she tries to spot any sort of movement in the dark when she just barely sees the outline of a figure move around the railings. Shiori screams, “Beatrice!”

             “Mom!”

             Suddenly the sound of high pitch screeching is heard followed by what could only be Beatrice screaming. Shiori feels her heart sink as she makes her way up the stairs, skipping two to three steps at a time. She wheezes as she arrives at the top, looking around frantically for her daughter. 

             It was a miracle the tower was even still standing in its current state. Half of the cab had completely collapsed while the catwalk looked barely stable. Her concern however wasn’t its current dilapidated condition. Shiori scans the rubble with bated breath until her eyes land on Beatrice cowering under a desk in a part of the cab that hadn’t been destroyed. 

             “Beatrice!” she cries out in relief and the young teen takes notice of her. “Mom!”

             The two run towards each other before pulling each other into a hug. When they pull away, Shiori immediately gets to checking on Beatrice. “We were so worried about you. Are you okay?” Shiori asks, placing both hands on cheek and looking for any noticeable injuries. Beatrice shakes her head and pushes her mom’s hands away, “I’m fine Mom, but we have to get out of here. There’s a-”

             A large thump behind Shiori cuts her off. A shadow casts over them, causing the surrounding to get darker and slowly Shiori turns around to face the thing behind her.

             “Harpy,” she mutters. It was then she noticed several sticks arranged around the place, the remains of animals scattered about and the strong stench of rotting flesh she had somehow missed.  A harpy’s nest.

             A realization that came far too late.

             The harpy in question was quite literally twice her size, with an even bigger wingspan, razor sharp talons and of course its human head, giving it that uncanny feeling that made Shiori’s stomach churn. In spite of her fears though, Shiori stands protectively in front of Beatrice.

             “Listen to me Beatrice,” she whispers as softly as possible, “When I give you the signal, make a run for it. Got it?” “But what about y-” “Don’t worry about me, you know the way back to the house right?” in the corner of her eye she sees Beatrice nod, “Then get there as quick as you can to get help. I’ll hold it off.”

             Shiori braces herself and briefly looks over her shoulder to check on Beatrice, “Ready?” A nod. Then a second.

             “NOW!”

             Black spikes protrude from the ground as Beatrice breaks out into a sprint but it merely grazes the creature, only managing to anger it further. It lets out another ear piercing screech, so loud it forces Shiori to cover her ears lest her eardrums be ruptured. After recovering, she notices the harpy turn its attention to Beatrice who had fallen to the ground in a daze. “Hey! Keep your eyes on me, you ugly disfigured excuse of a chicken!”

             Bookmarks appear out of thin air behind Shiori and she fires them towards the monster, causing enough damage to fully grab its attention. The harpy turns to look at her and it flaps its wings, the gust of wind it creates staggering Shiori before it flies up into the air. Shiori watches from below as it flexes its talons and her eyes widen.

             The creature descends rapidly in an effort to crush Shiori but the Archiver just manages to block the attack with a wall of ink. It leaves her winded but she is given no time to breathe when it takes flight again. This time the monster attempts to slash at her with its talons as it dashes past but Shiori succeeds in defending herself. Yet with each consecutive hit, she feels herself growing increasingly weaker. 

             Running out of strength, one particularly strong strike manages to knock Shiori off her feet. Now unprotected, the harpy takes the chance to slam right into Shiori with its entire body, throwing her into the wall of the cab that was still standing. Upon contact, Shiori feels her breath forcefully leave her lungs and things only take a turn for the worse when a piece of wood falls on her leg. 

             Shiori cries out in pain, clutching the thigh of her affected leg when she hears Beatrice scream as well. The two-tone haired woman looks up and sees the harpy inching ever so slightly closer towards Beatrice who stands at the top of the stairs, frozen in fear and effectively cornered.

             “Don’t you dare lay a finger on my daughter!”

             She fires a singular bookmark that hits the harpy square in the back, even piercing its skin and the thing screeches. Its wings flex and it turns around to glare at Shiori, shrieking loudly all the while. Then it begins walking towards her with steps so heavy, Shiori swears she can feel the very tower shake beneath her.  

             She tries desperately to free herself, to run but she lacked the strength and feeling in her leg to do so. With a loud slam, the harpy’s talon barely misses crushing Shiori and it instead leans down to stare at her mockingly. A sick grin on its human face.

             The harpy takes a step back and lifts its talon once more this time directly above Shiori and the woman in question screws her eyes shut for the inevitable.

             Guess I won’t get the chance to atone for my sins. I hope you can forgive me Beatrice… Rissa…

             But the attack never comes.

             With some hesitance, Shiori cracks open her eyes only to see the harpy with a bookmark lodged directly in its temple, blood dripping from the wound and mouth agape in front of her. Shiori stares slack jawed for several seconds until the body begins to sway then falls onto its side, the tower shaking momentarily before all goes still. 

             Shiori swallows the lump in her throat then turns her head to the side where the bookmark came from. She sees Beatrice standing there, breathing heavily and her arm raised as if she had just thrown something. “H-How did you do that?” Shiori sputters and Beatrice looks at her with a nervous smile.

             “I-Ink magic… you were the one that taught me.”

             Shiori chuckles weakly as she leans against the wall, “Of course I was.”

             With nothing to bother them now, Beatrice helps to lift the wooden piece of debris off Shiori’s leg in order to free her. Unfortunately, aside from assessing the injury externally, there wasn’t much that could be done to treat it. So to return back, Shiori was forced to rely on Beatrice to support her as she walked.

             On the way back, Shiori glances down at Beatrice next to her, the young teen holding tightly onto the arm over her shoulder as she kept her gaze forward. A sad smile makes its way onto Shiori’s face as she gazes down at her. It would be a while until they arrived at the set meeting point.

             “I’m sorry Beatrice.”

             “What for Mom?” her daughter asks curiously, looking up to check Shiori’s expression just in case. Shiori laughs half-heartedly in response, “For everything. I’ve done nothing but be cold to you ever since you got here but I’m especially sorry for what I said earlier… I didn’t mean what I said. I never did.”

             She feels Beatrice get closer. “It was just so hard to believe that an amazing kid such as yourself was raised by me. Then I proceeded to fumble up in the worst way imaginable. So I’m sorry Beatrice. I’m so so sorry,” she apologizes profusely and Beatrice giggles. “You don’t need to be sorry Mom. I understand.”

             “But-”

             “I know that sounds corny but… I really do. In fact, I didn’t really mind at all,” Shiori furrows her eyebrows in confusion. “Then why did you run?” she points out, causing Beatrice to laugh awkwardly. “Well… I didn’t want to intervene! I wasn’t sure how to leave so I just ran! You two are scary when you chase after someone like that you know…” she huffs and this time it's Shiori’s turn to giggle. 

             “Well good thing we came to the rescue still. You must have a lot of trust in us to walk willingly into harpy territory like that,” “Well of course I do!” Beatrice exclaims, feigning offense. “Mama used to tell me all the time how you two butt heads but everyone knows you two love each other very much,”  she says before puffing her chest, “That’s why you and Mama make the best team, you two know everything about each other. So when dangers around, there’s nothing to worry about! Plus I knew you two would make up eventually, you guys always do!” She finishes and Shiori feels her face heat up. “I see…”

             The two walk on in silence for a bit until Shiori finds the courage to speak up again.

             “But… how did you know not to believe what I said…?” Shiori whispers and Beatrice grins up at her mom, “I know you Mom. That’s why I knew.”

             Before the Archiver gets the chance to inquire further, the young teen continues. “I know cause even though you don’t say it often, your actions do it for you. I know there’s no one else who cares more than you Mom, no one who loves as passionately as you,” she giggles. “And I know you love me cause you were the one that taught and showed me all I know!”

             Shiori stops in her tracks abruptly, shocking Beatrice who yelps in surprise. “Mom? Are you okay?”

             “I love you Beatrice.”

             She looks down and is met with a wide smile on her daughter’s face. “I know Mom. I love you too.” 

             The two share a laugh before continuing to walk in comfortable silence when another mystery comes to mind. “Beatrice?” the girl hums, “How did you end up face to face with a harpy to begin with? I just thought you were looking for some place quiet.” “Oh that,” Beatrice clicks her tongue. “I was actually just wandering around when I heard screeching in the distance. Then I remembered Aunt Biboo mentioning something about a harpy problem nearby so I thought I’d check it out,” she admits.

             Shiori’s brow furrows and she makes a mental note to talk to Biboo later. “And what compelled you to pick a fight with the harpy?” “I thought I could handle it! I forgot how big they were!”

             Shiori opens her mouth to scold her but she ultimately decides against it. “Yeah I get that…” she trails off and Beatrice laughs, “You were so cool just now though Mom!” A small smile tugs at the edge of Shiori’s lips, “Thank you, but I feel like I’m definitely going to get an earful by a certain someone later…”

             “Yeah I know that feeling,” Beatrice shivers, “But don’t you worry! I’ll make sure to defend you from Mama!”

             After what felt like hours of walking, at long last the two arrive at the meeting spot Shiori and Nerissa had agreed to meet back at earlier. In the middle, they spot Nerissa pacing back and forth anxiously, biting her nails until she finally catches sight of them. “Beatrice! Shiori!” she yells, pure relief dripping from her tone.

             Nerissa runs over to meet them and immediately lets out a gasp when she sees the state Shiori was in. “Shiorin, what happened to you?” the demon begins fussing over her, “Didn’t I tell you to watch after yourself?”

             “You did, yes but I’m fine. Just got in a bit of a tussle,” Shiori tries to play it off but she winces when Beatrice switches positions with Nerissa, “At least this one is safe.” Nerissa laughs breathlessly as she hugs Beatrice with one arm, leaning down to kiss the top of her head too. “Yeah I can see that. I’m so glad you’re okay. But you Shiorin, we need to get you patched up right this instant,” she orders and Beatrice nods vigorously. 

             “Darling,” Nerissa calls and Beatrice perks up, “Would you mind running into the house first and asking Aunt Fuwamoco and Aunt Biboo to ready some medical supplies?” She gives a salute then turns on her heels to run towards the Advent house. Shiori and Nerissa on the other hand make their way there together slowly from behind, watching as Beatrice’s figure continuously gets smaller.

             “You just can’t help getting yourself into trouble can you?” Nerissa mutters under her breath which causes Shiori to snicker, “ Well our daughter has to inherit that from somewhere doesn’t she?” 

             “How am I ever going to deal with the two of you?” she sighs and Shiori rolls her eyes playfully. “Don’t be dramatic Rissa, you know you love us.” 

             “That I do.”

_____________________________

             Several days have passed since the incident in the forest and things were slowly taking a turn for the better.

             For starters, Nerissa and Shiori finally managed to patch up their relationship as well as allow it to flourish to something more than what it was before which was great news for Advent and especially Beatrice. As for Beatrice and Shiori, the two had begun spending more and more time together whether it be passively or actively. 

             One thing was for sure, if Shiori was there, Beatrice was usually somewhere closeby. 

             Even Nerissa was prone to get a little jealous from time to time but it was nothing a little bit of affection from both her favorite people in the world couldn’t fix. 

             Speaking of the three, they were currently all together in the living room watching random shows on the television. Shiori sat in the middle, Beatrice on one side laying her head down on Shiori’s lap while Nerissa was on the other, leaning her head on top of Shiori’s with barely any space between them. 

             “Who would honestly visit these restaurants…?” Nerissa mutters and Shiori giggles, brushing her fingers through Beatrice’s hair, “I might. Just for fun, you know? See what it’s like and experience it first hand. There’s a lot to be learned there Rissa” 

             “You’re crazy Shiorin.” 

             “Mom, if you end up going can I follow too?”

             “Sure.”

             “You two…” Nerissa sighs heavily as the other two giggle but there is a hint of a smile on the raven’s face.

             Just as they were about to settle in again, a portal opens up before them out of thin air. The same portal that had brought Beatrice to them. Yet unlike the last time, nobody falls through. It just stays open.

             After a bit of stretching, Beatrice sits up and gets off from the couch lazily, “Well better late than never I guess.” Shiori and Nerissa share a glance with each other, both of their eyebrows raised but before either of them can say a word, someone new walks through the portal.

             It was a young man, seemingly in his early adult years with predominantly white hair with some strands of black, pink colored eyes, dressed in a familiar sense of fashion but most glaringly, he had horns similar to Nerissa and Beatrice’s as well as Shiori’s ornament in his hair.

             Shiori’s eyes narrow while Nerissa’s widen, the both of them thinking the same exact thing. Don’t tell me…

             “You really do plan on living up to your name, don’t you Bea?”

             “Not as much as you commit to the bit of ruining the mood Lyonne,” Beatrice sticks her tongue out and the mysterious man doesn’t react nor respond. Instead he takes a moment to look around the room. His eyes land on Nerissa and Shiori but he doesn’t say anything.

             He turns back to Beatrice still without saying word, “What did Mama say about using Aunt Amelia’s watch?” “Hey! I swear I was being careful! It wasn’t my fault the thing’s so old and the buttons are so loose,” Beatrice pouts with her arms crossed. 

             The man hums, his face still as stoic as ever. “I wouldn’t mind so much if I didn’t have to keep cleaning after your mess.” Beatrice scoffs, “Speak for yourself, you took longer than expected.”

             “I didn’t expect you to end up here of all places in the timelines.”

             “Honestly sounds more like a you pro-”

             “Beatrice,” Nerissa cuts in after minutes of searching for her voice. The two turn to look at her, “Who… is this? If I may ask?” “Who is this? This is Lyonne, my brother,” Beatrice explains as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. But of course for Nerissa and Shiori, they are gobsmacked. Their mouths wide open as they stare at the man they now know could only be their first son.

             “B-Brother? He’s the one who’s going to pick you up?” Shiori stammers and the young teen nods innocently. “Yeah of course. Have I never mentioned him?”

             “No?!” the two reply simultaneously and Beatrice winces before laughing nervously, scratching the back of her neck in the process. “Oh really? Whoopsie my mistake!” she clears her throat before gesturing to Lyonne dramatically.

             “If that’s the case… Mama. Mom, meet Lyonne Ichinori Shadow Bringer Novella!”

             Lyonne raises his hand unceremoniously, “Hey Mom. Hey Mama.” He then shoves both his hands into his pockets, “Sorry for leaving this troublemaker with you a tad too early and a tad too long.” “Hey!-” “But we must really be on our way,” he says as he adjusts the scarf around his neck and pulls out a stopwatch from his pocket to look at it.

             “How long has it been over there?” Beatrice tilts her head to the side and Lyonne hums, “Mama is making dinner right now so quite a while considering you disappeared this morning. Any later and Mom herself would’ve come to find you.” Beatrice's mouth forms an o then she nods in understanding.

             “I guess it really is time to go but before that…” she trails off, turning around to look at Shiori and Nerissa who both have, as expected, a sad smile on their faces. 

             “I guess this is goodbye huh?” Nerissa mumbles and Beatrice nods, an apologetic look in her eye. “It is… but hey! Don’t worry! We’ll technically see each other in the future right?” she tries her best to cheer them up and it works albeit slightly. 

             They couldn’t help it. After days of bonding with their future daughter, it was hard to suddenly have to say goodbye. But Beatrice was right. They would meet again in the future. Someday.

             So Shiori and Nerissa keep their chin up high, both opening their arms and Beatrice runs forward without a second thought. The three embrace, Shiori and Nerissa taking turns to kiss Beatrice’s forehead before separating. “Take care of yourself in the future okay?” Shiori reminds her and Beatrice grins cheekily. 

             “Of course but you also have to remember to do the same, Mom. Me and Lyonne’s existence depend on you here,” Shiori laughs softly as she ruffles the young teen’s head, “Way to make me feel pressured.”

             “You better promise!” Beatrice points at her threateningly and Shiori giggles, nodding. “I promise.” 

             “Bea! Come on! The portal will close soon!” Lyonne calls and Beatrice looks over her shoulder for a second, “Give me a minute!” She turns around to see Nerissa smiling down at her with a fond gaze before leaning down to kiss both sides of Beatrice’s cheek. “Bye Mama,” “Bye bye darling. If you ever need a timeline to stay in, you’re always welcome here.”

             Beatrice giggles as she walks backwards to the portal, “I’ll keep that in mind!”

             Beatrice walks up towards Lyonne and after bidding one final goodbye, the siblings walk through the portal before it closes, disappearing as if it had never even existed. The two stand in the middle of the living room in silence, processing everything that had just happened.

             A shiver runs up Shiori’s spine as she feels an arm wrap around her waist. “Now I definitely can’t wait for the future,” Nerissa whispers in her ear before kissing her temple. The two-tone haired woman snorts, “Who do you think conceived by the way?”

             “Don’t make it weird.”

             “Wha- Hey! These are in fact very valid questions. Heck, I’m doing this when the kids aren’t around! You should be grateful!” Nerissa chuckles as she rolls her eyes playfully, tugging Shiori’s arm so the two were facing each other, “Oh hush you.” 

             Shiori places her hands on Nerissa’s shoulders, a sly smirk on her lips.“Why don’t you make me then, Rissa?” Nerissa lets out a low chuckle, leaning ever so slightly downwards to whisper right against Shiori’s lips, “Mmm I just might.”

             “Don’t be shy then.”

             The two then share a kiss. A silent promise to share their lives together, for better or for worse. Now and forevermore.

_____________________________

Fin.