#ch: oh yohan

[lonelypond]

Moonlight Becomes You: Apocalypse Midnight Dance Party, Ch. 24

NicoMaki, NozoEli, RinPana, KanaMari, YoshiMaru, YouDia, Love Live/Love Live Sunshine, 1.9K, 24/?

Summary: Rin arrives on the scene, Nico ignores the problem, Hanamaru prepares for a trip.

Rin To The Rescue

“MAKI!!!!”

Maki was sitting in the room You had taken her to, staring at her phone, wondering what she could say to Nico, wondering why Nico wasn’t texting her, angry that Nico could just leave. Maki had been there through Nico’s rabid feral roommate crisis and this, this...Nico had just gone out the door.

“MAKI!!!!!!”

Rin? Here?

Pounding on the door.

“Maki?!?!?? Are you in there? Are you arrested?!!???! I’ll break you out.”

It was Rin. Only Rin would be yelling things like that in the middle of a police station. Maki almost giggled, forgetting Nico for a moment.

“Get in here.” Maki opened the door, grabbed Rin and dragged her inside, “Why are you here?”

“You left me in Canada.” Anger was a rare look on Rin’s kind face, but Maki could feel the glare.

“It was an emergency.”

“Leaving me in Canada is an emergency, Maki.”

Maki slumped, “I’m sorry, Rin.” Head in hands, Maki was torn between aggravation at Rin here confronting her and relief that Rin was here, confronting her. Wait…”How are you here?”

“Kayo-chin tracks our phones.”

“WHAT?!!!” Maki was on her feet again, looming, but Rin didn’t back away.

“That’s not the problem.” Rin wagged a finger under Maki's nose.

“That is the problem.”

“Why are you under arrest?”

“I’m not.”

“You were locked up.”

Maki sighed. Rin was a very literal person.

“I did that.”

“Why?”

Maki didn’t even know where to start. Why was she here? Nico left...Dia, Dia…”Oh gods.”

Maki closed her eyes and sank to the floor. “Mama.” Dia had called her Mama. And Eli had three tails and Maki’s mother was buddy buddy with cryptid central’s favorite cop…

“Maki, what’s wrong?” Rin was sitting beside her, only concern in her voice. Of all Maki’s blessings, the biggest was her friends. Rin and Hanayo had been there so many times. All the music Maki could ever write couldn’t repay them for helping her acknowledge what she wanted in her life.

Maki always told them the truth.

“Dia thinks I’m her mother.”

“Who’s Dia?”

Oh right, Canada. Maki stood, “C’mon, it’ll be easier to show you.”

“Oooh, field trip.”

“There’s a lab. Don’t blow anything up.”

Rin saluted.

###

Nico paid the driver, forgot to tip, or smile, or speak. Step out of the car, walk to door, unlock door, open door, throw phone into couch where the vibrations would be absorbed and Nico could ignore them, head to room, pack for trip. Be a professional. Maki obviously didn’t know anything about being a professional with her house that could be used for an action movie set and gigs she could have her lawyer on retainer cancel at a whim. Not professional. Nico would never cancel, unless it was a family emergency…family...

No. Not going there. Nico survived by focusing. And Nico always survived. And thrived. Everything would work out.

Nico wasn’t sure if that was the buzz of her phone she heard before she slammed her bedroom room door.

###

Hanamaru enjoyed visiting Riko. Although this occasion was not so pleasant, with Yoshiko so worried. But Hanamaru always relished opening the shop door and stepping out into a future where more care was being taken of people and the planet. That care, that hope made the entire atmosphere more...sparkling, like water droplets in sunlight over cresting waves, a tingling exhilaration. But Yoshiko’s nightmares were concerning. The candles and incense as Hanamaru entered her meditative state had soothed the worries, just long enough for her to focus on Riko, the prophet's bright tone dampened by anxiety. As Hanamaru stood there, centuries of books a fortress, ready to leave this safe space to meet Yohane’s prophet, she wondered what would be changed on the other side of the door.

Open, step out, breathe in, the sparkle gone, replaced by the slightest tang of ash burn. Then hurry.

###

Dia stared. Younger Rin was exactly the same as the Rin she knew, all bouncy energy and pushing Maki ahead of her into rooms and adventures.

“So where’s this Dia?”

How had Rin got here and what had Maki told her? Probably everything. Rin had always known more about Maki than anyone other than Nico. Dia wasn’t sure if she should actually look up from where she was titrating a test mixture to add to a milliliter of Eli’s blood. Nope, she was just going to keep glancing shyly.

Rin hmmed, extravagantly, hand on her chin, circling Dia. “No eye contact, tall, smart, mole like your mom…” And then Dia was in a crushing hug.

“Bzzzzzttttt…let go!!!” Dia jumped back off the stool, dropping the glass burette she was using. Startled, Eli started whining, Nozomi trying to shush her.

“She’s a Nishikino, all right. All prickly.” Rin hugged Dia again, “Welcome to the family. Your Aunt Kayo-chin will be so excited to meet you.”

Maki rolled her eyes. Rin being here made everything less strange but a lot noisier. Dia seemed to have relaxed slightly.

Rin threw questions out, rapid fire. “So are you from Norway? Do you like lamb and cabbage stew? Did it hurt?”

“What?!!!!!???” Dia hissed.

Of course Rin went there. Maki doubled over with laughter. Dia looked so confused. “There is still no such thing as mystical monkey time travel, Rin.”

Rin, a ridiculously smug look on her face, raised and lowered a hand pointed at Dia and then widened her eyes at Maki, sticking out her tongue.

Dia giggled.

###

You hustled down the hall. She'd done all the Dia errands she could while here and now it was time to check on her friends. Who were doing exactly what she expected. Not coping well. Yoshiko anyway. You's office was way too small for Yoshiko’s increasing cloud of gloom and her worries over Dia. Kanan was her usual unruffled self, sitting at You’s computer, texting Mari and laughing at the memes Mari sent back.

“We’re all going to die.” Yoshiko muttered as soon as You entered.

“Cheerful.” You closed the door quickly.

“WE’RE ALL GOING TO DIE!”

Yoshiko’s wings unfurled, slapping You on the cheek, Kanan glanced up, snapped a pic, and sent it to Mari.

Yoshiko, panic transforming into kinetic energy, was now hovering several inches off the floor that all of You’s loose paperwork was now occupying due to wing windspeed.

You grabbed Kanan’s phone, “Take her somewhere. Where’s Hanamaru?”

“ZURAMARU!!!!!!” A wail. “Zuramaru walks into a future that no longer exists, to risk all for a chance to gain wisdom from the prophet who sees into my dreams.”

“Riko.” You rubbed her forehead, cheek still stinging. “I’d like to take care of this with common sense, not more people ‘borrowed’ from the future.”

Kanan snorted, “Common sense lost the race when the dark angel here dropped her kidnap victim into the pool.”

“I didn’t kidnap her,” whining, “We could have had a simple chat, but she had to…”

You held up a hand, her voice edged with anger, “Just stop there, my friend, before I think too much about what you actually did to Dia.”

Yoshiko landed, wings pulled over her head, subdued.

Kanan leaned back in You's chair, arms behind her head. “Least it’s quieter in here now. Can I have my phone?”

“You are not helping. Please get Yoshiko out of here. I’m going to clear everybody but Dia out of the lab and try to do damage control.”

“Look cute. Use your adorable smile.” Kanan winked, “Charm her.”

“This is not a date.”

“You can’t date her, you can’t mix someone from the now now and someone from new then, or someone from the now then and someone from…” Yoshiko paused, temporarily choked up, confusion had put panic in a full nelson, “It’s a now no no.”

“I’m not dating anyone. I’m not interested in anyone. I’m just someone Dia doesn’t want to clock on the jaw.”

Kanan raised an eyebrow, but after a glance at the quivering Yoshiko decided to help You, not contradict her. She stood, her hand on the fallen angel's shoulder. “C’mon, Yoshiko, Hanamaru might be back by now. Mari says she dropped her off more than an hour ago.”

“See you later and tell her I said ‘hey.” You was half out the door, tossing Kanan her phone. “And text me what she finds out.”

“You.” Kanan sounded serious.

“Yeah?”

“Be careful.”

A grin and a cocky salute, “Ay Ay.”

###

There was a new person in the room. You counted again. Dia, Maki, three tailed Eli, Nozomi, and the new person. “Why is there a new person??”

“I’m Rin, Maki’s bestie. I rescued Maki from jail. Are you the cop?” Rin and Eli were nose to nose, and You couldn’t shake the sudden image of a ginger cat facing off against the Russian very mixed breed. “You’re pretty.” Rin reached for one of the tails. Eli swatted her. “And weird. Want to play fetch?”

“Rin.” Maki winced, glad Nico wasn’t here to hear that.

“What? She’s probably bored. Science is boring.”

“No, it’s not.” Dia muttered as she added to the list of things she needed You to acquire. “I need some more supplies.”

“Gimme the list.” You hopped over to the table.

“She seems helpful for a cop.” Rin was now standing next to Maki. Eli was following You. Nozomi seemed to be thinking.

“I’m a Coast Guard officer.”

“Lieutenant Commander and police liaison.” Dia slid her notepaper toward You.

“Why don’t we just call Mama?” Maki frowned at a stain on the wall, “There are much better labs at the hospital.”

You rubbed her hair, “Yeah, that might be a good option. We can just tell Dr. Nishikino we’re working on…”

“An antibody therapy.” Dia filled in.

“I thought you were working on a vaccine?”

“Those other cryptid blood samples you found and I tested had the same viral material as Eli’s. I think it’s much more prevalent in that population than anyone is aware so an antibody treatment would be of more immediate help.”

“So would anybody’s infected blood be good?” You asked.

Dia shook her head, “There’s something else in Eli’s blood. I think it’s helping her fight it.”

Maki sighed, “She is a lot calmer. Nico had me bring a muzzle…”

Eli growled a warning.

Maki held up both hands, “Sorry.”

“If I had a sample from when she had a single tail, it would be easier to isolate.”

“Is Eli in any danger?” Nozomi asked softly. Everyone jumped a little.

“I believe she’s past the riskiest stage.” Dia smiled at Nozomi.

“Will she stay like this?” Nozomi knelt, to gather an eager Eli into her arms.

Dia glanced at You, then spoke confidently, “The Eli I know is in complete control.”

You threw up her hands, “Got the winning lottery numbers for tomorrow? I need a change of luck. Yoshiko’s rubbing off on me.”

Rin petted You on the head. “You’re fun. And cute." Rin gave Maki a thumb's up. "I like our new friends, Maki.”

Maki was going to cry if she laughed and Nico still wasn’t calling or texting. Maybe that room You had taken her to was still empty.

“I’ll go call Mama.”

Dia watched her leave. Rin came around the lab table to give Dia a hug, “She’ll be okay.”

Dia nodded, desperate not to cry. You pulled a clean, delicate handkerchief embroidered with little flowers from somewhere and handed it over. “We got this.”

It was the wink that did it, launching Dia into full tears into Rin’s shoulder. You should have just kept quiet.

A/N: May

[blossomsap-blog]

BIENVENIDO A BLOSSOMS, OH YOHAN

         Gracias por firmar el contrato, de ahora en más, es libre de ocupar su departamento. Es necesario respete las reglas de convivencia que el edificio tiene y asista a las reuniones de consorcio. Esperamos disfrute de vivir en Blossoms, y ante cualquier duda o necesidad, no dude en comunicarse con alguno de nuestros representantes. Recuerde, la felicidad está al alcance de una llave.

Lana, paso a comunicarte que la presidenta del fanclub de RATS -aka yo- eligió su bias y será tu hijo, no shame. Tienes 24hs para enviar la cuenta, si necesitas más tiempo me avisas.

OOC

nombre: lana banana uvu edad: 21 inviernos país: chile algo más // trigger: aún no empieza y ya amo este lugar uvu // incesto, rape, pedofilia.

INQUILINO

nombre completo: Oh Yohan fecha de nacimiento: 3 de Septiembre del 1992 faceclaim: Moon Jongup ocupación: Mozo en Ruby’s / Vocalista de R4TS lugar de nacimiento: Isla Imjado, Jeolla del Sur, Corea del Sur aplicación para departamento: Dos habitaciones. aplicación para compañeros de piso: No, piso compartido con Bang Minkyu, Kwon Jaejoon y Steven Russell. ¿hace cuánto vive en blossoms?: Dos meses. tres puntos positivos de su personalidad: Optimista, leal, adaptable. tres puntos negativos de su personalidad: Idealista, perfeccionista, inseguro. tres puntos principales a saber de la vida de tu personaje:

De familia numerosa, siendo el menor jamás le faltó atención. Cuatro hermanas mayores, dulces mujeres, le llenaron de mimos y cuidaron de él como a un hijo sin que él jamás lo pidiera, y todo esto sin contar a la madre que, siendo su único hijo, lo trataba como a un rey. Esto forjó a un chico que, ya buscando la independencia, se encontrara luego falto de las atenciones y halagos que sus mayores le regalaban, y que ahora estaba obligado a mendigar a quien llegara a su vida: sus compañeros de banda, sus amigos y amigas, conocidos casuales e incluso completos desconocidos.

Joven descubrió su gusto por el canto, y ese gusto fue por error alentado por las mayores en su familia, llegando a desarrollarse, más que en un sueño, en una meta. Sobretodo cuando, por cuestiones del destino, como a él le gusta creer, se convirtió en el vocalista de Rage Against the Stage— RATS, como se hacen llamar. No lo sabía en ese entonces, no de inmediato, mas no le fue difícil darse cuenta de que era a eso en lo que deseaba enfocar y dedicar su vida y, a pesar de decepcionar a quienes tenían un plan diferente para él, no dudó demasiado antes de embarcarse en aquel viaje. De Imjado a Seúl era, sin dudas, un cambio de gran escala.

Su vida amorosa, como todo quien encuentra un futuro en algo que no tiene vida propia, quedó a un lado. En la actualidad, continúa olvidada en un rincón mientras él se enfoca en mejorar su imagen personal y aquella que se sube al escenario, la que queda grabada en la memoria de quienes los van a ver, con cada gig que se consiguen. Dedicado, da más que su cien porciento para todo lo que tenga que ver con su voz y el proyectar lo que desean transmitir con su música, depositando toda su esperanza de que, algún día, ojalá en el futuro próximo, serán grandes.

frase que lo represente: all the underdogs in the world: a day may come when we lose, but it is not today. today we fight!

[r-escribe]

Our fate

Pairing: Chika x Riko

Word count: 2717

Summary: What would happen if the person you’re in love with belongs to someone else and maybe it’s better to let them go?

AO3

A/N: Another thread of fate AU that’s been in my drafts since October but now I got to finish it :’D. I said this was a multi-chapter but then I thought that it should as a one-shot. Anyways don’t mind me and enjoy.

They say that ever since the day you’re born, no matter where you are, you’re attached to your destined lover. It’s because of the red string of fate or so they say. A string attached to your pinky and attached to your heart. It can get entangled, contracted and stretched, as it’s often the case, but it can never be broken. This myth has captivated Riko ever since she first heard the story, always wondering who could her soulmate be. Maybe it was one of her classmates? Or maybe she’ll find her true love on her first job? The possibilities were endless. But as time passed she forgot about it; she focused on music instead of love interests. That was until she met Chika, an orange-haired girl, who was confident, cheerful and as bright as the sun itself. At the time Riko was in middle school she couldn’t even think of being in love and now she was a mess, trying to decode Chika’s feelings for her. As much as she tried to compare herself with the rest of Aqours Chika always acted differently depending on the girl and the mood. That’s another thing to add to the list of “things Riko loves from Chika” she had the ability to say what must be said and to act the way she must act, she wasn't oblivious like most people expected her to be. But when it involved Riko Chika only acted friendly, maybe a close friend but Riko could not say that Chika was flirting. Was there a secret method to know how Chika felt about everyone and no one told Riko? Perhaps what Riko was about to do was useless, even silly, but she couldn’t stop wondering what her fate was. As the last rays of sun set Riko said her prayer to the gods, wishing for it to be heard. She finished her plea and bowed, but now she felt childish and even a little naive, not because she was making a wish but by the wish itself. There’s just no way it'll become real. The composer left the shrine sighing, maybe if she sleeps now she’ll forget about everything in the morning.

Bzzz Bzzz Bzzz the sound kept going for a minute or so until a loud groan and then an arm looking for the alarm clock came out of bed. As the pianist rubbed her eyes in an attempt to wake up she noticed something peculiar tied to her pinky. While her eyes tried to adjust to the bright light she brought her hand closer to her face. It looked like a string…? A red string… Riko rubbed her eyes again, harder this time, the string was still there. She pinched herself, nothing happened, so she wasn’t dreaming either. She tried to take it off but it’s seemed glued to her skin. What in the world was happening? ...after a long sigh and no answer, the girl with golden eyes and burgundy hair started getting ready for school. Riko usually went to school with Chika except when the latter one for some unknown cause was earlier than Riko. It didn’t happen often but today was one of those days apparently. Well, this gave the composer some minutes to think about this filament that didn’t seem to have an end nor an explanation. Once she arrived at the school’s gate she finally notices that everyone also has a red string attached to their pinkies. Some of them were really long, so longs that Riko lost sight of them. But some were shorter and you could easily find the other half, some of them were brighter than others, and some others were a little entangled. No one seemed to be paying attention to them as if they were invisible or inexistent. And suddenly it hits her; when she was a kid she heard a story about two lovers born far away from each other. As they grown up the boy was desperate to know why he could never fall in love. He already had a wife but they didn’t love each other and so she ran away with her lover leaving the boy alone. He decided to change his fate and so he went to see a witch. The witch tried to trick the boy, but he was smarter and won the little game the witch proposed. He was then, granted a wish and he only asked for a string that connected him to his true love. He followed the string for several months until he ended up in front of a palace. From there Riko doesn’t really remember the details but she remembers how the story ended, the boy married a princess and they were happy until their last breaths. Then yesterday's wish was this? A myth? If she was the only one who could see them that'll make sense, but it was childish. “Riko-chan! Ohayousoro” “Riko-chan! Ohayo. Sorry for leaving sooner but I didn't finish the homework so I asked You-chan for help and..." Before the two girls could even get a full sight of the composer, she had already vanished.

Maybe hiding in the toilets wasn't the best option but Riko couldn't think of a better place. If the myth was true then the string attached to her pinky would guide her to her true love, her soulmate. Could she follow it? She was in love with Chika but what if Chika wasn't? What if they weren't mean to be together? Would they be happier if Riko lets her go and looks for her other half? A soft knock followed by a familiar voice came to Riko’s ears: “Riko-chan you there?” “You-chan” Riko tried to calm down before speaking again, “how did you know I was here?” “I figured it out… hey, are you ok?” “Y-yeah, don’t worry I’ll see you in class in a few minutes.” “Riko-chan you shouldn’t lie to me, we’re friends aren't we?” The door unlocked and the ash haired girl found her friend sitting on the toilet with her knees drawn to her chest and hugging them. Riko looked everywhere but at You. You approached and put a hand on the composer's shoulder. “So wanna talk about it?” Riko was a little reluctant at first but the expression on the shorter girl gave Riko enough confidence to explain everything. You listen quietly nodding from time to time. “So basically, you don’t know what Chika feels for you, so you wished there was a way for you to know and now you see a red string attached to everyone's pinky?” If Riko was at first embarrassed now her face was as red as a big beautiful tomato. You had an amused look and it was a miracle she hadn't burst into laughter. “What’s so funny?” “Oh you know, nothing really.” “You-chan! This is important.” “Sorry, sorry, I know it is but I never thought you wouldn’t see it.” Not as amused as the blue-eyed girl the reply didn’t take long to arrive: “See what?” “What's in front of you. Everyone seems to have noticed but you. I can’t tell you what it is though, you should find out yourself.” Before Riko could stop her You had already left the bathroom, leaving a bewildered girl alone.

Riko was a responsible girl, most of the time at least, but she was also gay, therefore her big dilemma: go to practice and try to ignore Chika or just go home and let her gay heart rest for a while. “Ah, Riko-san.” The burgundy haired pianist turned around to see the third years approaching her. That’s odd Kanan, Mari and Dia have no one but two strings one in each hand and they all connect to each other. “...Riko!” Riko was so concentrated on the strings and their owners that she didn't hear the question. “Uh?” “Bad Rikochi, not you only skip classes but you don’t listen to your seniors.” “How do you know about…” “I’m the chairwoman and Dia is the student council president so of course, we knew.” “Now, now, I’m sure Riko had her reasons and she’ll tell us when she’s ready.” “Very well then, Riko-san we’ll see you at the rehearsal.”

When Riko arrived at the rooftop most girls were already there. The only missing people were Chika, Dia, and Mari. “Ah, Riko-chan! Are you feeling better zura?” “Feeling better…?” “Yes, we didn’t see you during the lunch break so we asked Chika-chan and she said she hadn't seen you since morning.” Another redhaired intervened. “And when we asked You-chan she said you had a stomachache.” “As expected from my little demon. The spelled that I, the great Yohane, cast upon you has healed you.” “Stop it zura.” Riko only laughed at the first years routine, they were quite a case. Actually, all Aqours members are, but with the first years it’s… more...characteristic to put it in a way. “Yes, I’m feeling better thank you.” Riko glanced at the trio’s hands: unlike the third years they only had one string. Riko tried to follow them but they were entangled with each other. One of them though went beyond the school’s confines, she couldn’t tell exactly which one but at least now she knew that two of them would end up together somehow. This idea made Riko giggle.

“What it’s so funny?” a chirpy voiced asked. “Chika-chan! We were just asking Riko how she feels.” Riko was trying quite hard not to turn around and look at Chika’s hand. “Riko-chan can we talk?” “Chika-san in order to be ready for Love Live we need to practice. You and Riko-san will have enough time to chat after.” While Riko was talking (although she just stood there quietly), with Chika and Hanamaru, Dia and Mari had arrived to the rooftop. Love Live finals were approaching so it was only natural for Dia to want them to use their training time wisely. This said the group started their first song.

“Ruby you need to make that kick sharper, Chika move to your left when you do the spin, and Riko you’re off time.” The concerned gaze the blue haired girl was giving to Riko wasn’t any good. “Should we take a break?” “No!” The last thing Riko wanted right now was to talk with Chika and a break meant that she surely was going to. “I mean, no” she continued calmly, “if I want to do it right I need to practice. Can we go one more time?” “Okay.” Kanan agreed. “But just one more time and then we’ll take a rest.” This time Riko got it right, however, Chika made the same mistake. “Okay everyone get hydrated, Chika can I talk to you for a second?” “Actually I need to talk to Riko-chan first.” “Okay, sure thing.” As Riko watched her only hope go away to talk with Hanamaru and Dia a troubled mikan approached her. “I know what you’re going to say but please, not right now.” Golden eyes met ruby-like eyes while whispering so only Chika could hear. “No, you don’t.” “Eh?” “You don’t know what I’m going to say, so listen to me.” “Chika-chan please please please, don’t say it. At least not right now because if you say it I won’t get through today.” “Okay then after practice, I’ll see you at the shrine.” After this, the girls resumed their training even though the tension between their leader and the pianist was increasing as minutes passed.

“Hey You-chan what’s going on between those two?” Kanan whispered pointing her head at said girls. “That’s a long story, but I bet that tomorrow everything will be solved.” The younger girl answered as she saw her best friends leaving the rooftop.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

No one said anything as they made their way to the shrine. Riko stared at her feet to avoid seeing Chika’s string, but also to avoid the disturbed gaze the older girl was giving her. It was her fault, after all, she avoided Chika all day and did lie to her. What a way not to only embarrassed yourself by being rejected but also to lose your best friend. Once again Riko finds herself in the small shrine on top of the mountain, only this time she wasn’t going to make a wish. A faint breeze caring the smell of the sea mixed with mikans made its way to Riko’s nostrils. It reminded her of the day she and Chika met; maybe from now on their relationship was going to change, but at least Riko had all the memories. The two high schoolers were facing each other. No words are said and the tension is palpable. Riko wants to say something, anything, but how can she talk if she can’t even look at Chika? “Riko-chan, please look at me.” Riko tries but as soon as her eyes met Chika’s she looks away. Chika closes the distance between the two until their faces are mere centimeters apart. The leader gently but with determination takes the golden-eyed girl by the chin. “Please,” Chika says, they’re alone, yet she’s whispering as if the words she is pronouncing are only for Riko to be heard. “I know I’m not the smartest nor the strongest person, but you can talk to me. Today, I wanted to ask you something important. But then you didn’t come to class and I got worried. I thought that maybe I had upset you and that made my heart clench. Maybe you are mad, but please please if I did something wrong tell me one way to fix it. I’ll do anything for you.” And here we are again, Chika can just simply say those words without actually realizing the impact they have on Riko. Chika is just like that, so selfless that she’ll do anything to make her love-ones smile again. Right now Riko feels this weight on her chest that just keeps getting heavier with every word that comes out of Chika’s lips. “Riko-chan, please tell me what’s wrong.” Silence. No words came out of the pianist’s mouth. She had dreamt about this moment for so long, but reality wasn’t her friend and all the words she had endlessly thought of saying got caught in her throat. “It’s-it’s nothing. Sorry for taking your time.” She said as she stared again at her feet. Chika was getting impatient, and they do say that actions are worth a thousand words. Before Riko could continue her sentence something warm pressed against her lips. But as soon as it started it ended. “Chi-Chika-chan?!” Riko stuttered but when she looks at the girl that just kissed her she is smiling. It’s soft, warm, and caring. It shows how all the things Riko has been worrying about shouldn’t worry her at all. “Sorry, but you looked so cute I couldn’t wait another second.” “Were you planning to kiss me all day long?!” “Well...it’s not like it was only today but rather since we went to school during the night. When you played the piano I realized that maybe you were more than just a friend for me. I didn’t want to cause you trouble during your piano competition so I didn’t say anything. So I waited….EH?! RIKO-CHAN I’M SO SORRY I DIDN’T WANT TO MAKE YOU CRY, I’M SORRY, LET ME…” “Baka Chika-chan.” “Eh?” “Baka Chika-chan.” Repeated Riko louder this time at the same time as she threw herself to Chika’s arm and gave her a tight hug. “Why didn’t you said it sooner.” “I guess I really am baka Chika-chan.” She answered, now returning the hug and smiling. Once again the last rays of sun set, only now Riko didn’t make a wish, nor she was returning home alone.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

“I know You said everything was going to be solved by today, but Chika, Riko could you please make it less solved?” Said Kanan with a playful tone, they knew she was teasing them but that didn’t prevent Riko to blush like a tomato. “Oh Kanan don’t be so strict with them, after all, you know how love is.” Mari replied and now the one blushing was the blue-haired girl. “Well then, now that it’s all settle let's start practice.” “Hai!” eight voices came as one in an enthusiastic answer.

[herotheshiro]

last night instead of sleeping i binged a chunk of the manhwa prince bari ... interesting premise of 2 shamans who respectively each have spirits who meet but not much else to the plot admittedly other than the relationships/pairings ... (i mean there is story stuff but no like one (1) overarching plot if you get what i mean. or not any i discerned from the 65 ch i read)

the first pairing gets “resolved” real fast and i put that in quotes bc there barely was a conflict for them ... just a ‘oh shit i have feelings for him’ on yohan’s part and then haha ok we’re together now; which i mean was fine bc really their main issue was lack of communication and there’s only so much you can draw that out. and there wasn’t really much homophobia on anyone’s part so that potential conflict is nonexistent too (i really liked the case with the 2 girls though ... a very sweet story). all in all they’re kind of underdeveloped so not much to say abt them

the 2nd pairing was already kind of hinted at really early on so i’d even argue that the 2nd pairing is the main pairing of the series ... when they were heavily hinting pairing them up in the early ch i was like ‘oh god are they really gonna try to legit do a child x adult pairing ... no way they’re gonna try to make it look better’ which yes they naturally eventually explained his kid appearance as being just a form he takes, ‘haha he’s actually an adult’, so whatever i can deal with spirits with a 100-yr+ age gap. BUT THEN they revealed that donga was picked up by chunho literally as a child and chunho basically raised him and OF COURSE OF COURSE the classic trope (is this even called a trope?) of ‘aged/grew up physically fast so now it’s not weird bc it’s adult x adult’ ! god. i was interested in the spirits pairing bc admittedly they are more interesting than the first pairing and i liked their dynamic (albeit the weird insinuations abt chunho being attracted to a kid. which i mean. in hindsight ended up being fucking true) but then once the authors revealed their full dynamic ... i can’t do this anymore. and it’s weird bc even chunho was like ‘oh you shouldn’t have those feelings bc we’re too far apart in age and experiences’ but then suddenly he’s ok with it ... like i do like the pairing in concept, but just the fact that they chose to do the ‘aged up kid’ thing rather than ‘2 spirits who just have a large age gap but have developed on their own respectively’ ... oof. most likely will not be following anymore since the spirits pairing is basically the focus of the manhwa rn, like it really just rubs me the wrong way ... i could not even read past 1 ch of their r18 side story bc the dialogue made me cringe so bad. really disappointed that the authors chose to do them like this

[yujachachacha]

Yujacha’s Birthday Scout for UR You

Now in meme format! Click for captions~

Final result of 24 scouts: UR Time Travel You x2, SSR Time Travel Ruby x1, SR Time Travel Kanan x3, various R cards x18.

Explanation of each image (i.e. the full story of my scouting adventure) under the cut!

I debated whether I should make this post, or try my hand at making a video since I recorded my scouting adventure. However, editing would take me a while, and I also kinda didn’t look forward to hearing my own voice since I talked during the scouts. When I mentioned this in a previous post:

...which is a good point. _(:3 」∠)_ I might still decide to make the video after all, but in the event that I do, it would be a while before I’d finish it. Thus, I came up with this post!

1. To scout or not to scout

Context: I put up a poll on Twitter + asked Tumblr if I should try scouting on SIF for my birthday, since it happened to fall within the “increased chance of pulling new members” period for the latter half of the Time Travel set. Since Time Travel You happens to be my favorite out of her URs so far, I decided to slightly bend my self-imposed rule of “no scouting until Rin’s birthday box is up on the Global SIF server” by using the large amount of scouting tickets I’d saved up.

The options were as follows:

Yes, but only use some.

USE THEM ALL Y O L O

No, you’ll regret it T_T

save for rin, u traitor!!

As you can see from the first image in the above photoset, the poll winner was option 2 - using all 79 of my tickets.

2. >Has 2.4k love gems >Scared of using just 24 tickets

Those of you who’ve been up-to-date on my blog know that I ended up picking option 1 instead. Now, I do have an explanation for this. What happened was that I was in a video chat with some ONIBE members towards the end of my birthday. At that point, I realized that the number of votes meant that I would be scouting that day. What I hadn’t decided, however, was whether I would actually use up all of my scouting tickets.

I then asked ONIBE what their votes would be, and most of them wanted to see me scout. Some of them thought it would be bad luck to scout while streaming it, but in the end we came to the consensus that I should just use some of the tickets - and that’s how I ended up picking option 1.

One of the replies to my poll was to use 40 tickets for You, and save 40 for Rin (I would technically only have 39 left if I did go with this plan, but I’d definitely be able to earn at least 1 more scouting ticket before November). I really liked this idea, and was thinking of trying this out when an ONIBE member suggested using just 29 tickets to scout, leaving me with a nice round number of 50 for the future. I wasn’t a huge fan of such an odd number, but then it inspired me to pick a similar number: 24, to represent my birthday.

I very reluctantly made my way to the scouting screen and tried delaying the inevitable for several minutes - “nooo, I’m gonna regret this...aaaah...ugh...” and so on. This was the first time I’ve seriously scouted, not counting the few scouting tickets I used when I started SIF (which all turned out to be Rs). My strongest cards, as a result, are Promo URs and idolized event SRs. My teams are pretty pitiful, but it’s all for the sake of seeing my teams get filled up with Rins later this year...!

3. Finding happiness in the small things

My first three scouts were all Rs. I wasn’t really discouraged, since scouting tickets are the equivalent of solo yolos. I was pleasantly surprised when the new SR Kanan showed up so early in my scouting run. I was glad to welcome her as the first non-event SR I’ve ever pulled!

The next two pulls after the SR joined my growing pile of R cards, and at this point someone in ONIBE pointed out that I hadn't pulled a repeat card yet. All of the cards so far were unique girls. In order: Dia, Riko, Maru, Kanan (SR), Ruby, and Chika. Pretty interesting. What I chose to nitpick about, however, was the fact that You hadn’t shown up yet, not even as a R. Then, three pulls later...

4. “Should I stop scouting now?”

My exact words when I was doing this scout: “Lucky nine! You-chan! You-chan! You-ch-”

*UR envelope flies out*

“Oh my-”

*UR Time Travel You pops out*

“OHMYGOD HAHAHA-” *breaks down into hysterical laughter*

I was talking relatively quietly up until then because it was towards the end of the day, but I screeched really, really loudly when UR You popped up. My dad actually came into my room to ask me what was wrong, haha.

At that point, I asked myself if I should stop now that I had achieved my goal of obtaining UR You, and someone said I should try to idolize her. My exact words: “I highly doubt I'm going to pull her again. Like, what are the chances that I'm gonna pull her again?”

Oh, the irony...

After several minutes of indecision, I decided to push forward since I did want the You UR idolized. I pulled a bunch of R cards again after that, and during that time I casually remarked that since I got SR Kanan and UR You, it would be really nice if I got SSR Ruby.

5. Ruby answered my wish

Seriously, the scout right before this was KimiKoko Ruby, and I was just like, “Oh, okay. Wrong Ruby, but good to see her.” Then when I pressed the scouting button again:

*SSR envelope flies out*

“Oh?”

*SSR Time Travel Ruby pops out*

“OH MY GOD! Oh my god, what the fuck...?”

With that, I had everyone in the Pure trio, AKA Kayouby (coined by Furirin during the December 2016 trio niconama), for the Time Travel set. The only card I hadn’t pulled yet for this half of the set was SR Yoshiko!

At this point, I was cackling, “Birthday luck is real!” But then I had another “I'm scared, I wanna stop now” moment because I was lowkey terrified of these nice scouts. I eventually convinced myself to keep trucking on.

6. YohaMaru confirmed(?)

Two scouts later, I tried saying “Yohane, shoukan!” on a whim to see if I could pull the remaining card in the Time Travel set. When Maru popped up instead, I just said, “Oh. Well, I summoned her girlfriend~” haha.

7. “Oh! Okay, that’s nice, I can idolize her!”

Kanan now had the honor of being my first idolized non-event SR as well when I ended up pulling her again. After my bout of joy, I exclaimed, “This is pretty good for solo yoloing! WTF is up with my luck today?!”

On the scout right after this, I actually pulled the same exact Smile R Maru card that I had pulled right before Kanan. :3c

8. “Oh! What the- haHAHAHAHA”

This was scout #20. Within 20 scouts, I got the same 2 URs. I know there was a rate-up for this set, but this was crazy!

My second hysterical laughing fit of the day ended up waking my mom, who was sleeping at the time. Oops. But I was extremely happy to be able to idolize my favorite UR so far of my best Aqours girl!

Though, this scout also triggered “I actually want to stop now” self-doubt session #3. Someone commented on my reluctance to scout, and I retorted, “How else do you think I've saved 2.4k love gems? It only took me...two years...” I can only hope that my self-restraint for Rin’s sake will result in something as good as my birthday scouts.

Next scout was a R Chika, and I remarked, "No, it's all gonna be rares now. I've used up my luck for the year."

9. lol bich u thought

Scout #22 brought me my third SR Kanan. I guess my second best Aqours girl loves me a lot~

Once I found out that this card was a Perfect-Locker, someone suggested selling her for seals. I briefly considered it, but thought it was better to just use the 3rd Kanan to unlock her final skill slot.

10. Datenshi misfortune averted?

My last two scouts were R Maru (Mijuku Dreamer set) and R Ruby (Aozora Jumping Heart set), even though I chanted “Yohane, shoukan!” for both of them.

Hilariously, this meant that I ended up with a grand total of zero Yoshiko cards. I've opted to interpret this as her way of granting me birthday luck by keeping away her notorious unlucky streak away from me. Thank you for your sacrifice, oh mighty fallen angel Yohane-sama. :’)

Results

24 scouts → 2 URs, 1 SSR, 3 SRs, 18 Rs:

You: 2 URs, 1 R

Ruby: 1 SSR, 3 Rs

Kanan: 3 SRs

Chika: 4 Rs

Maru: 4 Rs

Riko: 3 Rs

Dia: 2 Rs

Mari: 1 R

Yoshiko: 0

Goals achieved:

(Initial objective) Pull UR Time Travel You → ✓

Pull SSR Time Travel Ruby → ✓

Idolize UR Time Travel You → ✓

Pull SR Time Travel Yoshiko → X

In the end, I of course withdrew the URs for idolization. I also decided to withdraw Kanan, even though she's a PL card, since I don't own that many idolized SRs. The SSR Ruby, however, is still in the present box. The last card I withdrew was actually that Smile R Maru in Image #6, because I actually hadn't idolized that particular card yet.

Lessons learned:

Birthday luck is real.

Chanting “You-chan” will summon You-chan.

Chanting “Yohane, shoukan” will not summon Yoshiko (but it might summon her girlfriend Maru).

Every time I doubt my scouting luck, SR Kanan will show up to prove me wrong.

Don’t ask the internet if I should use up all my scouts on solo yolos, because the answer will always be “yes”.

[swordandcat]

Three is a crowd but Nine is a party: Ch 4.  Big Changes

(AO3 Link)

Chapter 4 of Book 2 of the Legends series!

Ships: YouYoshi, with KanaDiaMari, ChikaRiko, RubyMaru on side

((Alt Title: Yoshiko is a game addict and Yo is a dumb jock, but somehow it works and they kiss, i guess))

Water rushed around her. Her arms sliced through the water’s surface, bringing with them a slew of bubbles. There was a muffled drone as the pumps brought water in and out of the pool, and the waves lapped gently, but insistently against the poolside.

Yo closed her eyes and was silent for a moment, before she pushed explosively off the wall, her body falling naturally into an aerodynamic form as she torpedoed forward in a stream of bubbles. She could feel the flow of currents all around her as she scythed through the water, legs pumping like the tail of a dolphin.

Sometimes she just swims. It helps her think.

She crossed the quarter line without even realizing it, not even running out of breath yet, but she still surfaced, taking a breath of fresh air and starting to move her arms, transitioning from the push-off into a proper crawl.

I’m going to take a break from Immortal Legends.

Yo couldn’t stop thinking about Yoshiko’s decision. It came as a shock to her, of course, and Yo couldn’t help but feel a little left out that Yoshiko had made this decision without her. It was a selfish feeling, for sure; Yoshiko didn’t owe anything to Yo to include her in these decisions. But still, Yoshiko had promised that they would try their hand at the tournament together, even if in different level divisions.

Beyond that, though, Yo can’t help but be worried. Even though Yoshiko promises that it’s going to make things better, Yo knows how much the game means to her. How much blood, sweat, and tears she poured into it. Putting aside whether it was a healthy habit or not, Yoshiko’s life once revolved around that game. The fact that Yoshiko was willing to stop playing Immortal Legends was… concerning.

But then there was the other thing.

I’d like to spend some more time with you.

Yo felt her stomach flutter just at the memory of Yoshiko’s reasoning for quitting Immortal Legends. She’d been too stunned by Yoshiko’s decisions to properly react to that at the time, but now that Yo’s had some time to think about it, she was surprised at how forward Yoshiko was.

…Yoshiko was trying her best to make their relationship work.

Yo exhaled, trailing bubbles in her wake. Yoshiko was always the one who was trying, the one moving forward. You were always too busy stuck in the past. Stuck in the long-dead hopes that something will happen as long as she pined after Chika for long enough.

Yo felt sick. Self-loathing was a feeling rarely felt by her, but there was no other way You could describe how she felt these few days.

“Watanabe!”

She could only hear the voice of her swim coach vaguely through the water, but it was enough to jolt her back to reality.

She had a split second to slow down before she smashed face first into the side of the pool. She still did smash face first into the tiles, but at least she managed to brake enough so the impact produced little more than a bruised forehead and a wounded ego.

Bobbing up to the surface, Yo laughed self-deprecatingly as she looked towards her coach. “Sorry, Coach Masuda. I was… uh, distracted.”

“No, really?” Masuda sighed, kneeling down by the poolside. “You’ve got to get your head in the game, Yo. Official competitions may be on hold but that doesn’t mean you get to rest on your laurels.”

She gestured for a timekeeper to approach and looked at Yo’s times. She frowned and turned back to Yo with a disappointed look on her face. “Your times have gotten worse by a few seconds. Is everything alright? Have you kept up with training?”

Yo cringed. She didn’t think it would be that bad. “No, Coach. I’ve been training every week. It… it’s probably just not my day.”

Masuda breathed out, and nodded, reaching down and patting Yo on the shoulder. “Let’s hope that’s the case. You’re our team ace, Yo. The first and second years look up to you as an example. Take care of yourself, okay?”

Yo nodded, giving Masuda a sharp, “Yes, ma’am.” Satisfied, Masuda gestured for the next batch of swimmers to enter the water. Yo clambered out of the pool, gratefully accepting a towel from a junior.

“Thanks, Ayane,” Yo smiled at her, eliciting an excited squeak.

“Y-You’re welcome!” The girl said. There was a long pause as the girl glanced towards her friends, who nodded encouragingly. She turned back to Yo and started hesitantly, “Er, Watanabe?”

“Yeah?” Yo tilted her head.

“Um… if you don’t mind me asking…” The first year leaned a little closer. “What… er, rather, how do you know Tsushima Yoshiko?”

Yo blinked. She didn’t expect that question. “Uh… come again?” She asked, thinking she may have heard wrong.

“It’s just… my friends are saying that they’ve seen you hang around Tsushima a lot recently, and they’re curious why that is.”

“Oh! I see,” Yo nodded. She paused for a moment, thinking of what to say. “We played the same MMORPG, is all, and there’s an event in the game that’s coming up.” Not technically a lie.

“Oh. So you’re just, er, gaming friends?” Yo nodded, and the first year breathed a sigh. “I see. Okay, sorry for taking up your time.”

“No problem,” You smiled, and wrapping the towel around her shoulders, she walked towards the changing rooms. Having done her reps and benchmarking tests, she was free to leave.

Just as well, she had something important she had to do.

* * * * *

Yousoro: Tank on left

BigBOI: on it

Yousoro: 10 sec CD on AOE

BigBOI: k

GngsKhan: aight

Yo breathed out, her eyes trained on the monitor. On it was the familiar visuals of Immortal Legends, showing Yo and her party mid-raid. It was a grey, gloomy dungeon, with aged stone bricks and mist drifting across the floor. Yo’s character stood side by side with another devil in heavy plate and an undead lich against a towering skeletal dragon and its horde of zombified dragonlings.

On Yo’s command, the plate warrior ran to the left, blocking off the advance of a small cluster of the dragonlings. By themselves the mobs were fragile, but because the dragon boss kept spawning them it became an uphill battle to hold them off while Yo and the lich kited the dragon to grind down its health pool.

Yo remembered Yohane telling her that most undead enemies had large HP reserves but low mana - once she could bait its strongest skills, it would be a long while until the dragon could perform them again.

Yousoro: baiting the breath attack

Yousoro: khan, refresh necro shield

The lich raised his skull-tipped staff, and an aura of grey particles surrounded Yo’s avatar. She immediately darted forward, using Blink to bypass the front guard of dragonlings and launching a fireball straight into the large dragon’s ribcage, detonating it once it’s inside. The dragon roared in pain, and Yo knew she’d attracted its aggression.

As soon as the fire effect faded away, the dragon hissed and suddenly reared back on its hind-legs, seeming to inhale deeply despite possessing no organs. Glowing black spots coalesced in its maw, and then it suddenly lurched forward, a spray of inky black fire surging from its jaws towards Yo’s avatar in retaliation. She immediately moved to dodge, but even then, the spray had too much spread, catching the lower half of her avatar as she rolled to the side.

Thankfully, with GngsKhan’s shield buff, the attack only took off about a quarter of Yo’s health, putting her in the perfect spot to counterattack. Activating one of the macros that Yohane had helped her set up, her character immediately launched an unavoidable volley of flame-jets, stunning the boss just long enough to set up for the big hit - an orb of lava that consumed most of Yo’s MP. When it hit, though, it clung to the boss’ frame, continuing to burn away at its health until it was easily dispatched by a few sword swings of BigBOI.

As the model of the dragon dissolved into dusty particles, and the spawned dragonlings disappeared as well, Yo let out a deep sigh, typing a quick congratulation into the chat.

Yousoro: Thanks for the assist, guys.

BigBOI: np

GngsKhan: im not gonna leave her highness’ apprentice hanging lol

Both of her party members were acquaintances of Yohane, who agreed to help Yo complete a quest she couldn’t clear on her own.

BigBOI: btw

BigBOI: yousoro

BigBOI: rumor has it that Yohane is quitting

BigBOI: cuz she got beaten by the american champion

BigBOI: is that true?

Yo sighed. BB wasn’t the first person to ask her about Yohane. It was fairly common knowledge at this point that Yohane had taken Yousoro under her wing, so when Yohane went missing for a day or two Yo started getting private messages in the dozens asking about Yohane. Yo answered them in the same way:

Yousoro: She’s taking a break for now.

Yousoro: I’m not at the liberty to say anymore.

BigBOI: i getcha

BigBOI: well if you ever talk to her just tell her we miss her

BigBOI: the raid scene just isn’t the same without her lol

With that, her party members teleported away, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

Yoshiko was a legend in the community. Or rather, Yohane was. Her legacy was much more than just her player character. She’d pioneered raid strategies, inspired top tier players, influenced the beta development of the game, even had a location named after her in honor of a record-breaking expansion raid.

Yo wanted to believe that Yoshiko wasn’t so fragile that a single defeat could make her abandon all that she’s accomplished. She desperately wanted to.

Eying the greyed out entry of Yohane in her friends list, though, Yo couldn’t help but feel a deep unease. She was missing something from the picture, something big. If only she’d looked a little harder…!

She blinked suddenly, as a message popped up on screen.

SakuraSketch: Hello?

SakuraSketch… They’re new. Yo didn’t recognize the name. She clicked open their character profile. Level 1. A complete newbie. They were wandering around the starting town for devils. Sighing, Yo quickly typed up a private message while teleporting to Gehenna.

Appearing in the travel hub of Gehenna, Yo looked around the map for SakuraSketch. After a while, Yo finally tracked them down to the Main Street where all the low- to mid-tier shops and services were provided. Summoning a fiery steed beneath her so she didn’t have to walk the whole way, Yo made her way to where SakuraSketch was on the map. She stopped a few paces away from SakuraSketch’s avatar - a succubus type demon with long dark-red hair and delicate wisp-like wings floating behind her.

Yousoro: Hello.

Yousoro: Is there something you need from me?

SakuraSketch turned around to face Yo.

SakuraSketch: As you can see, I’m just starting out…

SakuraSketch: A friend mentioned that you knew a lot of secrets about getting a good start…

A friend, huh. Yo breathed out, thinking the situation over. Not to brag, but she was one of the better known mid-tier players at this point; not just because of Yohane’s mentorship, but also through legitimate achievements. If SakuraSketch’s friend was someone familiar with the speed at which Yo climbed the ladder, it wasn’t entirely unfeasible.

Yousoro: I see.

Yousoro: Well, I guess I have some time to spare.

SakuraSketch: Thank you very much!

SakuraSketch: Once I’ve gotten used to the game, if there’s anything I can help with…

You sighed, smiling wryly to herself. The student had now become the teacher. Would Yoshiko be proud of her?

Yousoro: It’s fine, call it a welcome package.

Yousoro: I myself was taught by a friend anyway, so… let’s call it paying it forward.

Yousoro: When you get to grips with the game, you go help someone as well.

Yousoro: Anyway, let’s start with the basics…

* * * * *

“Ah~” Yo yawned. She ended up not getting much sleep at all. Even after Sakura had logged off, Yo kept playing, smashing herself uselessly against a dungeon boss. It was one that she had easily taken down with Yohane’s guidance, but now she found it an almost insurmountable challenge.

She’d been relying too much on Yohane as a safety net, maybe.

Shaking her head, Yo tried to stay awake as the bus made it’s way down the road leading through Uchiura, the gentle drone of the engines acting like a lullaby song to her sleep-deprived mind.

“Ah, there she is!”

Yo blinked, just about to slip into a nap when an energetic voice roused her from her sleep. Chika bounded onto the bus like an overactive puppy, running over to Yo and crashing into the seat next to her. “What’s cookin’ good lookin’?”

Riko trailed behind her, looking much less energetic than her girlfriend. Her eyes were slightly red, and she was rubbing at them and trying hard to stifle a yawn. “Chika, if you say that again we’re breaking up.”

“Aww.” Chika pouted, crossing her arms sulkily. “Fine.”

A few seconds later, though, it was like she’d forgotten about the scolding already. “Oh! Yo, have you heard? Apparently, we’re getting a new school director!”

You tilted her head. “…We had an old school director?”

“Well, obviously. All schools have a director,” Riko pointed out.

“Oh…” Yo nodded absentmindedly. “Right.”

Chika frowned. “Hey, are you okay? You seem down.”

Yo suppressed a flinch, looking away from Chika somewhat guiltily. “I… don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m fine! Just… tired.”

Riko eyed her nervously, while Chika just frowned deeper. “How come? I thought you were being careful, what with the friendly swim meet this Saturday.”

Yo sighed. That’s right. There’s going to be a swim meet in four days. She’d almost forgotten. “Oh, yeah. That.”

“Are you really okay?” Chika reached over, trying to feel Yo’s forehead. “Are you sick? You look kinda out of it.”

Yo shrank away from Chika’s touch, suddenly feeling a twisting in her gut. “I said I’m fine, Chika,” She snarled, a lot more aggressively than she’d intended.

Immediately she regretted her decision when Chika flinched back, a look of hurt crossing her normally sunny expression. “Crap- Chika, sorry. I’m just… a little busy right now. That’s all.”

Riko put a hand on Chika’s, giving it a gentle squeeze. “I’m sure Yo’s got things under control.”

Begrudgingly Chika nodded, apologizing quietly to Yo for prying. Yo shot Riko a quick look of gratitude, which she just responded with a small encouraging smile.

“Anyway!” And again Chika seemed to recover within moments of being down. “The new director!…”

While Chika blabbered away excitedly at the possibilities (“A secret government agent, looking for talented students to recruit into their top-secret spy project!” “An evil stuffed toy intent on pitting students against each other in a surreal killing game!” “A wizard!”) Yo tuned the conversation out again, unable to maintain her focus.

Everything was a mess. Yo and Yoshiko had bonded over Immortal Legends. But even if they did spend more time together now, after Yoshiko had quit the game, she just felt more distant than ever. Despite Chika and Riko becoming closer by the day, despite Yo giving them her full blessings, Yo still couldn’t let go of the part of her that wished it was her in Riko’s place.

Yo didn’t know what to do. She had no idea what she even could do. Life used to be simple, easy to understand. Now Yo just felt…

Lost.

“Hey.”

Yo looked up. Chika was looking at her with a pensive expression. It wasn’t her usual energy, but it wasn’t accusing or upset either; just, thoughtful. Gentle. “If there’s something bugging you, you can always talk to me about it. You know that, right?”

Yo closed her eyes for a moment, breathing out slowly.

“Yeah,” She nodded. “I know.”

“Okay.”

Chika nodded as well, turning back to face the front of the bus.

Yo felt a little after that. Maybe. She put her hand on her chest, thumbing the Anchor pendant beneath her uniform for comfort.

* * * * *

As it turned out, the new director of the school was not a secret government agent, nor an evil stuffed toy, not even a wizard.

She was a foreigner.

“Hi everybody~!” Ohara Mari said, from the stage in the auditorium. “My name is Ohara Mari, and I’m going to take over the directorial duties of this school starting today!”

It was announced during homeroom that there was going to be an assembly during the last periods of school, where the new director would be introduced and their ambitions for the school explained. Yo didn’t pay much attention to the details, but she probably should have.

Mari was the girl that Kanan was talking to the other day. Also, the girl who beat Yoshiko. And apparently, now she was also the director of the school.

Yo’s head was spinning.

“Now, some of you might be wondering why a student is the director, to which I raise you - screw the rules, I have money!” Mari laughed, and it was so absurd that a few students even started laughing along before Kurosawa Dia, who had been standing behind Mari, fixed the assembled students with her steely glare.

“Your goals, Ms. Ohara.” Dia coughed into a fist.

“Oh! Yes, that,” Mari nodded, shuffling through what looked like a stack of cue cards before losing track of the card she needed and just tossing the stack aside eventually. Clearing her throat, she paused for dramatic effect before launching into her speech.

“As some of you might be aware, our school is suffering from a crippling lack of new students. As part of my installment as director of the school, I am to bring this academy out of obscurity and into the limelight as one of the forward-thinking and modern educational institutions in the region!”

Yo snorted. Ura Girls was many things, but ‘forward-thinking’ and ‘modern’ were definitely not words Yo would have used to describe the school.

“Which is why I’m going to start by adding a multimedia room into the school, equipped with state-of-the-art audiovisual equipment, and an array of custom-build computers optimized for the most high-end tasks. I have also drafted up a ‘digital education’ syllabus which we will be implementing on a rotational trial basis, allowing students access to this multimedia room during class time.”

There was a murmur of approval that went through the assembled students. One of the biggest issues with the school was how backward it seemed, especially compared to some of the fancier schools in big cities like Tokyo, or heck, even Numazu.

“Of course, this means there’ll be free wifi for everyone in the school.”

A cheer erupted through the hall, though it was once again quickly silenced by Dia’s unrelenting glare.

“And the other thing this school needs is publicity. Whatever we implement into the school, this is still a small institution in an insignificant region of Japan. We won’t get many more students coming in if we don’t get the Ura Girls name out. In fact… there is a possibility that the school will be shut down if we don’t improve our school’s prospects.”

A ripple of concerned whispers went through the student body, but Mari just smiled confidently and cleared her throat again.

“This is where I come in. Not many of you may know, I transferred here from America. In America, I was involved in a video game - an MMORPG - called Immortal Legends. I was ranked first amongst some 6 million players in the US alone. There are four servers active for Immortal Legends: the US, China, Europe, and Japan. In returning to Japan, I also transferred my Immortal Legends character to the Japanese server.”

Oh.

Oh.

Yo could practically see all the pieces fitting into place. All the disparate events she’s witnessed over the past month were starting to come together.

She looked around wildly, trying to spot Yoshiko in the crowd.

“Upon arriving in the Japanese server, which has a healthy 1.5 million odd player base, I challenged the #1 player in Japan to a duel. I won that duel. It has been less than a week since then, and I have already received more than thirty interview invitations, and have been featured in a dozen large-scale publications. An estimated 30% of the Japanese population now know my name. Imagine the possibilities if we put that publicity towards this school!”

Yo couldn’t find Yoshiko - the first and second-year classes were too far apart. Yo bit her lip nervously and turned her attention back to Mari, who was still continuing with her presentation.

“But that’s not all. Why stop at myself? There is an event in the game coming up, a national tournament that will also attract the attention of gamers across the globe. In it, teams of nine players will be pitted against each other in glorious combat. Imagine the news, when a team comprised entirely of our school’s students beats out the nation’s best professional players in their own game! Not only will it bring raw publicity, it will also showcase our school’s willingness to embrace the future, demonstrating our openminded school spirit!”

Yo glanced at Dia. The girl looked faint, staring at Mari in abject horror. There was muttering in the crowd, equal parts excited and doubtful. But ignoring all that, Mari pushed on.

“Everyone, we stand at the threshold of greatness. The potential is there, I know it. Everyone in this school can shine and excel in their own way, but only if they’re given the chance to. This tournament is that chance. So I ask you, students of Uranohoshi Girl’s Academy: are you with me? To protect our school? Or are you willing to see the school fade forever into history?”

So that was Mari’s game this whole time.

It was a plan that Yo couldn’t even begin to imagine on her own. As she stared at the girl on stage, her image started to overlap with the confident, extravagant avatar she’d witnessed in Immortal Legends.

It was wildly ambitious, a borderline insane gamble. But… it might just work.

Mari stepped back, allowing Dia to take the mic. She stepped forward shakily, looking at Mari with wide eyes, before clearing her throat.

“Er… that was our new director… Ohara Mari.”

At first, it was just a lonesome clap, awkward and tentative. But then more students picked up the call, and soon there was a storm of furious applause as the girls cheered and clapped for their new, innovative school director.

“Shiny~☆” Mari waved at the cheering students as she exited the stage, disappearing backstage. Dia glanced at her, then at the clapping students, and eventually sighed and allowed them to work off their excitement as she followed Mari backstage.

Yo, however, was too busy pushing through the crowd in search of Yoshiko to notice. She managed to cross over to the first year section, locating Hanamaru and Ruby, who mostly just looked confused.

“Ruby! Hanamaru!” Yo said breathlessly, managing to find a spot next to them. They turned and nodded politely at Yo, though their expressions quickly shifted to concern at Yo’s anxiousness. “Have either of you seen Yoshiko around?”

Ruby moved to shake her head, but Hanamaru seemed to think for a moment. “I think I saw her leave a little bit before the end, zura.”

“Okay, thanks!” Yo said, and pushed back into the crowd towards the auditorium exit.

After a great deal of jostling and trying to avoid the flow of girls now starting to migrate towards the exit as well, Yo managed to get ahead of the crowd and ran out of the auditorium, running out into the school courtyard. She looked around, out of breath, only relaxing when she spotted a familiar cascade of dark blue hair from behind a bench.

Yo jogged up to Yoshiko, who was sitting quietly on the bench, her expression focused and contemplative. After a few moments, Yoshiko looked up at Yo and smiled faintly. “Hey. Why the hurry?”

“I—” Yo hesitated. “I wanted to talk to you. About… that. Just now.”

Yoshiko’s composed expression flickered, and Yo could definitely spot a flash of a grimace before she managed to recover.

“What about it? I think it’s a wonderful plan. I couldn’t have thought of it,” Yoshiko said, diplomatically. “I wouldn’t expect anything less from the woman who defeated me.”

Yo shook her head. That wasn’t what she wanted to hear. “That’s not… what I want to talk about, Yoshiko.”

“Then what do you want to talk about?” Yoshiko looked at Yo. There was a level of wariness, a guardedness to her, that made Yo feel ill. Like she’d been kicked in the guts.

Yo breathed in to steel her nerves. “Are… are you going to compete?”

Yoshiko stiffened, a myriad of emotions flashing across her face - surprise, hope, apprehension, sadness, then… then just tired resignation. “No. I said I was going to take a break, and I mean it. I’ve already been beaten, anyway. What’s the point?”

“But—” Yo tried to argue, but Yoshiko just stood up, her hands balled up into fists. “I said no, damn it!”

Yo stopped, staring at Yoshiko. Yoshiko stared back, breathing heavily.

“I’m…” Yoshiko’s gaze slowly dropped down to the ground. “I’m sorry.”

“N-No. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have pushed the topic,” Yo shook her head. She reached out for Yoshiko’s hand, tentatively, but Yoshiko just shied away from the gesture.

Trying to ignore the stabbing pain in her chest, Yo closed her eyes and turned away from Yoshiko. “So, um… are you going to come to the swim-meet this Saturday?” Yo said, clumsily trying to change the subject.

“Uh.” Yoshiko had to take a moment to adjust to the new topic. “Yes. Er, if you want, I can come.”

“Please do.”

“I will, then…”

Yo nodded awkwardly. Yoshiko nodded as well, just as awkward.

“I…”

Yoshiko picked up her back, which was on the bench next to her. “I need to go.”

Yo didn’t try to stop Yoshiko as she walked away, her head down, her posture stiff.

Yo felt like she was about to cry.

Everything was a mess, and Yo had no idea what to do to fix it.

[ao3feed-foryourlove]

by Pompomchan

Yohan is silent for an awfully long time and Moogyeong wonders if he has overstayed his welcome and needs to bolt.

“Then…”

Moogyeong looks up and Yohan is full on blushing now, his face is beet red. “Do you want to go to Gangneung again? Tomorrow?”

Moogyeong’s heart skips a beat. “Of course,” he says.

OR,

Moogyeong comes to visit Yohan for the first time after he joins university.

Words: 2756, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandom: 너의 사랑에 대하여 | For Your Love (Webcomic)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply

Category: M/M

Characters: Jung Yohan, Park Moogyeong

Relationship: Jung Yohan/Park Moogyeong

Additional Tags: long distance, College AU, Sort Of, moogyeong misses yohan, moogyeong travels landscapes to meet his beau, moogyeong is brave, Fluff, First Kiss, super late first kiss because yes they are that slow, set after Ch 50 and and before 55?, canon divergent after 50, Whatever, Canon Divergent, anyway they haven't had the first kiss in canon, ugh too many tags, bye

[lonelypond]

Moonlight Becomes You: Apocalypse Midnight Dance Party, Ch. 21

Love Live, Love Live Sunshine!, NicoMaki, NozoEli, DiaYou, 1.4K, 21/?

Summary: Dia and You chat; Nozomi has visitors.

Happy Tails To You

You moved gracefully through the halls. You moved gracefully everywhere, Dia had to admit. And suddenly Dia was under scrutiny.

“Cat got your thoughts?” “That’s not the phrase.” You stuck out her tongue, “Maybe it is and history forgot.”

Dia glanced around the grubby hallway, “Where are we?”

"My office…” You knocked sharply on a door, then opened it, waving Dia inside and grabbing a duffle bag from a bench, “”Grab a seat. I’m going to change. There’s some caffeinated stuff in the mini fridge. Don’t eat anything glowing.” “Wha…” Dia’s question was interrupted by You’s chuckle. “Kidding. Sit tight, Pim Diffy.”

Dia had decided ignoring You’s provocations was the only way to survive. 

You’s desk was neat. Several framed photos, one of a small, brightly smiling You next to a man on the deck of a ship, another of You and Kanan and a third girl, frolicking on the beach. There were a few...artifacts is the best that Dia could think of to call them, items cast in or forged from various metals that looked like they’d been salvaged from a shipwreck. And one walrus plushy. Dia couldn’t resist and picked it up.

“Nope. You can’t have that.” Dia hadn’t noticed the door open. You looked fresh in cargo pants, a light blue polo shirt, a navy knit cap, combat boots unlaced. She sat on the bench and started to tie them. “My favorite place in Japan.”

“Where?” “An aquarium. I worked there in high school.”

“Didn’t you grow up here?” 

“Mostly. My dad got a transfer in high school and I thought it would be cool. Chance to work with a world class diving coach.” You pointed to the wall behind Dia, where several medals had their own frame. “That’s just my show off for co workers set. You should see the ones I keep to show off for dates.” Dia crossed her arms, “No thank you.”

“Sorry.” You actually blushed and tried to run her hand through her hair, but instead just pushed the knit cap over her eyes. Dia giggled. 

After a briefly awkward silence, Dia got back to business, “So, why are we here?” “You mentioned a vaccine,” You said, “and here we have access to a lab.” Dia pulled out a thin, clear card with several circuit like lit segments, frowning…”I may have some research stored on my device…” Dia placed the card flat on You’s desk and twisted her fingers in the air above it, “but…”

Holographic kanji appeared in the air, glowing red. Dia frowned and pinched the one that read “Dissertation.”

“It was a good challenge. Reverse engineer the vaccine from Eli’s blood. Mom had told me stories about how out of control Eli had gotten before…” Dia spun the chair, “What happens if we can’t…” You leaned on her desk, braced on one arm, the other rubbing her cheek, “In theory, we already have…”

“Or I wouldn’t be here…” “Yeah.” You didn’t sound at all convinced.

“But…” Dia prodded.

You sighed, leaning in to just barely brush Dia’s shoulder, Dia wasn’t even certain the You had noticed the contact, “Yoshiko keeps seeing Apocalypse.” Dia shoved off the desk, shooting back to the wall, You’s treasured awards falling to the ground after they bounced off Dia's head.

“Bzzzzt.” Dia grumped. “Hey, watch my stuff.” You pushed Dia back to the desk.

Dia spun the chair, “Define apocalypses.”

You closed her eyes. “Flames, fire, darkness.”

“Sounds like wildfire season.” You shook her head, “Worse. Yohane has a prophet.” “Yohane has a prophet.” Dia repeated, eyes wide.

“It’s complicated. She’s from the future, like you are. Riko.” “RIKO?” Dia bolted up, “Riko Sakurauchi?” “Maybe.” “My sister’s songwriter is that flying disaster’s....prophet?!?!?!? BZZZZT. I will not permit it”

“Interesting tic.” “What?” ‘Bzzzttttt.”

Dia was right in You’s face, towering, “That is not a verbal tic, that is how I, Dia Kurosawa, express displeasure.”

You discovered that as furious as Dia was, she really didn’t mind being this close to her. “Your eyes are pretty.” Dia continued to loom for speechless seconds, then turned around, “I’m still not entirely sure this is not some elaborate prank.”

“I wish.” You scuffed the floor.

“Where is this lab?” Dia grabbed her card off You’s desk, “I need to see what equipment’s available. And I’m going to need some of Eli’s blood.” “I’ll text Kanan.” You pulled out her phone.

“Make sure you keep that feather brain away from me.”

“Yes ma’am.” 

Y: How’s your crazy? Mine’s way too hot.

K: Crowded. And Nico might kill someone. Y: Is that someone Yoshiko? K: Bingo.

Y: Runs in the family  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

“Lab, please.” Dia tapped You’s shoulder. “Just a minute.”

Y: We need an Eli blood sample. K: I’ll tell Nico.

Y: Let me know.

K: (b~_^)b

###

Yoshiko, no, Yohane, Nozomi corrected herself, had managed to climb on top of Nozomi’s small couch, wings swept out full and seeming cramped under Nozomi’s ceiling. Eli, all three tails wagging, was poised to leap at this new and fun feathered friend. Nozomi could see the future almost, sometimes, in her cards, but she didn’t need the seer’s gift to know what was going to happen next. Neither did Nico, who managed to shake herself out of the shock the appearance of Yohane’s wings had put her in.

“Eli, NO!” Nico ordered. 

Ready to play, Eli barked and leapt before Nozomi could grab her.  

Yoshiko waved her arms frantically, tilting herself off balance, screaming, “No doggie, good doggie, down doggie. HELP!” And then Eli crashed into Yoshiko, Yoshiko crashed into Kanan who had accurately predicted the disaster’s trajectory, and shoved up against the wall into Nozomi’s kitchen was an angel, Kanan, puppy pile, Eli excitedly bouncing on everyone.

Maki watched Nico. Anger and amused exasperation and concern and so many emotions flashed across her face. Settling on determined, she marched over to the pile, reached in, arms around Eli’s chest, yanked back, and let Eli lick her face happily.

“Nico is glad you’re in a good mood, Eli, but calm down.”

Eli woofed, tails wagging and bounded back to Nozomi, who ruffled the fur between her ears fondly.

“I made coffee.” Hanamaru stood in the doorway of the kitchen with a tray in hand, then glanced at where Yoshiko was morosely staring at a new hole in her jeans that Eli had torn, “Oh, that was the noise. Yoshiko, don’t wreck Nozomi’s furniture.” “It wasn’t me, it was that…” Wings fluttering, Yoshiko whined and pointed to Eli.

“Hey, you, pigeon of darkness.” Nico snapped. “Eli can’t help herself.”

“No, I don’t think she can.” Nozomi agreed.

“But she’s never had three tails before.”

Nozomi knelt next to Eli, Eli bopping Nozomi’s nose with her snout, “The face is different, dontcha think?”

Nico moved so she could get a better look, “Yeah, maybe, narrower. Nico’s not sure.” “It’s more like a fox.” Maki offered.

“Fox…” Nozomi’s eyes went wide, “Kitsune. They have….” “Three tails.” Kanan said.

“Or more.” Nozomi had a casual arm around Eli, who leaned into her.

“Oh, Eli, what are you doing?” Nico sighed.

“But she’s calmer, Nico. Isn’t that good?” Maki’s voice was quiet.

“Yeah, she was very aggressive when she changed at the studio.”

“She likes me.” Nozomi hugged Eli, who kept wagging.

“She likes Nico too.”

“She doesn’t like me.” Maki stepped through the crowded room, kneeling down to pet Eli, “but she’s friendly enough now.”

Yohane rose, hands hovering over Eli, “Yohane senses a divine touch, reaching from the past, to save us, a silent strength of the ancestors.”

“Sure, pigeon.” Nico snapped, then shook her head. “Nico’s never been on a set this weird and Nico’s done sci fi porn.”

“WHAT!” A startled Maki got Eli barking again. Nozomi went back to petting, eyes roving over Eli as if to memorize every detail.

“Kidding,” Nico winked, “It was an animated parody of sci fi porn and still not as weird as this.”

Maki, arms crossed across her torso, slunk back to the corner by the stairs.

Kanan’s phone went off. She typed a few messages. “It’s You. We need a blood sample from Eli.” “Why?” Nico asked sharply.

“Can’t say.” “Can’t say?” Nico had a new target. Maki wondered when they could get some time alone together. “You better say.”

Eli with a soft bark broke away from Nozomi and walked to Kanan, bumping against Kanan’s leg until she was acknowledged. 

“Do you want to go see You, Eli?” Kanan asked.

Eli wagged her tails. “I’m going too.” Nico announced. “Of course you are.” Maki muttered.

“No one else move.” Nico turned, grabbed Maki’s arm and started pulling her downstairs.

“Coffee?” Hanamaru asked.

Nozomi snorted. Eli yawned.

A/N: Hello.

[lonelypond]

Moonlight Becomes You: Apocalypse Midnight Dance Party, Ch. 20

NozoEli, NicoMaki, Love Live, Love Live Sunshine, 1.7k, 20/?

Summary: Nozomi and Eli's date is not what Eli...or Nozomi expects at all. And can Nico and Maki have one uninterrupted meal?

What The Hell, Eli?

““Hey I recognize this neighborhood.” Eli sat up, sniffing. She could smell the Russian spices in the air. Nozomi had brought her back to Nozomi’s shop/apartment.

Nozomi giggled.

“This has the best chocolate in LA?”

“No, I picked it up from Jin’s Patissierre before I picked you up.”

“So no restaurant.” Eli felt overdressed and suddenly on the spot. She could feel her neck get prickly.

Nozomi laughed, “I thought we could talk more privately.” Nozomi parked and when Eli didn’t get out of the car walked over to open her door, “Plus, is it my fault all the best places are takeout?”

Eli sat, stiff, arms crossed, “I dressed up.” Eli glanced at Nozomi, “You dressed up.”

“And you look lovely.” Nozomi grinned, “Why can’t we have a date here?”

Eli pouted.

“It really is the best chocolate in LA.” Nozomi sighed, “I will drive you home or to any restaurant you want, if you really want that.” Nozomi crouched, her green eyes worried, “You just seemed like you needed to talk about something. And I wanted you to feel safe. You trust me don’t you?”

Eli heard Nico’s voice in her head, “You trusted Nico. Trust Eli.”

Nozomi stood, about to close the car door. Eli put out her hand. “I do like chocolate.”

“So I heard.” Nozomi stepped back, “We can watch a movie or something. You don’t have to talk, if you don’t want to.”

“Okay.” Eli got out of the car, Nozomi giving her space.

And then Eli felt herself being grabbed in a strong, warm hug, Nozomi’s voice soft in her ear. “But when you want to talk...”

###

Booksmart was a good choice, Nozomi thought. Eli was relaxing, the chocolate had been a hit. And now that the final credits had rolled, there was opportunity to get to know Eli better.

Eli stretched and turned to Nozomi with a smile, “That was a relief.”

“How?” Nozomi leaned in. Her couch was more of a love seat so there wasn’t much space between them. She’d sat first and let Eli choose between joining her or the beanbag chair.

Eli chuckled, “Usually when I’m watching a movie it’s for the podcast so Nico keeps up a running commentary.”

“Nico huh,” Nozomi poked Eli in the ribs, “I remember hearing your voice on those podcasts.”

Eli blushed, “Well, I have gotten used to keeping up with Nico.”

‘I guess you can get used to anything.”

Eli’s face darkened for a second, but then she smiled brightly, “So did you like the movie?”

“You heard me laughing.”

“Yeah. It was pretty good. Can’t imagine things like that happening.”

“Didn’t you go to parties in high school?”

“No.”

Nozomi’s smile was wry, “Me neither. But I bet Mari partied like that.”

“Yeah, I think that was actually the weirdest party I’ve been to…” Eli shrugged, “Nico drags me to some, but they’re premieres so more red carpet, less dance on the pool table in some fancy mansion.”

“But you dance so well.”

Eli blushed again, ducking her head, but then staring into Nozomi’s eyes, “Any chocolate left?”

“So you’re only here for the chocolate?”

Eli shook her head.

“How about some tea too. I picked up some from next door I thought you might like.”

“Ooohh, that sounds good.”

Nozomi stood up, ready to bustle in the kitchen, and Eli glanced at her phone.

“Expecting a call.” Nozomi couldn’t help the disappointment.

“No, no.” Eli bounced up, “Just curious how Nico’s date is going.” Eli paused, “I’ve kind of been in the way and I feel bad.”

“So you want it to go well.”

“Nico deserves someone who appreciates her.”

“Don’t you?”

“It’s different when a person’s in love with you.”

Nozomi had her back turned as she measured out tea, “Which you know from experience?”

A pained laugh, “No. I guess actually that’s the romantic in me coming out, thinking it’s better if you’re in love. I wouldn’t know. Haven’t dated since college. Got dumped.”

Nozomi turned to take a long, appreciative look at Eli, “They weren’t into super hot blonde dance goddesses? Because, spoiler, I am.”

Cute girls blushing was pretty much everything that was right in the universe, especially right here on Nozomi’s home. Eli seemed to be getting more restless though, pacing, rubbing her forehead…

“Getting a headache?”

“Yeah. It happens sometimes.” Eli flumped onto Nozomi’s couch, frowning as she leaned her head into her hands, muttering to herself.

“Need aspirin or…”

“No.” Eli shook herself, “Maybe the tea will help?”

“Here you go.” Nozomi poured a steady stream into the cup but Eli’s hands on the saucer were shaky, not graceful. And then the saucer dropped, spilling tea everywhere and Eli pitched forward, curled up in a ball on the ground.

“Eli?” Nozomi was on her knees, reaching out to Eli.

“Call Nico.” Eli’s eyes were wide and panicked, her mouth clamped down on what Nozomi was sure were whimpers.

###

"So Nico was sprinting through the airport chasing this driver for someone named Nik Yazik, while Nico’s actual driver was chasing after me, while Nik Yazik was chasing after her...”

Laughing, Nico leaned forward, sparkling, ruby eyes burnished and bright, strawberry lips carved into a smile, and Maki had never been happier. So, of course, that’s when Rin’s business emergency ringtone went off.

Nico frowned.

“Sorry, Nico. That’s our emergency ringtone. I’ll be as quick as I can.” Maki pulled out her phone.

Nico nodded, taking the opportunity to steal a bite of Maki’s dessert.

“What’s the matter, Rin...yes, Nico’s here with me, why…”

Nico froze in mid chew.

“What did you say...Eli?...okay, okay…”

Nico grabbed Maki’s phone out of her hand, “What happened to Eli?”

“Huh...Oh, Nico! Hi, Nico! Maki thinks you’re really cute. How’s your date going?”

Nico gritted out each word, “What happened to Eli?”

“This Nozomi person wouldn’t say, just that Eli was at her place and said to call you. Sounded like she was in some kind of trouble. Do I need to call the cops?”

“DON”T CALL THE COPS!” Everyone in the restaurant was now looking at Nico, who grimaced, tossed Maki’s phone back at her, “We have to go. NOW.” Nico waved at Mama Gianelli, “Put it on Nico’s tab.”

Mama Gianelli nodded, “Take care of Eli.”

“Nico always does.”

And now they were sprint walking toward where the cars were and Nico was keeping up a constant flow of commentary, “I knew there was going to be trouble....Eli just can’t cope….how much of a disaster lesbian do you have to be....stupid Eli wrecking Nico’s....” Nico stopped and Maki ran into her, causing both of them to stumble down the sidewalk. Fortunately, Nico managed to stay on her feet.

“Maki.” Turning, Nico had Maki’s hands, “I’m so sorry. But....”

“Eli’s family.” Maki finished Nico’s sentence, grinning as Nico’s eyes widened and a smile replaced the grumpy wrinkled frown.

Nico grabbed Maki in a huge hug that made Maki grunt as the air escaped her torso. When Nico released her Maki decided they were taking her car. “Nico, I’m driving. You’re too emotional.”

###

Nozomi dealt the cards, pushing away the wet nose that kept pushing into her hands to be petted.

“Let’s see what the cards have to say about your future now.”

The creature that had finished where Eli started sat next to Nozomi, watching the cards as she dealt them out face down on the low table and then flipped them. Nozomi could feel the intelligence so she just explained like she would if the Eli she started the afternoon with were sitting next to her.

“Four of Cups, reversed.” Nozomi turned to the angular, almost foxlike face, somehow different from her first encounter with four legged Eli, a difference more than lighting. “Are you ready to be brave?”

The reply was a sharp yip.

“Good girl.” Nozomi turned over the next card, “Queen of Swords. Reversed. Someone hasn’t been the best influence on you.”

No response.

“And finally, The Star.” Nozomi giggled, “It looks like you, well, non furry you. Blonde and strong and focused.”

Eli barked.

Nozomi reshuffled. “Sometimes, there’s some more information needed so we have one more card.” Nozomi revealed the Two Of Pentacles, a lively fellow with a pentacle in each hand. “This means balance, Eli. It’s a good sign.”

Nozomi considered the array of cards she’d drawn. Eli had obviously had a strong female influence in her life who wasn’t supportive and made Eli wary of new connections, but by reaching out Eli could have a bright future, with happiness and balance.

“Who hurt you, Eli? Was it Nico?”

Eli cocked her head at Nozomi, bright blue eyes confused. Nozomi reached out a careful hand, wondering if she could touch Eli’s ears, but the creature shied away. This was why Kanan and Yoshiko had dragged Eli down to the beach. But what were they up to? Did they transform as well? Some of the Yoshiko-Yohane confusion would make more sense then. Nozomi was going to have a serious talk with Hanamaru as soon as Eli was safe and restored to what Nozomi suspected was her native form.

Frantic banging on the door downstairs, and Nico’s voice carrying through the open window. “Hey, open up, Eli, where are you?”

Eli recognized Nico’s voice and howled. Nozomi hurried downstairs, Eli carefully following, sniffing everything in reach of her nose, even if they were the same things she’d sniffed on her way upstairs.

Nozomi opened the door, Nico rushed past her, Maki stepping in with a polite nod. As soon as Eli noticed Maki, there was a throaty gekkering noise and Nico frowned.

“We talked about this Eli. Maki is not a threat.”

Maki took a step back, leaning against the archway, watching Nico.

Nico was staring at Eli, who was still sniffing her way around the room.

“Three?” Nico muttered, turning to confront Nozomi, “What did you do?”

“A Tarot reading.”

“Did that give her extra tails?”

“When she changed…” Nozomi was not going to forget that scene anytime soon, “this is how she looked.”

Nico dropped to the floor, legs crossed, “What the hell, Eli? What are you doing?” Eli, responding to her name, trotted up to Nico, nudging at her.

“I might know people who can help.” Nozomi’s voice attracted Eli’s attention back to her, and Nozomi knelt to pet the friendliest of her visitors.

Nico sighed. “Kanan, right?”

“And Yoshiko.”

Nico rolled her eyes, “Oh this’ll be fun. Another party.” She facepalmed, muttering. Maki began to look concerned and stepped forward, kneeling to hug Nico.

“Call ‘em,” Nico said through her fingers, “Call any damn body who might know what’s going on.”

A/N: Tired, but here you go. Take care.

[lonelypond]

Moonlight Becomes You: Apocalypse Midnight Dance Party, Ch. 19

NicoMaki, Love Live/Love Live Sunshine, 1.2K, 19/?

Summary: You takes Dia for a drive and Nico and Maki finally get some alone time.

Driving and Disco

Dia seemed to have a permanent scowl, her upper lip scrunched up and her nose scrunched down as she stared out the window of You’s car. And You was trying really really hard not to be nervous. Technically, Dia hadn’t been born yet, so surely that meant You had already said whatever it was she was going to say and Dia probably hadn’t shoved You out of the car. Or did it? You shoved her hat back. This was even more confusing than the usual Yohane messes. Time to mainline time travel movies. Were there any cheerful ones? Right now, the only one You could remember was Terminator and while Dia was reserved, surely she wasn’t a killer robot.

“So is it very different?” You ventured before she started down the Dia destroying property path.

“Every car on the road is a carbon criminal. And they smell.” Dia leaned into her hand, her elbow jutting out from the opened window.

“Well, at least there’s progress.” You tried for cheery.

“Very little here, truthfully. It’s no wonder my parents decided to spend most of their time in Japan.”

You sighed. “So is there anything you like about LA?”

Dia considered, “I’ve always liked the Malibu house.”

“Seems a little cold.”

Dia shook her head, finally smiling, “Not with Mom around. She could make the surface of the moon warm and bright. And Mama would always take us outside to look at the stars. Too many satellites, but the view could still be pretty amazing. Ruby liked all the quiet.”

“Mom is Nico, Mama Maki, right?”

Dia nodded.

“Well, I love the Pacific. There’s some beautiful views. I’m always grateful I’ve been assigned here. The Great Lakes weren’t quite the same.”

Dia seemed puzzled. “Great Lakes?”

“In the midwest, Lake Erie, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron…”

“Oh.”

“I was a liaison with the RCMP.”

“RCMP?”

“Royal Canadian Mounted Police.”

“Ah.” Dia found something she could approve of, “Your superiors must have a lot of trust in you to assign you to international cases.”

“I am extremely reliable.” You saluted.

“Which is why you’re involved with that winged demon....”

“Technically, she’s a fallen angel and the rest of us are demons.”

“What?”

You chuckled. “Sorry, old joke.”

“Explain.” Dia demanded.

You sighed, “I’d rather not. I sense Yoshiko is still not vibing with you.” You flicked on the turn signal, “Why don’t you tell me about your sister?”

Silence. Green eyes glared, like a dangerous bit of wave about to crash You back to the beach.

“Then tell me something that might help us get your parents together?”

 ###

“I don’t LOVE pizza.” Maki insisted.

Nico laughed, “You just ranked all the pizza places in Malibu and half of the ones in Silver Lake. Nico doesn’t believe you.”

“I haven’t heard about this one.”

“Hidden treasure. Nico knows all the best places to take pretty girls.”

Maki stopped, blushing. It took Nico a couple of steps to realize she’d lost her audience.

“Maki?”

“Are we really going on a date?”

“Yes.”

“Without…”

Nico sighed, carefully watching Maki’s body language, So much hesitation, turned mostly away, very wary, no eye contact. Not the open invitation to a carefree evening Nico wanted. Nico reached out and took Maki’s hand, “The pizza’s great, Nico really wants to hear all about whatever you want to tell Nico, and can we just pretend neither of us is wondering if I’ll get a phone call.”

Maki squeezed Nico’s hand, suddenly enthusiastic. “Sure. But I might talk a lot. You won’t believe the song requests I got in Toronto. I’ll need a disco ball soon.”

“Disco is evil.” Nico said flatly.

“Are you actually gay? Disco is…” Maki paused, her face scrunched up into thinking mode, her eyes twinkling, “dance joy.”

NIco pulled Maki closer to bump shoulders, still holding hands and enjoying the warmth building between their palms, “ Nico will demonstrate exactly how gay she is at exactly the right romantic moment. And disco is…”

Maki broke away to do some silly dance move from an even sillier movie, her arms cutting through the air, “An apocalypse survival tool.”

“What?”

“Disco is an apocalypse survival tool. Kylie Minoghue knows it, Carly Rae Jepsen keeps teasing it, Dia Lupa and Doja Cat are driving people to the dancefloor, and…”

“Stop.” Nico held up a hand. “I’ll turn off my phone if you stop talking about disco.”

Maki stared, Nico’s face was...beautiful, tired, amused, and a little sad. Maki suddenly knew, like the cork on champagne finally loosening to pop, that Nico meant it, she would shut off her phone, ignoring any Eli problems, that Nico was offering what she thought Maki wanted. But what Maki wanted was Nico.

Maki laughed. It was her choice. And she chose Nico, who tilted her head, curious about Maki’s amusement.

“I’m sorry Nico, I just can’t stop talking about disco. Not even for you.” Hands on her hips, Maki dared Nico to disagree.

Nico blinked, too surprised at Maki’s answer to hide it. Then she reclaimed Maki’s hand to pull her along, “Nico’s going to pick all the best toppings. It’s a good thing you’ll be so busy eating the best pizza ever that you won’t have time to talk. Better get it all out of your system now.”

“Dancing, euphoria, angst, lust, pulsing against someone on the dance floor, Donna Summer, Thelma Houston, …” Maki stopped, closing her eyes, head bobbing to the tune she was hearing, arms queueing up songs, hips swaying, “Surviving, staying alive, being alive…” Maki’s voice dropped and she sang,

Push. Press. More. Less. Here together What's your pleasure? Stop. Go. Fast. Slow. Here together What's your pleasure?

Nico knew, in a deep in her core way, why so many pretty people rushed to be next to the Diamond Princess at every one of her gigs. Maki was magnetic, unaware of her own allure. Before dinner, a shadowy sidewalk, traffic noises for a soundtrack was not Nico’s first choice for making a move, but maybe this time the universe wouldn’t dump someone on her head. She stepped forward, hands reaching for Maki’s hips, and those gorgeous eyes flew open, Maki staring down, seemingly stunned. Nico began to dance, keeping the same rhythm, Maki matching move for move, Nico pushing closer to those hips.

Nico got as near Maki’s ear as she could, grinning when the taller redhead leaned closer to hear what Nico was whispering.

“Nico can’t resist. Do I have to?”

Maki’s eyes were so wide, as bright as full gem moons, as deep as the distance to Mars. She bit her lip, Nico now so close to her nose the tips were brushing.

“Please?”

Maki nodded, swallowing and Nico pulled her in, lips a tender tease, pressing eagerly forward when Maki murmured a yes, both their legs trembling. But Nico’s hands were sure and Maki, after the initial uncertainty, slid her arms over Nico’s shoulders, and continued her dance, refusing to break away from kissing for more than short breaths. Nico was beginning to wish they were in a car. Pizza could be delivered later, after all. And then Maki’s body was flush against her, and Nico was feeling curves push ever closer, and her fingers were in Maki’s hair, and there was no room for even the shortest breath between them.

A/N: A short chapter to get me back in this story zone after AU Yeah August and a busy summer.

And we finally get a kiss.

Lyrics are from Jessie Ware's "What's Your Pleasure."

[lonelypond]

Moonlight Becomes You:  Apocalypse Midnight Dance Party, Ch. 17

NicoMaki, NozoEli, Love Live/Love Live Sunshine, 1.7K, 17/?

Summary: Nozomi wakes up, Maki should have stayed asleep, and You and Dia discuss a danger.

Morning After Heartaches

Dia woke up first, but she'd learned, so she took a moment to orient herself in time. Yes, she was at the Malibu mansion, but no, her mothers were not yet her mothers. So she had to be be very careful not to just collapse in a heap of tears and rage. This was all the fault of that Yohane person...if Dia ever got near her again, feathers would certainly fly, Dia had no intention of ever getting near that distress of a disaster again, but then, how would she get back to…

"BZZZZZTTTT!" Dia hissed, flinging her arm out.

Nico and You both rushed in from the kitchen, concerned. Maki grunted and rolled over, distracting Nico briefly while You approached Dia.

"Nightmare?" You asked brightly.

Dia closed her eyes, it was far too early for cheerfulness. "Yes, this is still the nightmare."

"Does your head hurt?" Nico asked.

Dia gritted her teeth, almost deciding to revert to Japanese and plead confusion. But then her grandmother walked in, dropping purse and jacket on the counter, quickly taking in the room.

"Guess I came home at the right time."

"Oh, hey, Doc." You waved. "Our patient just had a nightmare. And I made my dad's legendary French toast."

"What a treat." Dr. Nishikino detoured to the plate You had left on the counter, leaning over to sniff, "Could I convince you to move in as a full time chef?"

You chuckled.

"Hello." Dia snapped. "Does anyone remember me?"

Nico rolled her eyes, "Nico will get you a plate."

Dia stood, "I can manage."

"Well, you didn't collapse so I guess my exam can wait until after we eat something." Dr. Nishikino decided as she cut through crispy fluffy gourmet breakfast bread with a fork and debated whether to wake her daughter. Best to let sleeping DJs lie, at least until the second round of French toast.

Dia, arms wrapped around her torso, stepped around You, and shuffled toward the kitchen, The smell of warm, cinnamony sweetness was a definite pull.

"How was your night, Maki's Mama?" Nico asked, as she took her own stack of slices.

"Not too busy, but there…" Dr, Nishikino looked to You, "is an increase in the number of assault victims who are coming in…"

Nico paled, "Assault?"

You stepped in, "Gang fight type of things, but we can't figure out the gangs. There's no pattern."

Dia was enjoying the French toast and trying to remember stories her parents had told her about when they'd met. And Eli and Nico's adventures in LA. Had Eli made her final transformation yet?

"How many tails does Eli have?" Dia muttered as Maki distracted most of the room by throwing herself off the couch with a shout.

You handed Dia the maple syrup and whispered, "Shhhh….And tell me what you mean. LATER."

###

Nozomi woke up with a pounding head, in a warm pile. She opened her eyes. She was splayed across the head of a bed, pilllows bunched underneath her, the fair hair of Hanamaru and the midnight darkness of Yoshiko's mingling a few inches off her nose. Nozomi giggled and blew out some air, to see how much she could stir. Yoshiko grunted and swatted at something to her left, but Hanamaru's eyes snapped open and Nozomi was suddenly caught in an ancient gaze.

"No, Zura." Hanamaru whispered.

"Hanamaru, you're so cruel." Nozomi whined.

Hanamaru's lips pursed into her stubborn pout, which both Nozomi and Yoshiko found adorable. Hanamaru reached up with the hand furthest from her sleeping lover and poked Nozomi on the cheek. "Coffee."

Nozomi groaned and sat up, careful not to disturb the snoring angel. Hanamaru wouldn't make the good Turkish coffee if Yoshiko was discomfited at all. Nozomi took a pillow she could curl up around in the beanbag chair as Hanamaru shuffled around the small kitchen, "Scone?" Hanamaru asked.

Nozomi shook her head, "Hangover. Just coffee."

"Eat something. It'll help."

"Oatmeal? Soup? Something mushy and warm?" Nozomi asked.

"Chicken noodle porridge?" Hanamaru giggled.

"Sure." Nozomi yawned, her headache intensifying with the muscle movement, "As long as I can just sip."

"Oatmeal through a straw."

"Just put everything in the blender."

"No noise." Hanamaru grumbled.

"Right." Nozomi shoved her chin into the pillow, wondering if Eli was up, what she had for breakfast? Blintzes with a blonde? What would that taste like?

Hanamaru shoved a glass of juice in Nozomi's face, "You'll never know if you don't ask her out."

"Are you telepathic now?"

Hanamaru shook her head, "You're just obvious."

Nozomi raised the glass, "Kanpai!"

###

Nico and Maki were sitting on a deck down the slope from the house, staring out at the ocean, the quiet comfortable after all the bustle of the long night.

"Weird night, huh?" Maki yawned.

"One of the weirdest…" Nico acknowledged, "Although I've been to stranger parties." She reached out for Maki's hand, "I bet you have too."

Maki shrugged, "A DJ never tells."

"Good to know." Nico squeezed Maki's hand.

"Wonder what'll happen Saturday?" Maki said, sitting back with a half grin. The mood was a basking one and then suddenly the ease was blasted.

"Saturday?" Nico turned, "Nico hopes nothing too exciting. Nico's got a gig."

Maki tensed, "A gig?"

"Convention appearance. Flying out Saturday morning for a day of meet and greets."

"But the party…"

"What party?"

Maki stood, "We talked about it in the music room, you like crazy parties, food trucks, rafting, I'm throwing one for us Saturday."

"But Nico's booked."

"You didn't say."

"Who just decides to throw a party?" Nico frowned, "Have you actually invited anyone yet?"

Maki humpphed, her arms holding her torso, "You. Rin." A hesitation, "My TWIG followers."

"Ugh." Nico groaned, "Just postpone it, Nico promises to come to the next one."

"No." Maki turned away, pouting.

"Nico is sorry, but…"

Maki whirled, arms flying out, words coming out in a tangled snarl, "Nico is always sorry...you, you make yourself follow Eli everywhere, you're always busy, we don't get any time alone...:"

"Nico didn't make anybody fall into the pool. Or get a concussion. And a party isn't time alone.'

"You're perfectly happy when there's a house full of people, or Eli needs you or...You...or Dia.. I can't even...you just run from person to person...but you never…" Maki spluttered.

Nico stepped in, but Maki stepped back, snapping "There's never an us."

Nico tried to reach for a hand, "That's not true. I want to spend time with you. You, on my couch, working on Nico's music was the best..."

And that was it…"On Nico's music." A snort and Maki got very calm. "Everything for Nico. Not Maki. The car should be here soon. For Nico. Good night."

And Maki charged toward the house, as Nico's futile "It's morning" got lost in a crash of the surf. Nico dropped into a chair, exasperated. It had been a long night and this explosion, at least the part over Eli, had probably been hovering for several days.

###

You and Dia were on the balcony and Nico and Maki's shouting was as clear as if they were in the same room. You was shocked at the volume and the emotion, stunned silent until Maki returned to the house with a door slam that in a less well braced location would have caused a landslide. They watched Nico sit for awhile, staring up at the house, then approach the car pulling up to the garage, exchange a few words with the driver and step inside.

"She's not going to chase down Maki? They're just leaving it like this?" You was tempted to poke Dia, to make sure this past wasn't unravelling her existence.

"Momma usually makes Mama keep…" Dia paused, "talking it out until everything's calmed down."

"But they love each other right?"

Dia looked amused, "To the death, almost."

You leaned into the railing, "I thought love was supposed to be calmer?"

"Maybe it is for some people." Dia leaned in parallel, a respectable distance away from You, "but my sister and her wife clash all the time, over the silliest things. Just like they do. Still."

"What about you?"

Dia turned her head, green eyes clear as a crystal sea, "I don't have a wife."

"Noted." You chuckled, "So what's your flirt style?"

"I do not believe I have one."

"Everyone does."

Dia held You's glance for a long moment, then turned away with a shrug, "I keep busy."

Like Nico, You thought. "So what's dating like in the future. Sexbots? Virtual dates on Mars?"

"I thought the future was off limits as a topic, Lt. Commander Watanabe." Dia's tone was arch.

"Oops, you caught me." You chuckled and ruffled her own hair, "So what did you mean when you said how many tails did Eli have?"

Dia sighed, pausing to remember old family stories, "At some point, Eli transformed...less wolf, more kitsune...something about her family tree...they used her blood for the vaccine."

"Vaccine?" You grabbed Dia's shoulder, startling the taller woman, "vaccine for what?"

"Aren't we breaking fifty rules of time travel or something?" Dia asked coldly.

"I don't care." You's intensity had a contagious quality, Dia felt her pulse rate increase as blue eyes demanded a response

Maki slid the door open, startling them, and You dropped her hands and hopped back. Maki sounded like she'd been crying, "Mama needs to go to sleep but she wants to make sure Dia doesn't have a concussion."

"Of course." You nodded, then whispered at Dia, "Vaccine for what?"

"I'll be right there, Ma…" Dia stopped herself before she finished saying Mama and Maki nodded and slid the door shut, "Some kind of mutagen or a rabies like virus, I don't exactly remember details, but it was affecting the cryptid community in LA." Dia's eyes widened, "We're in LA."

"Yes."

"And Grandmother mentioned increased assaults."

"Yes." You bit her lip. "Do you remember anything else?"

Dia shook her head, "I might have some old notes, if I could get to them…"

You didn't want another interuption and pointed to the door. "Go let your grandmother look you over before your mother throws me into the ocean."Ap

"She might." Dia nodded, tossing her next comment with a sunrise stunner of a smile as she stepped into the house, "But then she'd feel better. So I'd thank you after you swam back to shore."

You leaned back, staring at the sky, muttering to herself. "Yeah, there's the family flirt style. It leaves bruises."

A/N: Ah, for an ocean view.

[lonelypond]

Moonlight Becomes You:  Apocalypse Midnight Dance Party, Ch. 15

NicoMaki, YohaMaru, Love Live/Love Live Sunshine!, 1.4K 15/?

Summary: Summary: Nico makes food for the lingerers; Yoshiko chooses a more liquid option.

Afterparty

The party was down to You, sitting in front of the fire, looking bored, staring out the windows into the darkness over the Pacific, in a very pretty blue ombre hoodie sweater dress. Nico was leading the way back to the kitchen, Maki following after Dia, probably making sure their head injury case didn’t tilt over into a wall. 

“Hungry?” Nico asked, startling You, who was getting used to silence. “And that dress looks a lot better than those shorts.” Nico winked.

You blushed and stood hastily, as Maki glared briefly before following Nico into the kitchen.

“What do you need, Nico? How can I help?” 

“How about omurice? Do you have eggs? Or leftover rice?” “Instant rice.” Maki offered.

Nico clucked her tongue as Dia settled into the counter where she could watch her parents. Maki fumbled in cabinets, obviously unsure where everything was. You settled next to her, careful to keep some distance.

“Eggs are usually in the refrigerator.” Nico said as she discovered where the pots and pans were stashed.

“I know that.” Maki grumbled as Nico shook her head, rolling her eyes at Dia. It was so familiar and yet so strange. Dia almost dropped her head down into her hands, but held herself back for fear of triggering a group panic about a potential concussion.

“How are you feeling? Did you get any rest?” You asked softly.

Dia felt her eyebrow arch at the familiarity and refused to directly respond, “That is an improvement on those shorts. I hope you discarded them.”

You sighed, “You definitely take after your mothers.”

“What do you mean by that?” Dia snapped, turning to face You.

You shrugged, amusement glinting deep in her sea blue eyes, “”At least your grandmother likes me.”

“Maybe you do better in a professional setting.” You tapped her chest, “Direct hit. I am ever the professional.”

Nico had progressed to chopping onions, refusing to hand Maki a knife so Maki was half keeping an eye on her visitors, watching Nico, and spilling coffee grounds across the counter as she missed the opening of the coffeeemaker by just a few centimeters. Nico reached out a hand to point back to the counter and Maki froze.

“Go sit down. Nico has this. We probably don’t need the caffeine.”

“I always need the caffeine.”

“Me too.” You piped in.

Maki grinned at Nico, hands on her hips, “I wouldn’t be a proper host if I didn’t make coffee for my guests, who are in so much need.” Nico frowned at You, “I think we count as her hostages.” Maki grumbled. “It’s my house.”

Nico shrugged and slid the onions off the cutting board into the wok. 

“Are they always like this?” You leaned in to whisper at Dia, as Nico’s stirring the onions clattered enough to cover her question. Maki had gone back to coffee making.

Dia ignored the question.

You chuckled.

###

Yoshiko, Hanamaru sleeping in her arms, was glad that flying home was automatic, and that no cherubim, four faces angry, multiple swords sharp, were chasing them. No, instead, Yoshiko could focus on the warmth of the person in her arms, the way Hanamaru seemed to merge into her torso, the way that Hanamaru had always just tucked right into her arms. And now, Yoshiko was going to tuck Hanamaru into their bed and forget for at least half a day how bad a decision timedropping Dia seemed to be.

Yoshiko settled softly to Earth, pressing tender kisses lightly through Hanamaru’s soft, fair hair. With a nod the door opened and Yoshiko stepped through, her senses immediately picking up on their visitor. Nozomi. Fallen asleep on her favorite chaise for lounging and watching terrible reality tv shows with Hanamaru. Her long dark hair splayed around her face. Her entire aura sadness. Yoshiko sighed. No sleep yet for the fallen. Yoshiko carried Hanamaru into their bedroom, reached into the cabinet where medicinal tequila was kept, grabbed a bottle, two shot glasses, and returned to the sitting room.

Yoshiko poked Nozomi with the tequila bottle, causing her ‘guest’ to startle. “Hi.” Yoshiko said grimly, “What’s up?”

Nozomi pulled a throw around her, “Didn’t want to go home alone.”

Yoshiko put the glasses on the small table, poured out two shots, and grabbed the one closest to her, “One hard drink, one hard truth. Yohane commands the fires to cleanse us.”  Yoshiko took a shook and as the twelve year old tequila burned her throat, she spoke aloud what the shadows of Truth had been whispering to her, “I’m an idiot.” She slammed her glass on the table.

“Probably.” Nozomi took a deep breath, then  grimaced as she downed her shot, “I’m a coward.”

And her glass slammed down.

“Zura” a sleepy yawn came from the doorway and both women glanced up to see Hanamaru blinking at them, “You’re both too noisy.” “Sorry, my sweet.” Yoshiko moved over but Hanamaru shook her head and slid next to Nozomi.

Yoshiko poured another round of shots.

Hanamaru turned to Nozomi, “We’re coming back to your bravery problem.” Then Hanamaru pointed to her partner, “What specifically are you talking about?” 

Yoshiko downed another shot. Another slam and she threw back her head, to stare morosely at the ceiling.  “I don’t understand the prophesy and nothing is clearing.”

“What exactly was this prophecy? Divination is tricky.” Nozomi was curious.

Yoshiko did her best shocked face. “Direct knowledge is only for the seer and Yohane knows too well the slippery labyrinth that glimpses of the future open onto. ” Hanamaru was still yawning. “And can you remember any details?” 

Yoshiko closed her eyes, eyelashes fluttering wildly. Hanamaru liked to imagine they were tiny wings that kept back the glory of reflected celestial fires. “Daughter of the Princess and the Star, same age as her mother, lots of fire and screaming and thunder crying.”

Nozomi held back, “Are you sure you got it right?” “Daughter same age as her mother, pretty simple.” Yoshiko repeated. “Yohane carries knowledge too weighty for mortals, bridging the abyss to...

“Which mother?” Hanamaru asked sharply.

Yoshiko stared, “What?”

“It’s like a Sphinx riddle. Which mother?” “What?” Yoshiko squawked.

Nozomi couldn’t help it. She giggled. Here was the glorious, furious Yohane, who screamed warnings about world ending apocalypses sitting in front of her in torn jeans and a Death Metal t-shirt getting schooled by her mild mannered wife on puzzle logic.

Hanamaru leaned forward, fully awake, “Dia-san has two mothers. Are they the same age? And which one does the prophecy concern.

Nozomi’s giggles continued, “Or maybe she has a sister.” Oh, Nozomi thought, this is what a mic drop moment feels like. Yoshiko eyes has widened in horror and Hanamaru had clutched Nozomi’s hand hard enough to force a wince.

“What?” Yoshiko’s voice had gone shrill.

“Does she have a sister, who might also qualify as a daughter of…” Yohane shot to her feet, leaving the ground, “The abyss reaches out to grab one who once touched the highest of highs, to pull through torment to the…” “It isn’t.” Hanamaru snapped, reaching to grab a rising Yoshiko by the belt loop and pull her down to Earth. “But if you’re still seeing...what you’re seeing, that might explain…” “I can’t...there’s a meeting.” Yoshiko glanced surreptitiously at Nozomi, “Kanan might bring a few new members...and You’s going to need help.”

“I’ll take care of it.” Hanamaru decided.

“But Zura…” “I can ask Riko. She knows Dia, right, didn’t she say part of the prophecy was someone she knew?” “Yeah, that was in the song.” Yoshiko hummed.

“Just a quick afternoon visit. Don’t worry.” Hanamaru had Yoshiko’s hand and raised it to kiss.

“All right, Zuramaru, but be careful.” Yoshiko sounded serious enough to surprise Nozomi.

“Where does Riko live?” 

“There.” Yohane intoned, her arms sweeping in front of her, and Nozomi sensed something waiting, just outside this small, cozy sphere of comfort.

“Whe…” 

Hanamaru now had Nozomi’s hands, and yanked so Nozomi was facing her, “Don’t ask.” Nozomi looked into amber pools that suddenly seemed as ancient as Yoshiko claimed to be. Caught for a moment, Nozomi pulled back before the mood ossified her, “So we’re not coming back to me. I don't ask you, you don't ask me.” “Oh, just ask her out, Nozomi. Yohane commands it.” Yoshiko stood, arms thrown to the ceiling. “Yohane fell for love. And Love’s bedded bosom was soft and welcoming.”

“Zura!”

Yoshiko winked, “Try it.”

A/N: It's a crazy apocalypse party out there so stay safe, stay home, and maybe howl -- or read Casual Lunacy again ; )

[lonelypond]

Moonlight Becomes You: Apocalypse Midnight Dance Party, Ch. 12

Love Live/Love Live Sunshine, NozoEli, KanaMari, NicoMaki, YohaMaru, 2.6K, 12/?

Summary: PARTY

And We Dance

Time Stamp: In the future the liberals want, as Dia Kurosawa wings across the Pacific enroute to an angelic encounter

Riko hated the initial surge of jealousy she got every time she and Sarah were invited to stay at the Kurosawa Malibu estate. She and Sarah had chosen to make LA their base, while Ruby and Leah spent most months in Japan. And when Ruby and Leah were actually in LA, Sarah and RIko just temporarily moved into the Malibu mansion so the Kazuno sisters could spend as much time as possible together and the Ruby-Leah duo could record without too much discomfort to the reclusive Ruby. Ruby’s mothers had built a state of the art recording studio on the grounds soon after their marriage and kept it updated as their careers merged.

The house was huge and gorgeous and well lit and had so many cozy romantic nooks it was practically a honeymoon getaway, except for the occasional interruption by Leah, who was literally the grumpy little sister third wheel. And sometimes, while sitting on a couch that cost a year’s worth of hit song royalties, Riko would get a twinge of envy, glance at Sarah, see the same echoed in her eyes, and then they’d both laugh. One of the things they’d initially bonded over was how callow they’d both been as teenagers, how selfish. To catch a flare of that now, just made Riko grateful for what she’d built for herself, a loving relationship, a successful, award winning career, and a cozy condo that required very little upkeep.

Restless tonight, Riko was wandering, mint tea in hand, staring at the Pacific, fuzzy oversized robe wrapped around sister friendly pajamas.

“PIGLI!” Ruby’s squeal of distress sounded and the tiny, cute redhead fell off the couch. Riko rushed to her side, mug left in front of the fire.

“I’m so sorry, Ruby. Are you all right?” Riko knelt near Ruby, careful not to encroach too much but ready to help.

Ruby nodded, shivering, accepting Riko’s touch. Sometimes, Riko thought, she was more like a small animal than a person, especially when startled. So unlike her parents, it was kind of amazing that they were...Riko shook her head at that segue, staying focused on Ruby. Riko had never made an effort to meet Ruby’s super famous mothers, for fear the blushing at the memory of the doujins she’d worn out during her teenage years would never stop.

Ruby sighed. Riko wondered if she should get Leah as she helped Ruby back to the sofa.

“Ruby had a nightmare.” Ruby’s childish way of referring to herself had somehow become endearing. And the fans adored her for it.

“Yeah, me too.” Riko sighed and sat down, “The world ended in flames, what was yours?”

Ruby yelped again and hid behind a pillow while Riko swallowed a curse. Wry was not a mood for a 3 a.m. session comforting your boss.

“I’m sure angels will save us.” Riko smiled.

“Okay.” Ruby looked confused.

“Want to talk about it?”

Ruby shrugged, “My sis is flying tonight. Ruby's just worried.”

“I’m sure she’ll be fine.” Riko stared longingly at her mug, across the room, but she didn’t want to disturb Ruby again. “And it’ll be nice for you to see her, right?”

More nodding.

“Want some hot chocolate? I think I saw some in the kitchen earlier.”

“Momma always keeps a stash for Eli.”

Another casual reference to a celebrity. Eli Ayase, now ran her own internationally renowned Legends of Dance festival, after a late leap into fame. The amount of talent and star power Ruby had grown up with, it was no wonder she had ended up in the entertainment business. But her shyness had made it a huge surprise to her parents, who had disappeared into seaside Japan with their family when Ruby started having panic attacks on their tours at the age of 2. Because family mattered more than anything. Friends and family were always Ruby’s first concern and that fit perfectly with the close bond the Kazuno sisters shared. It created a nice bubble of cozy around Riko, who had spent her youth with only the piano and yuri manga for company. Collaborating so easily with her girlfriend and the cutest idol duo on the charts made up for a lot of struggles.

 BACK TO THE NOW

Yoshiko leaping, Yohane’s wings stretching upward, the shimmery, wavering layers of celestial spectrums opening above her, but weighting her, between her fingers, burning her hands, was the world, all of it, everyone, eyes and mouths open, billions of voices, every scream, Yohane looked down, she knew never to look down, but what surely be a mortal weakness tempted her and with horror, she saw the world slip out of her grasp, dropping, dropping to a dark dark doom.

Cold sweat, Yoshiko flew off her bed, literally, raised arm connecting with the ceiling before she came fully back to her senses. Alone, her bedroom, where was Hanamaru? Drifting back down, Yoshiko wrapped the blanket around her shivering shoulders, reading the note on Hanamaru’s pillow.

“Love,

Mari’s going to help You so I’m going along. I hope to be home before you have to read this. You really do look like an angel when you’re asleep.

‘Maru…”

Yoshiko closed her eyes. If she concentrated, maybe she could reach to her wife.

###

Pacing. Nico was going to be here soon, the ocean was in waves crashing mode, and through the open windows, Maki could see Mari and Kanan waltzing around the pool table. Waltzing? What the hell kind of thing was that to do? Especially to the playlist Maki had locked the sound system on. Did Nico dance? Who would lead? Is asking that question a reason you shouldn’t get to lead, Maki wondered. She threw out her arms, imagining Nico there, close to her, sliding in step, one, two, three...she’d taken dance lessons so long ago, just a couple for all the formal parties her parents had ‘encouraged’ her to attend. But she’d avoided the dance floor at all cost, unless her father insisted. Now that she was no longer a student, Maki’s family compromise was to attend the annual Nishikino Holiday Ball, but to limit her socializing to a favorite cousin and dragging Rin and Hanayo along. Hanayo loved celebrity spotting, but Rin was usually just as bored as Maki so they would throw things in the direction of any unattended punch bowls and dis the music choices. If Maki’s parents ever found out about that, they’d probably put her in charge of the playlist, but they seemed to be viewing the DJ business as a temporary vacation before med school.

Car lights. Maki felt a sudden fizz of excitement. Two sets? Was Nico being followed? Oh, maybe Nozomi drove her own car. That would make sense, everyone could leave at...Maki cast a frowning glance back at the house, surely Ohara and her cohort and maybe even the cop could be sent on their way, especially if she had Nico to back her up, surely Nico would back her up on that...but Nico had brought Eli along, did Nico actually want to party, or did she just not want to leave Eli alone. Was Eli going to...Maki started to jog toward the garage. Should she have removed breakables? Could she have just a minute to talk to Nico ALONE. Eli could break everything in the house if Maki could just manage that.

###

Yoshiko was in the air, again, blinking, and when gravity rediscovered her, she plunged, much like Dia, had, into water. But this was cold cold water, with the hard push of the tide trying to wash her away from the shore. The house Yohane had missed was lit at the top of a hill like a golden temple to sharp and terrible modern gods, all angles and glass. Yoshiko found her footing and pushed against the tide toward the shore, her eyes picking out a rock stairs leading to the temple where Hanamaru was a temporary goddess. Stomping did little to cut the shivers as Yoshiko climbed from the beach, fanning and flapping her wings while still out of sight of the house. Gnarled trees added an eerie air to the second part of the climb and Yoshiko felt a bounce in her step cut through the time lag nightmare sleepiness. Hanamaru was obviously being held in this dire fortress above against her will, by the very people who threatened their future, and Yohane, Yohane was going to sweep in and rescue the damsel...she would just have to remember not to tell Hanamaru she’d thought that, or Hanamaru would start to smoke at the nostrils a little and that might lead to property damage. Yoshiko, wings folded neatly into the ether just a step outside this world, continued the climb to her quest.

###

Maki managed to get out a “hi” when Nico stepped out of her car, but then there was Eli and Nozomi and…Maki couldn’t help but grimace.

Nico sighed and then winked, “Why don’t you point Eli and Nozomi in the direction of wherever the invasion is and then help Nico with this food.”

“You bought food?” Maki tried to lean into the car and sniff, but a window got in her way. Nico shook her head at Maki’s eagerness and reached for the door handle. Door handle, of course. Still stumbling, even standing still, Maki’s inner monologue grumbled. But Nico was here. And Maki didn’t have to go anywhere.

“How’s the party so far?” Nico put a stack of storage things in Maki’s hands.

Maki frowned, “They’re waltzing.”

“Waltzing?”

Maki leaned in the doorway, allowing Nico to pause and appreciate the view. Maki was wearing stylish yet slouchy olive sweats, a tight white t-shirt surprisingly lacking any graphics, and an olive Jeep cap pushed halfway back on her head with a rainbow dagger pin. “I locked Ohara out of the house sound system…” Maki chuckled, “and just put in a loop of John Cage pieces and they’re waltzing. Keeping a pretty steady beat too. If I weren’t so aggravated I’d be impressed.” Maki scratched her cheek, forcing her fingers to stay away from twirls of hair, “Do you waltz?”

Nico had started to bluff and bluster something about whoever John Cage was, but Maki’s question stopped her. “Waltz? Like La La Land?”

“Sure.” Maki blushed, looking away. ”I was thinking Cinderella.”

Nico was feeling more comfortable. “Waltzing is no problem for Nico. No problem at all. Nico is S U A V E and smooth on her feet. Impressing your average fairy godmother all the time.”

Maki glanced at her watch, “We could waltz to John Cage’s 4 33. I can hum it.”

Nico heard an edge of mischief in Maki’s voice and wondered exactly what the DJ was planning. But Nico was willing to go along. Leave the dishes on the hood of the car, arms open, step toward Maki, feel warmer when the redhead maneuvers herself so Nico’s hands hovered over her hips...Nico raised one hand and caught Maki’s, eyes widening at the burst of warmth as their palms brushed.

“Music, maestro.” Nico declared.

Nico found herself staring deeply into warmth, a lovely layered amethyst shades with an inviting openness and iridescence rarer than abalone. Movement brought Nico’s glance down as Maki pursed her lips and Nico remembered how close she’d gotten in the cabana. Nico could feel the gentle touch of Maki’s breath, but heard nothing and found herself stumbling as she tried to remember if a waltz was 1 2 3 or 1 2 3 4.

Nico stepped back, “It’s not fair to just hum the song to yourself.”

“I’m not.” Maki looked way too pleased.

Nico’s arms crossed, “You ask Nico to dance to a song and then don’t sing it…”

Maki’s eyebrows shot up and both hands went to her neck, ruffling through her hair. “It’s just...John Cage…” Maki closed her eyes and spoke rapidly, “it’s ambient sound, experiemental….you can use any instrument, you just don’t play it for 4 minutes and 33 seconds. It’s a brilliant alternate perspective on the meaning of performance. ”

“You don’t play. And that’s the song?” Nico spoke carefully. “It’s not a prank?”

Maki opened her eyes and nodded, refusing to look directly at Nico.

“What else did this genius write?” Nico was not thrilled.

“One of his pieces was whatever was playing on 12 radios. He thought listening was more important than creating.” Maki snorted, unable to keep the gleeful mischief from sparkling in her eyes. “They’re probably into Roaratoria by now. That’s an hour of Dublin street noise, with Cage reading some James Joyce lines.”

Nico blinked and a low chuckle started. “Ohara must really be aggravating you.”

“She is.”

Nico’s arm suddenly looped around Maki’s waist and the taller woman found herself grabbing Nico’s shoulders as she regained her balance. Nico took that opportunity to breathe into Maki’s ear, “Next time you want to waltz, Nico picks the music, okay.” And as soon as she felt Maki steady, Nico released her hold.

“Okay.” Maki managed not to sound as shaky as her breathing felt.

“Good.” Nico picked up the food, “Let’s join this party.”

###

Nozomi had always appreciated dance but she had rarely had the opportunity to appreciate it this closely. After walking into a truly bizarre audioscape, with a male voice chanting lines in the midst of seemingly random street noises, and seeing Kanan and Mari bowing themselves out of a dance while You lounged on a couch looking bored, Nozomi was ready for anything. And then something truly marvelous happened: Eli took the spotlight.

“Ah, Kanan, now you really have a partner.” Mari indicated Eli with a flourish.

Amused, Kanan shook her head at her wife, who clapped the heels of her hands emphatically, and then shrugged at Eli, “How’s your Irish reel?”

To answer, Eli stretched her right foot out and tapped it on the ground, stepped it behind her, stretched out her left leg and repeated the motion. The audio hit a noisy patch and Kanan was suddenly promonading toward Eli with a challenge. The blonde reached her hand up and caught Kanan’s, Eli twirling, and then both women were facing their audience, reel steps impossibly fast as the noises biggened, birds calling to each other as Kanan and Eli turned again, knees pumping, legs a controlled force that could possibly have splintered the floor but for a shared sense of gentle glory as the dancers approached each other again. You whistled. Nozomi felt a little weak in the knees, and sat on the nearest chair, and Mari, Mari flung out her hands, threw back her head, and marched right in, pulling Kanan into a deep kiss. Eli, with a slight grin, continued the dance as Maki and Nico walked through the door, carrying food.

“That’s not waltzing.” Nico grumped, “Maki said waltzing.”

“No, it’s an Irish reel.” Eli announced as she promenaded in Nico’s direction, her toes and knees intricate pistons making their own fluidity out of the jumble of a raucous Dublin street scape. Nico dropped the food on the table, and shadowed Eli’s movements, laughing, as she caught Eli’s delight.

Before Maki could decide if she was upset about Nico dancing away from her, thunder crashed through the room, the lights flickered bright, then died, and in the darkness, a deep voice boomed.

“Cower Before Yohane, miscreants.”

A mouth that sounded full of pastry replied, “Turn the lights back on, zura.”

[lonelypond]

Moonlight Becomes You: Apocalypse Midnight Dance Party, Ch. 8

NicoMaki, NozoEli, YohaMaru, KanaMari, Love Live/Love Live Sunshine, 2.5K, 8/?

Summary: Dia tries to escape scrutiny and conversation, while Nozomi gets closer to Eli and answers.

Everyone To Their Corners

Yoshiko sagged, a shocked look on her face, her hand to her jaw, and You felt the bubble of tension in the air around them pop. Dia was shaking her hand as if she’d been stung by something. The door burst open as Hanamaru stepped between Dia and Yoshiko with a look on her face You had only ever seen once and You, thinking quickly, grabbed Dia and pulled her back.

“Trust me.” You whispered. “Please.”

Dia blinked, surprised, Yoshiko seemingly forgotten. She rubbed her hand, somehow, punching the winged annoyance had felt like a cross between pushing through an electrical field and grabbing the handle of a heated pot. You’s expression almost landed on hopeful and then Hanamaru tapped Dia on the shoulder and she turned, her shoulders squaring up again.

“No violence.” Hanamaru stated, her eyebrows low and weaponized.

“Yeah.” Yoshiko muttered. “Violence hurts.” She was sagging against Hanamaru’s back, still coddling her jaw.

Before Dia could speak, Nico and Maki were inside the room.

“You’re up.” Maki frowned as she noticed the IV and stand, “Should you be up?”

“I feel all right, Ma…”

You coughed. In a desperate, HINTING fashion.

“Maki.” Dia had no idea why she decided to go along, but the bright blue eyes rewarded her with a quick wink. And her parents really didn’t seem to know her. And they looked so young. But someone would be answering questions soon. So many questions.

And then Nico was right there, her expression suspicious. “You do know her.” Nico glared. Dia didn’t know how to process her mother as an enemy so she glanced to Maki, who at least wasn’t actively hostile to anyone but You. And then Nico was right in front of Dia, “How do you know her? Are you crazy stalking her?”

Oh. Nico was trying to protect Maki. Dia recognized that mood.

Dia knew how sharp Nico’s radar was for suspicious fan behavior so she focused on a memory from her childhood, of both her and Ruby listening to their Mama play the piano and let that shared joy of sisterhood color her voice, “No no, my sister and I are just big fans. Since we were kids. And I wanted an autograph to surprise her...my sister...before her tour starts…”

Nico had raised an eyebrow in Maki’s direction when Dia said “since we were kids,” but Maki was puzzling over Yoshiko, who was glancing wildly between Hanamaru and You, trying to communicate something with hand gestures.

The door opened again. Nico was forcing Dia back toward the window, Yoshiko had given up and decided to sit on the bed, still rubbing her jaw and muttering, Hanamaru caressing her back in a comforting fashion. Dr. Nishikino stepped into the room.

“There you are, Maki. And You. Good. Sorry, I got distracted.” Hands in her lab coat, Dr. Nishikino examined the scene and made a quick decision, “Can we get the young lady with the IV back in her bed and let her have some privacy. Are any of you family?”

You choked.

Hanamaru shoved Yoshiko off the bed, “No, but Ms. Tsushima here is her tour guide.”

“Tour guide?” Nico and Dia spoke at the same moment, their joint skepticism a near perfect echo. Maki looked startled. So did Yoshiko.

Hanamaru smiled her sweetest smile, “Historical Los Angeles. Very trendy in Tokyo right now, zura.”

“No, it’s not.” Maki stated, a recent trip to Tokyo still fresh in her memory. “Everything’s about the Olympics right now.”

“Which they held in LA.” Yoshiko blurted. Everyone in the room was now staring at her.

“Don’t help.” Hanamaru hissed, leaning over Yoshiko’s ear.

“I’d like to leave the hospital.” Dia stated, surely anywhere else would be calmer than here.

“That’s a good idea. We have a room for you…” Yoshiko started.

“No.” Dia’s arms crossed. “I am not going anywhere with you.”

“Do you have anywhere to go? Your luggage was apparently lost.” Dr. Nishikino asked. “And I would advise waiting for your test. Head injuries can be deceptive and dangerous.”

Dia had...money in her digital wallet that wouldn’t be created for decades yet. So no, nowhere to go...she glanced in You’s direction.

“Mama.” Maki came back into focus, her years of hosting parties and family friends clicking in, “We have a big house. And Dia seems about my size. So she can borrow some clothes.”

“No.” You and Yoshiko agreed, too hastily for everyone else in the room. Hanamaru rolled her eyes.

“Really?” Nico turned, now it was her turn to scrutinize You, “Nico thinks both of you answer too many questions not directed at you.”

Maki nodded and stepped up next to Nico. “Come along if you want. But I at least insist on getting Dia some spare clothes.”

“And if there might be a head injury, Dia shouldn’t be left alone.” Dr. Nishikino stated.

“I didn’t hit my head.” Dia insisted. No one was asking her anything. Her parents had once again stolen the spotlight.

“What’s today’s date?” Dr. Nishikino wondered, voice laced with a deceptive sweetness.

Dia froze, “I...I...I don’t know…” She scratched at her mole, “But that’s jet lag.”

“I’ll call the driver.” Dr. Nishikino wanted this party out of the confines of this hospital room, “And get the paperwork so Dia can sign herself out. Maki, take whoever wants to go to the house. All the guest rooms should be ready.”

All the guest rooms. Nico grunted and glanced out the window. Hospitals and doctors and DJ Diamond Princess fans and Maki’s mother and...Dia was staring at her, a little sad, and Nico got a sudden flash of Cocoa, the rare few times when she didn’t have an active project to juggle. That was weird. Maybe it was the hair color. Or Nico just being the best big sister in the world, even for strangers.

“You’ll be fine. Nico knows Maki will take good care of you.” Nico grinned.

And then Dia grinned back, “Yeah.”

With a sigh and a hip nudge, Nico got Maki’s attention back, “Nico has to go home and change and make sure Eli gets tucked in all right.”

“Just text her and tell her to call if she needs you.” Maki was trying so hard to keep the frustration out of her voice and failing so thoroughly. “You can make dinner in my kitchen.”

“Oh, you just want to put Nico to work...”

“No, that’s not what...I thought you wanted...I didn’t mean…”

And then Dr. Nishikino was there, her hand on her daughter’s shoulder, “Maki, just order food for everyone. Don’t put your friend on the spot like that.” Then she was holding her other hand out for Nico to shake, “I’m happy to meet you, Nico. You’re very welcome to anything in our kitchen, Maki’s just a little…”

“MAMA!” Maki jumped back, nearly knocking You over.

Dia giggled and now everyone was staring at her. But it really was amazing how little her parents had changed, especially Maki when her own mother put her on the spot.

Nico shook hands, “Thank you, Maki’s Mama. Nico looks forward to the tour, someday. But Maki will have to have this party without me. I have a roommate to talk some sense into.”

“Nico?” A hurt bleat forced from Maki. The rest of the room was seemingly trying to blend in with the walls as much as possible, except Dia who was sitting on the edge of the bed, staring with open interest.

Nico dropped her voice as she pulled Maki aside, “Eli had such a bad night; Nico is worried.”

Maki held Nico’s gaze, frowning, “some of us might be worried about…” Maki hesitated, “the people around Eli.”

Nico mock posed for the start of a fight, “Nico is fine.” Then she relaxed, “The dinner offer still stands. Bring,” And here Nico smiled at Dia again, “anybody who’s hungry or still needs medical observation. Nico’s cooking can cure anything.”

Maki became hyper aware of the rest of the room, and stammering, turned away from Nico, “We’ll be fine.”

After a pause and an almost comment, Nico shrugged and waved, including everyone in her audience, “Nico has to run. Let’s party again.”

“To save this world from the flames of chaos.” Yohane intoned from the window, but Nico had already closed the door.

“Hush, zura,” Hanamaru chided the new center of attention in the overpacked and confused room.

###

Mari pushed back from the table where Nozomi had laid out three cards, “Not my cards. I have no problems in my love life. Kanan is perfect tea.”

Eli was slouching on the couch, watching Nozomi, wondering if she should just take herself home or wait.

“Strength.” Mari flipped one of the cards at Nozomi, “A lovely lady and her lovely lion.” Mari winked, “You might find that useful someday, taming a beast.”

Eli froze. Eli froze so hard everyone in the room could hear the silent scream from every muscle in her body. Her mouth was open, then closed, more than a dozen times in near zero seconds, no sounds released, her blue eyes wild as she stared at Mari.

“Elichi?” Nozomi turned, wondering.

“You should see her bedhead, it’s adorable,” Mari giggled as she leaned to kiss Nozomi on the cheek, “Read her future. See if you’re in it. And Basta! on you for thinking Lovers Reversed has anything to do with me.” Mari flicked Nozomi mid forehead and then sashayed into her bedroom while Nozomi stared at her, and Eli continued to malfunction.

Nozomi took a look at the cards, Lovers and Strength reversed, and the Three of Cups in the middle, slid Strength back into place in the array, and bit her lip as she watched Eli become aware that Time was passing, Mari was gone, and Nozomi was watching Eli. Eli shot up from the couch.

“I need to get home. I should have left with Nico.”

Nozomi hummed. She did not have the years of experience with Eli that she had with Tarot cards, but the cards didn’t have so many tells. The first, refusal to make eye contact.

“Eli.” A short snap of a command.

Eli looked.

“I missed our text conversations.” Nozomi stood, slowly, watching Eli watch her move, noticing where Eli’s eyes went, pausing to stretch her arms behind her head, catching Eli’s quick glance away and blush.

“I’ve been focusing on dance.” Eli slumped back into a seat, arms loose over her knees, “It’s been a lifeline.”

There was no conviction in Eli’s tone. Nozomi sat next to her on the couch, carefully maintaining a break between them.

“Roommate trouble?”

Eli’s laugh was harsh, pained. “Yeah, me.”

Nozomi winced. She was pretty certain Eli was trying to blink away tears. But just grabbing and crushing her with a hug wouldn’t cut it. Needing to do something with her hands, Nozomi scratched her ear, while madly connecting words in her head to see if any might help.

And then Eli threw herself onto Nozomi’s shoulder, sobbing.

###

Dia had been silent throughout the limo ride. Actually, Dia corrected her internal narrator, everyone had been silent the entire ride, although You had been humming occasionally. And stealing glances in Dia’s direction. And not looking away the one time Dia obviously caught her, instead smiling and saluting. Maki sitting across from them frowned and crossed her arms. Dia had to giggle, the frown on her mother’s face was only slightly eased from the first time Ruby’s fiancée had been invited to dinner.

Dia suddenly found the silence obtrusive. “Is this normal weather for Los Angeles?”

Maki shrugged, “It’s hot. It’s always hot these days.”

“That is an unfortunate trend due to decades of human overconsumption and is directly responsible for....” Dia had had this conversation too often at extended Nishikino family events with some elderly relatives who refused to support climate austerity measures.

You double over with a cough and Dia stopped talking.

“We can take you right back to the hospital, Watanabe, if you’re not feeling well. I’m sure my mother will be thrilled.” Maki’s voice moved in with a cold front.

You waved a dismissive hand and bumped Dia before unfolding herself, “We don’t really know about the FuTURE, but I hear the weekend will be cooler.”

Maki muttered, “weather cop” as the limo started climbing the hills of Malibu.

###

When Eli’s sobbing started to ebb, Nozomi carefully shifted position so Eli could sit back easily if she wanted. Then, her arms still securing the blonde, Nozomi whispered, “It’s okay to let me help, Eli.”

Silence. Then a sigh and pressure against Nozomi’s arms as Eli sat up, leaning forward, her head drooping over clasped hands.

“Thanks.” Eli glanced to the side and her smile was sad and sweet and Nozomi found her heart digging a deeper, softer burrow for whatever these feelings were to drop into. Then Eli shook herself in a whole body movement that fascinated Nozomi, who watched it ripple and radiate from Eli’s back. Another sigh, and Eli forcing herself to her feet, “Nico’s right. I need to get home.”

Nozomi’s hand reached out, seemingly on its own instinct, but before Nozomi could speak and ask again if Eli always listened to Nico, Kanan returned to the room, speaking briskly, “Oh good, you’re still here, Eli. I want to talk to you about this program my friend, Yoshiko…”

Nozomi switched her attention to Kanan. This was a surprise. What would Eli and Hanamaru’s impossible and inept ‘displaced celestial being’ have to talk about?

“Not now,” Eli snapped, a slight head tilt in Nozomi’s direction, “please. I just want to go home.”

Kanan met Eli’s gaze, not hiding her concern, then nodded, “I’ll call you a car. And see you at our next rehearsal.” Kanan looked so stern Nozomi had a quick and mistaken impression she was seeing a stranger who’d replaced her friend. Kanan’s voice was an order, “Don’t even think about missing. We have a contract.”

Eli couldn’t argue with paperwork. And although her nod of agreement was defeatist, Eli was honestly glad to have an unbreachable reason to keep dancing. Dance was the only thing keeping her together right now. And deep in Kanan’s eyes, she’d seen not pity or curiosity, but solidarity. And Eli wanted to know why.

Nozomi’s hand was a kind touch on Eli’s arm, “Can I see you home? I’ll only stay as long as you want me to.”

Three days worth of tired, Eli considered declining. But Nozomi was nice and friendly and solid and not asking questions and Eli found herself dreading sitting alone in her apartment until the moon rose or Nico came home. So Eli shrugged half hearted assent, as bold a move as she could currently manage.

A/N: Moving is so much worse than I expected. How are you?

[lonelypond]

Moonlight Becomes You: Apocalypse Midnight Dance Party, Ch. 9

Love Live/Love Live Sunshine, NozoEli, NicoMaki, KanaMari, YoshiMaru, 1.8K, 9/?

Summary: Most everyone settles in for a quiet night.

INTERLUDES

Pacing, Nico was frustrated and pacing, reminding herself of Eli on growl prowl as moonrise neared, Nico trying not to just throw herself into a wall to see how it sounded. That wasn’t how Nico coped, no, Nico did practical things, so taking a rag in hand she began to wipe down the counters. After that, the sliding doors, then maybe she would start chopping things for a stew or something. Not borscht though, Nico made a face, tongue out, gagging, even though there wasn’t anyone to amuse or tease. Beets, beets you could have too many of, and cream, cloying, heavy sweet cream...Eli’s new Russian food cravings were having too much influence on Nico’s meal choices. Tonight though, Nico was opting for a less cloggy choice. If Nico was eating alone, a crisp, fresh salad from locally sourced produce was the ticket...just the lightest dressing. She opened a cabinet, small bowl, olive oil, mustard, white wine vinegar, whisk, then take the chives out of the refrigerator and start chopping. Lift the knife, let it fall, get into a nice, non pacing rhythm, ignoring the people who were ignoring her by not blowing up her phone with apology texts, that was the ticket. And then, after the sensible salad, curling up on the sofa to watch K-Pop weekly roundups and eat strawberry gelato. That was the best way to spend an evening. Really it was. Nico knows all. That decided, Nico hummed as she assembled her dinner.

###

Kanan fell back into her couch, sighing. Mari flounced out of the bedroom, in her third outfit of the day, a bright --somehow -- gray sleeveless sweater dress that her hair fell off the shoulders of like the molten gold of the sun rising out of the sea. From her first sight of Mari, Kanan had never not been captivated by how that glow reflected Mari’s sunniness, inhumanly bright and impossibly brattish.

“How much did you scare Eli?” Kanan asked wearily, having developed over many years the dual capacity for enthusiasm and cynicism about the ‘helpful’ wrenches Mari in fix it mode would throw into the lives of their friends and acquaintances.

“Mio cuore, I’m not cruel. I did nothing to your dancer, except trying to get Nozomi to acknowledge the fact that she couldn’t take her eyes off the poor girl. And I can see why.”

“Mari.” Exasperated, Kanan closed her eyes, stretching her arm out along the couch, knowing what would come next. And there it was, the softest touch of feather soft strands, then the weight of Mari’s head against her shoulder.

“Ah, but you are the only beast for me, bella. We have always been linked by the thread of destiny.” Mari whispered against her ear with a touch of lips as soft as the slightest swell of the sea.

Kanan’s laugh was a bark, “No matter how much you gnaw at it.”

“KANAN.” Mari’s shock was genuine as she threw herself back across the couch, hand fluttering to cover her betrayed heart. Mari’s shock was always genuine when Kanan refused to let Mari charm her way out of confrontations.

“So Eli wasn’t crying because of you?” Kanan’s suspicions continued. The memory of Eli’s red rimmed eyes wouldn’t fade.

“No.” Mari’s dramatics were eclipsed by gentle concern.

“I wonder what it’s like to be surprised…” Kanan hesitated, caught by a sudden realization.

“Huh?”

“I always knew who I was.” Kanan reached her hands out for Mari’s, always so warm, always so willing to pull her out of fogs.

“Oh.” Mari frowned, scooting down the couch as Kanan reached out. “it must be terrifying.”

Kanan had watched Eli’s meticulous, unvarying warm up routine before every one of their rehearsals, the dancer slowly progressing through exercises and positions, always at the same slow speed, always in the same order. “Yeah.”

###

Dia was standing catty-corner to the fireplace, staring at the ocean. She’d only seen pictures of the Malibu estate like this, before the beach had been covered and the rock stairs useless at high tide. There were favorite corners she’d rather be tucked into, but Maki hadn’t invited her guests into the downstairs suites. The decorating was so strange anyway, complete absence of any hint of Nico, which made everything seem cold. Dia shivered, accidentally timed to a cough from You, who still persisted in flashing unforgettable legs in very forgettable, should be trashed shorts. Was this California in the early 21st century? Because, Dia decided, it could keep its complete lack of fashion aesthestic, before she wrenched her eyes from You’s tanned legs to the very worried blue eyes watching her.

“Weird for you, huh?” You chuckled.

“Can’t you find clothes?” Dia snapped, turning even further out to sea.

“Uh yeah, sorry about these.” You gestured at herself, “Wasn’t expecting Yoshiko to drop you into my day like that.”

“Is it Yoshiko or Yohane?” Dia wasn’t really curious, but these questions allowed her to loop around any looming embarrassments or admissions.

“Both.” You shrugged. “I’m sure she’ll explain.”

“I’m not sure she’ll have a chance. Why in the world would I…” Dia started, irritated.

“Don’t you want to get back home?” You parried with a shrewd question.

Dia sighed and sat on one of the chairs parallel to the window, pulling a leg up to rest her chin on, “Of course I do. But maybe this is a dream…?”

“Ooohh, I’ve never been in anyone’s dream with lighting like this.” You struck a pose, hands under her chin, fluttering her eyelashes at Dia.

“Silly.” Dia forced herself not to laugh but a corner of a smile snuck out.

“Ah,” You bounced dramatically to the opposite chair, “Your face does relax.”

Dia tossed her hair back, rolling her eyes so as to not encourage this friendliness. “You have a home, right? Go and get some clothes.”

“Your mother will never let me back in.” You stated flatly.

Dia thought for a long moment, then smiled and shrugged.

You groaned and threw her head back, “You’re all so cruel.”

“All right, Watanabe, everyone in the family is taller than you are…” As Maki entered the space with that announcement, You dramatically threw a forearm across her forehead. Completely ignoring her, Maki continued “so nothing is even near your size, but here’s a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. There’s a bathroom that way.” Maki tossed a pile of clothes in You’s direction and thumbed in the direction of the hall behind her. Turning to Dia, Maki handed her a much neater stack, “My mother has some casual clothes that seem like they might suit you. There’s a guest suite down that hall if you want to get changed there.”

Dia stood, her arms full of a fuzzy mint, tan and blue check jacquard sweater and a pair of black knit leggings with small slits at the ankles. Very much what her mama would consider casual wear and a little too relaxed for Dia, but not as much as if Maki had raided her own closet. “Thanks.”

Maki nodded. “The driver’s gone to get food. She’ll be back soon.” Maki glanced around the room, “The fire makes it nice here, but we can set dinner out on the table.”

Dia remembered so many nights, her mothers curled up in each other’s arms on a much pinker couch, staring into the fire as music played.

“That’s fine. I like it here.” Dia hugged the pile of clothes a little closer; at least her gandmother's perfume was familiar, berries and pale flowers and a clear musk, “I am a little cold though.”

“Mama’s got a shirt jacket somewhere.” Maki swivelled, “I’ll find it.”

Dia found herself wishing she’d stayed in the hospital room. This situation, here at home, but everything and everyone just a step not right, was becoming too disconcerting and she could feel not a head but a whole body ache starting. Maki, her eyes so kind, so watchful but without the deep warmth of maternal concern Dia was used to. Maki might not be the most demonstrative of parents, Dia and Ruby had Nico for that, but Dia’s first glance had met those loving eyes and she had drawn comfort from them since. Passionately perceptive, fiercely stubborn, endlessly generous; everything Dia had hoped to grow up to emulate. But here, Dia was a stranger, Maki was preoccupied with other concerns, and puzzlement flashed across amethyst more often than benevolence. It was going to be a full body headache, Dia thought, reaching a hand to rub her eyes, forgetting she had an armful of clothes, her knees suddenly failing, and You was right there, in a ridiculously large white shirt with black ink kanji that slid off her shoulders and sweats she was keeping up with one hand. The other seemed to be keeping Dia up. How silly.

“What did you do?” Maki’s voice sounded distant even as it echoed angrily around the room. Dia tried to blink, but her eyes wouldn’t open, sleep suddenly sounded perfect as she felt herself being eased down to the couch.

“I came back and she was so pale…”

“She said she was cold.”

“Is that a symptom?”

The voice that wasn’t Mama’s, what was her name again, Legs, You, right, Dia rambled to herself, You had squeaked with worry, that was nice but Dia was fine, she didn’t need any help, just a nap.

###

Hanamaru smiled at Yoshiko sprawled gracelessly over a chaise at the back of the bookstore. As soon as the fallen angel had returned to a comfortable place, the time displacement lag took over and Yoshiko had proven how affected by mortal failings she was now. But the snoring was cute, and the way her midnight hair splayed out against the warm red of the chair reminded Hanamaru of nights when her wife had had some energy left and Hanamaru could remind her of heavenly pleasures other than the celestial.

With a giggle, followed by a sigh, Hanamaru plugged in the refilled electric kettle. No sense remembering those scenes, until Yoshiko had a chance to recuperate. And then, there would probably still be issues to sort out related to the displaced Dia before they truly had time to themselves again

How could Hanamaru help? Too used to Yoshiko’s refusal to admit she needed assistance, Hanamaru realized this, while Yoshiko was safe in a restful oblivion, was the perfect time to do her own research. Perhaps there were some answers to be found in the future. As the tea kettle bubbled, a bright blue light flashing in the darkened room, Hanamaru moved to the locked cabinet, hidden in a jumble of seemingly random bookshelves. Time for her to consult the Book Of Riko, to see if prophecy held any answers someone less impulsive than Yoshiko could puzzle out.

A/N: Howdy.Cats and furniture have been moved; still trying to get back into some form of routine. How's your October? Any Halloween plans? We're doing scary stories and snacks (probably not scary) by fireside next weekend for our next theatrical adventure. I might read some bits of Dracula. 'Tis the season ; )

[lonelypond]

Moonlight Becomes You: Apocalypse Midnight Dance Party, Ch. 1

NozoEli, Love Live, 2.5K, 1/?

Summary: Ayase Eli has a slightly less thoroughly organized LA life than just a few weeks ago, a part time job, college bff, Yazawa Nico, for a housemate, a once a month case of serious bed head, and a new dance project to distract her from a certain fortuneteller Eli has recently befriended. Nico, meanwhile, is text flirting with Nishikino Maki, aka DJ Diamond Princess, who can't seem to keep herself in LA. And a few new players enter the scene. The sequel to Moonlight Becomes You.

Change Will Come

Nozomi Tojo had been spending more time here, at her favorite bookstore, a smaller shop than hers even, off an alley she wasn’t sure how she’d found the first time. It was a cosy aesthetic, a little cluttered but still giving off a sense of sparseness, of spaces you could expand in to as you considered what the day had brought to you. And no Russian spices drifted in. The prickly kind Hanamaru Kunikida and her partner, Yohane, had set up a nook for Nozomi in the very back, there was even a very ancient Japanese screen Yohane swore she knew the noblewoman who’d originally sat behind it for days when Nozomi wanted no prying eyes. Today, Nozomi was at a more central table, frowning over her cards, she could feel herself biting the inside of her lip whenever she put down the mug of tea. The central card in this three card spread had stayed her hand, flipped her stomach. Death. Nozomi was too experienced for the rookie mistake of letting the Death card make her fear for her mortality, but she was too too aware that it was a glaring neon sign, especially in the central, present spot that change, capital C Change, major LIFE CHANGE™ was on the Cosmic menu. Add in the reversed quality and there was the screaming sense that Nozomi was avoiding something. With The Chariot bold to the left of it, one might venture a guess that Nozomi was avoiding someone charismatic, determined. The Four of Cups nudged Nozomi to reach out for an opportunity. Nozomi groaned and lowered her head to the table.

“Nozomi-chan?” Hanamaru’s soft voice drifted through the incense and Nozomi felt the swoosh of a fallen angel swooping in to eavesdrop on her reading.

“She’s avoiding something, Zuramaru. The Death card is flipping her off and the Four of Cups is calling her out for low self esteem.” A deep voice echoed around Nozomi, who refused to raise her head. “Has she met someone recently?” A huge intake, and then the deep voice screeched into a higher register, “Is that why you’ve practically moved in? Who is she?” Another voice switch, “The Fallen Angel Yohane will cast her net into the abyss and pull forth a lantern to shine and show her fellow wanderer of Destiny the path forward.”

Nozomi heard Hanamaru tickle her lover, who squeaked, and flumped down onto the pillow next to Nozomi while Hanamaru sat less dramatically on Nozomi’s other side.

“Nozomi-chan…” Hanamaru wheedled. One of the reasons Nozomi felt so comfortable here is that Hanamaru had also grown up in Japan, Nozomi just wasn’t sure which era, and refused to give up her vocal tics, even when she spoke mostly fluent English.

“Her name is Eli.” Nozomi felt Yoshiko sit up next to her with a hiss of breath, but Nozomi managed to grab the Fallen Angel’s hand before she touched Nozomi’s cards, Nozomi raised her head, smiling at both her friends. Hanamaru was in a floral skirt and soft fuzzy tan sweater that complemented her eyes, fair hair framing her face. Yoshiko was in a leather jacket, sugar skull splashed across a black tank top, and torn jeans, midnight hair in a bun. “Use your own, devil.”

Yoshiko grumbled, looking to Hanamaru for support, but the fair haired maiden just shrugged. Yoshiko hung her head for a minute, but when she raised it, her violet eyes were aflame with inspiration. She grabbed Nozomi’s tea cup before Nozomi could react, swallowed the rest of the tea, turned the cup three times while humming complacently and then slammed the cup dramatically back on the table. When it finished rocking, unbroken, Yoshiko inched forward to peer inside.

“Is it a bomb?” Nozomi giggled.

“A blonde.” Yoshiko muttered. Nozomi froze.

Yoshiko leapt to her feet, throwing both hands up, “The Great Yohane has called forth success in love as great as her own for her…” she looked sideways at Nozomi, who frowned with the slightest shake of her head, “her great and wise friend, Nozomi, washed up from the far reaches of the East on this Western shore. If, “And here Yoshiko flopped next to Nozomi, head on Nozomi’s shoulders, “she’ll stop hiding in the back of her best friend’s store.”

“Oh.” Nozomi mouth matched her choice of word.

“Yoshiko-chan is very wise tod…”

“Yohane…”

Hanamaru leaned over to kiss her lover on the cheek, “Thank you, Yoshiko-chan.”

Yoshiko blushed, and pushed away from the table, “I’ve got a meeting tonight. I’ll see you later, Zuramaru?”

“Looking forward to it,” Hanamaru managed an endearing and unique blend of cheeky and cheering whenever Yoshiko needed push.

“Meeting?” Nozomi asked as the door chimes played Yoshiko out.

Hanamaru froze, hand on the teapot. Nozomi became instantly suspicious, “Maru-chan?”

Hananamaru blew out a long breath, her eyelashes blinking wildly, “You know how Yoshiko…”

“Yohane” Nozomi deepened her voice and Hanamaru flinched, then scowled, her nose crinkling up. Once again, adorable.

“Is interested in cryptids?”

Nozomi nodded.

“There’s a reading group. Sometimes, they meet here, but mostly they meet…” Hanamaru paused, “somewhere else.”

Nozomi couldn’t help it, the huge laughs just rolled out of her, while Hanamaru watched curiously and mildly concerned. When Nozomi came up for air, she smirked at her friend, “You, Kunikada Hanamaru, are a worse liar than that grounded Fallen Angel you call your girlfriend.”

Hanaamaru’s eyes were blanks as she replayed Yoshiko’s latest pronouncement, “Displaced Celestial Being. Yohane is rebranding.”

Nozomi still had a chuckle left, “Oh, that’s a good one.”

Hanamaru passed a hand over Nozomi’s cards, “If you actually stopped avoiding this Eli, maybe I could be laughing at your girlfriend.”

“Oh, so you want revenge, ZURAmaru.” Nozomi leaned in with a leer.

Hanamaru turned away, her profile scorn, her eyes saucy, “You know Yoshiko doesn’t like it when you call me that. And yes.”

Nozomi gathered her cards, “I’ll put that on the pro side of the list.”

“Nozomi....” Hanamaru’s tone matched the message from the cards in severity. “You know ignoring answers is throwing kindness back in the face of the gods.”

“Ah, Hanamaru, but…” Nozomi searched for the right word.

“Fearing.” Hanamaru dove in.

Nozomi countered, “hesitating in the face of change is so deeply human that surely the gods will be patient with me.”

Hanamaru stood, “Gods may be patient, girls not so much.”

Nozomi knew Yoshiko and Hanamaru could be trusted to speak the uncomfortable truths. She leaned back, remembering Eli’s bright blue eyes and wondering what they were looking at now.

###

Nico Yazawa was lying on their couch, her green, avocado based beauty treatment slathered all over her face. She had her cellphone raised and was snapping a selfie.

“We are not getting Russian food again. Nico loves you, but…” Nico sighed as she hit send, “But Nico misses the honey mustard drizzle over a LIGHT salad from Muskies. Just send the fortune teller a text and ask HER out for heavy Russian food.”

Eli frowned, fidgeting with the edge of the couch cushion. “Have you asked out the feral DJ who hates me yet?”

“Maki” Nico drawled, “is currently out of the country, in Toronto, with K Pop stars hanging off her arms. So Nico is waiting to ask in person. And sending selfies.”

Eli sat up from the other side of the couch, ripping Nico’s phone out of her hand and reading her last message:

“Hey, Ripped and REDonkulous, stop by Nico’s when you get back into the country.” And there was Nico’s green goop coated face, tongue sticking out, eyes wide and twinkling.

“You really did send a pic of you in that slop.”

Nico rolled her eyes and grabbed her phone back, “Nico always looks good. And Maki appreciates honesty. None of the K Pop stars will let her see an eyeliner smear, let alone the night before look.”

Maki’s ringtone went off.

“What did she say?” Eli was genuinely curious. Nico and Maki’s courtship was outside the boundaries of anything Eli considered a lead up to dating, but Nico seemed pretty calm and happy about her situation, unless Maki had posted a pic from gig recently.

“Are you auditioning for a zombie flick?” Nico almost flinched. No one but Eli would have noticed. Nico tossed her phone to the side, “So why won’t you text Nozomi?”

“What do I say?”

“Hi, remember me, we agreed to be friends because I’m too much of a coward to ask you on a date.”

Eli reached behind her to grab a pillow and toss it at Nico, “I’m not a coward…” Eli’s voice dropped to a whisper, “Things are just weird right now. And I have a lot going on besides the...”

Nico leaned forward, using the pillow to prop her elbows on, “Ask her when she’s in, go have tea, let her read your future, and talk, Eli.” Nico tilted her head, almost smiling at her phone, “Even if they don’t say much, it’s still nice to have someone open your text, you know.”

Eli sighed, laid back down, her long legs stretching out next to Nico’s shorter ones, “Yeah.”

Nico watched her best friend, not hiding the sadness she knew was weighting her gaze. Eli wasn’t paying attention to her anymore, staring at the ceiling, thoughts elsewhere and Nico wished she had something comforting or constructive to say. And then her notifications pinged. Diamond Princess had posted a TWIG shot from tonight’s gig and there were five girls in skin tight clothing stretched out across her rig, mugging for her camera. Nico had problems too, even without monthly fur outbreaks.

###

You Watanabe’s least favorite thing about her job as the Coast Guard’s LAPD liaison was that she rarely got to wear her uniform. Too often she needed to slip under the radar, or pass as a someone out boating, or just be able to wander without her clothes or posture screaming “COP.” So she slouched, tried to bring back hacky sack, and switched her uniform hat for a dad cap. Of course, the friend she was meeting had it worse; at least You didn’t have to keep a pair of wings on the very low down low. Yoshiko, You had known her for a long time, most of them late nights in dark places, so Yoshiko allowed You to call her by her human name. These were human streets and it helped Yoshiko keep a barrier between these meetings and those with the more than mortal. You understood that, she too swam between two worlds, land and sea, footed and finned.

Yoshiko was whistling as she approached; You didn’t even have to turn, Yoshiko just settled a couple feet down the pier, leaning back against the railing, hands in the pocket of her leather jacket. No gang insignia on the back, just a pair of black glittery wings and Gothic graffiti reading “Dodged the Sun; Kicked the Moon.” You once again found herself taking a moment to appreciate how carved out of breathless glory Yoshiko looked when she forgot to dim the glamour. Then You stomped on her own foot and muttered, “friend, dating another friend, don’t go there.”

Yoshiko looked straight up, stretching her throat, then tilted her head to flutter eyelashes at her rendezvous mate, You was just glad the Fallen Angel wasn’t looking directly into the sun. That was always disconcerting.

“What’s up, Captain? What dark horrors can Yohane assist you in sealing away in the pit? ” Yoshiko sounded amused under the flare of drama, but whether she was reading You’s face or thoughts with those piercing purple eyes didn’t matter. You had been born an open book where women were concerned.

“The usual.” You chuckled, but her blue eyes flashed fierce. “Rumors. Bots. Trolls. Closed Facebook groups. TWIG hashtags. Social media chaos starting to spread, viral werewolves who transmit lycanthropy via saliva, mermaids drowning swimmers, wildfires being started by mutant Trinity Alps salamanders who breathe fire.” You hung her head, hands behind her neck, sighing, “It’s a flood.”

Yoshiko frowned. Hanamaru was pretty internet allergic, so Yohane spent maybe ninety minutes a day on the basics, on her phone, mostly responding to messages. She’d found it best to keep a low profile. It was too easy to feed the glamour greed; to start to crave the crowds, to yearn for the veneration. Hanamaru had pulled her back from that summit once; Yoshiko had kept herself grounded since then, helping others, in this world too modern and cynical to promote new gods to more than temporary power.

You continued, “Patterns seem to indicate local actors, a cell recently set up somewhere. There’s too many details and specific targets identified.” You took a piece of paper out of her pocket, “I think you’ll recognize some of the names.”

Yoshiko read quickly and then with a snap of her fingers and a spark the paper was gone, “I’ll warn them.” Yoshiko turned so she was facing You, “But what do I tell them?”

“The same thing I’m telling you.” Yoshiko’s name had been the first on that list, “Keep a low profile. Be wary of new people. And don’t have any more meetings at the bookstore, you goof.”

Yoshiko sighed, “Zuramaru will be sad; she likes making everyone cookies.”

“She can still make the cookies.” You was still not used to domestic Yohane, so concerned about the very prosaic activities of her partner.

“Oh that reminds me.” Yoshiko pulled a wrapped square out of one pocket, “She made you Orange Carrot Cookies. Says you need to fatten up.”

“Too busy burning off calories.” You’s best friend was the pool at her condo. Laps and lounging made her less likely to find leisure making her lonely. “Tell Hanamaru I appreciate the home baking. Does a sailor’s heart good.”

Yoshiko snorted, “Try that line on someone single, not MY wife, who’s waiting for ME.”

“Wife? You did it?” You's voice went shrill with surprise, carrying over the water.

Yoshiko startled, “Never mind that. Don’t tell Zuramaru I said….just…” Yoshiko closed her eyes, once again carved out of some substance more striking than flesh, her voice resonant with ancient echoes. “I gave up everything for her. And realized it had been nothing at all.” Yoshiko stood tall, grace in her smile as her voice softened.“Find you someone like that, my friend.”

“If only.” You pushed herself off the pier rail. “Take care of yourself. Tell Hanamaru I’ll stop by for dinner soon.”

“Good.” Yoshiko giggled, “You look hungry.”

“Or something…” You thought to herself as she waved Yoshiko off and turned to watch the sun drop into the iridescent sea.

A/N: I've been working on this for awhile, on and off. Turns out I miss writing a werewolf AU while spending my summer Shakespeare-ing. And I haven't really had the chance to write anything complicated with Aqours and I've been wanting to. So here we are. Enjoy!