Maidens of Fate (Complete!)

[Sophie ♥]

2 hours ago, kerry said:

I am really enjoying this story. I'm happy that you continue to work on it and love every new chapter.

THANK U

Two episodes left and the series is over, so I hope you're all buckled in for the finale! 

[Sophie ♥]

Next time on: Maidens of Fate!

*

“I think I like her,” Midori said.

“Like…”

“Yeah, like.  Like that.”

“Well.” There was definitely bitterness in Pandora's voice, but she did her best to suppress it. “A lot of girls don’t like other girls at this school.  It’s not very…” Acceptable. “I mean, do you think she likes you too?”

“I don’t know,” Midori sighed.  Before yesterday, she wasn’t even sure she liked girls.  Her mind pulled her back to her Missive: a girl to call your own.  Was it talking about Reina?

*

“I miss you, Miri.” Kachiko wrapped her arms around Midori as tight as she could manage.  In many ways, despite thirty years locked in time, Kachiko was still such a child.

“I miss you too, Kachiko,” Midori sighed, hugging her back.  Memories of the night she stayed over Kachiko’s house came flooding back to her. “I don’t mean to ditch out of music club, but—” 

“You have a new friend.  I understand.” And despite Kachiko’s somber tone, she seemed to be telling the truth. “I just wanted to say that I’m your friend too, Miko or not.  And I’m going to stay by your side no matter what.”

*

Midori’s mom wasn’t home.  There was a note on the counter, but Midori didn’t get the chance to read it before Reina kissed her.  Midori didn’t know what to do with her hands, but Reina certainly did.  Whatever experience the girl had from her time in Greece translated well to Midori.

*

Episode 11: A Masquerade on Consecrated Ground

[Sarah Penguin]

hmm

[Sophie ♥]

Episode 11: A Masquerade on Consecrated Ground

“Reina?” Pandora tilted her head to the side. “She’s in your afternoon class, right?  Yeah, I’ve seen her around.  Cute girl.” Pandora almost sounded bitter.

“Yeah, well…” Cute wasn’t the word Midori was thinking of.  The kiss from the day before still lingered on her lips, and she was nervous about seeing her after lunch. “Can I be honest with you about something?”

“Of course.” Pandora smiled warmly and leaned forward on the table.  Anything to help a friend.

“I think I like her.”

“Like…”

“Yeah, like.  Like that.”

“Well.” There was definitely bitterness in her voice, but she did her best to suppress it. “A lot of girls don’t like other girls at this school.  It’s not very…” Acceptable. “I mean, do you think she likes you too?”

“I don’t know,” Midori sighed.  Before yesterday, she wasn’t even sure she liked girls.  Her mind pulled her back to her Missive: a girl to call your own.  Was it talking about Reina? “She kissed me.  But I think that’s normal in her country?  I should look it up…”

“She kissed you?” Pandora’s voice carried a little too well and a few students at nearby tables started to stare.  Midori sunk into her chair.

“Keep it down, will you?  It was like… a goodbye kiss.  It didn’t mean anything.” Though Midori had been unable to think about anything since.

Pandora opened her mouth to say something, then stopped.  She sunk low in her chair as well and crossed her arms.

“Should I say something?  Should I ask her?  Or should I just let her keep making this mistake?” 

Pandora shrugged. 

“You could at least try to be helpful here.”

“Sorry,” Pandora said sharply, a touch of sarcasm at the end. “Sounds like you’ve got it covered.”

“Are you upset with me or something?  Are you jealous that I have another friend?” Midori’s frustration bubbled up under the surface.  Even after two weeks, she wasn’t used to such strong emotions.

“I’m not jealous of her,” Pandora plainly lied. Midori shook her head.

“Forget it.” Midori cleaned up her lunch box and packed it away in her schoolbag.  She just needed a friend to talk to; was that so hard for Pandora?  As Midori got up from the table, Pandora softened and called after her.

“See you in the music room today?”

Midori paused and turned around. “Sounds like you’ve got it covered.”

*     *     *

“I’m sorry to hear that, Midori.” Reina had pushed her desk together with Midori’s for a group project and the two were talking in hushed whispers.  Reina reached out and took Midori’s hand in hers, rubbing the back with her thumb. “Sometimes old friends have problems with you making new friends.  She’ll get over it.”

“Yeah…” Midori’s cheeks felt a little warm and she looked down at Reina’s hand on hers.  It made sense - closeness was important in her culture.  But here, in class? “I just don’t understand what’s going on with her.  You aren’t a threat to our friendship.”

“Maybe she likes you?” Reina offered. “Like, in a romantic way.”

Midori blinked in surprise.  Pandora?  The signs were there, if she looked hard enough.  But that begged another question. “Even if she did, why would she be jealous of you?”

“I, uh.” Reina played with her hair and looked down at her hand in Midori’s. “I thought I was pretty clear about how I felt, but maybe there’s a cultural barrier here?”

“How you…” Midori repeated to words, but didn’t get to the last one. “Then last night, when…”

“Yeah,” Reina laughed awkwardly. “I mean, I don’t kiss just anyone.”

“R-right…” Midori sunk down in her chair, a burning heat on her cheeks.  How could she have been so dense?

“So, I guess the question is… do you like me?”

“What?” Midori’s eyes went wide and she looked around the noisy classroom. “Is this really where we should be talking about this?”

“Good point,” Reina agreed. “After school then.”

“After school then…”

Midori spent the rest of the class period unable to focus on her work.  What was she going to tell Reina?  Of course she liked her.  Who wouldn’t?  She was gorgeous and sweet and confident.  But Midori never had a crush on someone before.  Before last week, she didn’t even know what that might feel like.  And now she was falling for this girl she just met?  Was this just her commitment thing acting up?  There was a lot to think about.

*     *     *

“Miri!” Kachiko hurried up to Midori on the school grounds as students funneled out of the gate and toward the train station.

“Oh, hey Kachiko,” Midori said, and motioned to the girl beside her. “This is Reina.”

“We have morning classes together,” Reina explained. “Hi Kachiko.”

“Hi Reina.” Kachiko noticed Reina’s hand in Midori’s, then addressed her fellow Miko once more. “Could I talk to you for a minute?”

Midori turned to Reina, like she was asking for permission.  Reina nodded and let go of Midori’s hand. 

“I won’t be long,” Midori promised her. “Wait by the gate for me, okay?”

Kachiko led Midori away from the crowd, behind the school and toward the soccer field.  Her silence was uncharacteristic and her steps didn’t bounce.  Only when the two were alone did she say something.

“I miss you, Miri.” She wrapped her arms around Midori as tight as she could manage.  In many ways, despite thirty years locked in time, Kachiko was still such a child.

“I miss you too, Kachiko,” Midori sighed, hugging her back.  Memories of the night she stayed over Kachiko’s house came flooding back to her. “I don’t mean to ditch out of music club, but—” 

“You have a new friend.  I understand.” And despite Kachiko’s somber tone, she seemed to be telling the truth. “I just wanted to say that I’m your friend too, Miko or not.  And I’m going to stay by your side no matter what.”

Kuu’s words echoed in Midori’s head: they were only friends with her human form.  Then she remembered the awful things she said to Kachiko in the woods, before the storm.

“I don’t deserve that,” Midori muttered. “And I can’t be sure that my Miko form will always be your friend.”

“That’s okay,” Kachiko smiled. “I can be sure enough for both of us.  I wanted to show you something, but you have to promise to keep it a secret.  Okay?”

Midori didn’t trust herself to keep a secret, not with how little she could control her flippancy in Miko form, but Kachiko seemed unusually serious.  So Midori nodded.

Kachiko reached into her school bag and pulled out an envelope.  It was clearly a missive, but this one wasn’t red.  It was blue.

“I got this twenty-six years ago,” she said quietly, her voice absent of bubbly inflections.  She almost sounded normal. “None of the others know I have it.  I guess I don’t want them to think differently of me.” 

Kachiko passed the envelope to Midori and Midori opened it up.  It had a card inside, but the card was blank.  Definitely a Missive, but for Kachiko.  Why was it blue?

“I don’t understand.”

“It’s a Release,” Kachiko said.

“Oh… oh!” Midori quickly handed it back to her, like she would taint it or something. “You… you have one?  You got one?  I thought… what about Daisuke?”

Kachiko shook her head. “Daisuke doesn’t have one.”

“But… why?  I don’t…” Midori stumbled through half-sentences trying to make sense of what was happening.  If Kachiko could end her thirty-year contract, why didn’t she?

“Daisuke is the one that gave me my first Missive, the one that made me a Miko.  Ever since then, we’ve been inseparable.  I think I remind her of her little sister.  I’ve never had any siblings, but with Dai I can imagine what it’s like.” Kachiko sounded wistful in her recount.

“Dai wasn’t always so levelheaded, you know?  Her weakness was ‘arrogance’.  She never cared about other people’s feelings, and she always thought she was right.  Then she became a Miko.  She could feel the emotions of people around her.  She had to follow someone else’s decisions.  

“Along the way, she figured out the truth: she had always cared.  She acted like she didn’t, because it made her feel safe.  She had to be right, because then she couldn’t be wrong.  But it doesn’t have to be black and white.  She can let someone else run the group, like Kuu.  She can support others’ choices, even if she disagrees with them.  She found balance.

“Dai helped me figure out the same thing.  I know I’m naive, but I like when things feel easy.  I also understand that sometimes things are complicated, and I can’t always hide behind my cutesy, childish face.  There are middle grounds.

“One day soon, Pandora will see that being selfish and selfless overlap a lot more than she thinks.  And Kuu will see that instincts and calculations each have a time and place.  Maybe Naomi will start to believe in herself.  And you…”

Midori stared dumbfounded at the girl in front of her.

“Miri, you’ll find out that commitment isn’t about anyone but you.  Not me, or Panda, or Reina, or Nari.  It’s about who has earned your trust, and who has kept you safe.  And you don’t owe any of us a single explanation.”

Kachiko tucked the blue Missive back into her schoolbag and faced her friend once more.

“I’m not leaving without Daisuke,” Kachiko said with certainty. “Until she gets her Release, I’m staying too.  Even if it means winding up as a Cleanser every now and again for disobeying my Missive.  I don’t care.  And I’m not leaving you either, no matter how mean you are to me.  You can count on that.”

Midori nodded her head.  She didn’t know what to say.  She was overwhelmed with so many conflicting thoughts, so many musing and emotions, and she had no experience dealing with all this stuff.  She felt like she would either implode or fall apart.  All she could stutter out was a small “thank you”.

“I’ll see you at the music room tomorrow?” Kachiko said with a smile.

“Yeah.  I’ll be there.”

Kachiko waved and ran off.  It was a solid minute before Midori remembered that Reina was waiting for her.

“Took you a while,” Reina teased, but upon seeing Midori’s expression her tone shifted. “Hey, are you okay?  You look a little ill.”

“Yeah, I’m fine.  I’m good.” Midori walked alongside Reina absentmindedly, still thinking about everything Kachiko had said.

“Well, when we get back to your house, how about we play Doctor?  It sounds less fun than it is, I promise.” But Midori didn’t respond to her joke.  With a pout, Reina took Midori’s hand and stopped her on the sidewalk.  With a single motion, she pressed Midori to the stone wall and put her lips upon hers.

Midori couldn’t have counted the seconds if she tried.  One kiss that seemed to last forever, and that seemed to be over all too soon.  She looked up at her new friend with blushing red cheeks, her thoughts swimming in a whole new way.

“There we go,” Reina said in a sing-song voice, running her finger along Midori’s lips. “Feeling better?”

“Uh huh.” Midori nodded shyly and the two girls walked hand in hand to the train station.

*     *     *

“Midori!” Even at the crowded train station, Reko’s voice was distinct.  He ran up to the girls with excitement on his face, a hair clip in his hair, and little sparkles on his cheeks.  Even though he was wearing the boy’s school uniform, the top was different somehow.  Midori couldn’t put her finger on it.

“Oh, who’s your little friend?” Reina leaned down to greet the boy.

“This is Reko,” Midori said Reina, then addressed Reko. “Hey kid.  How’ve you been?  Still hanging out with Pandora?” Midori poked Reko’s hair clip, which was one of the ones she had seen Pandora wearing last week.

“Uh huh!  She said that if I want to be pretty, I just should be.  No angel—” He paused mid-sentence and looked at Reina, then sheepishly at Midori.

“Oh, you’re a boy?” Reina put her hand over her mouth and gasped in mock surprise. “I had no idea!” 

Reko smiled at her, but his discomfort was obvious.  Maybe because he almost said something about the Miko to a normal person; he had been warned about that.

“Are you on your way home?” Midori asked.

“No, I’m stopping by Panda’s house.”

“Oh.  Well… have fun.”

“I’ll tell her you said hi.” Reko took a final look at Midori and Reina and went on his way.  Reina waited for the boy to slip back into the crowd before she spoke to Midori.

“So, Pandora is okay encouraging a little boy to be a girl, but she’s upset when you make a new friend?” Reina asked. She wrapped her arm around Midori’s waist and held her close. “Seems selfish.”

“I never thought about it that way,” Midori said, more to herself than to Reina.  At first, Pandora didn’t even want Reko to wear girls’ clothes; it was Midori that convinced her.  She put her lip and looked out the window as the train left the station.  Maybe Reina was right.  She always seemed to have a point.

*     *     *

Midori’s mom wasn’t home.  There was a note on the counter, but Midori didn’t get the chance to read it before Reina kissed her.  Midori didn’t know what to do with her hands, but Reina certainly did.  Whatever experience the girl had from her time in Greece translated well to Midori.

Reina led the girl up the stairs with a kiss on every step, then down the hall to her room.  Midori fumbled her way through the door and Reina pinned her down to the bed, crawling on top of her stomach.

“I… I dunno if we should be doing this,” Midori muttered.  She could barely breathe as Reina kissed down her neck.  She untied the bow of Midori’s uniform and started to unbutton her blouse.

“We should just do what we want, Midori.” Another kiss silenced the small Japanese girl and another button of Midori’s blouse came undone. “Tell me what you want.  Be honest.”

Midori looked nervously into Reina’s eyes, but her thoughts were clouded.  All she could think about was Reina.  Her body.  Her eyes.  Her lips.  Reina used the opportunity to pull open Midori’s blouse, flashing her white bra.  Then Reina reached up and untied her own neckerchief.  Midori could hardly remember the question.

“What do you want, Midori?” Reina repeated.

“Th-this… you.”

“That’s a good girl,” Reina cooed.

Good girl.  The words echoed in Midori’s mind, drudging up some ancient strings of pride and plucking the dust off them.  Warm feelings.  She did something right.

Midori watched dizzily and with burning red cheeks as Reina removed her blouse.  Unlike Midori, Reina wasn’t wearing a bra - must be a European thing - and Midori saw another woman’s breasts for the first time in her teenage life.  She looked at each one, larger and rounder than her own, with an ache of envy and desire.

“There’s my good girl…” Reina took one of Midori’s hands and put it on her chest, far in excess to anything Midori had to compare with.  Then Reina leaned down and kissed Midori again on the lips.  Warmer.  More passionate.  

Midori couldn’t find her way out of Reina’s pure perfection.  Like a goddess.  She had chosen Midori.  She was teaching Midori how to feel so many wonderful feelings.  It felt like magic…

Reina was pleased with herself as she pulled away from the thousandth kiss.  On Midori’s desk, her phone buzzed with a call from Pandora, but Midori was busy swimming through warm fantasies.  She was in no state to care, let alone answer the phone.

“Good girl… such a good girl…” 

Midori laid there for a long time, trying to make sense of the situation.  Reina was such a passionate girl, and Midori couldn’t think clearly.  Every part of her was dizzy with a single desire: to make Reina happy.

An hour afterward, Midori couldn’t pay attention to anything.  Any time she felt an ounce of autonomy, Reina would brush her lips against Midori’s or she would kiss softly on Midori’s neck.

There was a banging on the door downstairs, not the sort of knocking a family member would use if they forgot their keys.  Not the sort of knocking a friend might use when stopping by.  No, it sounded like an emergency, like something a firefighter would use when telling you that your house is burning down.

Midori pulled herself into a sitting position on her bed.  Reina wasn’t around, as far as she could tell.  Maybe she went to the bathroom to wash up, or the kitchen downstairs to get a drink of water.  Maybe that was her banging around.  Maybe she locked herself out.

Ditz, Midori thought.  She pulled her blouse on over her bra and buttoned it up lazily as she made her way down the stairs, missing a few buttons with each attempt.  When she got down to the landing, she opened the door to find Pandora.

“You're in so much danger right now!” Pandora was huffing and puffing; it was obvious she had just run a long way here.  It took a moment for her to find more words than that.

“Danger…?” Midori’s brain was only just now catching up to the situation.  Pandora was here.  Midori looked outside, one side and then the next, but Reina wasn’t around.  So Midori stepped onto the porch and closed the door behind her.  If this was Miko stuff, Reina shouldn’t hear it. “Now what are you talking about?”

“Okay.  Um.  So Reko came over, and he saw you with this girl, and I figured it was like… your new friend, right?” Pandora leaned against the porch railings to finally catch her breath. “She’s a Richi.”

Midori had to rewind the tape on that one.  She had to double check that her ears had heard exactly what she thought they heard.  With a sigh, she shook her head.

“Wow.  I think you need some sleep or something, okay?  Just calm down.”

“It has to be Nari,” Pandora went on. “It has to be.  No other Richi could take a human form.  She found a way to get to you.  That’s what they do, they lie and deceive and they get as close as possible so they can feed…”

“Pandora.  Shut up.  You have no right talking about Reina like that!” Midori’s hands balled into fists at her sides.

“She doesn’t even like you!  She’s not capable of feelings things, Midori.  She’s a parasite!”

Midori opened the door to her house and stepped back inside, slamming the door in Pandora’s face.  But Pandora blocked the door with her shoe and swung the door open with a loud bang.

“Don’t get used to having it around, Midori!  We’re Miko, we kill Richi.”

“Is everything okay?” Reina asked, hurrying in from the kitchen.  Her blouse was unbuttoned along the top.

“Don’t you talk to her!” Pandora shouted at Reina.

“Oh, Pandora… I didn’t mean to offend.  Midori did warn me that you were a little possessive.”

“She was just leaving,” Midori said coldly, standing between Pandora and Reina.  Pandora looked at Midori, then at Reina, and stormed off down the stairs.  Midori slammed the door behind her.

“I don’t know what that was about,” Reina said with a sigh, “but sometimes friends get jealous like that.  It’s better to give her space.  She’ll realize she was wrong and try to apologize, I’m sure of it.”

“Maybe…” Midori was worked up.  Pandora was a jealous girl, sure.  But to come to her house and say that stuff in front of Reina?  It was so… selfish.  Then again, why was Midori even surprised anymore?

“Let’s go, little one,” Reina said softly in Midori’s ear, kissing her once on the neck. “I’ll make all those bad feelings go away.  Don’t you want that?”

When Midori hesitated to respond, Reina slipped her thumb into Midori’s mouth.  After a few gentle sucks, Midori’s eyes glossed over and her whole body relaxed.

“Let’s try again,” Reina said gently, her voice ringing like piano keys in an empty ballroom. “Do you want me to make all the bad feelings go away?”

This time, Reina moved her hand up and down, causing the thumb-sucking girl to nod along with her.  Reina’s smile grew.

“Good girl.”

[Ending Song & Credits]

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

Cast & Weakness:

Midori Kaneda > Commitment

Pandora Novak > Selfishness

Kachiko Kazumi > Naïvety 

Daisuke Hidoki > Arrogance

Kuu Shima > Control

Naomi Sato > Doubt

[Sarah Penguin]

[Scarlet]

12 hours ago, Sophie ♥ said:

“It’s a Release,” Kachiko said.

I knew it!

 

12 hours ago, Sophie ♥ said:

“She’s a Richi.”

Ok, while Reina definitely isn't normal. I'm not 100% convinced she's  a Reichi. However the only example we've properly had was Nari, who can't be a proper example because their strength and longevity makes it an outlier. I say I'm not convinced because Nari was very possessive and abusive. However I suppose it would make sense for different Reichi to have different personalities and thus approach their targets in significantly different ways. It would be harder to separate the Reichi from the host if it were very supportive of them.

 

I was suspect since they got home because while the cute sexy times they were having seemed normal and can just be passed off as Reina being very dominating,assertive and charismatic. It's clear that it went a bit beyond that as it seemed Midori was in a trance state of some kind after so many kisses.

[Sophie ♥]

7 hours ago, Scarlet said:

Ok, while Reina definitely isn't normal. I'm not 100% convinced she's  a Reichi.

I like this theory!  Reina was written to be very ambiguous so I'm glad you're doubting her involvement.  Maybe you're right and the final chapter is more personable than battle focused!

7 hours ago, Scarlet said:

It would be harder to separate the Reichi from the host if it were very supportive of them.

Actually Richi tend to be very supportive and friendly at first, because (like you said) it's harder to separate them.  Their abusiveness happens later when they know they can get away with it. 

[Sophie ♥]

34 minutes ago, Hopsalot said:

Really loved this episode! It does seem a little odd though that Reina keeps calling her a good girl and referring to her as little one. I’m certainly a fan of it though! But it does make me wonder a bit, is it some sort of power play by the Richi? And Midori’s thumb sucking cane a little out of the blue for me too. It’s very cute though, ignoring the fact that she’s being controlled/sucking the thumb of an evil parasitic entity 

Yep!  It's supposed to be like, "oh, that's... okay?  that's weird?  That's new?  huh..." 

It gets explained a bit in the final chapter.  

[Sophie ♥]

On the series finale of: Maidens of Fate!

*

“Are you sure?” Daisuke asked.

“Completely!” Pandora’s anxiety had boiled over.  She could hardly catch her breath. “When Reko told me he felt something off about her, I was skeptical.  So I went to talk to Midori.  But Reina was there.  I could feel her potential.”

“And you’re sure it wasn’t Miss Kaneda you were feeling?”

“Positive.”

*

When Midori opened the door, Daisuke alone was standing on the porch.  She was wearing her school uniform - though school wasn’t for a few hours - and sunlight had only just crested over the distant horizon.  It was as early as mornings got.

“Miss Kaneda,” Daisuke said with a smile. “May I come in?”

“I… um…” Midori looked behind her, like she was assessing the situation.  She was wearing short pajama shorts and a button-up shirt done wrong.  Her voice wavered with anxiety, but her eyes seemed listless.  With a moment’s hesitation, she nodded her head and let Daisuke inside.

*

Pandora grabbed Midori’s hand and found herself lost in a sea of darkness.  Midori was sitting quietly in the center of it, with her knees curled up to her chest.  Pandora, in her white gown, stepped forward and knelt down in front of her.

“Hey there…”

*

Episode 12: Combat Kismet, Destination Destined

[Sophie ♥]

Episode 12: Combat Kismet, Destination Destined

“Are you sure?” Daisuke asked.

“Completely!” Pandora’s anxiety had boiled over.  She could hardly catch her breath. “When Reko told me he felt something off about her, I was skeptical.  So I went to talk to Midori.  But Reina was there.  I could feel her potential.”

“And you’re sure it wasn’t Miss Kaneda you were feeling?”

“Positive.”

“Then we have to go save her!” Kachiko shouted.

“We need to strategize,” Kuu countered.

“Miss Shima is right,” Daisuke sighed, crossing her arms in annoyance. “How did we not see this coming?  Reina is in one of my classes…”

“Only Pandora would be able to sense her,” Kuu offered.

“But Pandora has met her before,” Naomi pointed out.

“Not since the storm.” 

Pandora’s comment made the room fall silent.  Could a Richi actually replace a human?  No one thought it was possible.  And if it was, that meant the real Reina was already dead; they couldn’t do anything to save her now.  Something like this had never happened before. 

“Dammit…” Naomi balled her hands at her sides and closed her eyes tight.

“I liked her,” Kachiko muttered, sinking into her seat. “She was funny…” 

“We need to worry about Midori right now,” Kuu said under her breath, trying to get the conversation back on track.  She looked to Daisuke to help, but it was Pandora that said something.

“She’s not in good shape.  Whatever that Richi is doing to Midori, it’s doing a great job.  Her expression when she opened the door was so distant, like she barely recognized me.  If we wait until morning, I’m scared that…”

“How can it be draining her this quickly?” Kuu asked. “It takes months, sometimes years to Hollow a host.  Midori’s Richi had her for ten years and couldn’t do it.”

“I don’t know,” Pandora sighed. “But I know what I felt.  Midori is waning, and Nari is growing stronger.  Every moment they are alone together makes this task so much more difficult.”

“What about her commitment thing?” Kachiko spoke up.  She needed to interact with the group or she would keep thinking about Reina - the real one. “She can’t commit to something in her Miko form, right?  We need to help her transform.”

Everyone turned to Daisuke.

“It could work…”

“Then we have a plan,” Kuu said simply. “The lollipop should always be in the front right pocket of her clothes.”

“And if she doesn’t have pockets?” Naomi asked.

“Or if she’s not wearing clothes?” Pandora added.

“Then we dress her?” Kachiko offered.

“The lollipops are spiritual,” Daisuke said aloud, though she was talking to no one in particular. “They are formed from your potential.  If we could tap into Miss Kaneda’s potential…” She turned to Pandora. “Miss Novak, is this something you can do?”

“I mean, I’ve never done it before.  But I regulate potential all the time.  And Reko said he could help Midori control her blinking.  So…” Truthfully, Pandora wasn’t confident in this plan.  To pull Midori’s lollipop out of the aether would be unprecedented.  But right now, the girls had no better plans and time was running short.

“What about her mom?” Naomi asked. “I don’t think we can depend on the universe to solve this one.”

“No, I suppose not,” Daisuke said. “Having Miss Kaneda’s mother around is a liability, and one we can be sure the Richi will use against us.”

“Then I’ll protect her,” Kuu offered.

“We need your instincts, Miss Shima.  The tides can change quickly, and we might need you.”

“I can do it,” Kachiko offered.  But she knew in advance that Daisuke wouldn’t allow it.

“I need you with me, Kachiko.” She was the only one who had experience using Daisuke’s abilities to their full potential.  

“If Pandora is linking with Midori,” Naomi said, “that leaves me.”

“Can you handle it?”

“I don’t have a choice, do I?”

“That removes our healer from the fray,” Kuu said nervously.  It was a tactic no one would willingly use.

“If we don’t get hit, we won’t need healing.” Pandora’s confidence was unwavering.  No matter what, she was going to save Midori.  She would put an end to this fight once and for all.

*     *     *

When Midori opened the door, Daisuke alone was standing on the porch.  She was wearing her school uniform - though school wasn’t for a few hours - and sunlight had only just crested over the distant horizon.  It was as early as mornings got.

“Miss Kaneda,” Daisuke said with a smile. “May I come in?”

“I… um…” Midori looked behind her, like she was assessing the situation.  She was wearing short pajama shorts and a button-up shirt done wrong.  Her voice wavered with anxiety, but her eyes seemed listless.  With a moment’s hesitation, she nodded her head and let Daisuke inside.

Daisuke found Midori’s mom in the kitchen, sipping a cup of tea or coffee.  She was wearing a bathrobe and her hair was a mess of tangles.  It was the sort of unsightly appearance in which someone did their best to hide from the world.  But it wasn’t a coincidence that her mom had just woken up; rather, Daisuke and the other girls had been waiting nearby and watching the lights turn off and on inside the home.  The timing had to be perfect.

“Oh, Ms. Kaneda,” Daisuke said to Midori’s mother with a small bow. “As I was coming up the street, I saw someone rummaging through your garden out front.” Daisuke watched her empathic abilities fill Midori’s mom with a rush of anxiety.

“What?  Are you sure?” Midori’s mom got to her feet and hurried to the door.  Midori watched absently as her mom went outside and - as Daisuke expected - didn’t return.

“So,” Daisuke addressed Midori with a smile.  She kept Midori with a wash of calm feelings, though Midori’s vacancy made it seem unnecessary. “Will you be coming to school today?”

“I…” Midori nodded her head, then shook it.  She looked toward the stairs and tried to focus on the conversation.  Daisuke knew the symptoms well. “Reina and I are, um… we’re staying in today.  She wants to… um…”

“Ahh, she stayed the night?” Daisuke asked with convincing interest. She glanced over Midori’s clothes - pajama shorts… no pockets. “How romantic.  Where is she now?”

“Upstairs…” Midori’s voice seemed to trail off.  No matter how she tried to focus, awareness felt just out of reach. “She may still be asleep.”

She wasn’t asleep.  Just like Miko, Richi didn’t have to sleep.  Unlike Miko, Daisuke never knew one that would willingly do so.  Even when they took the forms of cats, they only pretended.  Sleeping was a liability, an opportunity to be attacked.  Richi were prey.

“Could I see her?” Daisuke asked. “I had a question about one of our homework problems, and I think she could really help me out.”

“I… I don’t think—”

“It’s okay, Midori,” Reina said, making her way down the staircase. “I’ve been expecting her.” She stepped gracefully over to Midori and kissed the short girl once on the forehead.  Midori’s knees trembled and she nearly fell over.

“You and Midori seem very happy together,” Daisuke smiled, filling the room with serenity.  But Reina was more direct.

“I know why you’re here.  My little Midori told me everything about you and your troupe.  Five against one certainly doesn’t seem fair.  But then again, you don’t have your own Miko form, do you Daisuke Hidoki?  It’s a wonder you’ve lived so long.”

Daisuke’s smile faded and she looked at Midori for a response.  Despite her betrayal, she seemed just as vacant as before.  If a Richi knew all her powers - if she knew all the girls’ powers - it would make this fight a lot harder.  But Reina would only know what Midori knew.

“If we are dropping the pleasantries,” Daisuke said, “then should I call you Nari?”

“Call me whatever you’d like.  Nari was just a fragile name a child gave to a doll.  I’m more than a name.” Nari stepped away from Daisuke, her back turned without an ounce of fear, and took a seat on the couch nearby.  She patted her lap.

“Midori,” she called out.  Instinctively, Midori’s head rose to her voice. “Come sit on my lap, little one.  I’d like a kiss.”

Midori moved slowly toward Nari, before sitting on her lap.  Their lips pressed together for only a moment and then Nari put her thumb in Midori’s mouth.  Like a toddler, she began to suck on it and Nari turned back Daisuke.

“All you humans are little kids on the inside, waiting and begging and screaming for attention.  A child doesn’t want a toy to play with or a pet to cuddle.  Cats and dolls are just imitations of the real thing you want, the thing you would give anything to get.” Nari pulled her thumb from Midori’s lips, slick with saliva, and traced the edges of her mouth. “Just a single ounce of love.”

“You underestimate us,” Daisuke said coldly, reaching into her pocket for her lollipop.  Another few moments, and Naomi would be safely away with Midori’s mom.

“Oh, I have!  I’ve underestimated your kind for decades, and all the potential that came with being human.  So many ways to touch, or kiss, or connect.  Words have much more weight when you pair them with an action.  A promise to stay together is so effective when you’re unbuttoning one’s shirt.”

Nari’s nails flicked a button off Midori’s blouse and it fell open a little further.  Midori didn’t seem to mind, entranced with the tip of Nari’s thumb as it drew circles on her lips. Finally, like a fish to a hook, Midori wrapped her lips around it.

“You are not human,” Daisuke said. “No matter what form you take, you will never understand.  The connections we form are conditional.  Miss Kaneda doesn’t owe you anything.”

“Me?” Nari asked. “You fawn after her like a priceless toy.  The ordained leader.  The most powerful weapon.  What about what she wants?  Why are you so quick to take away her happiness?”

Nari pulled her thumb from Midori’s lips and shadows swirled in its place, coalescing into a dark, wispy pacifier.  Midori sucked softly on it, oblivious as Nari set her on the sofa and stood up.

“We are not taking anything from Miss Kaneda,” Daisuke said. “We are giving her a choice.”

“And if she picks me?” Nari smiled, like the kid in gym class that is always good at sports.  She was the best choice, and she knew it.  No one could give Midori a happiness like she could.  Shadows forming beneath Nari’s feet.  A bow of black wood appeared in her hand, near-identical to Midori’s.  Daisuke took her lollipop out of her pocket.

“When she is free, if she still chooses you…” Daisuke hesitated.  She had a responsibility as a Miko to kill Richi.  If she spared Nari’s life, many others would die.  Or they would suffer a fate worse than death, like Daisuke’s own sister.  What if killing Nari was the destiny she needed to fulfill, so she could be Released?  

But if Daisuke took that choice from her, wasn’t she just as bad as Nari?  The Missive said Midori would be their leader.  That bout of information had caused so much conflict amongst the Miko, but it gave Daisuke some clarity.  If she chose Nari, then there was a reason for that.  She trusted Midori.

“If she chooses you,” Daisuke repeated, “then we will support her.  Midori is our friend.”

Nari scoffed and drew back the bow string.  A wispy arrow appeared, nocked on the string, and pointed directly at Daisuke.

“Let’s get started then,” Nari said, and loosed the arrow.  Daisuke slid the lollipop into her mouth and disappeared just before the arrow pierced the wall behind her.

A loud crash echoed through the living room as Kuu barreled in through the window, tucking her wings around her body like the casing of a bullet.  She slammed into Nari and knocked her backwards through the kitchen and into the stonework of house.

Pandora kicked open the front door and ran up to Midori, oblivious on the sofa.  She pulled the lollipop from her pocket and vanished into a flash of mist and white lace.  Her form had an aching translucence that made her hard to look at, a crime against the beautiful flouncy white gown in which she was wrapped.  But as Pandora glided swiftly to Midori, a tangle of shadows surrounded her and knocked Pandora back.  She tried to put her hands against the barrier, but her Miko form couldn’t get anywhere near it.

“Need a little help,” Pandora shouted back to Kachiko, dressed in her long grey skirt.  Her hair was tied up in a bun and a pair of glasses rested softly on her nose.  

Kachiko raised her crossbow and another Kachiko appeared beside her.  They were nearly identical, though the other Kachiko had a strange orange outline and glowing hazel irises.  Simultaneously, both Kachikos fired lilac bolts from their crossbows, smashing into the shadowy tendrils that surrounded Midori.  The shadows seem to shudder and slither, writhing from the attack.

Suddenly, Kuu was flung across the room and smashed into the front of the house, breaking through the wall and launching her into the street outside.  A barrage of shadowy arrows rained upon the Kachikos.  As one would move, the other would follow.  Left, right, duck.  Until one of the arrows vanished and reappeared just in time to hit the orange-outlined Kachiko in the right arm.  She dropped the crossbow and her image glitched to Daisuke, dressed in Kachiko’s Miko outfit.

“Why are you doing this?” Nari sighed, flittering into the room on blades of shadows, like a lone ice skater. “You’re only going to hurt her.”

“You don’t care about her!” Kachiko shouted. “You want Miri all to yourself, but I won’t let you have her!”

Kachiko raised her crossbow and Daisuke disappeared.  The bolt on the rail of her crossbow began to glow.  She pulled the trigger and ran to the side.  After the first bolt fired, then did a second.  And a third.  And a fourth.

Opposite Kachiko, with Nari standing between them, the other Kachiko appeared.  Her actions mimicked the first, creating a whirlwind of purple bolts.  The shadows around Nari rose up to defend her, blocking each and every shot with unbelievable precision.

Kuu zipped in through the hole in the wall and spread her wings wide, raining sharp feathers down like knives on the spot where Nari was standing.  She drew her dark bow and shot half of them out of the sky, while the other half were deflected by her shadows.

Kachiko watched carefully, every shot, every deflection, every angle.  The next time Kachiko took a shot, the hazel-eyed Kachiko shot wide.  The arrow was predictably deflected upwards, which collided with the tip of the other Kachiko’s arrow, and ricocheted downward through the shadowy tendrils.  Just before it struck Nari in the neck… she disappeared.  The onslaught stopped and the four girls searched the room.

“This isn’t working,” the Kachikos said together.

“She has all of Midori’s abilities,” Kuu said between labored breaths.

“Midori is priority,” Pandora reminded them.  Kuu nodded her head and struck the dark barrier again and again with her feathers.  The Kachikos readied themselves with glowing bolts on their crossbows.  But before they could get a shot, a sharp wind rushed through the house.

The morning sky darkened outside.  The ground began to tremble beneath their feet.  A vast roar echoed through the house and it was slowly torn apart, brick by brick.  One of the walls crumbled and the ceiling ached above them.  Just as it looked like it might crack and fall, parts of it were ripped off into the sky.  All around the Miko girls, a huge black tornado was forming.

“You’re going to get her killed,” Nari sighed, stepping through the garden and into the house.  Wind whipped her hair and clothes around like a doll in a washing machine, but she stayed firmly placed on the ground.

“You’re the one doing this!” The Kachikos shouted back, firing their crossbows at the same time.  Each bolt was taken by the wind long before they reached Nari.  Kachiko immediately began calculating the wind speeds.

“I almost got her!” Pandora shouted, reaching through the gaps in the shadows toward her friend. “Midori, please!  Please listen to me!  If you’re in there, please take my hand!” But Midori sat absently, sucking the pacifier between her lips.

“Foolish, foolish Miko…” Nari sighed and drew her bow.  She plucked the string and a hundred arrows appeared.  Then, just as quickly, they disappeared.  Each one rained down on the house from a different direction.  Unpredictable.  Inescapable.  Kuu knew there was nothing that could be done, but she acted all the same.  Without thinking, she swooped down in front of the Kachikos and pulled them into her wings.  Dozens of arrows stuck into Kuu’s body at odd angles.

When the barrage was over, Kuu looked like a white and green pin-cushion.  The ends of her feathers trembled as she lowered the shield around the Kachikos and slid to her knees.  Every ounce of her skin felt like it was on fire.

One of the Kachikos shifted into Daisuke and caught Kuu just before she slid to the floor.  There was no blood, and her Miko form hadn’t broken, but she was whimpering in pain.  There was nothing else she could do in this fight, not without Naomi.

“It’s okay, Miss Shima,” Daisuke whispered. “Hold your form.  Stay safe.  We can take it from here.”

“Kachiko!” Pandora shouted, unharmed by the attack.  Until she linked with someone, she was basically a ghost.  That meant she could do nothing about the waning shadow barrier.  The attack had clearly drained some of Nari’s potential.

Kachiko nodded and turned on her heel, pointing her crossbow at the mass of shadows.  Just as she pulled the trigger, a black arrow struck her through the neck.  Kachiko fell helplessly to the floor, but the bolt had been enough to weaken the barrier around Midori.  

*     *     *

Pandora grabbed Midori’s hand and found herself lost in a sea of darkness.  Midori was sitting quietly in the center of it, with her knees curled up to her chest.  Pandora, in her white gown, stepped forward and knelt down in front of her.

“Hey there…”

Midori shook her head, tucking it down so her forehead touched her knees.

“Listen, I…” Pandora hesitated, looking around the emptiness.  She had so little potential left.  Was she already a Hollow?  But if she was, her sense of self wouldn’t still be here.  What Pandora wouldn’t give for Daisuke’s powers right then.  She took a deep breath and tried again.

“I know I’m not always the best friend, Midori.  I was jealous of Reina, and I wasn’t thinking about how it would affect you.  I just ran over to your house and accused her, and… even if I was right, I’m so sorry I did it that way.  I swear, I never meant to hurt you.”

There was a long pause; Pandora wondered if it would ever end.  Then it did.

“The only person who ever liked me… and all she did was use me.”

“Hey,” Pandora said. “I like you.  I’m just bad at showing it.”

“Maybe this is all I’m good for,” Midori sighed, talking more to herself than Pandora. “I’ve always been broken.  I’ll always be broken.  If someone can use a broken toy… why shouldn’t I let them?”

“Midori, you aren’t broken.  You’re different.  You care so much, and you won’t compromise it.  You put yourself in harms way for people who have only hurt you, just because you think it’s right.  Honestly, Midori… I envy you.  I wish I knew how to put someone else first.”

“Ha… envy me.”

“I’m serious.” Pandora reached out and forced Midori to raise her head, so she could look her in the eye. “I don’t think you’re supposed to lead the Miko into battle, but I don’t think the Missive is wrong either.  I think you’re supposed to guide us.  You show us different ways things can be.  You teach us how to be better.” Then, quieter, Pandora said, “You taught me how to be better.”

“I did…?”

“I wanted to impress you,” Pandora said. “I wanted to be around you and listen to you and do things your way and feel different.  I want what you want.  Is that selfish, to chase my wants?  Or is it selfless to chase yours?  Can it be both, or neither?

“I don’t know…”

“Me neither,” Pandora sighed. “But I don’t think it matters.  I think it’s okay to be selfish sometimes, if it’s something that’s important to me.  Like you.  You’re important to me.”

Midori nodded her head and looked around the empty room.  She remembered Reina.  She remembered the way Reina made her feel.  Happy, but empty at the same time.  Like smoke in front of a mirror, or a curtain in front of a wall.  An illusion.  A wonderful, terrible illusion.

“I’m going to try to make you a lollipop now,” Pandora told her. “But I need your permission to tap into it.”

“I’ll be that other me,” Midori lamented. “I’ll be awful.”

“You’ll be different,” Pandora said with a smile. “But you’ll always be you.  And I trust you, no matter what Midori you are.  Okay?”

“Okay…”

*     *     *

Just as the arrow pierced Kachiko’s neck, she found herself on the ground holding Kuu.  She looked up to see her orange-outlined clone fall flat to the ground.  The arrow in her neck shattered and Daisuke’s Miko form dissolved in a flash of light, leaving the unconscious girl behind.

Daisuke’s power to swap spaces with her link partner had come in handy; a lone Kachiko was infinitely more powerful than a lone Daisuke.  But despite the logic, this put Daisuke in considerable danger.  If she was killed in her human form, there would be no pagoda.

“You know…” Nari’s voice appeared in Kachiko’s head, so it could be heard over the roaring winds. “If I kill all of you, Midori will have no one else to turn to.  I’ll be her savior from a life of solitude.  She’ll practically beg me—”

A lilac bolt shot Nari sharply in the shoulder.  Kachiko took a few steps forward, so she stood between Nari and Daisuke.  Nari glared at her and raised her bow, but Kachiko fired another shot.  The turbulence of the tornado caught her bolt and spun it around, vaulting it perfectly at Nari from unknown angles.

Kachiko knew she couldn’t block Nari’s attacks.  If one hit Daisuke’s heart or her head, there would be nothing Kachiko could do to save her life.  But if she could distract her…

Nari fired an arrow, which disappeared, and reappeared just in time to shoot Kachiko’s bolt out of the sky.  For each bolt Kachiko fired, Nari fired an arrow to counter it.  It was a stalemate.  But Kachiko’s potential was fading and Nari’s stamina seemed endless.

After a moment of effort, Pandora pulled a lollipop out of thin air.  She tugged the pacifier out of Midori’s mouth and replaced it with the magical candy.  A light billowed forth from Midori, dressing her in an iconic blue dress and a black vest.  A ribbon weaved through her short white hair and tied in a bow on the top of her head.

“Welcome back!” Pandora said excitedly.

“Yeah… good to be back.” Midori fumbled up off the couch and looked around what remained of her house.  The black tornado tore through everything she knew, everything she loved.  Kuu was shaking on the ground, wings decorated in arrows like a porcupine, and Daisuke was unconscious a few feet away.  Then there was Kachiko, going shot for shot with Reina, wielding a black bow.

As Midori got to her feet, she realized how little energy she had left in her.  It felt like she was under a thousand leagues of water, and she struggled to remain standing in the sharp spiraling winds.  How was she supposed to fight Nari like this?

“Don’t worry,” Pandora said, shimmering beside her. “I’ve got you.” Pandora took Midori’s right hand and her cherry wood bow appeared in Midori’s left.  Whether magical or psychological, Pandora’s presence was helping a lot.

“We have to get to Kachiko,” Midori winced, taking a step forward and almost falling down.

“No problem!” If Reko could help Midori teleport, then Pandora could as well.  The next moment, Midori was standing beside Kachiko in the center of the tornado.  Things were calmer there, and Midori could reliably stand.

“Midori…” Reina paused, staring at the three girls in front of her.

“Finally,” Kachiko joked, unable to catch her breath. “I only have one or two more shots, I think.”

“Save them,” Midori said. “I’ve got this.”

Kachiko nodded and took a few steps back, leaving Midori, Pandora, and Reina alone in the center of the storm.

“They tried to take you from me,” Reina whined as tears filled her eyes. “I had to defend you.  I had to keep you safe!”

“I don’t care,” Midori said sharply, raising her bow.  She loosed an arrow, which pulled right and went straight into the wall of wind.  Stars filled the edges of Midori’s vision and she nearly fell over.  One arrow, and it felt like the world was going to end.

“Ah…” Reina grinned. “I see.  You still can’t control your powers.  Luckily, I can control them just fine.”

Reina pulled back on her bow and launched an arrow straight at Midori.  It ignored the wind.  It ignored gravity.  Then, just before it hit her, Midori blinked away.

“You okay?” Pandora asked. “I can pull you around the battlefield, it seems.” Though it was draining on Pandora’s potential.

“I can’t hit—”

Another shadowy arrow came out of nowhere and Midori found herself on the other side of Reina, ten or so feet away.  With Reina’s accuracy, Pandora would have to keep pulling her every few seconds.

“You just have to focus,” Pandora encouraged. “Remember, you have to want it.”

“I do want it!” Midori argued, just before she blinked to another location.  But both Pandora and Midori knew that wasn’t true.  Midori wanted this fighting to end.  She wanted to keep her new friends safe.  But a small part, deep down inside her, didn’t want to hurt Nari.  They had been friends for ten years.  Reina had been Midori’s first kiss.  To strike her sincerely would be a death wish.  Could Midori really kill her best friend?

“You can’t run forever,” Reina said, loosing another arrow. “Your potential will run out long before mine.  And then each of your friends will die, one by one.  But if you surrender now, I’ll let one of them live.”

Midori pulled back on her bow and released another arrow.  It vanished, then stuck in the ground twenty feet from Reina.  For each shot Midori could get out, Reina would release ten.  Pandora’s finesse was fading and sometimes Midori would appear a few inches too high off the ground.

“You okay?” Midori asked, trying to catch her breath.

“Peachy,” Pandora lied, forcing a smile.  Sweat was beading on her forehead, though she seemed ephemeral. “I believe in you, Midori.”

“Well, that makes—” Midori appeared a foot off the ground and landed hard on her ass. “—one of us…”

“That one who keeps using your powers,” Reina called out. “You can keep her alive.  What do you think?  Do we have a deal?”

“Better than everyone dying,” Midori muttered, more to herself than to anyone.

“Don’t even joke about it,” Pandora said, forcing Midori out of the way of another onslaught of arrows. “I believe in you.”

“This is getting old,” Reina sighed, pointing her bow at the sky and plucking the string like a harp.  Hundreds of arrows appeared overhead, like raindrops amidst the storm.  Then they disappeared.

“Fuck.” Pandora pulled Midori away, but the arrows followed.  Dozens would rain down whenever Pandora would find a new spot.  She blinked away and away and away, so much that she stopped caring where Midori appeared.  In the sky, on the ground, in the funnel, in the debris.  None of it mattered.  She just had to keep Midori out of harms way.

As the barrage continued, Midori took a few hits.  An arrow in her leg, an arrow in her hip.  Pandora wasn’t fast enough.  She pushed herself as hard as she could, and then a sharp snap dropped Midori in the center of the street.  Pandora fell beside her, in human form.

“Just like old times.” Nari’s voice spoke in Midori’s head.  No one else could hear her.  It was only the two of them left. “Stop caring so much about these awful people.  They aren’t your friends, Midori.  I’m your only friend.”

“Your mind games don’t work on me in my Miko form,” Midori said, pulling herself to her feet.  She looked over at Pandora with concern, but she was still breathing, lying face down on the concrete.

“Then we will have to play a more physical game, hm?” Reina drew her bow and an arrow formed from the shadows. “Your potential is already so low.  A few more arrows and you’ll be back to the ordinary, compliant, useless Midori.  And I’ll be your Goddess.”

Midori shook her head and stood tall, drawing her own bow.  A barrage of arrows would have been perfect, but Midori knew she had only an arrow or two left in her before Nari got her wish.  She had to hit.  She had to.

While Midori tried to focus, Nari loosed her arrow.  It zipped quickly across the expanse, straight to Midori’s heart.  But Midori couldn’t focus on that.  As long as her arrow hit, all this would be over.  Nari’s arrow didn’t matter, until it did.

Just before the arrow struck Midori through the chest, Pandora stepped in front of it.  She put her arms out in Midori’s defense and the arrow pierced right through her stomach, pushing its way out of her back.  Midori watched in disbelief as her friend stood for a few more seconds.  Blood pooled around the arrow, dying her school uniform in a sickly red.  Then, when she could no longer stay standing, Pandora slid to her knees and fell limp on the concrete.

It was just a moment, one single moment of certainty, a split second of conviction.  Midori wanted, above all else, for this to end.  Pandora’s life didn’t matter.  Nari’s life didn’t matter.  It was everything else.  The fighting had to stop.

Midori released her arrow and the storm split in two.  The clouds parted and the dizzying morning light poured through.  The winds died and birds began to sing.  And there sat Reina in the center of the street, a bright arrow sticking out of the center of her chest.  No matter how she struggled to move, her body was frozen in place.

Midori took a step forward and the bow disappeared from her hand.  She slid to her knees and rolled Pandora onto her back.  Blood soaked the concrete and tears filled Midori’s eyes. 

“Hey…” Midori choked out. “Hey, hey, you’re okay… you’ll be fine, you’ll be fine…”

Pandora’s eyes looked far away, but she nodded all the same.  Her lips turned up at the edges in a small smile and she looked at Midori before saying: “I trust you.”

She was cold.  Too cold.  Her whole shirt was covered in blood.  Midori didn’t know what to do!  The arrow in her stomach had disappeared and blood kept pouring out.

“Hey!” Midori looked up through teary eyes to see Naomi running down the street.  He pulled her ribbons out of thin air and slid to Pandora’s side.  In seconds, the ribbons were wrapped around Pandora’s midsection and Naomi was talking out loud.

“She lost so much blood…”

“But she’ll be okay?” Midori asked, fear ringing in her voice.

“I… I don’t know.  I can heal her, but she needs blood.  I’m calling an ambulance.”

Just then, a small red envelope appeared in front of Midori, floating in her line of sight.  She stared at it a moment before Naomi spoke up.

“It’s the Sending Missive,” he said quietly, staring across the road at Reina, frozen in place. “You have to do it.”

Midori took it in shaky hands and nodded her head, climbing up to her feet.  She reached up to pull on her hair bow, and Naomi grabbed her wrist.

“That’s not a good idea,” he said in an uncharacteristically serious tone.  But Midori shook her head.

“No, I need to do this.”

With a sigh, Naomi nodded and let her go.  Midori reached up and pulled on her bow, dissolving her Miko form.  All at once, the memories of Nari came rushing back.  Her only friend for so long.  Her best friend.  But Midori approached Reina all the same.

“Please don’t…” Reina closed her eyes and tried to shake her head, which was more like a gentle tilt from side to side. “Remember everything we went through?  Remember elementary school, before it got bad.  Remember middle school, when we were best friends.  Remember playing Dollhouse and watching movies together?  You can’t kill me, Midori… please don’t kill me…”

“I’m sorry, Nari…” Midori felt tears in her eyes, then on her cheeks. “I can’t do it anymore.  I can’t let you hurt people like this.  I can’t let you hurt me anymore.”

“Then let me go!” Reina begged. “Let me go and I promise never to hurt anyone again!”

“We both know you can’t keep that promise.” Midori wiped her cheeks and started crying harder. “You had everything, Nari.  You had a human body.  You could have lived an ordinary life.  But you came after me.  You hurt me.  You hurt people I care about.”

“What about me?!  Don’t you care about me?” Tears started to fill Reina’s eyes.  No one had seen a Richi cry before, not in the history of the universe.

“Of course I do,” Midori nodded. “But loving you doesn’t mean I have to endure you.  And loving me doesn’t give you the right to exploit me.  Even if I love you forever, I can still find peace without you.” 

“What about… what about Reina?” Tears dripped off Nari’s chin. “She has a family.  Parents.  Siblings.  Suddenly, she will disappear.  She’ll be dead, because of you.”

“No,” Midori said sharply. “None of your actions are my fault.”

Midori fumbled with the envelope in her hands and pulled out the little card.

“Midori… please, don’t kill me…”

“The lonely arrow,” Midori read aloud, “ceaselessly dreams of one thing.  A destination.”

The arrow in Nari’s chest dissolved and it took Nari with her.  The envelope in Midori’s trembling hand followed.  Daylight filled the streets.

[Ending Song Begins]

*     *     *

“Hey!” Pandora sat up a little too quickly and winced at the pain.  Midori closed the door behind her as she entered the hospital room, a bouquet of flowers in her hands.  The other Miko girls were already present, along with Reko.  

“Stop moving so much,” Naomi said sharply, looking over her hospital chart. “I did what could to patch you up, but you are going to be sore for a few days.”

“Sorry I’m late.” Midori said nervously, clutching the flowers in her arms.  She had wanted to be here earlier, but time was getting away from her.  Since sending Nari, Midori was struggling with a lot of everyday activities.  Luckily, Miko didn’t require food or sleep. “Are you doing okay?”

“I’m doing great,” Pandora said with a smile. “The doctor said if the arrow had been even an inch higher, I would have died.  It’s a good thing I’m taller than you, huh Midori?” After all, Nari had been aiming for Midori’s heart.

“Yeah…” Midori paused for a moment, lost in thought, before coming back to the hospital room and passing the flowers to Pandora. “These are for you.”

“They’re beautiful!” Pandora happily took them in both her hands and put them up to her nose.

“Do you know when they’re letting you out, Panda?” Kachiko asked.  She had been sleeping more than usual to recover from the fight, though Kuu insisted she didn’t need sleep to recover.

“Probably tomorrow,” Pandora nodded, trying to fit the flowers into her bedside vase.

“A two-day hospital visit isn’t so dire,” Daisuke smiled from across the room.

“Didn’t the doctors ask how you got shot with an arrow?” Reko asked, looking up from his video game.

“Oh, uh…” Pandora paused to think about it. “Nope, they didn’t.  Probably one of those ‘magic rationalization’ things.”

“I had prepared a few cover stories, in case they asked,” Kuu said. “On another note, it seems like Midori’s house is back to normal.”

“It took the Cleansers a whole day,” Midori sighed. “And my mom thinks she stayed overnight at work.”

“All’s well that ends well,” Daisuke said.

“Right…” Pandora nodded and bit her lip. “About that.” Everyone looked up at Pandora a she fished around in the drawer of her bedside table.  She pulled out a blue envelope. “It’s my Release.”

“No way.” Kuu was on her shaky feet first, rushing over to Pandora’s bedside as quickly as her braces would allow.  Daisuke had a moment of annoyance spread across her face, then a small smile took its place.  She got up and followed Kuu.  Midori glanced back at Kachiko, who put her finger to her lips.  Midori nodded.

“So what are you going to do?” Daisuke asked, holding the blue envelope up to the light.

“I don’t know,” Pandora admitted. “I don’t think I’m going to take it.  After all, I’ve only been a Miko for two years.  It’s not fair to Daisuke or Kachiko.”

“By all means, Miss Novak,” Daisuke said, “do not let my situation sway your decision.  I would never hold something like this against you.”

“Yeah, Panda!” Kachiko bounced excitedly. “Do what makes you happy.”

“Isn’t it odd that you got your Release after almost dying?” Kuu asked, taking the envelope from Daisuke. “Like, one of those medals of honor.”

“I’ve been thinking about it,” Pandora nodded. “I think my destiny was to help Midori with her shot.  She said she only made it because I got hurt.”

“Perhaps it was the only way to send Nari?” Kuu asked.  The entire group had started referring to Nari by name, in respect for Midori.  They had also taken a stance on using the word ‘sending’ instead of ‘killing’.

“Maybe,” Daisuke said quietly, lost in her head.

“I think you should take it,” Midori weighed in.  Everyone else in the room went silent. “You were really close to dying, Pandora, and your weakness is a liability.” 

“Is not,” Pandora said sharply.

“Is so,” Midori argued. “You are too selfless.  You burned through so much of your potential that you snapped yourself out of your Miko form!  Kuu knew when to stop.  Kachiko knew when to stop.  But not you.  And you’d do it again.” And if she refused her release, Midori knew she would have to spend time as a Cleanser.  That wasn’t fair to Pandora. “It’s too risky.  If anything happened to you…”

“Yeah?  What if something happened?” Pandora smiled cheekily, but Midori gave her a serious look. “Fine, fine!  I see your point.  But what about Reko?  If I’m not a Miko, then neither is he.”

“That’s okay,” Reko spoke up. “It was a lot of fun, and I love being pretty.  But I can be pretty whenever I want.  And we can still be friends.”

“That’s very mature of you,” Daisuke said, patting Reko on the top of the head.

“And we will always dress you up and do your hair and stuff!” Kachiko told him.

“The music room is always open to you,” Kuu said.

“And to Pandora as well, should she choose to be released,” Naomi added.

“Well jeeze, guys…” Pandora pouted and sulked into her bed.  This wasn’t the outcome she was hoping for. “I thought Midori and I made a pretty good team.  We could keep that going.”

“We can make a good team even if you aren’t a Miko,” Midori smiled. “And I still need a normal friend, remember?”

Pandora nodded her head softly and looked around the room.  When she came to Japan, she didn’t think she would make this many friends.  Now, she had six people who wanted her to be safe more than anything in the world.  Maybe there was something to that…

“Okay,” Pandora relented. “Just because Midori needs a normal friend!” And the whole ‘normal friend’ thing worked out pretty great for Reina at first.  There were a lot of possibilities, and Pandora had always been great at figuring out the potential of something.  

Yeah, this could work.

That night, well past visiting hours, Midori blinked in through Pandora’s hospital window and they spent the night talking.  Midori told her how she was feeling about sending Nari, and how she kept crying all the time for no reason.  Pandora told her how scared she was about losing her friends just because she stopped being a Miko.  They worked through their problems together, but ultimately, they realized they would have a lot more work to do in the coming months.

Then, when all was said and done, before the sun came up, Pandora opened her Release and read it aloud.  Only Midori and Pandora would ever know what it said.

[Series Credits]