The Sword and the Dove [12: Voyage] (Update 12/30)

[rokun]

Hello everyone! Well, after a bit of a wait, here's the (hopefully somewhat) awaited sequel to The Circle of Three. I don't have much time online now, but I'll hopefully talk more after comments later... So here we go! What am I getting myself into... ^^;


Prologue – The Bitterness of Truth

Maimi woke to a headache that felt as if it would split her head open at any moment.

“Unnhh….” she moaned, grabbing the sides of her head between her hands when she tried, stupidly obviously, to sit up. Her memory was foggy at the moment, but she had the strangest sense of déjà vu after opening her eyes and seeing the white serrated ceiling sloping down over the small room containing the appropriately small bed she lay in.

“Where am I…?” she asked no one in particular as she dared enough to roll her head to look around and find no one else in the room and only a plain door closed at its entrance. “I have to get up…”

She still didn’t remember what she had been doing and why she might have ended up in this place that looked so familiar, but she recognized a sense of purpose in her that flared strongly from some mysterious source. Trying once again to rise, and once again failing, she lay back comfortably on the bed to try to regain her senses.

She slid her hands down her body to see what kind of clothes she was wearing – it felt like it was a dress of some expensive material, but seemed torn and tattered in spots. Was I in a fight…? she thought. Feeling a stinging sensation below her chest, she unbuttoned her dress slightly to check it out, and found skin that seemed burned and slightly scarred. What could have caused that? It was like she had been on fire…

Then it came back to her, in a rush that left her with an even worse headache than before.

“Airi…” she growled, tenderly running a finger along the circular patch of skin. The girl she’d loved, the girl who had somehow as if out of her wildest dreams undergone an apparent change of heart and loved her back, or at least seemed to… The girl that nearly killed her…

She thought back to the fight. The three of them had nearly put that accursed Natsuyaki girl down for good, and out of nowhere Airi had called her name. There was a flash of light, and the next thing she knew she woke up in this room again.

Again…

She remembered where she was now. This is the room she had awoken in before… been woken in… and where the adventure with the girl she loved began. Why was she here now though? When fighting, they had been in some large grassy area she could hardly imagine would have been in the city. If she’d lost, she figured she’d be dead or at least in a hospital. If she won, wouldn’t she be waited on left and right by house servants to the new rulers of Japan? Plus, if they had won, why would she be in this place, of all of them?

She tried to shake her head of the thoughts that would get her nowhere at the moment.

Airi…

The thought of the girl rang through her head again like a bell both pleasant and noisome. For the longest time she was nearly the only thing Maimi could think about, ever since that moment in the bath. She tried her best to distract herself, especially once Airi joined up with the enemies of the school, but when she had been kissed that time on the street and again in this room… she was helpless but to give in.

Well, that was until the girl tried to kill her at least.

She did try to kill her, right? Surely Airi was the only one that would have managed to knock her out so easily, and the burn mark below her chest was a testament to something only one like her could do. Natsuyaki obviously couldn’t have done it, especially since she was nearly beaten. Plus, Airi had tried to rip her soul out before, hadn’t she? Why would it be so hard to think she’d finish her dirty work?

But then… why the kisses and the love I swear I saw in her eyes from the first time we met in this place?

Again, this was something she wasn’t going to understand just lying here, so she tried a final time to move. Finally she succeeded, and stepped wobbily toward the door, wondering how long she’d been asleep. She turned the knob carefully, not wanting to alert anyone unnecessarily to her presence, but there was no one outside. She heard muffled voices down the hall as if another of the rooms was occupied, but no one seemed to recognize her presence, or care. Or perhaps they didn’t think she would wake up. Yeah, they most definitely did not win.

As she walked silently down the hall, supporting herself slightly with a hand on the wall, she cast an automatic glance out a window before doing a double-take. This house was built atop a hill, but despite that, there was still water flooding the sides of the streets – not quite enough to stop traffic from going by, but enough to make it not fun to traverse she imagined.

However, there was no traffic to be seen. Instead, tents lined the dry middle portion of the street, and even some of the surrounding yards. Outside the wrought-iron fence surrounding Airi’s house a few people stood silently with their hands crossed before them, gazing toward the door with calm expectation as if what was beyond was eagerly awaited yet not expected in the slightest.

Maimi now was becoming quite troubled. What had she gotten herself into? She supposed she could get herself out of whatever it was, but if what her eyes saw was any indication, things had changed more than she could have imagined. She clung to one hope – she had to find Saki or Ai-chan. Surely if she was here, they had to be also… They had to be…

Sneaking silently past a slightly opened door within which a few girls were talking as if trying to keep from being bored, she noticed that she didn’t recognize them from the Circle’s ranks. Hopes fading of a victory of theirs somehow being attained against all odds, she continued walking until she reached some stairs, then carefully headed down them, holding her stomach as she went. The movement of descending the stairs caused her injury to tighten up and hurt a bit more. Upon reaching the bottom though, she became able to hear from a close-by room one of the voices she’d been searching for.

“…don’t know why you put up with it,” Ai said, though with not much force behind it. “I know most everywhere is still flooded, but we can’t even leave the house! If not for your parents’ willingness to put up with it since nobody recognizes them, we’d barely have any food, especially to support all of us.”

The next voice that spoke up made Maimi stop in her tracks and her heart leap into her throat. “It’s ridiculous I know, but they’re just people trying to cling to some kind of hope… Anyway, isn’t the alternative more ridiculous? Exactly why do you expect us to not feel incredibly uncomfortable there? The idea is just… is just… it’s ludicrous!” Maimi still didn’t know what was going on, but at least Airi was still around… She didn’t know if she could forgive the girl for… all... that she did, but she still felt this thrill of excitement just hearing her voice again. That was what was really ludicrous, wasn’t it? The next person to speak up dampened her excitement considerably though once again.

“It’s so much fun listening to the two of you talk…” Natsuyaki said, sounding half bored and half mock irritated. “I feel like I only understand every other word. How did I ever go out with such a geek?”

“Oh stop it,” Airi responded, sounding genuinely irritated, though still in a warm sense. That bit of warmth though made Maimi tighten her fists. “You’re as smart as the rest of us, and sometimes I wonder if not even much more so. Don’t think that badass yankii attitude works on me! I know you too well…” Maimi was clenching her fists so tightly now it felt like her fingernails dug into her palms.

“You’re damn right I wouldn’t show the first glimmer of actually caring about something like school! I’ve a reputation to uphold, y’know.” She paused a moment before going on, “By the way, we have a visitor listening outside the door.”

Maimi’s breath caught. Damn it, she forgot the girl could read minds or some such similarly incomprehensible thing. It really was a bit scary what happened out in that field, that the girl could hold her own against both her and Ai. She wondered if she might even have become nearly as powerful as Saki.

Almost immediately she heard a chair slide across the floor from within the room and footsteps come hurriedly toward her, and the next thing she knew she was looking into the face of her angel and smiling dumbly… Wait, what was she doing? She definitely did not like this girl right now!

“Maimi!” Airi said with a beaming smile. She really was so beautiful… as beautiful as the shining sun. Then the girl laid a hand on her stomach, and she recoiled slightly at the tenderness of the skin below it. “How are you doing? You’ve been out for days… I swear, if I haven’t scolded Reina enough already, but she’s so stubborn…” Her lips curled up in a pout as her eyes became distant, apparently imagining more such scoldings. Maimi smiled. That was something she’d dearly like to see.

“It hurts,” she responded simply, staring into the younger girl’s face. Then she narrowed her eyes. “And what’s this talk about Tanaka? It’s you I have to thank for this, isn’t it?”

Airi’s face lowered in a blush. “As for that… well…” she stuttered.

“So are you going to bring our new arrival in here, or will you make us get out of our chairs and come after you to squeeze into the hallway?” Ai called from the room. “I’m sure she has a lot of questions after all…”

“Oh,” Airi said, blushing further. “Right. Come on,” she said, reaching for Maimi’s wrist, but Maimi pulled away quickly, inciting a questioning glance from the other girl.

“Why should I trust you to lead me in there?” she asked. “Last I remember you tried to kill me. Or did you forget already?”

Airi stared at her, pain floating across her eyes. “I didn’t…” she began in an uncharacteristic weak voice, but somehow couldn’t continue, and hurriedly brushed past her to walk up the stairs.

“You didn’t just make her cry, did you Maimi?” Ai called again in a somewhat scolding voice. “You idiot. Just get in here.”

“Now that’s more my type of language…” Natsuyaki commented, and Maimi thought she could almost hear the grin on her face.

She didn’t know why, but she found her feet moving to carry her toward the room. She didn’t like her present situation one bit, but what options did she have? From the sound of things, she feared she knew the result of what happened in the meadow, and whether that was true or not, Ai was the only person she knew she could count on… She could still… right?

Entering the room, she saw Ai sitting on a chair with Risa seated as well next to her, even though she hadn’t heard her speak yet. “Good morning!” the girl said brightly now though. She took special notice of the way the two girls held each other’s hands. And across from them…

Natsuyaki considered her warily from her own seat, though she looked quite relaxed otherwise. Why wouldn’t she? She apparently got what she wanted after all… All that she wanted, Maimi thought with a glower, and she felt her hands eager to clench again. Still, Maimi felt like the girl was looking at her like a fox considering the rabbit it was about to pounce on. She wondered if she could not still switch roles and become the fox instead. A memory of the meadow reminded her that was not very likely, at least unless Ai took her side. However, both former Nakazawa girls looked like they were about to do no such thing.

“Well you’re not trying to zap me with lightning or some crap,” Natsuyaki said roughly after a moment, letting up in her scrutiny of Maimi. “That’s a good start.”

“That’s my area, remember?” Ai said, grinning evilly at her.

“Oh yeah,” Natsuyaki said, rubbing her own stomach as if it too carried scars of just such an encounter. Somehow Maimi thought the girl hadn’t made any mistake at all… at least one that she hadn’t intended to. She thought Airi might be right. The girl was most likely much more astute than she let on. “Well either way, I’m sure she hates me much more than the girl she just drove to tears, so I think for my sanity I’ll head off to… check on Reina or something. I imagine she could use some bailing out right about now…”

Ai nodded, and Miyabi got up to leave, sweeping a bow toward Maimi. “Glad to see you back among the living,” she said in what Maimi thought was almost a sincere voice. “Though I know I’m not near as glad as someone else…” And with that, she trudged out the opposite door in what Maimi thought was a very unfeminine way.

“Damn yankiis…” she grumbled under her breath. She looked to Ai, who gestured her to a free seat, and walked slowly to take it.

She sat there a moment, trying to absorb everything that had happened since she woke, and also trying to patch together the fragments she knew of what happened before. “I imagine you’re a bit confused right now…” Ai guessed warmly, and reached her free hand to lay atop Maimi’s on the table.

“Confused?” she asked in a rather confused way in response. “No… I wouldn’t say confused…”

She continued looking back into the girl’s eyes, which seemed as strong as ever gazing into hers. “How could you?” she asked in a voice barely above a whisper. She closed her eyes and shook her head. “Where’s Saki?”

A pang of regret washed across Ai’s face then, and she exchanged a glance with Risa, who nodded, before turning back to Maimi, now squeezing her hand slightly. “Saki is…” she said, her eyes moistening. Maimi didn’t like where this was going at all.

“She’s gone, isn’t she?” Maimi asked hollowly. Neither of the other girls responded, but their silence was answer enough.

Unbidden, the face of her longtime friend as a Head of Seishin, and then more, appeared in her mind… a face she’d just realized she would never see again. Memories now played in her head like films, memories of when they were both raised as Heads and how they had shared in each other’s excitement before realizing their true calling after the induction ceremony… Memories of how they became even closer not long after, and when they’d shared everything together… Memories of how the girl had become distant, and soon too distant for her to reach any longer, and when their closest bond had been severed, even though they never actually had mentioned it… Memories of how well they’d worked together in attaining the incredible positions they had, and how much she respected the girl for her role in it despite their more personal troubles, for by then… by then she’d managed to open her heart to another…

“I’m sorry Maimi… I truly am,” Ai said, her voice saturated with sympathy. “I know you two were close…”

“You have no idea…” Maimi said, realizing that tears had formed and were now cascading slowly down from her eyes. She’d known it was a very real possibility from the time they heard about her diagnosis, but this… was this even the result of it? She had looked happy when she appeared in the meadow… almost like her old self again…

Through her tears, her face set in grim commitment. “She did it, didn’t she?” she asked quietly. She was the only one who could have possibly bested her, and so she knew how it had to have happened. She felt at her stomach. Airi may have missed her chance at her, but she apparently hadn’t with the other girl Maimi had once loved…

Ai looked at her curiously for a moment at first as if she didn’t understand, but then her eyes widened and she spoke quickly, “No! She… I think she actually saved her just at the last possible moment, Maimi. Just like I think she might have saved me too… and you…”

“You and I?” Maimi asked, her voice strengthening. “Then why are you and I sitting here talking still, while she’s probably in the ground somewhere?!” She was beginning to get loud, but she didn’t care. She felt her body heat with her power. She didn’t care anymore what the result was, but she had to do her best to avenge Saki… she owed her at the very least that much.

“Maimi!” Ai said, now straightening up and speaking in a much more confident voice like the great leader she had become before all of this. “You know as well as I do she was overconfident in her abilities. She wasn’t a god – neither are you, and neither am I. I saw what happened. Airi did do something to her, yes, but after that I saw a Saki I had never known before – one that enjoyed the life she was about to lose all too early, and appreciated that there might be a greater purpose in it. I obviously don’t know everything about the two of you, but if I’m not mistaken, that’s the Saki you’re remembering too, isn’t it?”

Maimi continued clenching her fist tightly under the other girl’s hand, but her mind suddenly became full of the pain she felt at losing her best friend, no matter how… no matter how she’d been lately…

Suddenly her body slackened as she felt all the strength leave it, and she slouched in her chair, the tears flowing freely once again. “Why…?” she asked, not expecting a response in the least. “She was my best friend… No matter how things turned out, that’s who she was…”

After a moment Ai’s hand closed atop hers again. “I’m sorry I didn’t understand. I wonder how much any of us really understood her, but I think you did the most of anyone. She may not have shown it often, but I’m sure she appreciated all you’ve been through together as well. I think she was just helpless under the influence of forces beyond her control.”

Maimi looked up at her, raising a hand to wipe the wetness from her cheek as she tried to control herself. “Is that what the future holds for you and me too?” she asked. “Complete loss of control over our own lives until we’re freed by death?” She stared hard at the girl. “I’m only sixteen, Ai-chan…”

Ai gave her an intense look after her weighty questions. “First of all, I swear to you Saki was free before she died. Do you wonder why I sit here in this house holding counsel with those who we fought our hardest against just not so long ago? I saw something out in that garden… something I don’t think I fully understand… but what I do understand now is that Airi Suzuki was right all along.

“Do you remember back at Seishin when she confronted us and attacked you, and you felt as if your soul was being torn apart?” Maimi nodded slowly. That’s an experience she would never quite forget, no matter how things might be capable of changing with the girl.

“Well, it was,” Ai continued. “There is something… was something… inside us, influencing us, empowering us, until the Headmaster performed his final act, when it joined with us. Its influence on us stayed though… On me to an extent, though I think I’m old enough and was independent-minded enough to where I could still fight against it. On you as well, but I think it’s affected you in a slightly different way. I think in your case, your feelings for Airi may be fighting against it, but it’s a hard battle… And on Saki…

“Do you know what I really think? We carry some essence of the Founders of Seishin within us, through heritage or else, and so are affected by their spirits… Nakazawa’s is strong, but is also kind and open-minded, allowing me to keep my own opinions. Matsuura’s is fiery, quick to anger, but capable of immense love in her heart. However, Goto…” She paused a moment. “Her power was the darkest, and capable of instilling the most fear. I can’t imagine what it would have been like to be her, or even to be influenced by her as Saki must have, but no matter where her heart was, that power must have been terrible to wield.”

She paused finally, Maimi looking at her as her tears began to dry after she’d finally stopped crying. “You really should have been the leader the whole time, you know that?” Maimi said quietly. “You’re so capable… and incredibly intelligent… I couldn’t have imagined all of that if I thought about it for a hundred years.”

Ai waved a hand dismissively in front of her face, and even gave a small smile for the first time since telling Maimi the news. “Not at all. You just haven’t been sitting here talking with Airi, Miyabi and Reina the last few days. It was only by putting all our knowledge and guesses together that we were able to come up with it. Much more, too… but that’s not what I’m concerned with right now.”

“Listen to her, Maimi,” Risa implored. “She knows what she’s talking about.” Maimi glanced at the other girl at Ai’s side who looked as concerned about her as her friend was. Everyone was worried about her today… They had no need though. She could take care of herself.

Maimi coughed a small laugh of her own at that while wiping away some more tears. “Right. Like you’d say anything different about her, would you?” She knew that wasn’t true of course; since she’d joined their small group she’d realized how intelligent the other girl was as well, and that she wouldn’t just blindly agree with someone, even someone like Ai.

Ai squeezed Maimi’s hand again. “All I’m concerned about right now is you,” she said genuinely, affirming Maimi’s thoughts.

Sniffing again in an effort to prevent more tears, she also tried to clear her mind, and something her comrade had said finally fully sank into her. “So you’ve thrown in your lot with them, huh?” she asked, looking up at the two girls across from her through her eyelashes. “You all brought me here to this house… to her house… and you’ve been all buddy-buddy. If what you say is right we haven’t been in control of our actions. I like to think I’m a little more independent than that…”

Ai’s face turned somewhat grim again. “It’s over, Maimi,” she said. “Believe me and the others as you will, but things have changed. The times have changed.” She glanced toward a window and nodded her head, Risa nodding shortly after as well. “Have you seen those people outside yet?”

“Yeah,” Maimi said, trying to appear unconcerned. “The streets still looked flooded – good job by the way – so they must have just been camping out on the high ground up here since their houses are probably ruined.” Despite her praise for Ai’s storm, the thought of likely thousands upon thousands of people rendered homeless still got to her a little bit. After all, she had wanted to rule, but what good was that if there was nothing worth ruling? Yet, that wasn’t the only reason it got to her…

Ai shook her head. “While it’s true that many houses are ruined, that’s not why those people are camped on this particular hill. They’re here because of this house.”

Maimi stared off toward the window as well, even though it wasn’t in the right direction to see the crowd outside. Yes, she remembered that some people were staring toward the house. Why would they do that if they were just trying to get by? “But… why would they be interested in this place? There’s nothing special about it.”

“We’re here,” Ai responded simply, and shuffled through some papers on the table before pulling out a copy of the Yomiuri Shimbun and sliding it toward Maimi. Then, oddly, she coughed a chuckle. “Despite all the flooding, somehow the papers still managed to print. Nothing’s going to stop the businesses from moving on.”

Maimi almost didn’t want to look at the proffered paper, but after a moment held her breath and looked down. The entire front page was of one theme, a main story and its supporting details. There was a small picture of the emperor at a microphone, and the headline proclaimed, “From Myth into Reality – The Gods Are Among Us” The supporting stories included headlines such as “Thousands Flock to Shrines Across the Country,” “Storm of the Ages – Just Part of a Battle of Gods?”, and “Unidentified Schoolgirls Seen Leaving Imperial Palace Grounds” . In a small corner was a blurb for an article deeper within the pages – “The UN, while wary of suddenly rising Japanese nationalism, sends gratefully accepted aid from all able members.”

Maimi nearly could not help herself from staring at the words on the page. It was one thing rising through the government and secretly acquiring the reins of power, but seeing a national newspaper written about nothing other than events she was tightly entwined in was nerve rattling. “But…” she said, her mind quickly becoming blank, “It says nothing here about us really aside from some randomness about schoolgirls. That doesn’t explain the people outside right now.”

Ai gave a small, knowing smile. “This was from the first day after,” she explained. “In the days since, those intrepid journalists managed to track down exactly who those ‘unidentified schoolgirls’ were, as well as more of the story in general, and… Well, you can see some of the results,” she finished, gesturing vaguely, yet her point was obvious. She exchanged a glance with Risa. “For a while we had nearly an endless stream of reporters looking for the full scoop so to speak, to where we nearly boarded up the door. Once the others started coming though, the presumptive holiness of the place kept it fairly quiet here. Well, for the most part…” Risa nodded with long-suffering raised eyebrows in affirmation.

“Holiness…?” Maimi repeated, but the slam of a door from the front of the house distracted their attention.

“The parents are here!” someone called, followed by the sound of many footsteps from the front of the house, and Maimi began to wonder how many people were actually here.

“Oh brother…” came a voice from the doorway, and Maimi glanced up to see Natsuyaki slink in with eyes flickering as if looking for something. “I know Ai-chan doesn’t cause we’ve been through it before, but do you have some kind of power that would make people unable to find me?”

Maimi stared blandly back at the girl. “I could incinerate you where you stand,” she offered casually. “Nobody would be able to find you then.” Natsuyaki gave her a level look, to which she just shrugged in response and broke the eye contact. “Isn’t that more your department anyway? You’re the all-powerful one after all.”

“Well, see…” Natsuyaki said, as if she’d had to explain this many times, “It just wouldn’t be proper to hide myself, would it? Then it would be obvious I’m trying to avoid them. If someone else did it then it’s not really my fault, is it?”

Trying not to think too hard about the girl’s incomprehensible logic, Maimi rose. “Excuse me,” she said, with a look to Ai that said she was still only willing to go so far. “I suddenly realize that I’m still tired, and so should go back to my room and recover some more.”

Before she could move though, another girl burst in through the door across the room and looked frantically around as well before her eyes settled on Natsuyaki, who looked like a sitting duck, and she gave a long sigh. “There’s no helping it, is there?” Tanaka asked.

“I’m afraid not,” Natsuyaki replied.

“We have to face them…” Tanaka continued.

“I suppose it might not be too bad if they bring more food…” Natsuyaki said in her turn once again.

“I don’t see how Airi handles it,” Reina grumbled. “And other people have even dealt with it their whole lives!” she exclaimed, giving Ai and Maimi impressed glances. However, after her eyes fell on Maimi she also blinked as if just realizing the girl’s presence. “Oh, our sleeping beauty has finally awoken, huh?” she said with what Maimi thought of as a lecherous grin. Damn yankiis… she sighed again.

“Excuse me…” she began again, but was now interrupted by several adults making their way into the room.

“There you are!” one mother said upon noticing Natsuyaki, who suddenly shrank several sizes. Both her and the man with her, who Maimi supposed was Natsuyaki’s father, made their way over to the girl and hugged her tightly. “Have you been feeling well?” she asked worriedly, feeling her forehead.

Another pair had also moved toward Tanaka. “I really think you should reconsider letting us stay here…” the woman who was apparently her mother said. “I don’t trust all those people outside. There was one I swear was giving me a funny look the whole time I was walking up the driveway!” she explained exasperatedly, fanning herself ferociously. “Then again, I suppose given the circumstances…”

“I’ve told you before, Mom,” Tanaka said in what was nearly a whining voice, “There’s totally not even room for all of us here, much less groups of adults!”

“Are you certain all you girls should really be staying here?” her mother tried again, but still to no avail.

“They wouldn’t leave even if we wanted them to,” the girl responded, in what Maimi thought was a great impression of feigned helplessness.

“And besides,” Ai chipped in with a grin of her own. “Up until this point our parents still don’t know where we are. Do you think we want that to change?”

“Where’s Airi?” another couple said as Tanaka and Natsuyaki’s parents gaped aghast at Ai, but at this point Maimi took her opportunity to slip out the door… only to run into another girl, but this one was a more welcome face, if just out of surprise at the first moment.

She blinked as she stared at the girl in front of her. “Most of us thought you were dead…” she said, with sudden recognition.

The other girl smiled brightly. “Worse,” Chinami responded. “Or, at least, before the other day you guys would have thought it was worse… They ‘captured’ me and took me in.”

“Well I’m glad to see you back…” Maimi responded a bit shakily, moving to brush past the girl. Took her in… The girl didn’t show signs of torture or even mistreatment… Her smile seemed even brighter than it was before. Was this the real truth she had been somehow shielding herself from before?

Before she could get past though, a hand clutching at her arm brought her to a halt. “Please give them a chance,” Chinami urged her, her face rife with sincerity. “Despite what they might have done before, they’re really good people, and…” She began looking slightly nervous. “…and I trust them more than any others.”

Maimi stared into the other girl’s face a moment. She had been one of their most loyal supporters before, but now claimed to be at least as sincere toward those they had fought against. She had to get away. She had to get some time to think… “Excuse me,” she said abruptly, and pulled away from the girl’s grip to successfully brush past her.

“Things have changed, Maimi!” Chinami called after her. They certainly had, and she needed to take some time to reflect on them. Time away from… from… who? Away from Ai? From Chinami? Aside from friends like those, who did she have any more? She was beginning to feel that despite whatever decision she might eventually come to, she would have no choice.

“I don’t want to be alone…” she scolded at the power boiling inside of her, since if she let it free the best she could achieve would likely be just that. She ran up the stairs back toward the room she woke in. Something was inside of her – the spirit of an ancient witch, Ai had implied? – certainly no goddess. Whatever it was, she still had to come to grips with it before she could go on like this. She wished it was as easy for her as it was for the older girl.

After attaining the top of the stairs, she let out a small grunt as she ran into someone and fell back slightly, and she looked up into a face that seemed carefully wiped dry of tears, though it was still obvious they had been there.

Her face…

…

“It seems like that one is not going to make any trouble after all,” a girl said softly in Chinese as she closed the door she had been peeking out of.

“I wonder if that’s really for the best?” a younger girl responded in the same language, gazing out the frosted window. “The country’s already gathering around them, and if they step out of the picture there’s no one else here to impede on their rise.”

“You forget,” the older reprimanded sarcastically, “They don’t want to rise to anywhere.”

LinLin sighed, not looking away from the window. “I’m afraid they will come to have no choice. The power of the masses will supersede that of any individual, no matter how remarkable that individual may be.”

JunJun grinned as she came up to her comrade and laid a hand on her shoulder. “Ahh, one of the most basic lessons is strangely one of most useful, even in an extreme case like this… no?”

“As you say… senpai,” LinLin responded with a grin of her own, using the Japanese term for what she supposed their relationship was. The other girl was indeed older than her, but they had been trained since nearly the same year, she herself starting when she had barely begun her fifth.

The grin faded quickly though as she turned back to the window. “Still, I wish things weren’t as they are…” She turned pleadingly back to her comrade, and her friend. “I like them, Chun.”

When all this started, they had no idea where it would lead, so the two of them had taken on the leadership roles that were natural given the years upon years of training that had molded them so well. Even so, they tried their best not to appear too outstanding, and so used only the smallest fraction of their abilities, and none of what made them truly exceptional. Now though, things had changed, and LinLin had the feeling they would perhaps be put to the test as never before.

Her ears perked up as she sensed multiple people walking down the hall toward them, whereas an average person wouldn’t have even noticed until they actually entered the room. When they did, JunJun responded to her in a gentle voice, “I do too, dear Lin… but if they are truly the Old Blood, our time to serve our country and people has come, if rather sooner than either of us had anticipated…”

“Ni hao~!” Michishige said cutely when she heard them speaking Chinese. The other girls let no opportunity slip by to practice their language skills as long as they were boarded up in this house. After all, what else was there really to do?

“I can speak Chinese!” Kamei followed in very slow tones as well, though this time LinLin only noticed one pitch error.

“Very good!” JunJun praised them, still in her native tongue, and the two girls beamed.

The two others smiled at each other. Despite the girl’s words, they had no worry that the two had any idea what the last thing was that JunJun had said. Sometimes there were definite advantages to having what in this situation was basically a secret language for the two of them… if one that over a billion people elsewhere would understand easily… a billion people that it at the moment fell to the two of them to assure of their safety.

[ayase909]

  first of all.....YAY! i've been waiting for this........

wow! the story did progressed in a somewhat little confusing way.....Maimi is so cute  ....struggling with her own feelings towards airi......

know what, i'd like to see maimi and miya become the best of friends....hahaha

Matte kudasai......where's rii-chan???

can you feature risako and miya next chappie???

thanks author-san.......anata wa saigo!

[mode107]

This prologue made my evening
So not too much has changed huh? I actually imagined that the sequel would take some months after the ending, but in my opinion it's easier to explain all that was left hanging closer to these events then the future... Did that make sense? I confused myself trying to write that at first I'm excited for the new plot and character developments.  I can see Maimi and Miyabi becoming friends, but sort of in that love-hate sort of way

[Grisours]

I thought this was an entirely different story, but then I remembered about the sequel... and here it is!
Interesting to see a chapter that focus on Maimi, because while things are being explained to her, they are also being explained to us  Hope she forgives Airi, though.
Oh, that last bit talked a lot about Junjun and Linlin, but I still wanna know their parts on all of this...
Keep it up!

[JFC]

Man, I had to re-read the final chapter of CoT to remind myself of what happened to everyone.


Looks like we've got another epic fic to look forward to.

[Maimi_Yajima]

Extrañe mucho sus escritos.

The Sword is a sword of Maimi?
hehehehe.

It gives me enormous pleasure to know  you Rokun continue with what we left unfinished in the previous saga.
but here ...
I see the characters more mature.
That's nice.

It is also nice to see what happened after the final battle.
Maimi as it remained asleep.

It's nice to see Maimi wake up and read each line of your story and see how acting  Maimi and will be feeling after leaving their deep sleep. 
Thank you, thanks.

Well ...
I have many doubts.
I told you earlier.
And even I still have.
I hope that you will soon dissipate my doubts advance its story line, I sense that it will be excellent, clear and this time if a conclusion clear.

I will be frank and clear.
One of my dreams is to see Maimi happy.
And also I sense that it will be a great and excellent and exciting story !!!!!


Welcome back !!!!!!!
Please be perceverante me!!
And have patience with me! Estimated Rokun!!

Maimi woke to a headache that felt as if it would split her head open at any moment.

Yes!
I understand Maimi.
I understand perfectly.

“Where am I…?” she asked no one in particular as she dared enough to roll her head to look around and find no one else in the room and only a plain door closed at its entrance. “I have to get up…”

So it is! You have to get up! 
see the sun and its airi and friends!
Although the truth is cruel!

She slid her hands down her body to see what kind of clothes she was wearing – it felt like it was a dress of some expensive material, but seemed torn and tattered in spots. Was I in a fight…? she thought.

Yes...

You were in a big fight ...
A great battle ...
With large gatherings and you Maimi, you obtained an unforgettable mark that battle ...

Feeling a stinging sensation below her chest,

............

she unbuttoned her dress slightly to check it out,

............

and found skin that seemed burned and slightly scarred. What could have caused that? It was like she had been on fire…

“Airi…” she growled, tenderly running a finger along the circular patch of skin.

Yes...
She... Airi...

The girl she’d loved, the girl who had somehow as if out of her wildest dreams undergone an apparent change of heart and loved her back, or at least seemed to…

 

The girl that nearly killed her…

Do not speak that way Maimi ...
In part, you have reason to feel that way and that way of thinking of Airi ...
but it is always complicated reasons, Airi always act in a complicated manner.
Airi wanted  that you to avoid more suffering Maimi.
or maybe wanted to stop their suffering Maimi but ...
Airi forgotten or decided prolong his pain maimi.

But then… why the kisses and the love I swear I saw in her eyes from the first time we met in this place?

because Airi loves you really.
Airi loves you truly Maimi.
it did what had to do with great pain.
Airi did not want to lose to you Maimi and Airi knew that you would not allow to finish with the life of Saki.
Airi knew that Saki might no have salvation...

Almost immediately she heard a chair slide across the floor from within the room and footsteps come hurriedly toward her, and the next thing she knew she was looking into the face of her angel and smiling dumbly… Wait, what was she doing? She definitely did not like this girl right now!

KAWAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

“Maimi!” Airi said with a beaming smile. She really was so beautiful… as beautiful as the shining sun.

Kawaiii Airi!!! 

Then the girl laid a hand on her stomach, and she recoiled slightly at the tenderness of the skin below it.

Airi????  You did that?
Airi? 

“How are you doing? You’ve been out for days… I swear, if I haven’t scolded Reina enough already, but she’s so stubborn…” Her lips curled up in a pout as her eyes became distant, apparently imagining more such scoldings.

Why that Airi has scolded to Tanaka?
Will it be because Tanaka was making use to touch Maimi, when Maimi was hurt?
And was Tanaka treating the wound of Maimi?
And was Tanaka taking advantage of that?
I hope that he should explain to me this detail Rokun.

“It hurts,” she responded simply, staring into the younger girl’s face. Then she narrowed her eyes. “And what’s this talk about Tanaka? It’s you I have to thank for this, isn’t it?”

I also have the same question and doubt.
Rokun please respond.

“So are you going to bring our new arrival in here, or will you make us get out of our chairs and come after you to squeeze into the hallway?” Ai called from the room. “I’m sure she has a lot of questions after all…”

Ai-chan... Ai-chan...
You interrupted the moment ...
There is Ai-chan.   

“Oh,” Airi said, blushing further.

but Maimi pulled away quickly, inciting a questioning glance from the other girl.

Ouch, and there are going to conflict and the complicated nature of the love of Airi and Maimi.

“Why should I trust you to lead me in there?” she asked. “Last I remember you tried to kill me. Or did you forget already?”

Ouch Airi and that should hurt a lot!
Poor airi but ...
I had that happen!
I gotta go!
I then continue!

[berryzkouboumm1989]

WOOHOO! SEQUEL!!!! First chapter was good!I enjoyed it like I did with the last one.

[strawb3rrykream]

Yes!!! New story!!! I'm really liking the apprehension Maimi is having, even though that sounds weird. It seems perfect for her character. I think it's great that they are coming together because I need all my girls together!! Personally, I'm more of a MiyaAiri person but I can't help but feel sympathetic to Maimi's broken-ish heart. Uh oh, what are Jun Jun and Lin Lin up to?
Great to have you back with another epic story~! I know it will be great!

[Maimi_Yajima]

Well.
Hey again!

It will be very interesting to see the epic of romance and love of airi and Maimi.
It is not a romance easy to understand.
Apart is not just sweetness.
It is too interesting to see this pair Maimi and Airi.
The love of Maimi and Airi is full of passion and pain.
Despite problems, conflicts. Your love will  be stronger and also have the passion.

And I definitely love the character mature, serious, strong and sure Maimi and also have the passion !!
And airi is sweet, mature and also have the passion.
I always prefer to Maimi and Airi as a couple of love!
Always up to the end!
Always!!!!

Airi stared at her, pain floating across her eyes. “I didn’t…” she began in an uncharacteristic weak voice, but somehow couldn’t continue, and hurriedly brushed past her to walk up the stairs.

I feel sad for Airi ...
but it was logical that Maimi you was not going to resivir with the open arms to Airi.
What will be the reaction of Maimi when she finds out  that Airi murderer to your best friend?
And after that ...
What will be the reaction of Maimi when Maimi  see  face to face to Airi?[/color]

“You didn’t just make her cry, did you Maimi?” Ai called again in a somewhat scolding voice. “You idiot. Just get in here.”

Ai-chan sounded like Tanaka yankiis ... 

“I don’t see how Airi handles it,” Reina grumbled. “And other people have even dealt with it their whole lives!” she exclaimed, giving Ai and Maimi impressed glances.

Airi has a lot of patience  has a lot of patience ...
something that you Tanaka seem to have no ...

However, after her eyes fell on Maimi she also blinked as if just realizing the girl’s presence. “Oh, our sleeping beauty has finally awoken, huh?” she said with what Maimi thought of as a lecherous grin. Damn yankiis… she sighed again.

Yes! Maimi has already been awakened.
You Tanaka  no longer can touch to Maimi it while you sleep hohohoho ...
hhohohohoho Tanaka

“Things have changed, Maimi!” Chinami called after her.

[/color][/u][/b]
Yes!!!!
Things have changed!
 is the peace!

They certainly had, and she needed to take some time to reflect on them.

[/color][/u]
So it is!
You have to think much, and think of a relaxed way !!!!!! and be quiet!

Time away from… from… who? Away from Ai? From Chinami? Aside from friends like those, who did she have any more? She was beginning to feel that despite whatever decision she might eventually come to, she would have no choice.

Or maybe ...
Away from Airi?

“I don’t want to be alone…” she scolded

[/color][/s]
I do not want these alone Maimi!
I do not want it!

After attaining the top of the stairs, she let out a small grunt as she ran into someone and fell back slightly, and she looked up into a face that seemed carefully wiped dry of tears, though it was still obvious they had been there.

Her face…

That person is Airi?

Airi is for Maimi and Maimi is for Airi.


Maimi this wound of the heart that's sad ...
Also it is sad to no longer have your best friend. Saki Shimizu.
It is understood the pain he feels.
I think the romance of Airi and Maimi is the best love story I've read in my entire life. (No exaggeration) is an love epic.

There are several fun things, too.
One is ai-chan sounding like yanke hehehe.
In part that scolds to Maimi.

Miyabi was overly funny !!!!! starts enjoyable.
Risako special girl she is.
I hope that Risako have more participation.

 I am curious because it chose that title for his story.
I am also curious to know more about their history.

If someone sees the anime of D.Gray-Man.
The friendship of Miyabi and Maimi reminds me of Allen Walker and Yu Kanda.
Of course it depends whether Maimi and Miyabi are best friends.
but ...
Now I think Maimi and Miyabi not hate each other.

Also I think Airi suffer in this saga.
Airi loves to Maimi and I think that airi not ready to lose to Maimi.

and Yuka?
Yuka and Momoko?
Momoko What was the reaction of it to learn of the death of Saki Shimizu? I think that these two were a bit close.
Even if you never let something clear, if there was a relationship between Momoko and Saki.

Yuka even imagine that loves Maimi. and there arise problems and jealousy ...
Airi battle between Yuka, for the love of Maimi.


So Maimi and Ai still have those spirits within them.
Ai has at least to Niigaki to fight this evil spirit that is inside her.
but ...
Maimi this confused and hurt.
Maybe at the beginning is hard for her.
but ...
I believe a lot in Maimi, and she is strong and will expire on that spirit malignant.

“Do you know what I really think? We carry some essence of the Founders of Seishin within us, through heritage or else, and so are affected by their spirits… Nakazawa’s is strong, but is also kind and open-minded, allowing me to keep my own opinions. Matsuura’s is fiery, quick to anger, but capable of immense love in her heart. However, Goto…” She paused a moment. “Her power was the darkest, and capable of instilling the most fear. I can’t imagine what it would have been like to be her, or even to be influenced by her as Saki must have, but no matter where her heart was, that power must have been terrible to wield.”

That part is too interesting!
Perhaps that could be ...
Maimi is Aya.
Ai is Nakazawa.
y. ..
Saki is Goto.
I hope that this will explain more.
Aya is one of my favorites of the Hello! Project!
Maimi Yajima,Ai Takahashi, Aya Matsuura and Miki Fujimoto  are my favorite of all the H! P!
Maki also was one of my favorites but no longer is in the H! P. ..
but still remains one of my favorite Maki Goto! although that is not in the H! P.
I'm sorry, forgiveness for the off topic!

I am intrigued JunJun and LINLIN
Perhaps they will be the villains?





Next chapter please!

[slasha]

Poor Maimi. She must be really down about what happened.

And what are those Pandas up to?

I hope this sequel will be awesome. Good luck

[Maimi_Yajima]

ONI-CHAN!!!!
Next chapter please!
GambarE! Oni-chan!!
GambarE!!

[Maimi_Yajima]

It has been 17 days since the last post.
I hope soon to see the next chapter.

[Maimi_Yajima]

next chapter!!!!....... ......................................................

[seifert]

Konnichiwa!!

I posted in the VOTE Thread about your Fanfic, but I have been thinking that "it's better if I post in the Story Thread". And, well, I am here, .

It's very interesting and, now, I'm very anxious for reading more.The love between Airi and Maimi rules!! Please, continue soon.

While I'm waiting, I am reading the other fanfic, The Circle of Three, because, if this is its sequel, I must read it, .

See you, Ganbarimasu~!

PD: Sorry for my English...

[rokun]

All right, so I finally decided to get my ass in gear and try to post something here (even though I should be doing other stuff, like homework ). I wanted to reply to at least some of your comments...

First of all, thank you for your interest in the new story. ^_^ I hope you all enjoy it as it (hopefully lol) goes along! We'll see how bad my English gets while I stay in Japan here... haha.

Anyway, first of all:
Maimi_Yajima, etc: You seemed a bit concerned about Maimi's injury and the role Reina and Airi played in regard to it. In the final battle of Circle of Three, Airi used her power to knock Maimi out, which was her "sunbeam" type power - causing the burn on her chest. Afterward, when the battle was over, Reina went around to heal everyone, but remember she said she wouldn't heal Maimi the whole way as somewhat of a "punishment" for what she'd done (that's Reina for you). That's what Airi scolded her about so much. Reina could easily heal Maimi's scar etc. the whole way to where it would look like nothing was wrong, but she won't because she thinks Maimi deserves it. Airi thinks otherwise. Hence the scolding.
Oh, a mention about another scar while we're on the subject: You'll come to find Momoko still has her scar as well (including a missing eye). Reina could heal that as well, or at least the scar (the eye might be another matter), but Momoko doesn't let her because she wants to keep it as a reminder of what can happen when you make mistakes or some such... Momoko's an interesting person. You'll see more of her as this story unfolds. More of everyone really...

Anyway!

Well, I guess there's not a whole lot to comment on yet. Maybe there will be more after this next chapter. One more thing though - at least a couple of you mentioned the possibility of Miyabi and Maimi becoming good friends. That's an interesting idea, and we'll see how things go. Right now, as you could see from the prologue, Maimi couldn't really care less if Miyabi was incinerated into a pile of ash. But then again, that's how all the best friendships start, isn't it?

Well, onward! Sorry it's been so long, but finally there's a new chapter to come. Stay tuned... (as if many people will read this before it's posted. )

[rokun]

Chapter 1 – A Normal Day for a Normal Girl

Waking to the morning light, Chisato felt once again like she’d hardly slept at all. With how crowded Airi’s house was with all of them there, and more girls somehow seeming to come every day, beds were naturally quite scarce, and Chisato apparently wasn’t important enough to even take shifts with one. It was a large house with as many as four bedrooms, one containing a large bed that until they mobbed the place used to be Airi’s parents’, one other containing a nearly as large bed for guests, with smaller beds in the other two rooms, one of which belonging to Airi.

Since Maimi woke, Airi naturally slept in her bed every night, having slept in the other free bed up until that point. Considering how everyone now viewed her nobody argued with it, in fact not even letting her give it up when she once proposed the idea. Considering they were best friends, Chisato wouldn’t have minded sharing with her, but the others would have none of it. Also, since it had only been a couple days since Maimi woke, the others generally let her have the other free bed over concern for her health.

Ai and Risa, the only steady “couple” right now in the house, shared the parents’ bed, with again no one complaining that they slept there every night. The guest bed was taken by Reina and Miyabi, though Chisato heard that occasionally one or the other would have another girl there instead. Still, because she didn’t want to think about that too much, Chisato let that be as well.

All added up, that accounted for all the beds in the house, so the rest of the girls had to make do with a couple of couches and futons on the floor, the latter of which represented Chisato’s situation. At least Risako and her sister were usually there with her, so it didn’t feel too bad… aside from not being able to sleep much at least.

As she woke up, she glanced over at Risako, who was still sleeping soundly in the futon next to her. Looking around to the rest of the small space that was previously just a rarely used sitting room, she saw her sister and MaiMai still sleeping. Chinami and Yurina, the latter of which found her way to them after the battle, had already woken as well and were sitting close together, chatting in soft whispers. Chinami caught a glance at Chisato’s movement and gave her a smile and a short wave before returning to her conversation.

Closing her eyes again and feeling like groaning, Chisato decided that she might as well get up since she obviously wasn’t going to sleep any longer today. Stumbling slowly into the hallway, she headed down to the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face. Upon re-entering the hall she ran into Aika and Yuuka, who had been spending most of their time together since Yuuka nearly went crazy and shot them all. She and Aika shared brief “ohayo—“s, but Yuuka, still deeply ashamed by her actions, stayed quiet. Chisato would have liked to talk with Aika more often, but she too seemed more distant from the rest of them lately. Being distant from someone like Airi would be understandable, but she didn’t know why she and Risako were also included in that attitude.

Eventually everyone awoke, and they gathered for breakfast in the living room around a special table set in the middle, since the dining room was too small to support even just several of them. Still, Airi, Maimi, Miyabi, Reina and Ai were conspicuously absent, as they usually seemed to be from these meals, probably off discussing the futures of all of them or whatnot. Chisato still didn’t know what she thought of the girls who she used to think of as her best friends now firmly accepted as their leaders. She tried reminding herself that it wasn’t all by their choice – except perhaps seemingly Maimi and Ai’s – but it was little consolation.

MaiMai stared at her solitary bowl of rice almost as if it was about to spring legs and jump up at her. “Ugh…” she complained in a helpless voice. “Rice is great and all, but I really wish we had something else to eat in the mornings. Even just a bit of fish would be nice, or especially a nice omelette…” Her eyes started to adopt a dreamy gaze as if the rice was now transforming in front of her into her desired delicacy.

“I’m surprised we even have this,” Kanon said in slight amazement. “With this many of us here now, I have no idea how they manage to keep enough food around for everyone. I mean, they’re just girls after all.” At the odd stares she received after saying that, she blushed slightly and sank down into her chair. “I mean,” she defended in a much quieter voice, “It’s not like they have jobs where they get paid or something…”

“Y’know, I bet if we went up to the people outside, they’d give us money or maybe even food just for being here,” Kamei-san said in a pondering, and obviously oblivious voice.

“Eririn, don’t say such things!” Michishige-san scolded her, flicking her ear, which caused her friend to cringe. “Most of those people don’t even have homes, and you want them to give us food and money?!”

“It was only a thought…” Kamei mumbled in reply, and bent down to focus on her rice as if people would think she’d completely forgotten the subject. Chisato had learned the girl was quite good at things like that. However, her attention was still focused on Michishige, who somehow even bunched together with all the other girls in this place and first thing in the morning managed to look beautiful. Not that she thought much of it, of course. Suddenly, she felt even less enthusiastic upon remembering the gossip within the last few days that it might have been Michishige who went with Reina to bed that night Miyabi had commandeered one of the couches. Exchanging a short glance with Risako sitting next to her, who was still staring at the girl, she sighed and looked away, taking a bite of the sticky rice.

“Sorry to keep you waiting!!” a slightly flushed-looking Manoeri said as she hustled into the room, but her shoulders drooped upon seeing the neat layout of rice bowls in front of each girl. “Oh…” she breathed, looking sadly at them.

“If you want some, it’s over there in the cooker,” Yurina said, not looking up from her rice and only nudging an elbow in that direction. Manoeri walked slowly over and took a seat next to Momoko, who until then had been sitting by herself, just quietly and leisurely eating her rice.

“You know, we’d have more to eat if more people didn’t keep coming…” Anri said, not looking up herself, but after her comment the room fell silent.

“Everyone’s a refugee right now, remember?” Risako spoke up from beside Chisato. “Since we have no idea what’s to come, I think we’d be grateful for any more help, wouldn’t we?”

“That’s right, what is to come?” MaiMai said, apparently having decided to ignore her meager rice. “Last I heard my parents are fine, and I’m sure I could go home to them and have wonderful meals every day. Exactly how long do you think we’ll stay around here? I want to help, but if we just sit here…”

“The longer we wait, the more people will come,” Anri insisted once again.

“Is it really that bad that we’ve come?” Kanon said, having apparently regained some of her nerve. She now seemed to be getting a bit upset. “Do you still hate us?”

“Of course they don’t,” Chinami said, as if that would settle the matter. “Stop thinking such rubbish.”

“I don’t know…” Michishige said, and Kamei glanced up as if the comment from her friend was unexpected. “I mean, you did try to fight us.”

“It was you who were fighting against us!” Yurina protested, and Chinami laid a hand on her arm in an attempt to calm her.

“And look at the result!” Maasa said, speaking up for the first time. Chisato noticed her empty bowl and decided she must have been too focused on her rice to pay attention before. “It’s over, and we’re the ones trying to be friendly here.”

“You don’t seem too friendly to me!” Yurina said, rising from the floor and ignoring Chinami’s insistent proddings. She gestured to a softly sniffling Kanon. “Look at her. She’s nearly in tears! We came here with intentions of helping out however we could, after most of us have lost our houses if not our families, and you’re saying we’re eating all your food!”

“Just for the record, I’m not saying any such thing,” Maasa said, rubbing her stomach contentedly.

“Well I am, because you are!” Anri stated vehemently, and Chisato ducked at a flash of movement from Yurina, noticing only that a full bowl of rice went flying before a loud clang! made everyone freeze and go suddenly silent.

Eventually Chisato’s eyes followed everyone else’s just past where Manoeri was frozen with a spoonful of rice halfway to her mouth, the bowl she was eating from having toppled to the side, likely due to the heavy-looking large metal… club…? that had just been slammed onto the table next to it. Chisato even thought she saw a crack in the table beneath it.

Momoko withdrew her hand slowly from the handle, the scar trailing down from her eye patch standing out starkly beneath the shadow of her bangs. Everyone seemed to be awaiting something after the sudden action, but the girl just calmly picked up her chopsticks and resumed eating her rice quietly as if she’d done absolutely nothing out of the ordinary.

“Please…” Chinami finally whimpered softly up to Yurina, whose arm she was still gripping tightly and attempting to pull on. “Sit back down…” After a moment the other girl did so, and stared at the spot where her rice bowl had been as if wondering where it went. Chisato looked around curiously, noticing Risako was too, wondering the same thing.

No sooner had Yurina sat back down though than Chinami rose herself. “Everybody, please…” she implored, “We’ve of course had our differences in the past, but things are different now. Our battle is over, and we need to come together for whatever purpose we’re meant for in the future. We’ve all experienced things that no kid should… nobody ever should in a lifetime! That gives us a bond that makes us more prepared than anyone to take the reins into the future.” Chisato noticed that most of the girls had begun eating their rice again, not all looking at Chinami, but everyone visibly focused on every word.

“It’s of course not always going to be easy…” the girl continued, “But you know what it’s like outside. Nothing is easy for anyone in this country right now. In fact, as far as I’m concerned we’re lucky to have the little we do now, don’t you think?” She looked around as if for agreement, and while there were only a couple mutters of assent, no one raised their voice to disagree – even MaiMai, who had finally begun to pick at her own rice, if slowly.

“So please…” Chinami continued again, nearly seeming in tears herself. “Don’t fight. We’re all good people, just looking to do what’s best… Let’s put our trust in Airi…” she said, looking at Chisato and Risako, who shared a glance with each other, “…in Reina…” she continued, looking at others, including Manoeri, who actually blushed. “…in Ai-chan…” she finished, looking over at Kanon, who was once again looking a bit ashamed. “They’re trying their hardest to figure out what to do from here on out, while taking care of us in the meantime.” She glanced over in Momoko’s direction. “If Momo-chan is willing to put her trust in all of them, don’t you think they deserve at least that much from the rest of us too? Would any of you like to be in the position all of them are in right now?”

Once again there was no disagreement, but this time it was Yurina who reached up to pull Chinami back down to the floor beside her with a thud. “I’m sorry,” the girl whispered to her, squeezing her arm slightly in affection. Chisato smiled at the gesture. She knew, along with everyone else, that the two of them were close, even if nothing was official yet. She believed everyone deserved intimacy like that…

Someone cleared her throat, and Yuuka spoke up in a meek voice. “It’s thanks to their parents that we have the food anyway. At least they’re trying to help.” She spoke as if the fight that nearly took place hadn’t just happened, and as if her words broke some spell, everyone seemed to suddenly relax.

“Yeah,” Maasa said, nudging Sengoku-san in the shoulder as if even though they were on opposite sides in the previous fights, they were the best of friends now. “Have you seen how they react when their parents come? It’s must-see television, it is! Sure knocks ‘em down a few pegs.”

“What knocks who down a few pegs?” Miyabi said, strolling into the room. “And what was that banging earlier?” she asked, Chisato noticing her eye stray to the heavy club on the table. “I thought we were being attacked.”

“But who would attack us?” Kanon said, smiling bashfully around at everyone. “Everyone likes us, don’t they?” Miyabi stared at her as if she just spoke a completely different language, but the rest of the girls around the table couldn’t keep smiles of their own from appearing. Chisato thought that Chinami was right – times might be tough, but they’ll get through them.

…

“Um, excuse me…” Chisato said as she opened the door to the dining room a bit later to find two girls having a conversation across the table. Reina eyed her warily as she’d done many times lately, but Miyabi just relaxed back in her chair, seemingly thankful for the interruption.

“What’s up?” the relaxed girl asked, now eyeing Reina askance as well.

“You guys were um… talking about Osuzu, weren’t you?” Chisato responded in a hesitant voice. “Something about her being stubborn?” The truth was, she didn’t much care what these two girls thought Airi was being stubborn about at the moment, though she did know her friend could give anyone a run for her money in stubbornness.

“Yeah,” Reina replied, finally seeming to relax a little. “You know the Emperor invited us to stay at the palace, right? We could have anything we wanted there… we’d be safe… if we looked out the window we wouldn’t see people staring at us all the time… not that they wouldn’t be there, they’d just be too far for us to see. You see?”

Chisato nodded her head briskly. “Of course,” she said. The girl was being paranoid as usual, not making the most literal sense… and yet even that was something that endeared her to Chisato… The truth was, she was the reason she was here. Ever since… that night… she’d tried to talk with Reina, but the girl had somehow been able to avoid her at nearly every opportunity, and now, especially with the rumors she hears… Well, if the girl didn’t like her, she wished she’d at least say so instead of seeming to drag it on without any sign whatsoever.

Miyabi nodded her head in agreement. “I can’t say I’m crazy about going to any palace either – too posh for my taste – but this place is starting to make me feel a little itchy. Don’t you think?” She raised an eyebrow curiously to Chisato.

“Um…” was all she could say in response.

“In fact,” Miyabi said, now standing up and causing Reina to jerk slightly in her seat as well. “I’m feeling a little itchy just sitting here. I think I’d better get some air. Maybe go see what some of those people outside want.” As if she’d actually do that… for all the cool impenetrable front Miyabi put on, Chisato knew she was terrified at the idea of sometime maybe having to meet those people, and she wasn’t the only one.

Still, she was thankful for Miyabi’s motion right now, as while Reina looked on with desperate eyes, she walked past Chisato and patted her shoulder with a barely audible chuckle. After she had gone, Chisato walked over and pulled up a seat next to Reina, who looked like a trapped mouse. A cute one too, Chisato thought with a small smile, but then rethought it. Nah… she thought to herself. Too sexy for a mouse… the brazenness of that thought made her blush.

“Maybe I’d better go see what Airi is up to or something too…” Reina said, but froze when Chisato caught her wrist before she could rise.

“Reina, we need to talk…” Chisato said, and scooted closer. Reina seemed to want to scoot the other way, but Chisato’s grip on her wrist prevented her from doing so. Still, when she was convinced the girl would at least not suddenly run away, she let it go slowly.

Reina donned one of those winning smiles of hers. “About what?” she asked, to all indications quite curious.

Chisato couldn’t speak right away as she was trying to rake up the courage, and when she realized that she wouldn’t succeed decided to try a less direct tack. “How have you been lately?” she asked gently and with concern. She could maybe still find out what she wanted to know…

“Busy…” Reina responded, seeming relieved by the question. She shook a finger in her direction. “You could never guess what hard work it is trying to manage all you girls in this place and make sure you’re all taken care of. And for some reason everyone looks to me for the lead. Well, and I suppose Ai-chan a bit too, but most of our girls don’t fully trust her yet…”

“Yeah, things were a little rough at breakfast this morning…” Chisato said, happy to at least be having a normal conversation with the girl.

“I heard,” Reina said with a frown and a faraway gaze. “Something about rice, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah,” Chisato responded. “I mean, don’t you wish you had something else to eat too?”

“Nah, not really,” Reina responded, rubbing her stomach. “We don’t eat breakfast anyway.”

“You don’t?” Chisato asked. Here they had been complaining about the meager breakfast they were provided with, while the girls they accused of being idle went without eating anything… Not that she was one of the critical ones to begin with, but from that moment she decided that she wouldn’t eat breakfast from now on either, at least as long as they were still here. “Do you think we’ll be here long?” she asked quietly.

Reina sighed. “That depends. We’ve talked about a lot of options… and there’s a lot more still left to say… Ai-chan says she has some crazy idea, but won’t tell us what it is, and so she’s sequestered herself and Gaki in their bedroom for the day doing who knows what. The grin that appeared on Reina’s face afterward gave Chisato a pretty good idea of what she thought they were doing.

Not exactly wanting to follow that train of thought at the moment, Chisato commented, “It must be tough being a leader…”

“Yeah,” Reina said, and then fixed a furrowed-eyebrow gaze on her. “You know a bit of that too, don’t you? You held your own when it mattered.”

Chisato tried to prevent herself from smiling. This was going exactly the direction she wanted it to. “I did all right I guess…” she said humbly, remembering the last time she’d talked with Reina about their mutual leadership skills. Actually, it was more like it was impossible to forget. When Reina just nodded and adopted that faraway look again, she went on. “If you… I mean… you say you’re busy and all… if you ever feel like you need some help, I’m sure someone would jump in there for you. Everyone respects you so much, after all,” she finished in a rush.

“Yeah, help would be nice sometimes. Ai-chan works hard, and Miya is always good to talk to. Airi definitely talks a lot, but never seems to want to make decisions, so…” A flash seemed to go off in her eyes, and she straightened in her seat. “You’re right! I should have more help! Airi’s the main one getting us all into this in the first place – her house, her battle she won, most of the people wanna talk to her – so I should make her actually own up to it and make more important decisions! Thanks, Chisa!” she finished, rising. Chisato had been nodding all the way through Reina’s spoken train of thought, but when the girl got up as if to leave she started to become frantic. No! Not Airi! That’s not the conclusion you were supposed to draw!

Still, before she could help it Reina stood, and with a pat of thanks on Chisato’s head, strode briskly out of the room, leaving the younger girl still sitting with her mouth hanging open. “I would help you…” she said softly and meekly to no one, and laid her head on the table in resignation.

“Hey,” came a voice from the doorway, and until she registered who it belonged to Chisato felt a small burst of hope. Lifting her head from the table, she turned to see Risako walking slowly over to join her.

“I saw Reina marching out of here unusually confident. I wondered if they had actually decided on something, so thought I’d come in here to check it out, but seeing you here I guess it’s something different, ne?” She took the seat Reina just vacated next to Chisato and leaned in conspiratorially. “So was it good confident?” she asked optimistically.

“Um…” Chisato said, staring into the girl’s face. “I really don’t know…”

“I see,” Risako said, and sat back a bit. “Did you get to talk to her at least? …maybe even confess?” she asked hopefully.

Chisato started to shake her head, and responded, “Well we talked… There was definitely no confessing though…”

“Oh,” Risako responded quietly.

“Still, it was nice to just be able to talk with her. I haven’t even been able to do that in ages.”

Risako smiled. “You’re really into her, aren’t you?”

Chisato squirmed a bit uncomfortably. “I guess… I mean, aside from um… that one time… I’ve hardly even spent time with her. I’d like to get to know her though.”

Risako nodded. “You know what she’s like though… a person like that… It’s tough to love… or be loved.”

Chisato nodded too in agreement. “How about you? Anything happen with Miya since that kiss of yours?” She almost grinned at the remembrance.

This time Risako blushed slightly. “Actually, no…” she responded. “Though we have talked a bit. I’ve asked her some things. She’s definitely a different person than I ever thought I’d find myself with. Do you know… do you know that she and Reina have slept together?”

At Risako’s words, Chisato’s mind fogged slightly, but she managed to respond, “No I didn’t… but I suppose it doesn’t surprise me…” And truly it didn’t. She honestly didn’t know much about Miyabi, but from what she knew about Reina, she knew that she herself was definitely not the only one who had gotten herself into a situation like that night. Still, hearing it stated clearly as a fact made her heart do a few somersaults. “But that was a while back, right?” She knew it must be, but had to hear confirmation that it was true…

Risako nodded. “Of course. Long before we got to know any of them. Still,” she said, shaking her head. “Those kinds of things are why I have doubts about getting involved with Miyabi-san. I mean, if she is really prone to casual sex like that…”

Chisato found herself staring off into space and not listening too closely to the other girl’s words. Casual sex… That’s really all that happened with her and Reina, wasn’t it? And if Miya is prone to casual sex, that must mean Reina has some type of addiction. How could she ever expect that because of that one night the girl might feel something for her? Still… she believed there had to be something… Or was it just her youth? She blushed slightly at the thought. For all of Reina’s seeming promiscuity, she doubted very much she’d ever had anyone else quite as young as her. Could she really just be deluding herself because of her naïveté?

“…and then of course there’s the whole thing with Airi,” Risako continued on, before noticing Chisato’s vacant expression. “But… you’re paying absolutely no attention to me, are you?”

It took a second for Chisato to realize the other girl had become silent before she finally responded, “Huh? Oh… of course I’m… not at all paying attention…” she finished apologetically. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s all right,” Risako said with a smile. “It’s not like it’s anything you haven’t heard before anyway. So… what did Reina get so inspired about?”

“Oh…” Chisato said, still somewhat distracted, “She just decided she needed to make Airi stop being so stubborn and actually decide on some things.”

“Good,” Risako said with a frown. “Not that I’ve been able to talk to her myself much lately, but Airi has seemed a bit flaky. I mean, I suppose I can’t understand what she’s dealing with concerning her power and all, but we really can’t stay here forever, and she seems nearly content to let us do just that, especially if their parents keep bringing supplies like they do.”

“I don’t know,” Chisato said noncommittally. “I guess. Oh, Reina was also saying something about Takahashi-san thinking up some kind of plan… though I think she believes that “plan” just includes time in the bedroom with Niigaki-san…” She blushed saying that last comment, and saw Risako do the same.

“Well, maybe we should talk with her sometime, huh?” Risako asked. “I mean, until all this happened we were her best friends. Maybe we still have some influence left,” she said with a smile. “Oh! I almost forgot! Did you know…”

The two of them talked like that for a good while until Miyabi came and kicked them out of the room, or well, Chisato at least. The last she saw as she left was Miyabi pulling the other girl closer than was needed for “just talking”. She sighed as she walked down the hall. “Nothing has been happening, my butt…” she murmured to herself.

After dropping in on some of the other girls for not much more than a greeting, she decided she’d try to go upstairs and see if she could find Airi like Risako and she had talked about. Perhaps Reina had gotten to her by this point as well and she’d be more… amenable, at least. She’d better have, for it to be worth her great plan of getting Reina to work with her being ruined.

When she reached Airi’s room she knocked on the door, but when there was no answer she walked on in… and immediately froze at the scene in front of her. Airi was indeed there, and sitting on the bed… but so was Maimi, and the two were making out to the point that Chisato’s face quickly turned several shades of deep red.

She was about to step out when Airi had apparently noticed her and pulled away from Maimi, jumping up quickly and looking scandalized herself. “Hello!” she said a bit too cheerily. “Um, well then! That sounds good, Maimi. We’ll definitely have to talk with Reina soon. In fact, I think I’m going to go find her right now…” She took a step toward the door before Maimi clutched at her shirt, making her stop in her tracks, an amused grin on the older girl’s face.

“It’s all right,” she said. “You’re right – we’ll talk with her soon. Where are my manners though? This is your room… You stay here and talk with your friend. I think I’m gonna go find something to eat.” She rose, while pulling Airi down by her shirt back to the bed. Chisato was beginning to be amused by the situation as well, at least until she noticed that the grin Maimi held wasn’t shared by her eyes, which looked full of hesitation. “Chisa…” she greeted as she passed, still grinning and patting her on the head. Chisato smoothed her hair in annoyance. Why was everyone doing that today? She was not that short… ok, well maybe she was… but still!

“Good luck in the kitchen,” Chisato called over her shoulder. “I think there’s plenty of rice there at least…” Then the girl was gone, and she shut the door behind her and walked over to join Airi, who seemed unable to speak at the moment, on the bed.

“Well,” Chisato said finally as the silence stretched on between them. “I guess things are going well for you?”

As if her voice had unlocked a floodgate, words began pouring out of her friend’s mouth.

“Oh my god!!!” Airi nearly screeched. “I’m so embarrassed! I don’t even know what happened! I saw Reina earlier, and could barely get two words in between her lecturing me on being responsible, and afterward I ran into Maimi, and we came back here to talk about what Reina had said to me, since we’ve been trying to get her involved in all these discussions lately you know, and we were just talking and then… and then all of a sudden we just kissed! I don’t even know who started it, or why I was going along with it, but it felt so nice and so I didn’t want it to end and so it just kept going and going until I noticed you had come and…”

“Whoa there…” Chisato said, taking Airi’s hand. “Slow down there, girl.” She tried to prevent herself from cracking a laugh at the breathless girl beside her. “So you guys haven’t been together, or done that kind of thing before, or even really talked about the two of you?”

“No!” Airi said with wide eyes and a shaking head. “Ever since the day she woke up, whenever we meet it’s been so awkward, so we’ve tried to just act businesslike whenever we’re around each other – that’s why we were just talking now after I saw Reina – but then this happened and I… I don’t think we’re going to be able to go back to just being businesslike too easily…”

“No, probably not…” Chisato said, unsure of what else to say in this situation. And she thought her problems were difficult. At least whatever happened with her probably wouldn’t affect anything outside of her own life. Airi on the other hand… and even Maimi too… with everything that was going on… A spark of envy flared up in her again, and she remembered the day she auditioned to be a Skull. At that point she knew Airi was smart and likely to get a great job after school, but she thought that if she joined the Skulls she might be able to do something truly special, as she knew had happened to most Skulls of the past. It turned out that she passed the audition, but afterward the world seemed to turn upside down, and suddenly… suddenly it was Airi that was the one that was obviously special, even though she couldn’t have imagined it would come to the point it had…

“Hey,” Chisato said, trying to stamp down her envy with thoughts of the reality of the position Airi had found herself in. “You said Reina talked to you… What did she say?”

Even through the change of topic, Airi’s eyes stayed wide. “I couldn’t believe her!” she said. “She came up to me and started demanding I make decisions… and take responsibility for myself… She basically told me I should accept the Emperor’s offer to move into the palace. I mean, can you imagine that? The palace! I can hardly handle things here in my own house…”

“I’m sure there would be many advantages to it…” Chisato said slowly. “First of all, I’m sure you wouldn’t have to do everything yourself. Your parents come and help us here, right? Well, there they’d have probably 10 staff members for each one of us to cater to our every need.”

“I know, but… I don’t want all of that…” Airi said, her eyes now beginning to moisten. “I just want to be a normal girl… take classes… learn about things…”

Chisato took Airi’s hand now in both of hers and squeezed it softly, steeling herself for what she was going to say next. “But you’re not, Osuzu… You’re not a normal girl… I don’t know what it is you are, but you’re special… you’re destined for great things. You know why I believe in you so much? It’s because you’re a good person. People who have power can do whatever they want with it, and it’s the simple fact that you don’t want it that makes you the best able to use it. I think moving to the palace will be the first step. From there on… who knows… but I know you’ll make the right decisions. But in any case, the point is, you need to make them.”

Tears definitely were in Airi’s eyes this time as she laid her other hand on top of her friend’s. Despite that, she coughed a soft laugh. “You know, you basically said the same thing Reina did, just… in a completely different way…” Chisato became slightly uncomfortable at yet another mention of Reina, but stayed quiet as her friend went on. “You’re right. I’ve been stupid. I suppose I should do something, shouldn’t I? I mean, I’ve already affected so many lives….” Her eyes took on a sad look. “Ended so many lives… no matter how I’ve tried to avoid it. Maybe it’s time for a different outlook, ne?”

“It might be,” Chisato said, doing her best to look as earnest as possible to her friend who really seemed to need her right now. She wondered if she should feel bad that she liked that she was needed by this girl…

Finally Airi patted her hand and withdrew her own, standing up to sniff and rub her eyes. “I’ll gather the others. We need to have a talk. No matter what decision I might make, I want everybody to be happy with it, and I’m still not sure everyone will be.” She turned back to Chisato with a smile. “Thank you again. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” And with that, she left.

Chisato stayed on Airi’s bed for a few minutes just smiling softly and sadly to herself. Well, if she wasn’t special herself, perhaps she could support a friend who was. Still, she wondered how important her role could really be…

Eventually she rose and left the room herself to find JunJun and LinLin talking to each other softly in Chinese in the corridor, looking in the opposite direction. “Hey,” she said to them, and they cut their conversation off abruptly to turn to her.

“Hello,” LinLin said brightly.

However, JunJun gave a glance down the hall where they had been looking before saying anything herself. “We are sorry. We didn’t know anyone was in there. Were you sleeping? I hope we were not too loud.”

“No, no,” Chisato said with a smile. “It’s fine. I wasn’t sleeping at all, and you wouldn’t have bothered me anyway.”

The two older girls exchanged glances before looking back at Chisato. “You were just talking with Suzuki-san?” LinLin asked. Chisato nodded.

“She came out of here in…” JunJun began, before pausing as if searching for the right word, “…looking a little funny. Is everything all right?”

“Yeah,” Chisato said cheerfully. “Everything’s fine! It sounds like we may be moving out of this house soon too. It’s gotten to be quite cramped in here, don’t you think?”

The two girls nodded as if in effusive agreement, and exchanged glances again. “Really?” LinLin asked. “Moving? That’s good to hear. I wonder where we will go?”

Chisato hesitated a moment before shrugging her shoulders. “I don’t know. But I think Airi’s at least made up her mind to do something, and I think everyone will follow whatever she decides…”

The girls nodded again. “True, true…” JunJun said. “She is the leader, no?” They exchanged glances again. “I’m sorry, we must be going. Thank you for the good news.” Then with a bow, the two girls walked on down the hall.

Chisato cocked her head slightly watching them leave. She didn’t know why, but she was glad to have them around. They always seemed to be a positive influence, and even showed great qualities as leaders when they went to battle. They definitely seemed more skilled than me… she thought to herself as she started sauntering down the hall as well. No matter what Reina says…

Feeling better about the day now, she picked up her pace a little and decided she might even try to join Maimi in the kitchen. Before reaching the stairs though, a giggle from the direction of one of the bedrooms caught her ear; it sounded like Reina. Perhaps she would change her plan again – if she could catch Reina in a bedroom the girl would have a hard time escaping her then, and this time she decided that whatever it took, she would give her confession, and take the results as whatever they might be.

As she walked slowly to the door, hoping to take the girl by surprise, she didn’t hear any more voices and wondered if she might be mistaken. It was slightly open already, and when she arrived she pushed it in just enough to get a view of the room, but what she saw caused bile to suddenly rise hard into her throat as she lost almost all sense of herself.

Reina was there, sitting on the bed, but Chisato could hardly see more than her back as her body was draped across Manoeri while they made out at least as intensely as Airi and Maimi just did. Furthermore, Reina was straddling one of the other girl’s legs, which were decently spread apart, and her arm was hidden underneath the pleated skirt up to the elbow.

For some reason Chisato could do nothing but stare at the two oblivious girls, until some feeling finally returned to her legs and she backed away slowly, not even able to pull the door back to where it had been. Bile still in her throat, she walked as if in a daze down the hall. She knew Reina was like this, so why did it surprise her so much? Why did she feel like she’d just lost everything? She had been just about to confess… confess that she liked this girl who she wondered if could really love anyone… Well, sure she could. She could love casually. Chisato wondered. Might it be better if she could do the same? She was a Skull after all… that seemed to be what Skulls do.

She didn’t know. She didn’t think so. Maybe she should try it – everyone else seemed to like it enough. But with who? Who would have her? Reina… That’s the only name that sounded through her mind.

She just realized that she’d begun to cry. She stumbled her way further down the hall, passing a bewildered Michishige and Kamei without a word along the way until she found her way back to where she started – Airi’s room. Airi… her friend… her best friend… the girl who was so great, yet still needed her. If someone like that needed her, why couldn’t Reina? “Come on, Chisato,” she scolded herself as she shut the door behind her and collapsed onto the bed. “Stop thinking that way, or you’ll never stop crying… Besides, with all you’re going through, is this really so important?”

It was a long while before she stopped crying.

[maiZe]

I read it before you posted a new chapter!!

You know, I seriously have no idea how I missed this sequel... I know I was waiting for it... But I only discovered it maybe a week ago, and work and life have been so busy I haven't been able to comment on it yet. You know, I think I missed it 'cause I was waitig for something like a neon sign saying "CIRCLE OF THREE SEQUEL HERE!!!" - except that obviously didn't come. I'm actually at work right now taking a quick break to see what's been updated (because I now have this thread sending me e-mail updates, just like I have for Berry Beautiful and Circle of Three when it was still in the works). I'll comment on the actual story after I read the upcoming chapter, but I'm liking it so far.

I need more Miya x Rii time! I really should comment on Berry Beautiful soon too. >_<

Thanks for the awesome stories, rokun!

*EDIT* You beat me to posting my comment... But I totally read yours before you posted the chapter. I'll be reading the chapter when I get home from work!

[glcorps2002]

I thought Takahashi killed Koharu in Mari's house; with Koharu's own sword?

[JFC]

Chapter 1 – A Normal Day for a Normal Girl

Waking to the morning light, Chisato felt once again like she’d hardly slept at all. With how crowded Airi’s house was with all of them there, and more girls somehow seeming to come every day, beds were naturally quite scarce, and Chisato apparently wasn’t important enough to even take shifts with one. It was a large house with as many as four bedrooms, one containing a large bed that until they mobbed the place used to be Airi’s parents’, one other containing a nearly as large bed for guests, with smaller beds in the other two rooms, one of which belonging to Airi.

Somewhat surprised that they're all still here at the house to begin with.  One would think at least some of them might have tried to return to their respective hometowns.

Eventually everyone awoke, and they gathered for breakfast in the living room around a special table set in the middle, since the dining room was too small to support even just several of them. Still, Airi, Maimi, Miyabi, Reina and Ai were conspicuously absent, as they usually seemed to be from these meals, probably off discussing the futures of all of them or whatnot.

Yes.....or "whatnot".

MaiMai stared at her solitary bowl of rice almost as if it was about to spring legs and jump up at her. “Ugh…” she complained in a helpless voice. “Rice is great and all, but I really wish we had something else to eat in the mornings. Even just a bit of fish would be nice, or especially a nice omelette…” Her eyes started to adopt a dreamy gaze as if the rice was now transforming in front of her into her desired delicacy.

“I’m surprised we even have this,” Kanon said in slight amazement. “With this many of us here now, I have no idea how they manage to keep enough food around for everyone. I mean, they’re just girls after all.” At the odd stares she received after saying that, she blushed slightly and sank down into her chair. “I mean,” she defended in a much quieter voice, “It’s not like they have jobs where they get paid or something…”

Yeah, and even if they did have fundage, it's not like there's a supermarket just down the block, nor would they have means to transport all the groceries that they'd need to get.

There's no telling how long they'll have to be here, so they need to keep up the rationing as much as possible.

her attention was still focused on Michishige, who somehow even bunched together with all the other girls in this place and first thing in the morning managed to look beautiful. Not that she thought much of it, of course.

But of course. 

Suddenly, she felt even less enthusiastic upon remembering the gossip within the last few days that it might have been Michishige who went with Reina to bed that night Miyabi had commandeered one of the couches.

Wait...wait...wait.........what?

“Is it really that bad that we’ve come?” Kanon said, having apparently regained some of her nerve. She now seemed to be getting a bit upset. “Do you still hate us?”

“Of course they don’t,” Chinami said, as if that would settle the matter. “Stop thinking such rubbish.”

“I don’t know…” Michishige said, and Kamei glanced up as if the comment from her friend was unexpected. “I mean, you did try to fight us.”

“It was you who were fighting against us!” Yurina protested, and Chinami laid a hand on her arm in an attempt to calm her.

“And look at the result!” Maasa said, speaking up for the first time. Chisato noticed her empty bowl and decided she must have been too focused on her rice to pay attention before. “It’s over, and we’re the ones trying to be friendly here.”

Now now now girls, that's just the hunger talking. Gotta keep a level head here. There's no point in dwelling on what's past, because right now EVERYONE is pretty much in the same boat (regardless of past affiliations).

“Just for the record, I’m not saying any such thing,” Maasa said, rubbing her stomach contentedly.

“Well I am, because you are!” Anri stated vehemently, and Chisato ducked at a flash of movement from Yurina, noticing only that a full bowl of rice went flying before a loud clang! made everyone freeze and go suddenly silent.

Eventually Chisato’s eyes followed everyone else’s just past where Manoeri was frozen with a spoonful of rice halfway to her mouth, the bowl she was eating from having toppled to the side, likely due to the heavy-looking large metal… club…? that had just been slammed onto the table next to it. Chisato even thought she saw a crack in the table beneath it.

Momoko withdrew her hand slowly from the handle, the scar trailing down from her eye patch standing out starkly beneath the shadow of her bangs.

Holy crap...Momo still has the club?

Everyone seemed to be awaiting something after the sudden action, but the girl just calmly picked up her chopsticks and resumed eating her rice quietly as if she’d done absolutely nothing out of the ordinary.

I'd say that Momo's message got through loud and clear.

*CHINAMI'S SPEECH*

Whoa, Manoeri blushed at the mention of Reina?

“What knocks who down a few pegs?” Miyabi said, strolling into the room. “And what was that banging earlier?” she asked, Chisato noticing her eye stray to the heavy club on the table. “I thought we were being attacked.”

“But who would attack us?” Kanon said, smiling bashfully around at everyone. “Everyone likes us, don’t they?” Miyabi stared at her as if she just spoke a completely different language, but the rest of the girls around the table couldn’t keep smiles of their own from appearing. Chisato thought that Chinami was right – times might be tough, but they’ll get through them.

Miyabi =
Everyone else =

“You guys were um… talking about Osuzu, weren’t you?” Chisato responded in a hesitant voice. “Something about her being stubborn?” The truth was, she didn’t much care what these two girls thought Airi was being stubborn about at the moment, though she did know her friend could give anyone a run for her money in stubbornness.

Something going on with Airi?

“Yeah,” Reina replied, finally seeming to relax a little. “You know the Emperor invited us to stay at the palace, right? We could have anything we wanted there… we’d be safe… if we looked out the window we wouldn’t see people staring at us all the time… not that they wouldn’t be there, they’d just be too far for us to see. You see?”

Hmmm....interesting that he'd offer that. Was it just for the girls with the powers, or was he willing to let ALL of them stay there?

“Yeah, things were a little rough at breakfast this morning…” Chisato said, happy to at least be having a normal conversation with the girl.

“I heard,” Reina said with a frown and a faraway gaze. “Something about rice, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah,” Chisato responded. “I mean, don’t you wish you had something else to eat too?”

“Nah, not really,” Reina responded, rubbing her stomach. “We don’t eat breakfast anyway.”

Ah, they're probably foregoing their own breakfasts so that the other girls can eat.

Ai-chan says she has some crazy idea, but won’t tell us what it is, and so she’s sequestered herself and Gaki in their bedroom for the day doing who knows what. The grin that appeared on Reina’s face afterward gave Chisato a pretty good idea of what she thought they were doing.

Reina =
Chisato =

When Reina just nodded and adopted that faraway look again, she went on. “If you… I mean… you say you’re busy and all… if you ever feel like you need some help, I’m sure someone would jump in there for you. Everyone respects you so much, after all,” she finished in a rush.

Awwww.

“You’re right! I should have more help! Airi’s the main one getting us all into this in the first place – her house, her battle she won, most of the people wanna talk to her – so I should make her actually own up to it and make more important decisions! Thanks, Chisa!” she finished, rising. Chisato had been nodding all the way through Reina’s spoken train of thought, but when the girl got up as if to leave she started to become frantic. No! Not Airi! That’s not the conclusion you were supposed to draw!

Not quite what she had been looking/hoping for.
Chisato =

Still, before she could help it Reina stood, and with a pat of thanks on Chisato’s head, strode briskly out of the room, leaving the younger girl still sitting with her mouth hanging open. “I would help you…” she said softly and meekly to no one, and laid her head on the table in resignation.

Risako nodded. “You know what she’s like though… a person like that… It’s tough to love… or be loved.”

Chisato nodded too in agreement.

Yeah, she's always had the "tough" persona, it's probably hard for her to let anyone get close (especially with the recent conflict that they've all gone through).

“How about you? Anything happen with Miya since that kiss of yours?” She almost grinned at the remembrance.

This time Risako blushed slightly. “Actually, no…” she responded. “Though we have talked a bit. I’ve asked her some things. She’s definitely a different person than I ever thought I’d find myself with. Do you know… do you know that she and Reina have slept together?”

Oooooooh, that's gotta hurt.

“Those kinds of things are why I have doubts about getting involved with Miyabi-san. I mean, if she is really prone to casual sex like that…”

Chisato found herself staring off into space and not listening too closely to the other girl’s words. Casual sex… That’s really all that happened with her and Reina, wasn’t it?

I stand corrected.....THAT had to hurt.

The two of them talked like that for a good while until Miyabi came and kicked them out of the room, or well, Chisato at least. The last she saw as she left was Miyabi pulling the other girl closer than was needed for “just talking”. She sighed as she walked down the hall. “Nothing has been happening, my butt…” she murmured to herself.

Socko's busted.

“Whoa there…” Chisato said, taking Airi’s hand. “Slow down there, girl.” She tried to prevent herself from cracking a laugh at the breathless girl beside her. “So you guys haven’t been together, or done that kind of thing before, or even really talked about the two of you?”

“No!” Airi said with wide eyes and a shaking head. “Ever since the day she woke up, whenever we meet it’s been so awkward, so we’ve tried to just act businesslike whenever we’re around each other – that’s why we were just talking now after I saw Reina – but then this happened and I… I don’t think we’re going to be able to go back to just being businesslike too easily…”

Curious. One would have thought that they'd be all lovey-dovey after the day Maimi woke back up.

“You said Reina talked to you… What did she say?”

Even through the change of topic, Airi’s eyes stayed wide. “I couldn’t believe her!” she said. “She came up to me and started demanding I make decisions… and take responsibility for myself… She basically told me I should accept the Emperor’s offer to move into the palace. I mean, can you imagine that? The palace! I can hardly handle things here in my own house…”

“I’m sure there would be many advantages to it…” Chisato said slowly. “First of all, I’m sure you wouldn’t have to do everything yourself. Your parents come and help us here, right? Well, there they’d have probably 10 staff members for each one of us to cater to our every need.”

“I know, but… I don’t want all of that…” Airi said, her eyes now beginning to moisten. “I just want to be a normal girl… take classes… learn about things…”

Aaaaaaaaaaah...so THAT'S why she turned down the offer to go to the palace.  Her world has alredy been turned upside-down enough just by having these powers. She's just looking for some semblance of normalcy.

She turned back to Chisato with a smile. “Thank you again. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” And with that, she left.

Chisato stayed on Airi’s bed for a few minutes just smiling softly and sadly to herself. Well, if she wasn’t special herself, perhaps she could support a friend who was. Still, she wondered how important her role could really be…

Oh, I'd say that Chisato's role is far, far, FAR more important than she or Airi or anyone else would currently realize.

Feeling better about the day now, she picked up her pace a little and decided she might even try to join Maimi in the kitchen. Before reaching the stairs though, a giggle from the direction of one of the bedrooms caught her ear; it sounded like Reina. Perhaps she would change her plan again – if she could catch Reina in a bedroom the girl would have a hard time escaping her then, and this time she decided that whatever it took, she would give her confession, and take the results as whatever they might be.

Uh-oh. Her plan's going to go right down the crapper if she happens to find that Reina's NOT alone. 

Reina was there, sitting on the bed, but Chisato could hardly see more than her back as her body was draped across Manoeri while they made out at least as intensely as Airi and Maimi just did. Furthermore, Reina was straddling one of the other girl’s legs, which were decently spread apart, and her arm was hidden underneath the pleated skirt up to the elbow.

Crap, I called it. 

[rokun]

I thought Takahashi killed Koharu in Mari's house; with Koharu's own sword?

Thank you. ^^ And here I thought I was doing well with juggling the characters... Well, at least it wasn't a huge issue. This is what happens when I get completely distracted and don't write for awhile. Hazukashii na...

Oh, I also wanted to note in regard to JFC's comments that the "speech" that was given after the little fight broke out at the breakfast table was done by Chinami, and not Chisato. I know it's easy to get them confused , but there's a reason it was Chinami who gave it, which will become clearer later, so I thought it deserved a mention.