[center][img]https://i.postimg.cc/2S3gNgPd/Shuuko-Banner.png[/img][/center] [color=teal]”I just don’t want to be hurt again.”[/color] Ember could do little in the face of such a strong resolve. Despite the words being forced through clenched teeth, she felt the hurt she had unknowingly inflicted on Sylvia. Or rather, she [i]understood[/i] the protector in a way she would not have an hour or so ago, before she decided to throw away the pretense that blinded her. She saw it clearly now: She, along with Hotaru, had pushed the protector too far. They should not have relied on her this much in the first place. [color=red]”I am afraid that is not something I can affect, Sylvi,”[/color] responded Ember. Her voice projected a calm she did not feel, tension winding up inside her as though it were a steel spring. It reached towards her heart, squeezing it as though there were no tomorrow, causing it to stifle her lungs. She swore her palms were sweating gallons upon gallons, but right now, she needed to be a rock. She needed to be the one who protected the protector. [color=red]”However, I can share your pain, Sylvi. Please let me do it. It is the least I can do for you after I have failed you so thoroughly.”[/color] Sylvia flinched. Her arms wrapped around her shoulders, her eyes darting to the side. Goosebumps showed on her skin as something - Ember reminded herself she did not know for certain what it was - stirred inside the protector. The schemer barely managed to catch the moment the green-eyed girl’s pupils dilated. Normally, their bodies had red eyes. Every single one of them. Though many would have dismissed the change as something superfluous, Ember knew better and she wondered: What colour would her eyes be if she were to look at a mirror right now? How would she see herself? But those questions could wait. Sylvia needed her. [color=teal]”Please don’t.”[/color] The protector spoke barely above a whisper, yet her words still left a deep impact. [color=teal]”I know you hurt me… but I don’t want you to be hurt.”[/color] [color=red]”While I may be hurt in the process of sharing the pain, it is the best thing I can do for your sake right now, Sylvi.”[/color] Ember suppressed the uncertanty in her voice, for she channelled that most terrifying of emotions: honesty. She still chose her words carefully, wanting to avoid stirring up the past or opening up fresh wounds. Her role demanded as such. [color=red]”I am aware that your duty is not something to be taken lightly. I do not know how difficult it will be for me to share your pain. But it is what I would like to do for your sake, Sylvi.”[/color] Sylvia refused to look up at Ember. A pause, a gap settled between them while she thought, perhaps about her abusers. The arguments between Grandfather and Grandmother. The punishments which were nothing save for an exercise in sadism. All inflicted upon Sylvia. All something that Ember should have been looking out for, should have encouraged to be healed - yet she stood by while the protector suffered. And so she had lost the right to reach out. The schemer’s body started to feel hollow. It felt as though every moment she looked at Sylvia, her eyes were immersed in fire. It burned so bad she wanted to look away, yet she did not [i]permit[/i] herself to look away. [color=teal]”I… Ember… Were you really my friend?”[/color] Sylvia let her arms down, almost as though she wanted to collapse right on the spot. Her legs seemed unsteady. Her head drooped along with her shoulders. [color=red]”That is a matter for you to decide, Sylvi. No… Hiramatsu-san.”[/color] The protector all but whipped her head back towards ember. Green eyes locked with the schemer’s, a mixture of terror and surprise reflected in them. [color=red]”Please do not let me give you an answer.”[/color] [color=teal]”I don’t know. You helped me, but you also…”[/color] [color=red]”I can only repeat how sorry I am for letting you get hurt. I should have shouldered at least a portion of your suffering the moment we arrived in Hibusa Town and so I can completely understand if you were to disbelieve me.”[/color] Ember suppressed a wince as she spoke. It felt as though the hollow inside her body grew bigger. [color=red]”I’m so sorry, Hiramatsu-san. I swear that I will never let this repeat. I want to share in your burden so you may find [b]your[/b] answers to [b]your[/b] questions.”[/color] The protector refused to listen to her honesty, dismissing the schemer’s earnest wish with a powerful shake of her head. [color=teal]”I can’t hurt you, Ember! Even if you aren’t my friend, you… I don’t know. I’m just a bad girl who-”[/color] [color=red]”Please do not use that word to describe yourself, Hiramatsu-san. I beg of you.”[/color] The emptiness [i]twisted[/i]. [color=red]”I know it will be difficult for you to believe me, however, every girl has something within them that could turn them into a bad girl in the eyes of others. So please listen to me, Hiramatsu-san. I wish to tell you with all my heart that you are not a bad girl”.[/color] Ember had to take a deep breath to suppress the shivers building along her spine. For once, she too, struggled with her words. [color=teal]”That isn’t true! If I’m not, then why did you two fight? It was because I wasn’t getting hurt anymore, isn’t it?!”[/color] Just how badly had they screwed up if Sylvia thought like that? Ember’s blood started to run colder as she voiced that thought. [color=red]”You had nothing to do with it as far as I am concerned.”[/color] [color=teal]”You’re lying!”[/color] Sylvia put her right foot forward, then started to march towards Ember. Her steps struck harder than they had any right to, bringing her intentions of menace closer and closer to Ember. Then, her eyes glowing green with magic and she raised her hand to strike. She mirrored the very same pose the old bitch used whenever she hit Sylvia. The schemer knew it very well, which was why she could avoid it at the last moment. Then she grabbed the protector’s hand, gently, to prevent her from doing something she would no doubt regret. [color=red]”Please believe me when I say that I am telling you the truth.”[/color] Ember injected steel into her voice that she did not feel, still trying to be what Sylvia needed her to be. [color=teal]”No you’re not!”[/color] Despair coloured Sylvia’s fury. Her hand lost its strength within Ember’s grip and she did not rip herself away, her wide eyes desperately parsing her… sister…? Friend… Comrade…? “Their” face. [color=teal]”You’re speaking just like Grandfather and Grandmother.”[/color] [color=red]”I… I am so sorry, Hiramatsu-san. I do not know how else I could convey my intentions.”[/color] [color=teal]”Y-you’re doing it again, Ember.”[/color] Fear. No, terror. So much that Ember let go of Sylvia’s hand and the emptiness inside the schemer roared with needle-laced laughter. [color=teal]”Please don’t lie to me, Ember. Please tell me what I did wrong and why you’re like this. I don’t know if you’re my friend, but I think you could be. Please?”[/color] The laughter seized Ember’s limbs. It placed an all too heavy mantle upon her shoulders, chattering and snickering exactly like Sylvia’s abusers. The schemer refused to let it show, for she had to be strong. [color=red]”I can not tell you what you have done wrong, Hiramatsu-san, because as far as I am concerned, you are not at fault. I am the one in the wrong. If you find it difficult to accept my offer, please think of a way for me to prove my sincerity.”[/color] Tears started to bud in Sylvia’s eyes. Ember had no idea why. [color=teal]”You’re lying. You’re lying, you’re lying, you’re lying! Please stop it!”[/color] Every time the protector repeated her plea, the dreadful laughter inside Ember grew stronger and more warped. It echoed, reverberating and turning into ice-cold static. Her skin grew goosebumps. Pins danced along her insides, threatening to spill them out, but even so, she held out, asking her next question with the utmost care. [color=red]”Can I please hear why you think that way?”[/color] [hr] Hibusa Town’s streets turned into cracked ruins as a frantic magical girl blitzed through them. Hurricane-force winds forced people off sidewalks, giving rise to many-a-rumor. Windows rattled and some buildings had their corners gouged out as Hotaru sank her gauntlet into them, using them as pivots. Her victims included the occasional streetlight as well, which bent beneath her reckless use of force. Focused as she was on finding her missing comrades - they might have been traitors, but they were still [i]important![/i] - she almost made her hospital rampage pale in comparison. Where were they?! She expected this sort of behaviour from Ember, especially given she wanted to protect the light bitches. But Sylvia? She would never dare to hurt a fly, never mind go against what was good for Hotaru. Or were they perhaps in cahoots? The warrior slowed her pace. The whirlwind turned into an unpleasant gust that still menaced people in its way, but was somewhat gentle at least. Choosing a more methodical approach to her search as her head cooled, Hotaru started to comb the streets over one by one while extending her magical senses. Well, extending them as much as she was capable of. Her efforts were rewarded. Soon, she picked up on the faint scent of magic in the air, along with the suspicious lack of people in one of the alleyways. Stopping at the entrance, she saw two figures with all-too-familiar bearings: one ever-so-pretentious while the other carried the courage of a mouse trying to stand up to a ravenous cat. [color=#D8CD9F]”What the hell are you two doing?!”[/color] Her shout echoed in the empty street, causing both of them to flinch. Served them right. [color=#D8CD9F]”I almost got my ass handed to me because of you two!”[/color] Hotaru did not even attempt to hide her vicious grin as she advanced on them. She did not care what the other two were discussing and she did not notice how Sylvia shrunk back the moment she appeared, but she definitely noticed Ember stepping in front of the protector. Hotaru’s eyebrows hiked up in response. [color=red]”’Ru.”[/color] Ember’s blue eyes narrowed. They contained something Hotaru had not seen before, but she could not quite place it. [color=red]”I understand that you are upset, however, would you be so ki-”[/color] [color=#D8CD9F]”No. I’m pissed off beyond words and I need an explanation for what happened back there. I could’ve been skewered like Sylvia!”[/color] She snapped her hand towards the protector as though it were a whip, causing Sylvia to shrivel up even further. Hotaru’s heart twinged at the sight, but she pressed on nevertheless. It was not like either of them would ever understand her, even if she shouted at them at the top of her lungs! [color=#D8CD9F]”You two disappeared like two filthy traitors. If all of us had been there, we could’ve taken all of them! We could’ve delivered the light bitches’ heads to Rei on a silver plate. What was so important that you had to betray me?!”[/color] [color=red]”Silence, ‘Ru. I am trying to- ah.”[/color] It was fortunate that Ember cut herself off before she made an even bigger asshole of herself. She likely was thinking of an excuse to throw at the warrior, though, which was just fine with Hotaru. If Ember did not care about her safety, then she could go screw herself! And why did Sylvia meet Hotaru’s eyes head on? That never happened. [color=teal]”I… I don’t want to be hurt anymore.”[/color] Hotaru had to restrain her laughter at that. [color=#D8CD9F]”Yeah, no way that’s happening.”[/color] Did Sylvia perhaps live in a delusion? Well, she would be happy to dispel it for the protector. [color=#D8CD9F]”We’re dark magical girls, Sylvia. We’re fighting against Miseria. You [b]will[/b] get hurt, whether you like it or not. If you don’t want to be hurt, then don’t fight with us ever again.”[/color] [color=red]”Please hear Hiramatsu-san out, ‘Ru… No, Hotaru.”[/color] What? What was Ember talking about? Hotaru’s brows frowned while Sylvia retreated into her shell again and the schemer… She still wore an expression the warrior could not make heads or tails of. [color=red]”While we can definitely not make her wish come true, she deserves not to be burdened so much with every one of our encounters. And I am also so sorry to you, Hotaru. I have failed you as well.”[/color] [color=#D8CD9F]”Huh?!”[/color] Now Hotaru lost the plot completely. She turned towards Ember with the entirety of her body, glaring daggers at her supposed comrade-in-arms. [color=#D8CD9F]”She,”[/color] she pointed towards Sylvia, [color=#D8CD9F]”Also deserves not to be called by the name of those old assholes! She endured [b]everything[/b] just so she could get us out, so why the [b]fuck[/b] are you trying to remind her?”[/color] Heated as she was, the warrior did not notice how Sylvia started to collapse. Her gaze dropped to the floor and it looked as though all of her life had started to escape her. [color=teal]”Please don’t talk like that.”[/color] The protector’s whisper stopped the warrior cold in her tracks, causing the tension between Ember and Hotaru to waver. [color=teal]”You sound like Grandfather.”[/color] For a moment, it seemed as though her words reached Hotaru, but then she crossed her arms and adopted a scowl. [color=#D8CD9F]”Oh, now I get why you’re taking her side. You two teamed up against me just because you can’t admit I’m right about light girls.”[/color] [color=red]”Please hear me ou-”[/color] [color=#D8CD9F]”Well I won’t!”[/color] Hotaru’s scowl became more prominent. [color=#D8CD9F]”Why should I listen when you’re trying to get rid of me? You too, Sylvia! You’re using your goody-two-shoes act just to make sure I get smoked!”[/color] [color=red]”We were trying to do no su-”[/color] [color=#D8CD9F]”That’s exactly what some-”[/color] [color=red]”Will you even attempt to unclog your ears already?”[/color] Ice cold precision cut through the warrior’s objections with laser-focused intensity. [color=red]”And do open your eyes. Even if I have mistreated you and not heard you out as well as I should have, we have to work together. And there is no possible reality in which we can do that unless you hear… Sylvia out as well. You have every right to be furious with me. But Hiramatsu-san does not deserve any of it.”[/color] [color=#D8CD9F]”But she deserves your contempt, doesn’t she?”[/color] Pure, vicious venom coated Hotaru’s words. Combined with the mockery she injected into them, she sounded as though she spoke a language of pure, undiluted hatred. [color=teal]”Please stop…”[/color] As always, Sylvia’s pleas went unheard. “Their” argument never left any room for her. “They” always excluded her. She never mattered to “Them”, so she did not even know why she tried. Only that “They” were impossibly important to her. Just like the gods of the Hiramatsu shrine. [color=red]”If you think she deserves my contempt, then look at what your supposedly compassionate words caused.”[/color] Ember’s words were like a gunshot fired in the middle of an empty field. Hotaru almost snarled back at her challenge to do war, but thought better of it at the last second just to prove her wrong- Sylvia had curled up into a whimpering ball. She had not even noticed. The warrior’s breath hitched. [color=#D8CD9F]”... Shit.”[/color] [color=red]”Need I remind you what you said only a few moments ago?”[/color] Hotaru clenched her fists along with her teeth. Her eyes closed as she tried to rein in her anger, because for once, Ember was right. [color=red]”Oh, that is exactly correct. She endured [b]everything[/b] just so she could get us out of that household, if it could be even called that. So why are you reminding her of what happened?”[/color] [color=#D8CD9F]”Fine. But I better hear an explanation, or you’re toast.”[/color] Fortunately for the schemer, there was no refuting that argument. Hotaru really had caused Sylvia pain despite the best of her intentions. [color=#D8CD9F]”I’m not angry at you, Sylvia. So hurry up and get up already.”[/color] [color=teal]”You’re lying.”[/color] Sylvia’s whisper froze the air. The warrior felt as though blocks of ice had just lodged themselves into her lungs, grinding and cracking against each other. [color=teal]”You hate me, Hotaru. You hate everything. Why do you hate me? Are you really my friend? Friends don't hate each other, so they?”[/color] The protector sounded hollow. Broken. She was quiet as a mouse and yet her words struck as though they were earth-shattering strikes. Ember shot a look towards Hotaru, promising retribution if the warrior were to attempt anything. Then Ember lowered herself beside Sylvia, gently brushing away a thread of the girl’s hair to get her attention. [color=red]”Sylvia. I know you desperately wish for us not to be in pain. However, this is something Hotaru and I need to talk about without you, because I do not think it is good for you to hear us shouting at each other. There are…”[/color] The schemer sucked air through her teeth. She let her voice tremble and shake as though it were a newborn calf, trying to see if showing her true emotions would get through to Sylvia. “[color=red]...many things you shouldn't have had to do for our sake. So please leave. Go home and cook something delicious for yourself. For [b]your[/b] sake.”[/color] Green eyes looked up at the schemer. They filled with countless questions and belonged to someone who truly lost their way and in response, the hollow laughter inside Ember turned into an evil, satisfied grin. Still, the schemer did not let it win; and yet as much as she hated to admit it, she could not answer all of the protector’s wishes right here. [color=red]”Please, Sylvia. I promise I will answer all your questions later and listen to you properly.”[/color] Sylvia nodded in response to Ember, an automatic response. She then collected herself off the ground, moving almost as though she were a robot. Then slowly, she moved away. Every second step, she glanced back. Every third step, it seemed like she had something to say. But eventually, Sylvia chose to disappear in the town’s streets. [color=#D8CD9F]”Okay, spill. What happened? Why does Sylvia hate me?”[/color] The moment Sylvia disappeared, Hotaru stopped holding back. She let her scowl take over her face again, her heated words turning into a spear of flames aimed straight at Ember. [color=red]”Shouldn't you be asking the very same question of yourself, Hotaru? Why do you hate Sylvia?”[/color] A wall of ice stood in front of the warrior’s thrust, seemingly impregnable. [color=#D8CD9F]”I don't.”[/color] The spear twisted, trying to drill into the obstacle. The wall did not budge. [color=red]”I believe Sylvia clearly told you that she feels as though you hate her, and looking at your actions, I am inclined to believe her words over yours. So, do allow me to repeat myself: Why do you hate Sylvia?”[/color] [color=#D8CD9F]”I’ve just told you I don't!”[/color] The attack could not penetrate. It was slowing down, getting stuck in the ice despite Hotaru’s best efforts. Ember seemed like an immovable object, her calm extinguishing every bit of venom the warrior spat at her. [color=red]”Then I invite you to stop acting as though every bone in your body were made of hate.”[/color] Ember’s counterattack started as frost started to creep up along the spear, slowly creeping towards the warrior’s hands. [color=red]”I know I have failed Sylvia. As you would put it, Hotaru, you could even say I fucked her over. However, I have realised this and I wish to make amends. Do you intend to do the same? Do you even really care about Sylvia? You do not, do you?”[/color] [color=#D8CD9F]”You don’t get to tell me what I think! Get off your fucking high horse already, Ember! You aren’t better than I am! What, are you some sort of light bitch now? You keep talking like one!”[/color] Hotaru attempted to put more momentum behind her spear. The frost kept it in place. [color=red]”I am only attempting to rely you Sylvia’s intentions and emotions the best I understand them, and in the best way to get them through your thick skull, Hotaru. And I am no light girl; I want to see if I have to get rid of you in order to protect Sylvia.”[/color] [color=#D8CD9F]”Even if I hated Sylvia, It’s her fault for-”[/color] [color=red]”No. What did you tell-”[/color] [color=#D8CD9F]”You don't get to interrupt me!”[/color] [color=red]”And in exchange, you have the privilege of cutting me off?”[/color] [color=#D8CD9F]”Only because I’m right.”[/color] [color=red]”Then I invite you to consider the following.”[/color] The frost snapped off the lance’s head. However, it would never reach the warrior behind the weapon. [color=red]”You are not always right and neither am I. So I will extend the same courtesy to you as you have to me: I will not be helping you jump between bodies. I will not be helping you out in combat. I will continue to do these until you realise your mistakes. That is final.”[/color] And with that, Ember spun around, leaving with hurried steps. [color=#D8CD9F]”You’ll regret all of this! The club will find out in seconds, and then we’ll be toast!”[/color] Hotaru shouted after the schemer. But all she got in response was a shake of the head before Ember, too, disappeared in the messy streets of Hibusa Town.