[center][h1][color=skyblue]❅❄ Fuyuko Yamazaki ❄❅[/color][/h1][/center][hr] [@Anza] [@TheFake] The fight was over, but it was sure to happen again, night after night. Empty bottles around the dining area were proof of this. Fuyuko tiptoed through the room so as not to disturb anyone, picking them up and disposing of them, as if clearing away the signs of her father's mental state could help him. It couldn't, she knew that deep down. Not even fending off the tainted beings that gathered around the house could help long-term. Only one thing could. She turned as the stairs creaked, a [url=http://tinypic.com/m/k16l2h/3]younger figure[/url] descending. Her sister's eyes, although just as undershadowed as hers from lack of sleep, held hope as she smiled. [color=mediumseagreen]"Morning!"[/color] Noriko chirped. [color=mediumseagreen]"Big day today, huh?"[/color] With the faintest hint of a smile in return, Fuyuko nodded as she dropped the last bottle in the bin. [color=skyblue]"I'll try,"[/color] she whispered, hands clasping in front of her. [color=skyblue]"I promise I'll try my best."[/color] Bounding over, Noriko beamed. [color=mediumseagreen]"Hey, given how much butt you kicked last night, I'm sure you'll do great!"[/color] She kept her voice low, yet her tone bubbled with enthusiasm. Inwardly, Fuyuko cringed. Her sister had meant to lift her spirits, yet she felt the weight of her expectations more than ever. [color=skyblue]"Thanks, though you're the one who fought off most of them."[/color] She recalled how well Noriko had staved off the attackers, kept their parents and the rest of the neighbourhood safe for now. ... [color=slategray]"Heads up!"[/color] Noriko's animal companion barked, staring down the dimly-lit streets, ears pricking up. [color=slategray]"Reinforcements on their way!"[/color] The wolf pounced, snapping his jaws as a mass of living shadows burst from an alleyway. In a flash, both girls were upon them, Fuyuko knocking them back with a gust of chill wind from her fan, [url=http://tinypic.com/m/k16l2p/3]Noriko[/url] letting out an eerie lupine howl that made all beings of darkness shrink away before they could recover. [color=mediumseagreen]"Good work, Kiyoshi!"[/color] the younger sister called as her summon tore at the monsters, purifying them one by one. [color=mediumseagreen]"Now's our chance!"[/color] Fuyuko nodded, hanging the fan on her belt, a crystalline spear materialising in her hands. As she whirled and jabbed, Noriko bunched her fists, grey energy swirls forming wolf head shapes around them. She swung the constructs at the creatures, biting down with them alongside Kiyoshi. Before long, the last of the beings faded into black wisps, then nothing. [color=mediumseagreen]"Yes!"[/color] Noriko punched the air with one of her muzzle-fists before letting the constructs disappear. [color=mediumseagreen]"I knew we'd make quick work of 'em! Kiyoshi, let's just check that there are no more nasty surprises."[/color] The wolf padded forward. [color=slategray]"Right on it,"[/color] he said, staring ahead, letting his summoner pluck out one of his hairs. Holding it in front of her face, Noriko gazed in a different direction. To anyone else, the younger girl's actions may have been confusing, but Fuyuko knew what her sister was doing. Noriko's archetype, her okuri-okami or 'sending wolf', allowed her to see the auras of nearby beings by lending her a hair - exactly as a wolf spirit in a folktale had let a man see the true natures of people. [color=skyblue]"All ok?"[/color] Fuyuko asked, trailing behind. [color=mediumseagreen]"Yep!"[/color] her sister answered. [color=mediumseagreen]"Let's call it a nigh-"[/color] Noriko's eyes widened as she turned, the hair still in her hand. Fuyuko winced. The waves of anxiety roiling through her must be plain to see. [color=mediumseagreen]"Uh, sis? I could ask you the same."[/color] A nervous laugh escaped the yuki-onna girl as she nodded. [color=skyblue]"No need to worry,"[/color] she replied, leaning down and petting Kiyoshi as he nuzzled her. [color=skyblue]"It's all going to be fine."[/color] If only she could believe her own words, about the Hex Night, and about her family's situation. ... Throughout school, as morning turned to afternoon and the tournament's start crept closer, Fuyuko mentally repeated what Noriko had said just before they'd both headed out. [i][color=mediumseagreen]"Heyyy, no doubting yourself! Instead, you're gonna get out there tonight and trounce 'em, ok?"[/color][/i] Unable to focus on the lessons, she let her gaze drift to the window every few minutes, earning more than one scolding for daydreaming. Even as she apologised and kept her head down, worries still taunted her from the back of her mind. Noriko would surely do better if she were the one participating. After several discussions over the past few weeks, though, they'd reached a conclusion - Fuyuko had more experience, and Noriko's abilities were more suited to protecting the family. The elder magical girl could only hope she wouldn't let her sister down. When the bell signaled the end of classes, Fuyuko shuffled outside, sitting on a bench and taking a deep breath of fresh air to calm her nerves. It didn't work. Sighing, she hunched over her phone, eyes scanning the screen several times before she tapped at the keys. It was rare that she did more than lurk in this chatroom, as much as she wanted to get to know others like her. [color=skyblue]*** User snowfairy has entered the chat *** [snowfairy]: Same here...[/color] Biting her lip, Fuyuko paused for a few seconds, then continued. [color=skyblue][snowfairy]: Good luck to everyone [snowfairy]: Uhh I know it's been said but... there it is again[/color] [i]Great start,[/i] she scolded herself, gripping the phone. Coming across as insecure towards the competitors before she'd even met them wasn't going to do her any favours.