#sorry hikarin

[da-millerrrrr]

@prince-hikari-ku

mav I fear I’ve opened the rai mei thirst gates once again.

Why would you do that.

[cafeinnewdelsta]

Juvah: No humans in the village, Ochette. Sorry.

Ochette: What about Hikarin?

*they both look to Hikari*

Juvah: ...OK, I will make an exception because he looks very polite.

[auncyen]

Néné feels sick from the smell of blood. Ochette had always felt sorry for her about that--both that her stomach wasn't stronger and that she'd had to spill blood anyway, because humans wouldn't stop at collaring beasts but collar each other too--but she couldn't say she knew what that felt like.

But Ochette smelled blood closer to the campsite than seemed safe, so she followed the scent's trail and found its source, and now she does feel sick, her heart hammering, her ironclad stomach roiling with disgust. Because the blood is Hikarin's, freely running down his arm from two neat, shallow cuts. And the dagger drawing that blood, the tip still pressed into the flesh, is also Hikarin's.

Hikarin is staring back at her, now that he's spotted her at the edge of the clearing. He looks sick to his stomach too--he has to be sick, Ochette knows humans do a lot of things that don't make sense to her but they don't hurt themselves--but she's seen beasts hurt themselves when they're very sick and confused--Hikarin's sick, he's always had that bad smell around him and now he's sick--but she knows who can help him.

"Ochette," Hikarin says in a small voice when she steps back. "I can explain--"

"MA," she bellows, and startles back when Hikarin shoots to his feet.

"Ochette, wait--"

"MA!" She's not expecting him to hurt her, not with one arm injured and the other hand now trying to cover the cuts, but his eyes are wide and panicky and he's doing things that don't make sense and Ma needs to come look at him right now.

Her shouting summons both Ma and Néné. Néné appears first, nearly at Hikarin's side before either of them see her and Hikarin pulls away from her, still holding his arm. Even though the smell of blood repulses Néné, she looks calmer than Ochette feels. Definitely calmer than Hikarin looks, but he's squaring his shoulders, pulling himself up straight as Ma breaks into the clearing.

"Hikarin hurt himself," Ochette says as soon as Ma gives her a questioning look, and immediately all of Ma's attention is on Hikarin. Good. She'll figure out what's wrong with him and make him better.

Hikarin rolls his sleeve back up for Ma when she approaches him, but he says, "It's nothing significant. It was an accident." Even if Ochette hadn't seen him pressing the blade to his arm she'd still know something wasn't right by the waver in his voice.

"An accident that happened twice?" Néné says, which is a good point. It's a bad, stupid lie. Hikarin doesn't usually lie. Ochette doesn't get why he's doing it now, when he knows Ma is here to help him.

"We can talk about how it happened later," Ma says, taking some bandages from her satchel. "For now, let me treat you."

The upset in Ochette's stomach settles a little, now that she knows Ma is on the job. She's good at figuring out how to fix humans and beastlings and even beasts up. She'll get to the bottom of whatever's wrong with Hikarin.

And hopefully soon. There's a heavy, sad look in Hikarin's face now that the panic is fading. And that bad smell is hanging around him like rotten meat.

-

just a lingering thought about if hikari might hurt himself for different reasons (punishing himself for the shadow's thoughts, or since the shadow seems drawn by blood having a desperate thought of 'if I give you some will you stop because I can give you mine') and uh. yeah

[trashexplorer]

BLCD Review: Tadaima, Okaeri

Title: Tadaima, Okaeri

Release Date: 2020/07/28

Cast:

Morikawa Toshiyuki x Tamaru Atsushi

Toriumi Kousuke + Yashiro Taku

Tanezaki Atsumi

Synopsis: Masaki is a male Omega married to Hiromu a male Alpha. They have a child together named Hikari and they've just moved in to a new neighborhood. The story revolves around the everyday lives of this couple and how they raise their son Hikari.

Review Proper

Y’all should know by now that I really don’t like plots that involve children and rapists. And if that wasn’t enough, I also don’t like already established couples. Literally the only reason why I endured reading the manga because I felt bad for not supporting my friends’/proofreaders’ favorite manga. I do like Ichikawa Ichi, and Tenjou no Shita ni Koi is still one of my favorites up to this day (even though I have a love-hate relationship with it), but sensei is known to have an affinity towards love triangles—YA GIRL EVEN DOES SQUARES. It’s especially frustrating for me because I end up rooting for everyone to end up with the MC. 😩 Thankfully for me, Tadaima, Okaeri didn’t have a love triangle...in volume one at least.

If ya ain’t giving me 3P, don’t even bother

Anyway, I was actually ecstatic when news broke out about the adaptation. I mean, despite the fumble Fusion Product had with Fuck Buddy’s casting, I still had faith in their casting for omegaverse because hello? This was the legendary house who brought the award-winning Kashikomarimashita, Destiny onto the table and Romantic Joutou! Of course they’re gonna deliver again this time around, right???

WRONG!!!

 I just about died when I saw that Moririn was coming in for Hiromu, but then when I scrolled down to see who was going to do my and Yuuki's beloved Matsuo-san...

Y’ALL ARE WRONG TO CAST TORIUMI KOUSUKE FOR MATSUO-SAN. Don’t get me wrong, I love the man and he did his best, but he is in no way suited to play mature and sexy Matsuo-san. I wouldn’t have complained if Tori and Moririn switched roles because Tori is more suited to comedic Papa roles (Dekichatta Danshi), but Matsuo-san has this air of mysery to him that Tori can't emulate. 😤 Plus, Tori, bless his heart, doesn’t have a lot of sex appeal as a top. How was FP even expecting a black cat play a wolf??? There’s a plethora of actors who would slay Matsuo-san’s role out there and I just can’t fathom why FP couldn’t chose any one of them instead. If they were just going to mispurpose veterans in BLCDs, then I’d rather have them not be cast at all! Maeno could have delivered Matsuo-san just fine if only he wasn’t already committed to Kashikomarimashita, Destiny, but there’s still Wacchan, Hirarin, Katou Masayuki, and Shingaki Tarusuke who are around Moririn’s range. SEE, NONE OF THIS WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF Y’ALL JUST CAST KATOU MASAYUKI GODDAMIT. 

Breathe, Cheska. Breathe.

Anyway, as I’ve mentioned earlier, when I saw Moririn’s name on that list, I really did die; BUT NOTHING EVER PREPARED ME FOR WHAT HE WAS GOING TO SERVE ON THAT FUCKING TABLE!!! You don’t understand. Not only did he go a tone deeper than what I had imagined Hiromu’s voice was going to be, he also sounded like he was recording with a goddamn dummy head mic! 😩 Mans made me feel like he was talking to me and that Hikarin was our child (sorry, Masaki)! WELL, THAT SURE TOOK ME FUCKING BACK TO MY TEENS WHERE I’D JUST LISTEN TO HIS LOVERS ONLY AND KARESHI IGAI CDS TO SLEEP. FUCKING CHEAT WITH ME, DADDY!!! The audacity of your duality, FP!!! Now this is how you put veterans to good use! It’s been how many years ever since he was cast in a good role/main role??? Three??? Please come back for more, sir!!! 😩 Ugh. I honestly can’t think of another actor who could play Hiromu better than he can and he’s going to be the very reason why I’m going to listen to the upcoming adaptations if there may be. Again, I didn’t like Hiromu and Masaki’s pair at all and didn’t care about them, BUT YO I’M ALL SIGNED UP FOR THAT MORIRIN ACTION!!!

Tama and Taku also did very well in their respective roles. I also can’t imagine their characters to be played by other people, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I didn’t confuse Tama for Shirai Yuusuke in the beginning. 😂I do have to mention Tanezaki Atsumi here, too, because she fucking deserves it. When I say that I don’t like children, I really mean that I don’t like children. I mostly ignored Hikarin’s entire existence while I read the manga because I found him spoiled and well, you know, disproportionate. However, it’s really hard to ignore him now that he’s voiced, so I had no choice but to actually listen to the plot (surprise I only skipped to Hiromu and Masaki’s bedroom subjugation and Matsuo-san and Yuuki-kun’s interactions). I don’t know if it was because I was a few days away from my period, Moririn’s daddy voice, Tanezaki Atsumi’s stellar voice acting, BUT Y’ALL THAT AWAKENED MOTHER’S INSTINCTS, I—

YO I GET IT. I GET IT, YOU HIKARI SIMPS. HAPPY NOW?! Hina is a different story, though

I’m still not a 100% in Hiromu and Masaki’s relationship, but I will try reading through it with interest (try is the keyword). If anything, this BLCD made the series better EXCEPT for Tori’s casting fiasco of course. I’d definitely recommend this to you if you’re a fan of the series, but do be warned. If you also thought that Tori’s catching was sketch, trust your instincts because it’s going to turn out like how you imagine it. Regardless, everyone did their best and despite some minor addends/rearrangements on the dialogue, this was a good adaptation over all. PLEASE DO LISTEN TO THIS IF YOU’RE A MORIRIN FAN OH MY I CAN’T STRESS ENOUGH. 

[afaithy]

113 Takari with extra points if you somehow enjoy Taichi 👀

I loved writing this haha found it funny, so I hope it is fun to read too.

I prefer blonds

..and the boy whose hair remained the color of lemons forever

-Marcus Zusack-

Taichi was in a very bad mood. In fact, “bad mood” was probably a big understatement. It all had begun with a conversation he had overheard in the changing rooms after his soccer training. Some of the older members of the team were fooling around the showers and after the usual laugh and playful teases, the conversation had turned to a less innocent one. It was a subject that Taichi always chose to avoid and usually, he was long gone before they reached that point; but today he had forgotten his phone in the locker and he had to return to grab it, catching his fellow team member in the middle of a heated conversation about girls.

Taichi had not realized how popular the girls that surrounded him really were until now. He had heard comments about Sora among the boys in their class, but then again, Sora was strong enough to shut them off if necessary; Mimi, well she was another story. The girl was feasty and that was enough to catch any boy’s attention, but like Sora, Mimi knew when to kick away any unwelcome attention. He never really had to worry about their well being when it came to members from his own sex; but today’s conversation had sent him into a pure ball of fire, perhaps even more heated than agumon’s baby flame.

His sister! His cute and sweet baby sister was currently the subject of the conversation; and he wouldn’t have minded it if the tone of comments hadn't been so...intense. After all who was Hikari’s number fanboy, if not her own brother?

“Oiii...niii-san. Hey, nii-saaan!”

Taichi was brought out from his angry thoughts by his little sister’s call. He had been waiting at the school  gate, moping around and pretty much intimidating every boy that walked out from the middle school with his intense glare.

“Taichi-san…” Takeru, who had walked out with Hikari, greeted him, and Taichi simply gave him a wave as response “Well, then I will see you tomorrow. Be careful on your way back home.”

“Uh, same you.”

“Yeah, I’ll text you later.”

Takeru gave the two Yagami siblings a wave as good bye and walked off to the opposite direction of the street.  Taichi barely acknowledged his departure as his mind was still replaying the words from the shower conversation and computing some ridiculous ways he could make those boys pay to actually be aware of what happened around him.

“O...NI...SAN…” Hikari said firmly and her words came accompanied by a soft slap on the back of his head “What’s wrong with you? Did you argue with Yamato-san again?”

“What?” he said, confused. What did Yamato have to do with anything?

“You’re sulking…” Hikari chuckled “I’ve only seen you do that whenever to fight with him or when you make Sora-san angry with one of your unwise occurrences.”

“I didn’t do anything…” Taichi replied a little offended.

“Right, right…” Hikari smiled sheepishly “Let’s go home, before someone calls a teacher to tell them that a dubious boy is looking at the students as if he wanted to scorch them alive.”

Taichi sighed. He let Hikari sit at the back of his bike and after making sure she was all set began to ride down the way back to their house. It was a nice spring afternoon, and if not by his current mood, the ride back home would have been really enjoyable with the flower petals and the sweet scent of cherry blossoms.

“Hey...for real though, what happened to you?”

“Nothing. I just had an unwanted epiphany today.” Taichi replied.

That was quite an accurate statement; after all, today he had reached the realization that his little baby sister was no longer a cute child, but rather a cute, very cute,  teenager that was starting to shine in the eyes of other boys. Since she had been a child before, he hadn’t had to worry about boys chasing her around, but now that she’d grown up, it was something that he needed to consider carefully.

“Oh, that is rare of you. What did you figure out? That chicken ramen is better than pork?” Hikari asked teasingly.

“What?”

Hikari laughed. She hadn’t meant to tease her brother, but seeing Taichi so serious was a strange thing and she couldn’t help it.

“Ok, sorry. I didn’t mean to tease you…” she said “For  real, though. What is it? Is it something I can help you with?”

“No…”

Yes, he thought ,  stay away from boys for the rest of your life, especially those idiots from my soccer team.

“Hikari…” he began “ Don’t come to my soccer practices again, ok?”

“Eh? Why the sudden request?”

“I have my reasons?”

“And those are…?”

Taichi let out an annoyed growl.

“The members of my team seem to have taken a fixation on you.”

“Come again?” Hikari said with surprised eyes “Me?”

“No, Tailmon...of course you, silly.” Taichi said impatiently “I don’t want that bunch of idiotic sacks of hormones trying to make a move on you. So stay away from my practices…”

“It’s just a temporary thing. They will get over it…”

“Nah!I’m taking no chances. Don’t get me wrong, I understand that I can’t stop you from eventually dating...” Taichi said, grimacing at the last part “but if you’re going to date someone, it has to be someone I approve. Someone that actually deserves to date you.”

“And how exactly are you planning to decide that?�� Hikari laughed, amused by her brother’s conviction.

“For starters...he has to be a gentleman. He has to know how to take care of you. He has to get along with me, that is important; preferably not a smartass, because those can be really annoying. Also it would be cool if he could keep you safe, you know protect when I’m not around to do so...and…”

“What are you planning? Hook me up with Koushiro or something?”

“Nah, I thought of that, but he’s into Mimi, and that would be insensible.”

“Now I am surprised you actually noticed that.”

“Hey, I’m not that dense. I know those two are into something, but we are not talking about them now. My point is...the guys in the soccer team? NO…”

“You don’t have much faith in your boys, huh?”

“How can I have it when I know them and how their little brains work.” Taichi said angrily. The memories of the stupid conversation earlier, feeding up his anger again.

They took a turn on the corner and reached the front of their apartment building. Hikarin hopped off from his bike playfully. She turned to her brother and tilted her head with a wolfish smile.

“Don’t worry. They have no chance…” she said “I prefer them blonde….”

Before Taichi could actually react to what his little sister had just said, Hikari spun on her heels and rushed into the apartment building laughing.  The older Yagami stood there dumbfounded, with his bike in his hands and still processing what his little sister’s words, and then the flame of anger began to burn again in his chest.

“God damn it, Yamato. I’m so gonna kill you.”

==========================================================

Taichi is too dense to see she’s refering to Takeru and not Yamato XD

Also since my drabble was pretty short compared to the other one. Here’s a overprotective Taichi.

Send me asks!

[hypmicreload]

chapter three

written by: Beenz

edited by: Miki

word count: 1593

previous part - next part

“Sorry we’re late!” Hurried footsteps echoed down the corridor, a few seconds later the two first-year high schoolers appeared at the bottom of the staircase in the hideout. The other three, Saikoro, Takeshi, and Hikari, had been sitting around speaking mindlessly on mundane topics. Their attention turned to the two. Nao was catching his breath, breathlessly scolding Ikumi for being too careless on the stairs once more—it was only a matter of time before she fell down them, he swore by it.

Both held two neatly pressed black dresses on hangers, along with white aprons and matching frilly headdresses. Their school bags were slung over one shoulder letting both students have one of their hands open, presumably because the girl of the pair was insistent they always held hands as they walked together.

“School held us in.” Nao explained with one final huff and set his things down in the corner.

“It’s no problem,” Saikoro waved his hand back and forth easily, eyeing up the matching dresses and raising an eyebrow. Then flashing a grin to his younger brother. “Can I ask?”

“No—!” He protested quickly, sticking his tongue out at his brother. “It’s none of your business!”

Unfortunately, he was interrupted by his usual overly excited friend.

“We’re running a maid cafe!” Ikumi held her dress up to show it off to the group. “Our class is doing it for the school festival! We’re gonna make cakes and stuff!”

Saikoro snickered, clapping his hands together. “Uwah! That’s so much fun! I’m surprised to see Nao so willing to participate...” He stood up, ready to taunt his sibling in every way possible.

“Didn’t you say before? ‘School festivals are stupid!’” Carelessly he threw his arm over his shoulder and messed up his soft brown hair.

“It’s for a girl, yeah? That's the only way you’d join! You’re tryna impress someone!”

“What!?” Nao almost choked as he gasped, however his eyes darted to the direction of someone, then back quickly to his brother. Nao broke away from Saikoro’s annoying hug and tried to cover his cheeks, which are now tinted the brightest shade of red.

“It’s not that at all! I-I don’t like anyone! I just wanted to wear the dress!”

As fate would have it, Nao was once more called out.

“Yukkun totally has a crush! I see him doodling hearts in his notebook all the time!” Ikumi doomed him with her comment, poking at his red face happily.

“He covers it up so I can never read the initials! But I’m gonna find out soon!”

“Oh, that's so sweet! You should tell us about her, Nao.” Hikari added with a soft giggle, laying her hand over her heart. “Young love is so precious.”

“It’s no one!” His voice threatened to break, the tone laced with begging. “Can we please drop this!?”

Hikari (his savior) stood up to intervene, thinking of a quick way to change the subject. “Alright, alright!” She paused for a moment, humming as she did so.

“What day is it? The festival? We should all go!”

The two teens looked to her, their expressions lighting up, Ikumi seemed to look the happiest about the comment. “You really wanna come, Hikarin?!”

“Of course! It sounds fun!”

Not even stopping to breathe, Ikumi rushed her words out, reciting all the details at once without a second thought.

“It’s in a month from today! It goes all day too, so you can come at any time! We’ll save a good cake for you. You two as well!” She turned to Saikoro and Takeshi, who both grinned and held a thumbs up.

“Sounds great!” Hikari mused, petting the now-out-of-breath girls back. “I promise we’ll all be there.”

“Then,” Saikoro clapped his hands. “With that settled, shall we start our meeting?”

In unison, everyone nodded, determined to start their usual training.

~

“That’ll hurt in the morning for sure...” Hikari grumbled, rubbing her arm as she flopped down on one of the couches along with everyone else.

As always, training was merciless.

Having been the only one with experience in rap, Ikumi was appointed the role of “coach” towards the others and though they had been together for a short time, she felt everyone was making stable progress. At least from what she had observed.

For beginners, they picked up on the concept of flow quickly and had begun to develop a style for themselves. It was impressive for starters, and further confirmed the idea that they really were the best—brought together only by fate!

However, they didn't come without faults, and for that reason, she had gotten into the habit of being stern in her training.

To her, sparing was the only way to get the results they wanted. The others agreed of course, it seemed like a good idea. Battling each other would give them a chance to get a feel for their own mics and to get used to the feeling of taking hits in a safe area… but none of them seemed to think that their self-appointed coach didn’t want to hold back.

And that was a mistake, really.

“You all did super good today.” Ikumi hummed, by this point, she was the only one who didn’t look completely exhausted. By some miracle, she was standing straight with barely a hair out of place.

Traditions formed fast in the group and as per tradition, to congratulate them, she reached into her bag and took out four packets of melon bread and tossed one to each of her friends.

“Koro is right, I think we’re ready!”

Nao tore into the bread quickly, taking a mouthful and swallowing it down within a matter of seconds.

He looked up towards her then to his brother and quirked an eyebrow. “Ready for what exactly?”

Saikoro was too focused on his own snack to respond, taking much smaller bites and covering his mouth with his hand delicately as he chewed in an attempt to always look cute.

“Oh! He asked me to get us a spot in the next underground battle.” Ikumi spoke up, setting herself down on the armrest next to Hikari.

“We’ll be fighting against this one team, I think they’re called Orizon? They’re pretty weak and they haven’t placed before so I think we can beat them easily—”

“W-Wait, we’re actually going to battle?” Hikari paled, looking at the microphone sitting in her lap, hesitation settling into the pit of her stomach.

“I-I mean I knew we were going to, but… now? Are we really ready for that?”

Nao nodded along as Hikari spoke. “Yeah… going against other people is great and all but we’ve only ever fought each other…”

With a reassuring smile, Saikoro put the worries of the other two at ease. “We can do it for sure! We have each other's backs! Plus, how can we know if we’re ready to fight other people unless we actually fight other people?”  

The proposal made sense to an extent and seemed to encourage the weary gang easily—all except Nao who still seemed hesitant. Saikoro bit into the bread he was gifted and tossed his arm over his brother.

“No need to be nervous! If we lose, it’s no big deal either.”

“Not that we’re gonna!” Ikumi insisted, grinning as wide as ever “Right, guys?”

The expression on Naos face turned more worried, but he nodded along with the others who began to chat happily amongst themselves. All anxieties transforming into excitement.

~

After the practice, Saikoro left with the two girls.

Being out past curfew was dangerous and he knew the backroads well enough so he could easily sneak them back into their own divisions.

As for Takeshi and Nao, they stayed behind.

Nao didn’t like being in the car with his brother (who would always swear to be a good driver) and Takeshi had decided their little hideaway was a good location to study, it was quiet and away from any distractions—aside from Nao’s nervous expression that remained as he looked through meaningless images on his phone.

“Is everything alright, Nao?” He looked up from his books, keeping his finger in the place he was reading so he wouldn’t lose his spot.

“Ah—” He looked up from his phone, nodding quickly. “Of course, yeah, everything’s fine… I’m just a bit…”

“Nervous? There's no need to be. In the battle, those who lose are just as gallant as those who succeed! In fact, being in battle in of itself is a triumph—”

“It’s not that.” Nao laughed, enjoying Takeshi’s idea of a pep talk nonetheless.

“I don’t mind if we win or lose, we’re new to this whole thing and we’re still learning, but…” He shook his head. “I just know that some of us aren’t as good at… dealing with failure.” Nao rubbed the back of his neck, looking towards the roof which had a small crack running along it. His eyes followed the path it created absentmindedly. “It’s nothing to worry about though, I’m sure, she’s probably grown out of it anyway.”

“If you insist.” Takeshi nodded and turned his attention back to his book, never the kind to pry or nag someone to talk.

“Yeah… she’ll be fine. Then,” Nao stood up, picking up his school bag and the black dress as he did so. He turned on his heels and made his way to the bottom of the staircase before glancing back at Takeshi, his expression shifting into a plain smile and a simple wave.

“See you later.”

“Mm.”

[8bitcat]

Graduation

@lets-play-pripara i’ve had this brewing in my head since you changed hikari’s hairstyle

---

It was a big change. Of course it would be.

Hikari sat there, staring at herself in the mirror, silver hair flowing down behind her. On her vanity sat all kinds of things. It was rather messy, really. She didn’t have time to clean it up. All kinds of makeup she was promoting, ridiculous gimmicky products, and just assorted trash.

But all the junk on the surface before her formed a sort of clean halo around two tacky-looking ribbons. Covered in polka dots, refusing to go with any outfit. It was just like her, in a way. Bold. Always doing her own thing, and giving 110% with it. 

She’d had these for ages now. Absolutely forever. How old was she when she first got them? Young. Really young. God, those days were hell. But that didn’t matter now. As far as she was concerned, the Hikari of the now was who she was. And that’s who she had always been.

Oh, but if she could convince herself of that.

In a way, the ribbons were something that pulled her through life. A rope she clung to as she was dragged through the muck and the mire, hoping, believing, praying that something would be on the other side. And she didn’t know. That was the scariest part.

But here she was. A Divine Idol. She and NightLight were plastered on magazines, billboard ads, every single day was booked with TV appearances and lives galore. It was like being a real world idol all over again. 

She wondered what defined being a “real world idol”. She didn’t change much upon entering PriPara. Sure, she’d made a few alterations. Tried some things. She was particularly a big fan of the new beauty mark on her cheek. But her ribbons...

That’s right. Her ribbons. The whole reason she was sitting here. The ribbons made her who she was. Tacky as they were, they were hers. They what made her feel like...Hikari. They were always there for her-

Right?

No, not anymore. Well, that wasn’t completely true. She loved the ribbons for all they had given her. And of course, she made them look good. She made everything look good! But...now they only served to remind her of a past. A past of yelling and screaming and hurting and crying and...ugh.

Hikari got up from the vanity. She was spending too much time thinking about this. She had things to do. She spun on her heel back to face the vanity-and twitched at the dotted fabric. Maybe today she’d wear her hair down. Always good to have a change of pace now and then, right?

She stuffed the ribbons into her pocket, and hurried out the door.

---

“You’re just like a pile of sand. Slip through my grasp, I just can’t-”

“My face is burning up, so let’s start turning up-”

“It’s like my body is not in my control.”

Hikari finished the performance with a pose, coord still glowing. She had done a small solo performance to tease NightLight’s new album “Morning/Noon/Night”, and after that would be a short Q&A, and then she could have an hour to herself before the next gig.

Everything went smoothly, as always. She had this type of stuff down to a science at this point. Blah blah blah, I love my fans, blah blah blah, inspired by whosie whatsit, a new kind of blah blah blah feel.

“So, Hikari, would you mind telling us why you wore your hair down today?”

Hikari froze. She wasn’t expecting that. And it was a perfectly innocent question. Her braided pigtails were unique to her. That was her Look. It was reasonable to ask. But it felt so...acidic. She looked at the Meganee before her. Her face was plastered with the same cheerful, warm smile. Why did it look so menacing.

Hikari choked.

“U-Uhm, w-well, y-you, uh, y-you know.” She coughed lightly, already sweating. Was it hot in here? “I-I’m t-trying t-t-t-t-t-to, uhm, f-fi-er...I-I th-thought mayb-be I-I’d try someth-th-thing n-new?” Calm down, Hikari. Don’t freak out. Not yet. Meganee’s face went from her stock “happy” to her stock “mild concern”.

“Hmmm? Are you feeling well, Hikari?” The audience chatter seemed to dissolve into concerned murmurs, which did nothing to serve her nerves. Oh God. Oh God. Keep it cool, Hikari. Just relax. Breathe normally. That’s not normally. THAT’S NOT NORMALLY. 

“U-Uhm, y-yes, I-I’m fine. I-I’m s-sorry, I-I d-didn’t g-get much s-s-s-s-sleep l-last ni-ight.” She continued to stumble, forcing a smile and a small laugh. Well, it wasn’t a COMPLETE lie. But that seemed to throw Meganee off the scent trail. Or at least she made Hikari THINK she’d been thrown off. But her face returned to the calm smile it always was, and that’s all that mattered.

“Oh! I’m sorry to hear that. But you’ll be able to get plenty of sleep after the show, because we are out of time! Join us next week when we have the hottest unit on the block, Wonder Cafe, come in to tell us what the difference between ‘furry’ and ‘kemono’ is!” Hikari sighed with relief as Meganee began the ending spiel. The audience erupted into applause when the ‘applause’ sign appeared, Hikari waved and bowed, and then returned backstage.

She practically collapsed in her chair, as Meganee came around to powder her face. Her Idol Watch buzzed, and she looked down to see what was up. It was the group chat.

midnightluna: hey? are you okay? i just saw you on the show, and you seemed a little off. everything alright?

Hikari smiled, appreciative of her friend. She began to type, when another speech bubble appeared.

superduperfunsunsunshine: yeh yeh, hikari-chwaaaan! :3 :D :O r u okaaaaaay? we wan 2 make sherbert that ur totes fine!!! <3 <3 <3

Hikari raised a silver eyebrow. She never quite got the hang of understanding how Hinode texted. But it was cute.

apollo13: Yeah guys, I’m fine. Thanks. I really appreciate it.

midnightluna: ok, if you say so. just make sure you take it easy if you don’t feel well. remember the time hinode ate an entire wedding cake before joining the pripara triathalon?

apollo13: She threw up on my shoes. My Brilliant Prince Limited Edition 2015 4th Collection PR Boots.

superduperfunsunsunshine: u guis r meen!!!!! >:C

Hikari laughed, closing the watch and putting it back in her pocket. Her fingers brushed something. Oh right. The ribbons. Ugh, they were chasing her. She stared at herself in the vanity mirror that was nothing like the one at home (mostly due to a distinct lack of clutter). Well, if she was going to put them in, now was the time. 

She sighed, figuring “trying a new look” could wait for another day. She raised the ribbon up, taking a strand of her hair and-

Mud.

The flashback bolted through her mind. The day she got the ribbons. They day she got pushed in the mud. Something that clung to her for better and for worse. Was she tearing up. Damn it. Damn it, damn it, damn it. She stuffed the ribbons back in her pocket and wiped her tears before anyone could see.

She had to get out. And that’s exactly what she did, ghosting her way through the crowds of Meganees and other idols and out into PriPara Town prior.

She had to get out.

---

Well, that would never work. Hikari poked her head out from the bushes. A bunch of idols were doing a photoshoot RIGHT in front of the gate. All she wanted was to run home, turn off all the lights, and hide under the blankets and maybe cry for an hour. She stormed off in frustration, still taking the stealthy route. But now she was ANGRY and stealthy.

She found herself in a small garden. Which, in PriPara, was not anything new. PriPara was 90% plant life at this point. It was empty, thank God. At least here, maybe she could get some time alone with her thoughts. Which was actually probably definitely a bad idea but hey everyone has their coping mechanisms shut up.

It was pretty peaceful here, actually. The sound of trickling water from a babbling brook just out of sight. Little flowers blooming here and there. It was nice, serene even. Hikari found herself walking over to a small apple tree in the corner. Her foot gently bumped against the tree, an apple wobbling precariously. And with a gentle ‘snap’, it fell from its branch, right onto the head of the gardener who had been tending to the small area.

“UGYAH!” She shrieked in pain as the apple came down on her head, appearing from seemingly nowhere. Hikari did the rational thing, which was, of course, to scream as well. Which only made the pink-haired gardener shriek even louder. Which in return, scared Hikari even more, and this just devolved into a full minute of exchanging screams.

“Uuuu...uuu...that super duper mega hurt, da vinci...” Fingers reached up, to rub the bump that formed under the pink head of hair. 

“I-I’m so sorry! I-I really didn’t mean to-” Hikari started, leaning down to check if the person was okay. Something felt oddly familiar, but the moment they turned around, Hikari saw it. “UGYO-!?”

“Hmmm?” Ajimi Kigi turned around to face Hikari, and her eyes immediately lit up. “Mama mia, that’s a spicy meatball! Hikarin, Hikarin, the super-duper mega ultra kirakirariiiiin! A modern day Monet, the apple of my eye! It’s been so long, da vinci~!” She immediately leapt into all out yelling mode, bouncing left and right and to and fro around Hikari, who was really not in the mood for any of this.

“K-Kigi-san, hello.” Hikari blushed, a bit overwhelmed by all this. Ajimi got real up close and personal very quickly, and Hikari forced her hands to her sides to keep from pushing her away.

“Hello, da vinci? This is much more than hello! This is hurrah, hail, howdy, and hallelujah! Sweet Andy Warhol, you’re positively Popping with radiance!” Kigi sang. “It seems like just yesterday, you were all muddied up like a broken Baroque!” Hikari flinched.

“Uhm-”

“Hmm, Hikyarin? Why aren’t you wearing your ribbons, da vinci?” Hikari clenched a fist. “Were they not Post-Modernist enough? Did they get all Yves Klein’d? Don’t worry, Kigi always has ribbons galore! I’ve got everything you could ever need from Acrylic to Zoetrope! And of course, how could I forget-”

“Maybe I just didn’t want them, okay!?”

Time seemed to stop for a moment. Then two moments. The air turned icy cold, as Hikari seethed with freezing rage. She reached into her pocket, and raised the ribbons up into the air.

“Maybe I don’t need your dumb ribbons anymore! I don’t! They’re ugly and tacky and they don’t go with anything! They’re such a problem! Nobody likes them!”

Ajimi said nothing, but Hikari had plenty to say. 

“Oh, so what? The helped me through a tough time!? But now I can’t even look at them without thinking back to everything I had to go through with them! I hate those stupid ribbons! They’re nothing but a symbol of everything I don’t want to be! They’re not me anymore! I don’t need them! I don’t want them! I don’t ever want to see those stupid God damn ribbons ever again because I’m Hikari Amanogawa! Not whatever anyone used to think I was, and not whatever I will be! Nothing else matters but the me that is now!”

Hikari took in one big breath, and screamed to the sky, throwing the ribbons to the ground.

“I’M HIKARI AMANOGAWA!!”

And time started to move again. Mostly with the massive amounts of birds Hikari just scared with that scream. Everything was silent for a moment. Even the water seemed to cease it’s trickle. A realization began to wash over her, and she turned around to face Ajimi.

“O-Oh my God, I’m so sorry-”

She started, but Ajimi raised a finger to her lips. She reached out, running her fingers through Hikari’s long, flowing silver hair. And she smiled.

“Hikari Amanogawa, huh? That’s very Hikari, da vinci.” She laughed. Ajimi strolled past her, picking up the ribbons, dusting the mud off of them. She laughed again.

“You know, it’s performance art, da vinci. When I first met you, you were crying in a mud puddle and didn’t know what to do with yourself. You were...Baroque, as it were. Or maybe rather Gutai.” She paused thoughtfully. “I gave you these ribbons because I thought you needed them...and I guess you did.” Ajimi turned to face Hikari.

“But you don’t need them any more, Hikarinrin. You’ve blossomed and matured into the beautiful young woman you were always meant to be.” Ajimi walked up and placed the ribbons back in Hikari’s hands. “You’re not tied up by these ribbons anymore, Hikari.”

“Even after everything that’s happened, is happening, and will happen. You’re still you.”

Ajimi walked past her, heading for the entrance to the garden. Hikari turned around, and opened her mouth to speak. But Ajimi had already bounced off to some other place. She stared down at the ribbons in her hands.

“I’m still me, huh?”

“I’ll always be me.”

“...”

“I’m Hikari Amanogawa.”

---

“Fuwaaaah! Oh man, what a daaaay.” Luna sighed, collapsing onto the couch in her Pripartment. Hinode smiled, seemingly still a bundle of energy.

“Oh, I thought today was fun!” She smiled, sitting down on the nearest chair.

“Fun, sure. Exhausting, also.” Luna flipped open the Idol Watch, staring at it. “Hmmm, Hikari hasn’t responded to any of our shenanigans in the group chat.”

“Hmmm?” Immediately, Hinode grew worried, as she tended to do. “I hope she’s okay...”

“Hikari’s a strong girl. She’ll be fine. Remember when she placed higher than me at the PriPara Song Festival and I pushed her out of a two-story window?”

“But she wasn’t okay. She broke like two ribs.”

“Two ribs she survived breaking.” Luna tried to make it sound like it was less terrible than it was. In reality, Luna had apologized a minimum of 400 times, brought her as many flowers as her allergies would allow, and was at her bedside 24/7. Even though it was just two broken ribs. “...Maybe I should give her a call, though.”

“No need.” A familiar voice came from the doorway. “Did somebody order fried chicken?”

“I didn’t order but I’d like some.” Luna announced, not looking up from the couch.

“...And a completely new hairstyle!” Hikari walked in, doing a dramatic pose. Hinode’s jaw dropped. Luna didn’t move.

“What. What does it look like.” She said flatly, checking for the newest King of DanPri news. Hinode said nothing, letting the teacup she had picked up shatter on the ground.

“...” Hikari walked out of the room, and then walked back in, posing once more. “And a completely new hairstyle!”

Luna finally rolled over, turning to see the new Hikari. And Luna’s jaw dropped as well. 

Hikari’s hair was shorter, but not short. Her characteristic braids were now two small pigtails that sat on her shoulders. It framed her face very nicely, and both made her cuter and gave her a bit more of a mature look. She just looked so much more...like herself.

“Well?” Hikari tapped her foot. She had strolled in here all confident. She did not come here for shocked and baffled gazes. Unless they were baffled in a positive way. Luna sat up a bit, and smiled.

“It’s very...Hikari.”

“Is that a good thing?” Hikari raised an eyebrow. Luna simply laughed.

“Oh, leave her alone.” Hinode scolded Luna, and turned back to Hikari. “But she’s right. It does look very Hikari. It looks like you.”

Hikari stopped for a moment, lowering the bag of fried chicken in her hand. She started tearing up, almost immediately.

“R-really?”

“W-wha-!? Hikari, why are you crying!?” Luna and Hinode immediately rushed to her side, but Hikari couldn’t hide a smile.

“I-I just...” She sniffled. “I-I’m Hikari Amanogawa...”

Neither of them knew what that meant, but they just went in for the hug anyways. Hikari reciprocated, squeezing them tight.

“I love you guys...”

“We love you too, Hikari.”

[hypmicreload]

chapter two

written by: Beenz

edited by: Miki

word count: 613

previous part - next part

It was on a Friday afternoon that they first ever got together.

Saikoro stood in their new-found base, a long-abandoned subway station that was somehow left unguarded by Chuuoku officials.

A dark space hidden under the city, out of reach of GPS tracking, cameras and guards… it felt like a haven once you ignored the damp dripping walls and occasional scurry of rodents.

“I’ll give it a makeover someday.” Saikoro mused to himself, a calm smile on his face.

“I’m sorry for the intrusion…!” A mousy voice spoke up, Hikari descending down the pair of stairs and into the cold area they had claimed as their own.

She was still adorned in the frills of her maid dress, a brown coat sitting on her shoulders to keep her warm from the winter outside.

Saikoro turned to her, a bigger smile growing over his face as he bounced towards her

“You’re Hikarin, right?! My name is Saikoro! You met my baby bro!” His voice filled with life and colour as he spoke. “You’re the first to arrive! How wonderful!”

“I am?” She swallowed, no wonder it felt so quiet and creepy on her way down. “Are we just waiting for um…” She tried to recall the name. “Nao… are we only waiting for Nao?”

“Nope!” If possible, stars would be lacing his speech. “We’re gonna be a big team, Hikarin! Isn’t it exciting?!”

“Hikarin…” She let the name linger, laughing a little. “How many of us are there then?”

“Five!” Saikoro held his hands up, showing her the number in case she misheard.

As if clockwork, an echo came down the stairs.

“Ya-chan, slow down! You’ll—I’ll fall over!”

“Chill out, Yukkun!” In a burst of energy, two high school children appeared—still in uniform and all.

Nao was being dragged by his friend, who was presumably far more energetic.

“Ah, they’re here!” Saikoro chirped, Hikari examined the two—today Nao wore a uniform to match his friend’s: a white blouse, a skirt, and a bow, both light blue. She then found herself staring at the mentioned friend, her eyes moving down slightly. This girl was only in high school but already so, so much bigger than her. How unfair!

“Heya!” The shorter of the pair spoke up, grabbing Hikari’s hand (and attention) by shaking it rapidly. “My name’s Yamada Ikumi! Nice to meet you!”

She tried not to crumble under the pressure of the handshake. She was only in high school and so much stronger than her as well. “A-ah… yes… nice to meet you Yama-”

“No, no! Call me Ikumin! Or Iku if ya like!” She insisted, freeing her grip. If Hikari hadn’t been a nurse, she would have sworn her hand was broken.

“In that case, it’s nice to meet you, Ikumi.” She bowed slightly. “My name is Izanami Hikari.”

“Then!” Saikoro threw his arms over the two girls. “We’re just waiting for one more person~ How exciting!”

“—-Sorry for the intrusion.” As if on cue, a tall boy entered the room. Hikari craned her neck up to meet his face, finding herself slightly daunted.

“It's no problem!” Saikoro sang, rolling on the balls of his feet happily. “For those who don't know, this is Takeshi”

“Nice to meet you.” Hikari bowed her head quickly, the other two giving him a quick wave.

Takeshi scanned the room, pushing his glasses up on his face. “It's nice to make your acquaintance, I presume we are all a team now?”

“Correct!” Saikoro cheered once more, charisma filling the room “This is it! All five of us!”

He stood in front of them all, determination glowing in his eyes.

“Everyone, welcome to RE:load!”