#then spent several hours with a hammer and a broom clearing the ice on the walkway for me and my closest neighbors

[rubenesque-as-fuck]

Fingers crossed for the ice to be melted enough tomorrow that I can go get breakfast and some groceries 🤞

[today-we-will-survive]

05. Whalien 52

A story based on the fictional HYYH world about six boys with unimaginable problems and their friend that can’t do anything to help.

Member: Namjoon

Genre: Angst

Warning: warnings are posted in my masterlist

Word Count: 4.6K

Parts can be found on my Masterlist under “The Most Beautiful Moment In Life”

A/N: New parts every Tuesday and Friday

Finding the minuscule fissures in the surface and digging its fingers in until we began to splinter.

February.

An annoying ringing shattered the silence within the dark gas station causing Kim Namjoon to stir. With a groan, he started to roll over on his mattress when his body hit something. He froze in his half-sleep before remembering he wasn’t alone on his bed. An arm flew out and draped over his shoulder, hand hovering in front of his face.

“Tae,” he uttered and reached over to turn the alarm off on his phone.

Taehyung didn’t stir.

“Tae,” Namjoon said again a little louder. This time the boy let out a sleepy groan which tapered off into a snore. With a sigh, Namjoon got up off the mattress, his joints cracking as he did so and he winced rubbing his stiff neck. “Tae, you have to get up. You can’t be here when Mr. Bang-nim shows up.”

It was still dark outside but Namjoon had learned never to let himself sleep until sunrise again. The gas station he worked at was a weird one that actually closed at night unlike the majority of the other stations in town. He was the opening and closing shift Monday through Friday and his boss took the middle shift, but the man came early in the morning to drop off the day’s till and Namjoon couldn’t be caught sleeping there again. One more time and he’d be fired and back on the street.

*

He’d been by himself for much of his life. His parents had left him with his grandmother one weekend saying they were going on a special vacation for their anniversary. Only, they never came back. Namjoon’s grandmother was an old, frail woman. Much too frail to take on a child—he was barely five at the time—and he spent most of his childhood fending for himself. When he was twelve, she developed cancer and passed away within just a few weeks of receiving the news. As soon as she died, Namjoon ran. He was so afraid of being put into foster care, never having a real home, never having a real family. He’d basically already been fending for himself for seven years before that.

There’d never been any record of his parents abandoning him or him living with his grandmother so it wasn’t hard for him to disappear without a trace. The boy was clever and intelligent for his age and he was able to make it into the city and fake his way into school. He didn’t care much for the classes, but going to school meant getting breakfast and lunch for free. It was there that he met Hoseok. The two became friends quickly, both having an interest in music. Hoseok was a dancer and Namjoon loved writing songs and melodies. Hoseok was already close with Yoongi who at this point was just discovering his love for producing. Together, the three of them would spend hours after school at Hoseok’s house—since Namjoon didn’t have one and Yoongi’s parents didn’t approve of his newfound hobby—writing music together that Yoongi would then go home and produce on his computer. Nothing ever came of it but for Namjoon, this was a pivotal time in his life. He developed a friendship with a small group that grew bigger until there were seven of them, the others like the family he never had. Brothers he was so desperate for. And for this friendship, he’d be eternally grateful.

Eventually, they all figured out his situation, though he tried to hide it as he didn’t want to be a burden on any of them. They found ways to help him out though, whether it was Jimin inviting him over for dinner once a week or Yoongi asking him to stay the night—or several nights—to help him work on a new song. The boys helped him as much as he would let them.

Taehyung, though, helped him the most, probably without even realizing it. The first time Taehyung called asking if he could stay with him—at that time he had been working and sleeping at the gas station for a few months—Namjoon was hesitant to let him. He’d needed a job so he could afford food and a cellphone and already felt guilty having to secretly sleep at the station but he had nowhere else to go, and he worked the opening and closing shift anyway, so what was even the point of leaving at night? But then when Taehyung showed up at the gas station with a broken nose and a bruise on his throat that resembled a handprint, Namjoon couldn’t turn him away.

Sure, the other boys were amazing. Always willing to help him, always wanting to do whatever they could, but it made him feel reliant on them and the last thing he wanted was to not be able to take care of himself. But Taehyung wasn’t like that. Taehyung made him feel needed for once.

*

When he’d shown up in the middle of the night covered in blood a month before, Namjoon hadn’t wasted any time pulling him into the bathroom and helping clean him up as much as he could. He used the small travel size shampoos and soaps the gas station carried and scrubbed at Taehyung’s hair and skin until the water in the sink ran clear. He had him change into the only other set of clothes he had, taking the bloody ones, dousing them with bleach and lighter fluid and then bagging them up and tossing them into the dumpster in the alley.

Then together, the two of them went back to Taehyung’s apartment. Namjoon and Taehyung—silent in his still shocked state—dragged the body of Taehyung’s father into the bathroom and dumped him into the tub. After that, Namjoon put Taehyung to work in the kitchen, having him bag up all the liquor bottles and the mail on the floor while he took care of the back bedroom. He scrubbed at the carpet with bleach until there was no trace of blood left.

He’d grabbed several bags of ice and two rolls of duct tape from the gas station and now he emptied the bags into the tub before taping the window shut. Then, he shut and locked the door and sealed the cracks. With his eyes and nose now burning with the smell of bleach, Namjoon finally made his way back into the living room, only to find Taehyung standing there in the middle of it completely still.

“Tae?”

At the sound of his name, the boy had looked up to meet Namjoon’s eyes. Taehyung’s face was shining with tears as they trailed down his cheeks but you’d never know he was crying by his stone-like expression.

“I don’t even feel bad for doing it, hyung,” he’d uttered and when Namjoon looked down at his hands, they were clenched into trembling fists. “I was just so angry. I couldn’t stop. What’s wrong with me, hyung? Why don’t I feel guilty for killing my father?”

Namjoon had dropped the bag full of bloody paper towels and bleach right there next to the hallway and rushed over to Taehyung just in time to catch him before he could collapse to the floor. The boy sobbed into his chest, clinging so tightly to him that his fingers bruised his skin. Namjoon held him for a long time there in the middle of the living room, not saying a word and not loosening his tight grip on him. Finally, Taehyung’s sobs quieted to sporadic sniffles and then he let go of Namjoon, sitting back on his butt and dragging his hands down his face to wipe his tears away.

“What do we do now?” Taehyung had asked, his voice raspy and low.

Namjoon looked around at the several trash bags filled with evidence of their being there. His attempt to conceal the body wasn’t going to hold up forever. Eventually, it was going to start to smell and someone was going to discover it. Not to mention the man had a job. His absence wouldn’t go unnoticed for long.

“We need to get you far away from here,” Namjoon finally said and Taehyung’s eyes widened in fear.

“Please don’t send me away, hyung,” he said. “I can’t do this on my own.”

With a sigh, Namjoon got to his feet and held a hand out to him. “Then we need to figure out a way for you to hide.”

*

Taehyung had been staying with him ever since then. Every morning before the sun came up, he would leave and every night after closing, he’d return. Namjoon wasn’t sure what he did during the day and would spend the whole time worrying the boy wasn’t going to show up in the evening, but so far, he always did.

“Tae, come on, man,” Namjoon said again, giving the boy a hard push and sending him rolling off the other side of the mattress with a groan of protest. “Unless you want to hide in a broom closet all day, you have to get out of here.” Taehyung finally stirred, getting slowly to his feet.

He rubbed at his eyes, staggered and caught himself on a rack of magazines before he could topple over. “Don’t make me leave today, hyung,” he whined. “It’s cold out there and I don’t have anything to do. Just let me stay here today, please?”

“Do you want to get caught?”

Taehyung slowly peeled one eye open to look up at him. “I’ll stay hidden. I promise. You won’t even know I’m here.”

Just then, headlights flashed across their faces and Namjoon’s eyes widened. “Get in the bathroom,” he said quickly before shoving him into the tiny space. Then he picked up the air mattress and threw it in after him. Luckily, the thing was light. After looking around to make sure there was no evidence of him being there, Namjoon ran into the backroom, unlocking the door that lead to the alley and slipping outside.He stood there behind the store for several minutes, waiting for his heart to stop hammering and the sweat that had broken out on his skin to dry. It was cold outside. A cold so sharp it stung his lungs with each breath and made his head hurt.

At last, he stuffed his numb hands into his pockets and, as nonchalantly as possible, walked around to the front of the store to meet his boss.

Mr. Bang was just getting out of his SUV when Namjoon came around the corner. The sky had lightened to a pale gray already.

“Morning, Namjoon,” the man said with a friendly smile and made his way toward the locked front doors.

“Morning, sir,” Namjoon replied. He watched with coiled nerves as his boss withdrew a key and unlocked the store. Then when he followed him inside, Namjoon’s eyes shifted to the bathroom door.

“There are a few boxes in the back that need unpacked if you want to do that while I open the register,” Mr. Bang said as he slipped behind the counter.

“Already done, sir,” Namjoon replied shifting nervously from one foot to the other.

A sharp knock came from the direction of the bathroom just then causing Namjoon to jump. Immediately, he felt his face go pale. Maybe Mr. Bang hadn’t heard. But when he looked back at his boss and saw that the man was looking curiously now at the bathroom, a sense of dread overcame him.

“We better not have a rat problem again,” the man uttered to himself as he, to Namjoon’s horror, got out from behind the counter again and made his way toward the bathroom at the back of the store.

Namjoon watched as everything seemed to move in slow motion. His eyes could only focus on the man’s hand as he reached for the doorknob, and silently begin to pray that by some miracle, Taehyung would somehow be able to squeeze his long, lanky body into a dark corner and disappear.

No such luck. The door creaked open, revealing an unsuspecting Taehyung, blanket wrapped around him as he sat on the cold tile floor.

Namjoon let out a groan and squeezed his eyes shut. Maybe his boss would keep it a secret. Maybe he’d understand the situation and let them stay. No, he knew better than that.

“Hello,” Taehyung said quietly, his mouth lifting into a guilty smile.

Namjoon’s eyes drilled into the back of his boss’s head as he waited with bated breath for the man to speak. The silence was thick, making it hard for Namjoon to pull air into his lungs. Then at last, the owner of the gas station turned to look at him. The expression on his face was unreadable at first. Completely blank like a mannequin’s. Surely, the man recognized Taehyung from the news. The boy’s picture and his father’s had been on every network since the discovery of the man’s body in their apartment. The police had already questioned the other boys, none of them giving any sort of answer more than a shrug and an “I haven’t seen him,” and Namjoon hadn’t even been questioned since there wasn’t any record of him existing in the city anyway.

“Namjoon, come outside with me,” Mr. Bang finally said, his voice steady, his face still unreadable.

With a quick glance back at Taehyung, Namjoon followed after him through the back room and out the exit into the alley.

Mr. Bang finally turned to face him, raking his hands down his face with a heavy sigh. “Namjoon, I’ve turned a blind eye a lot over the three years you’ve worked for me. I paid you under the table. Didn’t say anything when stock didn’t match with my inventory list.  Didn’t say anything when I found out you were sleeping here.”

“So you knew—”

“I did,” Mr. Bang interrupted. “And I hoped it was only temporary. But Namjoon, you’re harboring a fugitive. I can’t have that in my store. I could lose the business. I could go to jail. I’m sorry but the two of you are going to have to go somewhere else.”

Namjoon squeezed his eyes shut. He just had to think for a moment. There had to be some way for him to be able to keep his job. He wet his lips. “Mr. Bang—”

“I won’t call the police. But you can’t work here anymore. I’m sorry, Namjoon. I really am.”

With a sigh, the boy opened his eyes again, finally meeting his boss’s—well, former boss’s. The man had been like a father to him for the past three years. A good boss. Which had made Namjoon work hard to be a good employee. He’d only taken items when he was really desperate. Though, lately he’d been a lot more careless. Taking candy and food and alcohol. Even if he wasn’t hiding Taehyung, he deserved to be fired. Finally, Namjoon took another deep breath. “I understand, sir,” he said and extended his hand. “Thank you for everything.”

The man’s mouth lifted into a sad smile as he reached out and shook Namjoon’s hand. “If there’s anything I can do for you. If you need money, or a lawyer—”

“No thank you, sir,” Namjoon cut him off. “I can take care of this on my own.”

Mr. Bang gave him a sharp nod. “I’ll give you a few minutes to collect your things.” Then he turned and went back into his store.

Namjoon stood there in the alley for several more minutes, eyes on the ground as he kicked at the gravel with his shoe. What was he going to do now? He was homeless again. Homeless and harboring a fugitive. Taehyung wouldn’t last long on the streets. Namjoon had been taking care of himself for a long time. He knew what parts of town to avoid. He knew how to evade. Where to go if he needed temporary shelter. How to survive on as little food as possible. But Taehyung…he was only a boy. While his life hadn’t been a luxurious one, or even an okay one, at least he’d had a roof over his head. Clothes on his back. Food in his stomach. He needed that again.

Finally, Namjoon went back inside. Taehyung was leaning against the bathroom doorframe, his hands stuffed deep into his pockets, his bottom lip between his teeth. He straightened up when he saw his hyung come from the back room.

“We have to go,” Namjoon said walking past him to the broom closet.

Taehyung followed after him. “Where?”

Namjoon opened the closet and grabbed his worn, black backpack then started stuffing his few belongings into it. Beanie, face mask, phone charger, copy of Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami, a journal and a pen.

“Hyung.”

“I’ll figure something out,” Namjoon replied and pulled the confused boy after him.

Mr. Bang stood by the door, a shopping bag in one hand and an envelope in the other. He held them out to Namjoon as they approached. “Take these.”

Namjoon looked down at the bag. He could see several cups of ramen, water bottles and a few other things through the opaque plastic.

“I don’t need your help, sir,” he said and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Taehyung look at him.

“Hyung, I think—”

“He’s my responsibility,” Namjoon interrupted. “I can take care of him.”

“At least take your last paycheck.”

Namjoon glanced down at the thick envelope then up at his former boss as he took it from him. When he opened the envelope, his eyes widened. “Sir, I can’t accept this. It’s so much more than my normal pay.”

“Just consider it severance.”

With a nod, Namjoon stuffed the envelope into the pocket of his coat and looked again at the man. “Thank you for giving me the opportunity to work for you, sir. And for letting me stay here for as long as you did.”

Mr. Bang gave him a tight-lipped nod before stepping out of the way so he could pull Taehyung out the door.

“What do we do now, hyung?” Taehyung asked as the two made their way back into the alley behind the gas station.

“For now, we find somewhere to hide until it’s dark.”

“And then what?”

Namjoon yanked him down between two dumpsters just as a car pulled into the alley a block down. The two sat there in tense silence until it passed by them. Then Namjoon peaked his head out, not letting Taehyung get back up until the car had turned out of the alley and onto the street.

“Hyung?”

He looked at the boy who looked back with saddened eyes. He seemed so much younger, so much smaller all of a sudden. He was only a couple years Namjoon’s junior but the uneasy expression on his face made him look like a scared child. Namjoon opened his backpack and pulled out his beanie and face mask.

“Don’t worry, Tae,” Namjoon said handing the things to him. After Taehyung put them on, Namjoon pulled him against him and they made their way farther down the alley. “I’ll figure something out.”

Throughout the day, Namjoon racked his brain, trying to come up with a solution to this rather large problem of theirs. He couldn’t ask any of the guys. Yoongi could lose his home if he was caught with Taehyung, and the others lived with their families. But maybe Jin…

*

The oldest boy in the group was home for an extended weekend and was the one to answer the door when Namjoon knocked. He’d had Taehyung hide in the shadows created by the neatly trimmed hedge along the side of the house just in case one of Jin’s parents answered instead.

“Joon?” Jin said stepping out onto the porch. “I haven’t seen you in a few weeks.”

“Yeah, I’ve been busy,” Namjoon replied and looked down at his feet. He hated being here. He hated what he was about to do. Hated asking for help. Because it just made him feel like he wasn’t capable. Like he was worthless.

“What are you doing here so late?” Jin asked, pulling him out of his dark thoughts. “Is something going on? Are the others alright?” Suddenly his eyes widened in horror. “Is it Taehyung?”

Namjoon bit his lip and gave a pathetic chuckle. “Yeah, I guess you could say that,” he said then heard a rustle behind him as Taehyung stepped into the light.

“Hey, Jin-hyung.”

Jin’s eyes darted to the side to meet the younger boy’s over Namjoon’s shoulders. “Tae?” Then he looked at Namjoon again. “Has he been with you this whole time?”

“Yeah. He’s been staying with me at the gas station.”

“And the two of you haven’t been caught?”

“We were today,” Taehyung answered, his words muffled by the face mask he was still wearing, and stuffed his hands into the pockets of the coat Namjoon had given him a month ago.

“You guys can’t be here,” Jin said and took a step back so he was back on the other side of the threshold. “I already had to lie to the police and to my parents…and if anyone sees us talking—”

Namjoon let out a heavy sigh and looked up at Jin. “Tae has nowhere to go, hyung. He needs you right now.”

Jin shook his head. “I can’t,” he cracked. “I’m sorry, Joon, I can’t.”

Anger flooded Namjoon’s gut as he bit the inside of his cheek. “You’re supposed to be his friend,” Namjoon uttered so Taehyung couldn’t hear. “Any of the other guys wouldn’t even hesitate to help. You know I wouldn’t normally ask for a favor but I’m desperate. Please don’t make me beg.”

Jin lifted his eyes to the ceiling, blinking hard and letting his head fall back. “Joon, I don’t think you understand what you’re asking of me, here.” Then he looked at him again. “Where would I hide him? How would I keep this from my parents?”

“He’s our brother, hyung” Namjoon growled. “You would figure it out because that’s what family does.”

Jin stepped back further, hand reaching up to grip the doorknob. He looked like he was ready to turn and run. “I’m sorry, guys,” he said again shaking his head. “It’s too much to ask. I’m sorry. Really. I wish there was something I could do.”

There is something you can do, Namjoon thought as he ground his teeth together. But he just stared back at the boy. He could see the despair written across Jin’s face. Maybe he really was trapped. Maybe he really couldn’t help no matter how much he wanted to. At last, Namjoon’s face smoothed then with a heavy sigh, he turned around. “Let’s go, Tae.”

Taehyung gave a curt nod then looked back up at Jin where he stood in his doorway. “Bye, Jin-hyung.”

“I’m sorry, Tae,” he cracked.

“I know.”

Namjoon didn’t turn around again to say goodbye. His chest felt so tight, he didn’t even know if he could speak. So instead, he kept walking down the path, Taehyung’s footsteps echoing behind him. Then he heard the faint sound of the door closing and the tightness dissipated, leaving him feeling emptier than he ever had before.

“Where do we go now, hyung?” Taehyung asked from behind him.

It was so cold now and Namjoon had no idea what to tell the younger boy. They couldn’t stay out in the open like this. Someone would eventually recognize Taehyung. No, he needed to get out of the city. Far away. He needed to disappear.

Namjoon lifted his head, looked farther down the street, his eyes settling on the empty bus stop. Immediately he felt a lump forming in his stomach. He knew what he had to do.

“Come on,” he said taking Taehyung’s arm in his hand and pulling him down the sidewalk. When they reached the bus stop, he had the younger boy sit on the bench as he studied the schedule attached to a pole. A bus would be arriving any minute. Just their luck.

“Are we going somewhere?” Taehyung asked.

“We aren’t.” Then he sucked in a sharp breath and turned to face the boy. “But you are.” Then Namjoon tugged his beanie down further over Taehyung’s ears and lifted the mask around his neck up to cover the lower half of his face. In the bulky sweater and coat he wore, his lanky, teenage body was well hidden making it hard to tell how old he was.

“Wait until you’re at least a few towns over before you get off,” Namjoon said, trying his hardest not to meet the scared boy’s eyes. “Then you need to find some sort of shelter. If you can stay there, do it. If not, try to stay in populated parts of town. You’ll be safer that way. Understood?”

“I’m scared, hyung,” Taehyung said, his eyes turned down in the corners and silently pleading with Namjoon not to make him go.

Namjoon felt his heart shatter in his chest. He’d told Taehyung he’d keep him safe and he’d failed. With a sharp intake of breath to clear the fog from his eyes, he shoved his hand into the pocket of his coat and withdrew the envelope of money he’d received from Mr. Bang.

“Take this,” he said to Taehyung and pressed it into his hand, not even giving him a chance to reach out and take it himself.

“But, hyung, this is all your money.”

“I’ll be fine,” Namjoon said with a shake of his head. “You need it more than I do. Please, just take it and find some place safe to hide.” At last he met the boy’s eyes. “Just find somewhere to stay put and once everything calms down, I’ll come and find you. We’ll figure something out together, okay?”

Taehyung nodded and then the two turned when the bus came around the corner. Suddenly, Namjoon felt unease like a chunk of ice settle in his gut. Maybe this was a mistake. His thoughts were interrupted though when Taehyung threw his arms around the older boy and clutched onto him for dear life.

“I don’t know what I’d do without you, hyung.”

Namjoon pulled his bottom lip into his mouth and bit down hard to keep the tears from spilling over. In a moment of weakness, he buried his head into the younger boy’s neck, and inhaled deeply. In all honesty, he didn’t know what he’d do without Taehyung either.

Namjoon was the one to finally pull away. With a hard sniff, he stepped back, letting one hand linger on the boy’s shoulder for just a moment longer, giving it a fond squeeze before dropping his arm entirely. The bus had already been sitting for a little while behind them, the driver waiting for the two to finish saying their goodbyes.

“Call me any time day or night if you need anything,” Namjoon said. “Even if you don’t need anything, just call sometimes so I know you’re alright.”

Taehyung nodded quickly, his breath trembling in the cold. Or maybe it was something else. “I’ll talk to you soon,” he said, his voice low and quivering just a bit.

Namjoon nodded back then motioned with his chin toward the bus. He watched Taehyung step on, stopping at the top of the stairs to pay for his fare before heading back to find a seat.

He didn’t know if he’d ever see Taehyung again. And as the bus pulled away, he hoped and prayed to whatever was out there that he would, but something told him this was a permanent goodbye.

[all-the-cliches-lwa]

The Life We Share Ch. 2

Welp, gotta admit. This was a lot different than everything else I’ve done in like... recent history. 

Once again, s/o to the lovely @undersea-anchor and @diakkoislife, both of whom gave me some thoughts. 

Time for some danger! 

Oh yeah, spells courtesy of my attempts at understanding the incantations from Chamber of time. 

 Thanks so much for reading, and I hope you enjoy~

Day 2: Danger

Summary: In which Diana is stuck in Arcturus Forest, fending for her life.  Akko is, obviously, not okay with this.

Word count: 4.3k words~

ffnet link

ao3 link

Run.

Every cell in Diana’s body was screaming at her to run. To escape.

But she knew she couldn’t keep this up.

“Aluya Karigulana!”

Giant spikes of ice shot up from the ground. From behind it, a pained roar erupted, echoing throughout the forest and sending tremors down Diana’s spine.

Diana dug her feet into the ground as she skid to halt. She then doubled over in pain, her lungs crying out for air.

How long had she been running? Minutes? An hour? Perhaps several?

Diana had no clue, no way of knowing. Had she spent even a moment’s breath to think… she might not even be standing here.

But at least, for now, she could catch her breath and-

A thunderous growl broke through the brief serenity, shaking Diana to her very core. She whipped her head up the wall of ice in front of her and froze when faced with the beast standing atop it.

With each of its breaths, smoke escaped from its jaws. Its serpentine tale swayed around, hissing in time. Its yellow eyes glared down at her, brimming with fury.

A monster of Greek legend, the Chimera, loomed above her, ready to tear her limb from limb.

What’s worse, the monster barely looked injured. She’d used spell after spell, trying to incapacitate it, but everything she’d done only managed to intensify its rage.

Diana’s heart hammered against her ribs. Adrenaline coursed through her veins. Her legs were screaming.

Run.

She had to. Knew she had to.

But she couldn’t outrun this beast. Not at a moment’s notice, and certainly not from where it stood.

She needed to distract it.

She needed a spell. One she could use without allowing even one second to pass.

The wand shook in her hand, and its tip shined a blinding green.

“Gael ya Fula’lana!”

Bullets of wind shot from her wand. Each one struck the Chimera, only to disperse into nothingness.

Naturally, nothing she did hurt it, but that didn’t matter. The spell was keeping it locked in place, stuck at the top of the glacial wall.

And that’s all Diana needed.

“Vega Varulus! Tia Freyre!”

She needed to escape.

She needed just a minute to rest and rethink. Figure out the nearest leyline route or even the easiest way to make an impromptu teleportation circle.

She needed to go back to Luna Nova. Back to Akko… to everyone.

Thoughts of Akko and her friends kept Diana going as she dashed through the air, looking for a place to hide.

“Huh?! What do you mean you sent Diana to Arcturus Forest alone?!” Akko gripped the edges of Professor Finnelan’s desk, screaming at the top of her lungs. “Why would you do that?!”

“Miss Kagari, would you please calm do-”

“I can’t!” Akko interrupted, her heart racing in her chest. “How am I supposed to calm down?! I leave with Professor Ursula for my senior project, and I come back and Diana’s missing!”

“Believe me Miss Kagari,” Professor Finnelan said. “I am well aware of how grave this error was on my part.”

“Yeah?! And how are you going to fix it?!”

“Miss Kagari, please,” Headmistress Holbrooke said from beside Professor Finnelan. “I can assure you, Professor Finnelan is feeling guilty enough already.”

Akko took a moment to look at the face of her Professor, a face she’d usually only seen fill with disciplinary fury.

True enough, none of that was present. The stern glare she’d been so used to seeing wasn’t there. Instead, there were circles under her eyes, and her brows were knit with worry.

Akko loosened her grip and stood back to stare at her feet. She wrapped her right arm around herself and held onto her left arm.

“... I’m sorry.”

Akko heard Professor Finnelan sigh, and then heard a bump from the wooden desk.

“There is no need Miss Kagari,” Professor Finnelan said with a sigh. “I already understand how furious you must be.”

Akko bit her lip, and her nails dug into her arm. The world froze around her and everything faded away…

The only thing on her mind was Diana… lost.

Akko...  couldn’t just stay here.

Every second she stood here… was a second Diana was still missing… was a second Diana could be-

She… She couldn’t lose Diana.

“I’m going to find her.”

“Miss Kagari?”

Akko raised her head and looked right into Professor Finnelan’s eyes.

“I’m going to Arcturus Forest to look for her.”

“Miss Kagari! I will not allow you to do that.” Professor Finnelan’s hands slammed against the desk.

“Why not?!” Akko bit back. “Someone has to!”

“Miss Kagari, we won’t let another student go into Arcturus Forest alone.” Headmistress Holbrooke cut into view, an uncharacteristically stern look on her face. “I’m sure you have many, many examples to the contrary, but we Professors aren’t too old to learn from our mistakes.”

“Who’s going to look for her then?!” Akko asked. “I know all of the other professors are still away from the school! And everyone else is already in this room!”

Professor Finnelan and Headmistress Holbrooke shared a look, and Akko knew what the answer was.

“I’m gonna get her,” Akko said.

“Miss Kagari,” Professor Finnelan replied, “we will not let you go alone.”

“Well, what if I can go with her?”

Akko looked back to the door, where Professor Ursula was standing.

“Professor du Nord?”

“Headmistress Holbrooke, Professor Finnelan, please allow Akko to go,” Professor Ursula said, now standing right beside Akko, “I will take full responsibility for her safety.”

“Professor Ursula...,” Akko said, looking up at her professor with thanks.

“Professor du Nord, please forgive me but…” Headmistress Holbrooke flew back to sit onto the desk, “given your… condition, I’m a little skeptical about allowing this. Not to mention, given what’s happened to Diana, I am still uncomfortable allowing another to student to go to Arcturus.”

“There’s no need to worry Headmistress. I understand your concern,” Professor Ursula said. “But I assure you, I have already been sent a… temporary solution.”

“Eh?” Akko gasped. “Did Professor Croix already figure out a cure?!”

“No, but she did send me something else,” Professor Ursula said.

“Fair enough Professor du Nord… but be that as it may, I am still uncertain about allowing Miss Kagari to go.”

Akko turned towards the Headmistress, rage already beginning to bubble up in her chest. However, Professor Ursula quickly got in between her and Headmistress Holbrooke, stopping her from acting.

“If that’s what you’re worried about, then there’s nothing to worry about,” Professor Ursula said. “By far, she is the student with the most experience in Arcturus Forest.”

“Is that so?” Professor Finnelan asked.

“Yeah!” Akko immediately interrupted, peeking her head behind Professor Ursula’s arm. “I’ve been there a bunch of times! That’s where I found the Shiny Rod!”

“... I see,” Professor Finnelan said. Akko saw her sit back on her chair and sigh. “Very well. Professor du Nord.”

“Yes Professor Finnelan?”

“You and Miss Kagari will go to Arcturus Forest and find Diana,” Professor Finnelan said. Akko nearly cheered, but Professor Finnelan continued. “However, should either of you find yourselves in an impossible situation, you are to return to Luna Nova immediately. Is that clear?”

“Hai!” Akko yelled without even a moment passing by.

“... Professor du Nord, I expect you make sure she keeps her word.”

“Understood Professor Finnelan.”

When Diana woke up, her entire body was sore. Slowly, she leaned back against the wall of the tree hollow she had hid herself in and sighed.

She really didn’t want to have to use the Vega Varulus spell. Her legs were nowhere near strong enough to use it without leaving herself nearly incapacitated afterwards.

… Truly the very second she had found this hollow, she had collapsed from exhaustion.  

Diana tried to sit up, but felt a sharp pain jolt from her arm down her spine.

Diana hissed and turned towards its source.

...It appeared the Chimera had managed to leave a gash in her left arm.  She inspected it for a moment and was relieved to see it had not been infected.

That sort of spell would have taken far longer to prepare.

Diana struggled to wrap her fingers around her wand’s handle and had even more trouble lifting it towards her arm.

Diana took in a deep breath and shut her eyes tight.

“Tiosel Sol Aré”

The wound immediately closed, and the sting faded away. Diana let out a sigh of relief.

Unfortunately this uniform couldn’t be salvaged but… at this point, that wasn’t quite something Diana cared about.

Diana unlatched the small pouch hanging from her sash and opened it up.

Mandrake leaves, Cockatrice feathers, Griffin talons, and rainbow moss.

Diana let out a groan, and her head fell back against the hollow wood.

She had been so close… she just needed to find a heart’s mushroom.

Diana had assumed this mission would be simple. From all of her readings of Arcturus forest, she had thought most of the dangerous creatures had gone extinct hundreds of years ago. Truthfully, when she first started looking for the materials Professor Finnelan had requested she search for, it had appeared those texts were correct.

There weren’t many creatures to be seen. The most dangerous ones she was met with were the Cockatrice and Mandrake, but even those weren’t all too much trouble. She’d been mostly able to incapacitate them with a simple gravity spell, or even a quick dream wind spell.

But then that Chimera showed up, snapping her broom in half, while she was collecting the Mandrake leaves… and now here she was.

If only the Mandrake hadn’t suddenly woken up and whipped at her teleportation potion… she wouldn’t even be in this mess.

Diana’s arms trembled as she pushed herself off from the walls. She peeked out of the hollow, looking out for any signs of the Chimera… or really any other monster. She would need quite a bit of time to draw out a teleportation circle with enough strength to break free from Arcturus Forest.

Fortunately… there didn’t appear to be any signs of such creatures.

Still, she couldn’t quite tell when that would change.

Diana pulled herself from the tree and struggled to her feet. Then, she grabbed two broken branches from the ground. She used one to keep herself standing and the other to draw out complex patterns onto the soil.

All the while, hoping beyond hope that nothing else would come to attack her.

Unfortunately, that hope was in vain.

Out of the corner of her eye, Diana saw the slightest bit of movement through a gap in the trees. She immediately turned in its direction, and her heart sank when she heard the same familiar hissing.

She wobbled on the branch, slowly moving back towards the tree. Once there, Diana inched her hand for her wand and closed her eyes.

Quietly, in little more than a whisper, she chanted.

“Torial Facciese”

Diana held her breath and gripped her hand hard on the tree behind her.

The very second her magic chimed, the chimera jumped out into the clearing.

Diana heard the sound of dozens of trees crashing onto the ground, felt the ground shake beneath her.

When Diana peeked her eyes open, her heart rate skyrocketed, as she was face to face with the Lions’ head.

Diana tried her best to sink into the wall behind her, but to no avail.

All she could do was stay as still as possible, praying the beast would not hear her hammering heart.

The Chimera stalked around the tree, its eyes never moving from where she was.

Diana did her best to ignore the ominous hiss of its tail… its foul breath that reeked of sulfur and rotting flesh. The only movements she allowed herself were those needed to avoid the Chimera’s ram horns.

Thankfully, the beast finally turned around and began to walk away.

Diana let out a sigh of relief as the murderous intent that practically filled the air began to melt away.

However, a wooden branch snapped, and Diana shot her head up and saw the eyes of the Chimera’s serpentine tale were still looking right at her.

Diana’s heart exploded in her chest. Without a thought, she dropped onto the ground, just in time to dodge the the Chimera pouncing at her.

The tree trunk broke and slammed onto the ground in front of her, leaves and dust filling the air around her.

Diana looked at her hand, only to see that her invisibility spell had worn off. She cursed her luck.

Just brilliant.

Still, she didn’t have time to dwell on her thoughts.

Diana whipped her head forward and saw the Chimera had jumped up from the fallen tree and began to walk towards her. Slowly now. As if it knew Diana could no longer escape.

As if it were enjoying this little chase.

Diana could practically see the sneer on that grotesque face.

But if that monster wanted to give her time, wanted to savour this moment… Diana was going to make sure it would regret that decision.

She gripped tightly on her wand and gathered every ounce of magic from the air as she could.

All this time, she’d been trying not to harm Arcturus forest. Out of respect for what this place was, Diana refused to damage its ecosystem.

… But if the dozens of spells she’d tried weren’t going to work on this beast… and if it refused to let her go free…

Well, it appeared she had no other choice.

The light on Diana’s wand glew blindingly bright, and the air around her grew frigid.

Diana glared at the beast in front of her. From its fangs, she could see streams of smoke, see the air beginning to expand around.

It appeared even it wasn’t unaware of the dropping temperature.

Unfortunately for that beast, it was far too late.

The Chimera’s mouth ripped open, and fire burst out.

Diana raised her wand towards the beast and screamed.

“Shade Ol’ Solana!”

The second Akko broke out from the leyline’s entrance, she shot up above the trees toward the sky.

“Akko slow down!” Professor Ursula shouted from behind, wobbling towards her on top of one of Professor Croix’s roombas.

Akko ground to a halt in the air and slowly rotated towards her professor.

“Sorry!” Akko yelled. “I’m just worried!”

Professor Ursula floated up beside her and sighed.

“I understand that Akko, I am too… but we can’t just rush head first. After all, there’s no telling just what caused Diana to get stuck here.”

Akko sighed and leaned against her broom.

Professor Ursula was right. They needed to take this slowly… but that just irked her even more.

Diana was out there. Struggling. Somewhere.

Akko roamed her eyes over the thick forest below her, and her heart immediately sank.

“How are we supposed to find her here?!” Akko yelled. “She could be anywhere!”

“Yes… that is true,” Professor Ursula said. “Though I think it is safe to say she couldn’t be too far from the leyline… considering she’d likely be on foot.”

“Oh! You’re right!” Akko said, her energy instantly renewed. She narrowed her eyes towards the trees, looking out for any sign of Diana or her magic.

“Akko, I’m not sure that’ll be of much use.”

“Then what can we do?” Akko asked.

“There’s… not much we can do then look for her closer to the ground… just above the trees,” Professor Ursula said. “We’ll have to be on guard though.”

Akko groaned but obeyed. After all, slow as it was, there wasn’t any other way…

She just needed to hope Diana could make i-

Akko shook her head.

She couldn’t let herself think like that. Diana would make it!

Diana will be okay… Akko just had to believe that.

After over an hour of searching, however, Akko and Chariot happened upon a complete wreck.

Trees were lying on the ground. Hundreds of branches were broken… the entire area was soaked.

And there was this weird footprint on the ground. It… looked like a goat’s hoof… but with claws.

“... What the-”

“A Chimera.”

Akko turned towards Professor Ursula, and she saw a bead of sweat run down the side of her professor’s face.

“A what?”

“... Akko, we need to find her quickly,” Professor Ursula said, her brow now knit with worry.

“Wait? What’s happening?” Akko asked, her heart seizing at the look of terror on Professor Ursula’s face.

“... It appears there was a Chimera attack… There shouldn’t be any spell Diana has that can take it down…” Professor Ursula said. “At the very least… not one she can conjure quickly enough. If she truly had a run in with one of those...”

Akko suddenly felt an overwhelming need to puke after hearing what Professor Ursula said.

Diana… could be-

Akko felt a chill run down her spine at the very idea.

Akko shook her head and clapped her hands over face, pushing those thoughts away.

They wouldn’t help… she’ll worry about it after she found Diana.

She let out a sigh… but when she saw her breath come out as a white mist, she realized that the chill wasn’t just from fear.

The air was actually getting colder.

“Wh-what is this?” Professor Ursula said, now wrapping her arms around herself.

But Akko knew… and the cold air was actually reigniting her drive.

This chill… this gentle spark.

“It’s Diana.”

“What?”

“It’s Diana!” Akko cheered. “She’s still fighting!”

Akko quickly searched the air, looking for any signs of ice or magic.

The second she saw the dark gray cloud, the raging blizzard, Akko immediately raced towards it, blitzing through the biting cold.

Then, the blizzard stopped.

Akko looked down below her, and her heart jumped for joy.

There Diana was, on the ground… but still definitely alive.

But then Akko saw the monster just a few feet away. Ice covered its fur, but it was still crawling towards Diana…

Akko felt fear… rage… but most of all, an intense need to protect bubble up in her gut.

Akko ripped her wand from her sash, gathering magic into its tip, and gripped tightly onto her broom. She grit her teeth…

And shot herself down, diving towards the Chimera.

She pointed her wand at the Chimera’s back and aimed for the ground below it.

“Fulidau Claudina!”

Diana’s arm dropped to her side as the last winds of her spell dissipated.

Ignoring the shiver she felt in her bones… and the overwhelming strain she felt in every part of her being, she was still okay… the blizzard had blown away the entirety of the Chimera’s flames.

Diana took a chance and raised her head towards the beast and allowed herself a sigh of relief.

There the monster stood, frozen in place. Icicles were peeking out from its legs, and its jaw was locked.

But just as she thought she had finally succeeded, she heard the sound of cracking ice.

Diana’s eyes widened, and the beast began creaking forward, tiny shards of ice breaking apart with every slow step.

And with that… with herself barely able to lift her arms up… Diana resigned herself to her fate.

She’d already tried everything… tried her strongest spell… There was nothing left she could do.

Diana closed her eyes and braced herself.

Quietly, she sent up an apology… to her Professors… to her friends.

And most importantly… to Akko.

It… appeared that their engagement was to be short-live-

“Fulidau Claudina!”

Diana’s eyes shot wide open.

The Chimera was immediately flattened as the ground beneath it sundered and was blown away in a plume of dust and debris.

Icy rocks flew past Diana’s face as the rubble crashed all around her… but luckily enough none of it hit her.

Though knowing its caster… that was likely on purpose.

And just like Diana had come to expect… at the moment she least expected, Akko flipped down onto the ground in front of her.

Diana looked up at the angel standing before her… and she was left truly in awe, only able to say but one word.

“... Akko.”

“Diana!” Akko cried out, and her voice nearly made Diana weep.

After everything she’d been through these past two days...  Diana had lost all hope of hearing that voice again… what was truly the most beautiful voice she’d ever been blessed to know.

Diana was immediately wrapped in Akko’s arms, and her heart finally calmed.

But just as it were… as soon as she allowed herself a moment’s rest, the Chimera once more rose up from defeat.

… Diana was beginning to wonder if that Chimera had just a bit of Phoenix within it.

But… she saw a cut on its leg. Akko had managed to wound its thick hide.

Which was just the opening Diana needed to finally slay this beast.

With the last of her strength, Diana lifted her arm from the ground and aimed it towards the Chimera.

“Murowa!”

A bolt of magic blasted from her wand. It entered the Chimera’s wound, and immediately, the magic assaulted the beast from the inside out. Sparks surged from its skin, its entire body went taut, and each and every strand of fur stood on end.

Then, with a loud, bellowing, roar, the Chimera finally collapsed onto the ground. Dead.

This time, Diana was sure about that.

With the Chimera finally killed… Diana allowed herself to truly let go, her consciousness fading away as she was held in Akko’s arms.

When Diana woke up, the first things she saw were the eggshell tiles of the school infirmary. She tried to lift herself up from the bed but found herself entirely unable to do so, neither her arms nor her back willing to cooperate.

With nothing left that Diana could do, she let her head fall to her side, only to see Akko beside her, head rested atop her bed.

“Oh Diana! You’re awake!”

Diana looked towards the entrance to see Professor Ursula standing by the door.

“Professor Ursula?”

“Shh, wouldn’t want to wake her up,” Professor Ursula hushed. “After all, she’s been awake nonstop for three days.”

“Three days? How long have I been asleep?” Diana asked. “What happened?”

Professor Ursula walked up to the bed and rested her hand on Akko’s head, gently petting it.

“It seems you’ve been passed out ever since you killed the Chimera,” Professor Ursula said. “Though the chaos seemed to attract more monsters towards you, so she spent a good amount of time protecting you.”

“She did?” Diana said, her heart beginning to feel overwhelmed with warmth.

“Yes… thankfully she was able to hold them off until I got there. I then flew us back.”

Diana’s eyes widened.

“Wait, how were you able to fly?” Diana asked “Did Professor Croix-”

“No no, not yet,” Professor Ursula waved the thought away, “She’s still working on that… but I’ll explain that to you later. Long story is… you are incredibly lucky. Most students would not have lasted nearly as long against something like a Chimera.”

“Believe me… I would never want to do so ever again,” Diana said, a small shiver running down her spine at the thought.

“You should have seen her,” Professor Ursula said, looking down at her pupil. “She was so worried… she even scolded Professor Finnelan.”

Diana’s eyes darted towards her fiancee beside her, and the image immediately made her chuckle.

“I do wish I could have seen that,” Diana said. “Seems like something I’ll never get the chance to see ever again.”

“It was truly something,” Professor Ursula said. “Akko really does love you.”

At the sound of her name, Akko began to groan, shifting underneath Professor Ursula’s hand. She slowly opened her eyes, and once Diana could see those perfect rubies, Akko jolted up from the bed.

“Diana! You’re awake!” Akko sprang forward, and Diana felt herself immediately caught beneath her fiancee’s grasp.

… Truthfully it was rather painful… but she couldn’t deny it was immensely comforting to feel Akko’s presence.

However, Diana began to feel Akko shake atop her… and her sleeve began to dampen.

She closed her eyes and smiled, shaking her head.

What a silly girl.

“Yes Akko… I am,” Diana said. “No doubt… all thanks to you.”

Akko immediately sprang up, and Diana saw all the tears and mucus gushing down Akko’s face…

And she sincerely hoped to be forgiven for thinking it was quite possibly one of the most beautiful things she’d ever seen.

“No- The, There’s nothing to thank me for!” Akko said with a sob. “I-I’d do it again! No-no matter what… But please don’t make me do it again!”

Diana giggled, unable to do much more. She wished to wipe away Akko’s tears… but she really could not move her arms.

So instead she sent Akko her warmest smile.

“I promise to never put myself in that position ever again.”

“Goo-Good!” Akko said, clearly still trying to get herself together. “Because getting into those situations is my job!”

And Diana couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

Not that that wasn’t… entirely true.

But still…

“And as you know, I’ll come to your aid anytime,” Diana said. “Just as I now know you’ll come to mine.”

“Of course,” Akko said, now resting her head beside Diana’s on the bed, “Just what are fiancees for.”

Diana’s heart skipped and she was left there, staring at her fiancee in awe.

Before she could respond however, Akko had already begun to snore. So instead, Diana leaned as much as she could, and pressed her lips forward, just close enough to give Akko a kiss on the cheek.

After all, it was one the girl certainly deserved.

However, a light chortle broke Diana out of her trance, and her face began to burn.

“I’m just gonna leave you two lovebirds alone~” Professor Ursula teased, “Good niight~”

And just like that, she and Akko were, once again, alone.

Still… the night was still young… and there wasn’t much else she could do. So Diana allowed herself to fall back asleep, but not before taking one last minute to admire Akko sleeping on her bedside.