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Title Source: https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/94433718
Word Count: 8.1k Words
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Japan - Outskirts of Rin's Home City
Y/N silently touched down on the outskirts of the city Rin had pointed him towards, hiding behind some tall, full-grown bamboo trees. He wiped his forehead clean of sweat, not because he was carrying Rin all the way back but because the sun had been staring down on them the entire way back. This was only possible thanks to the clear skies, devoid of any gray clouds.
"That should be the place she mentioned to me..." Y/N used his right hand to shield his eyes from the sun and squinted at the remote metropolis, isolated from other cities. It was a quiet and ordinary little town without any large ki signatures from what he could feel.
In other words, this was perfect for Y/N to train and meditate in peace without having to worry about a lingering danger following him with every turn he made.
"Nothing dangerous is there, but..." Y/N looked down at the sleeping Rin in his arms, snoring lightly while holding her fox close to her chest. He couldn't blame her after all the trauma she had gone through before he had arrived to help her out of a life-or-death situation.
However, the male was left in an unfavorable situation now...
"This wouldn't look good if I walked in with her unconscious especially if I looked like this..." Y/N gently set Rin down on the cleanest blanket of grass he could find as to not stain her clothes further and sat down to her right. Luckily for him, the spot was underneath some shade provided by the bulkier bamboo outgrowths blocking the sun's gaze and overlooked the valley where the city resided.
"Why do you not wake her up? We are wasting our valuable time here, sitting around and doing absolutely nothing!"
"Can't you show a little more empathy? She's a young girl that was very close to dying this morning and would have if I hadn't been there."
"I told you earlier: It was not your battle to fight. I could not care less about this little human that you saved for no reason."
"Every time I try to think of you as an alright person, you make me remember that you are the complete opposite." Y/N sighed, shaking his head.
"You are a fool for trying to think that I am not anything but a kind person. I have no intention of helping humans or befriending any of you for that matter."
"Didn't you help me earlier?"
"You misunderstood, I did not 'help' you or however you saw it. I did all of that for my own personal gains! Do you know why? Because I am the Herrscher of-"
"(Oh. They're one of those kinds of people...)" Y/N thought to himself.
With a small yet noticeable smile, Y/N nodded along as the Herrscher continued to list off reasons for why they 'begrudgingly' decided to help, too self-absorbed to hear Y/N's internal monologue. Rin was able to peacefully, not hearing the Herrscher's speech of course.
"And that is why I helped you, boy. Not to establish some meaningless bond between us, but to-"
"Yes, yes. I got it, Hershey. You're a menace to humanity and I'm your puppet to aid you. Happy now?"
"Good! I am glad to see that you have finally managed to wrap your thick skull around-" They stopped abruptly as if processing what Y/N had said. "...What did you call me?" The voice finally spoke after a few moments of uncertainty, not recognizing what the male had said.
"Hm? Oh, it's nothing too concerning. Don't worry about it." Y/N promised. He closed his eyes and laid down on his back, enjoying the calm breeze of the afternoon winds.
"Now, I am most definitely concerned..." The Herrscher muttered to themselves.
For a few minutes, neither of them spoke nor made a sound which was relaxing for Y/N. He had to spend a month with the Herrscher degrading him with words after Bohai City had been leveled and never enjoyed a moment of silence as sweet as this. The short blades of grass tickled his skin as his clothes did little to cover his upper body while his pants were, thankfully, in a much better condition other than a few rips and tears below his knees.
Y/N heard the birds chirping their normal tunes and could feel himself slowly joining Rin in dreamland, listening to the avians' chorus. His body felt heavier than usual and he realized that the confrontation earlier had taken more out of him than he had thought. Not to mention, flying wasn't exactly something he was too used to, to say the least.
Before long, Y/N finally drifted off to sleep.
Timeskip
Rin's fox was the first of the three to wake up first and stretched its thin body with a silent yawn. They looked at the human male for a second before reaching down to poke their master until she too was awake.
Rin woke up with a light whine when she felt the warm, afternoon breeze passing through the bamboo forest and the familiar feeling of her fox trying to wake her up - which it was successful in doing so. The gust of wind played a soft tune with the hollow insides of the bamboo trees, almost lulling the pink-haired girl back to sleep.
"Mn...I'll be up in a few more minutes..." Rin scratched her fox behind the ears, earning satisfied whines from the fox as their tails began to wag slightly faster.
After some more scratching, the fox hops of their master's body and nudges the left side of Rin's abdomen.
"Mnn...Stop it." Rin rolled to her right. "I told you that I would get up soon-" When Rin opened her eyes, she found herself inches away from Y/N's face. The young girl yelped and quickly crawled away from the sleeping male with cheeks pinker than her hair.
Needless to say, she was fully awake now.
Rin stood up and looked around at her surroundings.
"Hey, that's..." She easily recognized the familiar outline of her hometown even from a distance. The modest dwellings everyone lived in and the small restaurants that valued tradition over progression were all familiar sights to Rin.
(So, that's what it looks like from far away...) Rin thought to herself before turning her attention back to Y/N, finding herself in his shoes now as he continued to snore lightly.
With a smile, she walks over to him without a shred of doubt in her heart and crouches down to get a better look.
Rin watched him closely, noting the way he breathed in through his nose and out his mouth, the way his chest rose and fell in between breaths, and the way his eyebrows furrowed when a leaf landed on his nose.
Giggling to herself, she grabbed the leaf and let the wind carry it away to the its new home.
"Hey," Her hand shook his arm, deciding to wake him up now. "Wake up!"
Y/N groaned before rolling over and muttering something lowly, "Give me five more minutes..."
"Hey, I'm not leaving until you wake up! Also, you shouldn't be sleeping out in the wilderness in the first place!" Rin shook his shoulder again.
Y/N peeked over his shoulder and slowly began to remember where he was. "Oh, right." He sat up and began to stretch his arms. "You fell asleep and I thought it would be fair if I had the chance to lay down and take a nap. It's your fault, if anything."
A soft yawn followed his sentence and Rin couldn't help but also yawn at sight. She too was still exhausted, wanting nothing more than to faceplant onto her bed and fall back asleep.
"Looks like you're tired too, huh?" Y/N offered her a small smile, the sun reflecting off his gentle, bright E/C hues.
Rin quickly realized what she was doing and looked at the floor in embarrassment, meekly nodding her head. For a moment, the pair sat there with the only sound between them being the relaxed but tired humming from the male.
"So," Rin began, readily tilting her head up and looking into Y/N's eyes. "W-where do we go from here...?" She began to fidget nervously.
"Let's not say it like that..." Y/N said before he began to think about the best answer, taking into account the factors present.
"If I'm being honest..." Rolling halfway backward, Y/N jumps up and onto his feet, patting his hands clean. "It would probably be best if we both tried to pretend none of this happened and went our separate way."
Rin was surprised by his answer.
"That's...it? You're just going to leave?" She stood up straight with her fists balled, her arms slightly shaking.
"Well, yes? Is there a problem with that?" Y/N tilted his head, his eyes conveying a curious form of confusion, wondering if he had missed a vital piece of information.
"How is that fair...?" Rin muttered.
"How is what fair?" Y/N asked.
"How is that fair to me!? I mean, I want answers to who you are and what that monster was, of course, but..." Rin faltered her words before finding her rhythm again. "How will you leaving be fair to yourself?"
Now it was Y/N's turn to be surprised by the other person's answer.
Y/N opened his mouth to shoot back a reply, but, found it difficult to come up with a witty remark for the first time after hearing the trembling in her voice.
"When I looked into your eyes for the first time, I saw the eyes of someone sad and lonely! It's..." Rin looked at the floor with a look that could only be described as a mixture of frustration and sadness. "It's the same look I see every time I look into Big Sis's eyes when she comes home..."
Y/N's smile turned sad as he remembered the last time he was near a human civilization.
"I know what you're trying to say, but I'm not...I'm not a safe person to be around at the moment. I don't want to hurt innocent people again-"
"You won't hurt anyone!" Rin sprang forward and grabbed his hands, an unusual fierce look in her blue eyes. "I don't care about what other people said or might say! You and Big Sis may look mean or cold but both of you are good people deep down! I can see it!"
There it was again. The way Rin's eyes seemed to be looking into his soul and seeing the unease in his heart. Y/N couldn't explain why the sight of the pink-haired girl looking at him with such an ferocity made him do what he did next. However, later in the future, he would be thankful for what she did.
"...Alright." Y/N sighed, his smile regaining its happy luster albeit an uneasy one.
Although the male said that, he still wasn't sure if this was a good idea, though, the warm sight of Rin's eyes brightening with happiness made him feel better.
"Then, that means...?"
"Yes, " Y/N squeezed her hands. "I'll stay here until I figure out what to do. I should warn you though, not even I know what's going on in the world or what that thing we saw was. I...I also have some questions that have to be answered, but, I promise to share everything that I learn with you, alright?"
"Mhm!" Rin nodded her head, her grip on Y/N's hands tightening in accordance with her rising excitement. "That's perfectly fine!"
"I'm glad to hear that." Y/N smiled at her as she returned the smile.
For a moment, neither of them say anything until the male awkwardly clears his throat and looks in another direction, looking rather uncomfortable. "You...You can let go of my hands now."
"Gah!" Rin quickly did what he asked and took three steps backwards, bowing repeatedly in an apologetic way while also sputtering an apology: "S-sorry! I was caught in the moment and wanted to get rid of the sad look in your eyes but the only way I knew how was what I usually do with Big Sis! A-and-"
Y/N doesn't say anything and continues to stare at Rin as she continuously bowed and tried to explain her actions.
"Hey," His voice caught Rin's attention when she was in the middle of one of her bows. The girl looked up to see Y/N standing in front of her and felt him place his hand on her head, patting her head reassuringly. "It's okay. You're a good person. Never forget that."
Y/N took a page out of his mom's book and tried to replicate what she used to do to cheer him up. However, as clever as he was at times, Y/N didn't take into consideration the difference between the bond he shared with his mother and the one he has with Rin.
From an outside perspective, they were simply strangers that had met on that same day, of course. With their fated meeting coming to an end, the clash between their exotic and distinct personalities was inevitable.
"Hey!" Rin pushed his hand away and stood back up, untying her ponytail with a slight puff in her rosy cheeks as she avoided eye contact for reasons that Y/N didn't understand. Her hands worked dexterously to fix her bright pink locks of hair while she bit down on the scrunchie that tied it all together: a pink hair tie with a white fox pattern. "You can't just mess with a girl's hair like that!"
"(She sure likes her foxes...)" Y/N noted and absent-mindedly nodded his head, having not really listened to what she had just said.
"Hey, did you hear what I said?" Rin noticed the distant look in his E/C eyes and strolled up to him with her hands on her hips. It might have been marginally intimidating if she didn't have to tilt her head up to look at Y/N's face.
"..." Y/N looked into her eyes for a moment before then looking off to the side with a shaky smile, avoiding her sharp gaze. "(Did you hear what she said?)" Y/N asked.
"..."
"..."
"All of you humans sound the same to me with your worthless-"
"(Okay, that's enough.)" Y/N cut them off before they could get the sentence rolling. He didn't have the 'luxury' of listening to their two hours of intense environmentalism and degrading of the human race.
"You said..." Y/N turned his sights back onto Rin who looked ready about to explode. His brain went into overdrive as he tried his absolute hardest to remember. "Er... 'Don't touch my hair!' That's what you said, right?"
"...Hm. I guess that's correct." Rin answered after a couple of seconds of silence but still looked unimpressed. "But, what did I say after that though?" Rin asked him.
"(T-there was more?)" Y/N's body stiffened and he wanted to scream internally.
"She said something else? Impossible, I would have heard her..." The Herrscher muttered to themselves, just as perplexed as Y/N was at the moment.
Y/N paused when he heard what the Herrscher had said, their words were enough to shake him out of his stupor.
"(Wait...Don't tell me...)"
Y/N pinched Rin's cheeks with a disappointed look on his face, his lips curling downward into a frown.
"Stop trying to trick me. You didn't say anything else, did you?" He gave Rin a stern glare, making her be the one to look away now.
"A-ahaha, I didn't..." Rin answered honestly, earning another pinch on her cheeks from Y/N whose glare lightened and let go of her.
"How'd you know? Usually, people try to guess their way out." Rin asked, massaging her cheeks.
"I have...experience dealing with people like you." For a split second, Y/N flashbacked to Bohai City of the past and remembered his 4-year-old self scolding his mother in the same manner. Their relationship was an odd one, to say the least. "Not to mention, I have a friend who told me otherwise."
"Friend?"
"I am not friends with you." The Herrscher growled.
"(Give it some time. I'm sure you'll warm up to me.)" Y/N replied.
"Impossible. I will acknowledge my association with you but we are not friends." The Herrscher scowls, ready to continue their curses, but Y/N was already ignoring them again when Rin spoke again.
"What do you mean by 'friend?'" Rin's eyebrows furrowed and she tilted her head. "Now that I think about it, you also said something similar back then." She began to reminisce until she remembered the strangest and, in her eyes, the coolest thing Y/N has done since they've met.
"Hey, wait! You were flying!"
Y/N sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. This was going to be a long day.
"I did..."
"How'd you do it? Can you teach me?!" The excitement in Rin's voice was clear if her pupils turning into stars weren't evident enough which made what came next difficult.
"I...I can't teach you. I'm no good with explaining things to others and I'm still learning. Maybe...One day?" Y/N tried to explain his reasoning for denying her request.
Rin looked disappointed for a second before shrugging it off.
"Okay, I guess it can't be helped-" She stopped for a moment. "...I never asked for your name."
"...Oh yeah, I never asked for yours either..." Y/N shot her a smile.
"Y/N."
"Rin!" Rin returned the smile before grabbing his wrist and began dragging him downhill towards her home, her fox friend following behind the pair. "Enough of that! Let's go! My house is better than sleeping outside here!"
Y/N wanted to protest about the sudden shift in the speed of the current events but found it impossible to argue or fight back.
Was it the thrill of a new part of his adventure?
The eagerness he had of returning to a life of normality, at least, for now?
Or was it perhaps, he sorely missed the feeling of human companionship and the luxuries society had?
He wasn't sure which one, if any, was the correct answer to his question but simply allowed everything to happen despite his better judgment.
America - Headquarters of Fire Moth's Western Branch
Aisha stood on the roof of the Fire Moth base, her hands fell down to the railing as she finished her prayers for son. She shivered when a breeze of the cold, night air brushed against her skin, sending tingles throughout her body.
Though it had only been a few moments ago for Aisha, her conversation with Hua -that had ended rather poorly- played out repeatedly in her mind.
"(Did...Did I make a mistake?)" She wondered and rubbed some heat into her arms as she stared at the lunar object in the dark skies, surrounded by even darker clouds. At the moment, Aisha wanted nothing more than some time alone and away from the suffocating atmosphere of the underground base.
Time was no longer a concept she could keep track of as she stared into the dark horizon, contemplating everything she has done so far.
Was she wrong or in the right for what she did?
Was it too late for her to make amends?
These were the questions that Aisha struggled to find the answers to.
Too caught up in the endless loop of doubts and self-questioning, Aisha hadn't noticed the ding sound from the elevator or the footsteps approaching her.
"Here."
Aisha was surprised when a warm blanket was draped around her shoulders and turned her E/C eyes to find Dr. Mei standing there next to her, by the railing, . The younger woman took off her wide lens glasses and carefully placed them into her lab coat's chest pocket.
Together, they looked into the darkness of the night where there was only silence on the rooftop.
"The snow is beautiful in the moonlight, wouldn't you agree?" Dr. Mei finally broke the still silence.
Aisha looked up to see glittery snowflakes falling from the sky, gently swaying in the wind. A small bittersweet smile made its way onto her face as she recalled a memory she shared with her son and Hua while the three of them huddled underneath a blanket in front of the fireplace. She wondered if either of them even remembered that day.
"Yes, it is." Aisha agreed with the brilliant scientist and they continued to stand there in silence though the mood was lightened by just a bit. "Reminds me of when I took care of you for a few days after saving you~!"
Dr. Mei winced in remembrance, "Don't remind me or I'll have to write you up to my higher ups for your...escapades."
"Aw, you wouldn't do that to me, Mei-Mei."
Dr. Mei raised an eyebrow, "'Mei-Mei?'"
"Don't you remember what the nickname means?"
"I remember what it means. It's close to how you would pronounce 'young sister' in Chinese, correct?"
Aisha smiled and nodded her head though she was confused by Dr. Mei's intrigue. "Correct~! But, why are you surprised about me calling you that?" She tilted her head.
"In terms of technicality," Dr. Mei cleared her throat. "you are classified as a Fire Moth soldier and will have to refer to me as your-"
"Just because you're technically my boss now, doesn't mean that I'll be listening to your orders. It'll be difficult taking orders seriously from a girl who used to believe that ghosts were hunting her and could only sleep with the lights on." Aisha teased Dr. Mei, sending her a small wink and invoking a feeling of embarrassment in the scientist.
Dr. Mei calmly glared at Aisha, her cheeks flushing a faint pink in the cold night that did not go unnoticed underneath the pale light of the moon.
"I-I was young at the time. I'm a different person now." She reassured Aisha who simply giggled and wrapped her arm around Dr. Mei, pulling her in for a hug while her other hand poked Dr. Mei's face.
"Is that so? Then tell me, what have you been up to since we've last met? Did you get into that university you were always talking about? You wouldn't have happened to have, oh I don't know, published a paper on Quantum Mechanics or whatnot, right?"
"...What are you trying to imply?"
"Hehe~" Both of Aisha's arms were around Dr. Mei now, and she rubbed her face against Dr. Mei's face. "I'm just glad that you're still the same adorable, nerdy dork you were as a kid."
Slightly rolling her eyes, Dr. Mei tries to escape Aisha's embrace but struggles against the woman's strength. The junior scientist wasn't too sure whether it was her natural strength or because she was a Herrscher.
"May I ask you something?" Dr. Mei barely managed to say while trying to wiggle free.
"Hm? What is it?"
"All these years...What have you been up to? Is the girl your..."
Just as Dr. Mei predicted, Aisha quickly let go of her, shaking her head and waved her hands dismissively.
"Nonono, she's not my daughter! She's..." Aisha sighed in defeat. "It's complicated."
"I understand. Did the two of you have an argument? I passed her on the way here and she was not very receptive, to say the very least."
"Hua? She's going through a- Wait, how'd you know that I was up here?"
Dr. Mei raised an eyebrow, "We live in a world where people such as you can break the laws of physics but the prospect of a camera in the elevator proves too much for you?"
"Ahaha," Aisha awkwardly laughed. "F-fair point. Hua's just...going through her teenage phase." She explained with as much transparency as possible, not wanting to divulge too much information than necessary.
"You don't seem to believe that. Something else is bothering you." Dr. Mei commented on the way Aisha hesitated in her explanation and her expression softened. "If there's anything you want to speak about, I am here to lend you a shoulder."
Aisha looked into her lilac-colored eyes and saw the sincerity in Dr. Mei's words. She knew that she was bound to cave in or slip up eventually so why not just say what was on her mind now?
"Everything's moving too fast for me, Mei-Mei. The world is changing rapidly from what you've told me in your lab. If what you said is true, then I'll have to step up and fight the Herrschers in the future in humanity's stead..."
"Do you not believe in your powers?"
"The problem isn't whether I can defeat them or not, it's the aftermath that I'm worried about. Perhaps it's that pessimistic side of me that's showing itself, but I worry about everyone else's safety if I have to show my true self. I can't imagine that Fire Moth will be so welcoming to me if they find out that I am the first Herrscher nor will I ever be able to look Hua in the eyes since she's..." Aisha looked at the moon with a bitter smile, the moonlight reflecting off her E/C eyes.
"I'll make sure only those I completely trust know. I promise." Dr. Mei spoke up, understanding the severity of Aisha's deepest worries and comprehending the severe backlash she'll receive if this secret between them got out. "However, you should tell Hua one day before it's too late. Not right now, of course, but she's not going to stay young and ignorant forever. Sooner or later, she'll be looking for answers from you and you must be ready."
"Is it wrong for me to wish for that day to never come?" Aisha mumbled but Dr. Mei heard her perfectly fine.
"No. But, it is within human nature to remain curious and search for the answers to the questions we do not have answers for. I understand that you wish to protect her from the world but your protection will only bring harm to her in the future. You should watch her grow up and be proud instead of trying to restrict her. Growing up is a part of being human, Aisha."
Aisha looked at Dr. Mei for a moment, staring into her purple hues, before smiling. "You've grown up so much, Mei. It makes me proud to see how far you've come. "
Dr. Mei nodded her head, a slight smile gracing her beautiful features, when she felt the atmosphere lighten up completely alongside the anxiousness in Aisha's heart.
"Enough of my problems." Aisha stretched her arms. "What did you need? As much as I wished that your reasoning for coming here was to comfort me because you love me, I doubt that was all of it."
"It's...It's about what we were discussing in my laboratory."
"For god's sake, Mei-Mei, we are just speaking about 'growing up' and you wanted to bring this up? Is your senior scientist so scary that you need big sister Aisha to hold your hand? I mean, I'm not opposed to that either..."
The look on Dr. Mei's face turned serious as she looked out towards the horizon before muttering to herself, "Dr. Mobius is that dangerous, Aisha..."
Aisha analyzes her face and eventually gives her answer, "Oh, alright. I'll do it on one condition."
"And that is?" Dr. Mei perked up but immediately regretted sounding so hopeful when she saw the devious look on Aisha's face.
"From now on, you have to address me as Jiějiě [Big Sister in Chinese]-"
"I refuse." Dr. Mei had a deadpan expression on her face now.
"How about only when we're alone?"
"No."
Aisha pouts and crosses her arm, "You're boring, Mei-Mei. Can't you play along for a while?"
"I have an image to upkeep here, Aisha."
"So? There's nothing wrong with calling someone big sister!" Aisha could see that Dr. Mei was adamant about her decision and ultimately gave up in the end, sighing to herself. "Fine. I have another favor you could do."
"Say it. It'll be a better alternative than-"
The world wasn't kind to Dr. Mei as it soon forced her to swallow her words when Aisha pulled her in with one arm while the other cupped her ear as she whispered slowly.
"Then, tell Big Sis about your 'friend.' How'd you meet that ice cube? Are you two together? Have you kissed yet?"
Dr. Mei was now the one to wonder if she had made a mistake in bargaining with Aisha...
While Aisha assaulted Dr. Mei with her questions, Hua was hundreds of feet below, somberly walking down the empty halls of the underground base.
Her footsteps echoed throughout the quiet hallways that seemed to stretch on for ages. Her eyes stuck to the floor as she was lost in her thoughts, all alone. Her breathing was quiet, but in the stillness of the base, she could hear the raggedness just fine.
She hadn't meant to be so aggressive towards Aisha at the end. The venom in the last things she said to the older woman had come out of nowhere without any explanation - even from Hua's side.
Never in her life had she been so angry, and, for what?
Was she directing her angst towards Aisha?
Towards the world?
Towards herself?
Hua had no answers to these questions but only knew that her life was going to change drastically now. Then again, her life was always fated to change after the 4th Honkai Eruption. Whether it'll be for the better or for the worse was a topic for debate. However, Hua would be a proud supporter of the latter if it came down to her opinion and personal views.
"What are you doing up so late, soldier?"
Hua quickly turned around to face the person, easily recognizing their long crimson hair and piercing amber eyes - even in the darkness. Himeko was still in her long, black dress and most likely finished with some late-night reports.
"Captain Himeko." Hua straightened her posture, standing at attention in the presence of the captain.
"You should learn to relax more, young miss." Himeko sighed and shook her head. "There'll be an aircraft leaving tomorrow morning for a remote settlement in the far east. You should get some sleep or you might end up sleeping in and miss it."
Hua frantically shook her head, earning the attention of Himeko. "I don't plan on leaving. I..." Her eyes looked uneasy for a moment. "I want you to teach me how to fight."
Himeko stared into Hua's eyes filled with darkness and shook her head. A firm "No." was not what Hua was expecting.
"W-Why?"
"I plan on training soldiers to fight the Honkai, not little girls who are trying to throw their lives away." Himeko stated bluntly.
"I'm not going to throw my life away!" Hua shouted at Himeko who raised an eyebrow.
"Then, tell me, what will you be fighting for?"
Hua's mouth opened but no words came out of it. She had no answer to the captain's question who turned around and began to walk down the dark hallway. Hua knew her reasonings were petty to begin with but also knew that this was possibly her last chance to become a fighter like she always wanted to be. The life that her father hadn't wished for her was within her grasp.
"Wait..."
Himeko stopped and looked over her shoulder with her ominous amber eyes.
"I know what you're trying to teach me but I already learned this lesson long ago when my father was hospitalized: 'You're better off living a life of peace and normality, free of conflict.' The truth is: that kind of life isn't a possibility for me - not anymore, at least. I've already experienced the suffering of losing loved ones and a special person in my life but that doesn't mean others around my age have to either. I wasn't able to do anything to save those people because I was too weak and afraid. But now that I know I can make a difference in this world, even a miniscule one, I want to stay and become stronger. Captain Himeko. To answer your question, I want you to teach me how to fight so no one else has to suffer as I have and so I can protect those I have left to cherish from the Honkai."
Neither of them say anything after Hua's speech and engage in an intense staring contest that ends up with Himeko smiling with satisfaction.
"You pass."
"R-really...?"
"Yes, but, I wasn't lying when I said you'll need your rest. You'd better be ready for my hellish training tomorrow, soldier. It may break you and make you cry but, remember, you asked for this."
Japan - Rin's Home City
"Rin. Are you sure about this?"
"Absolutely! Just play along and everything will work out."
"If you say so..." Y/N muttered as he followed behind Rin. The young girl hummed a happy tune with her arms tucked behind her back, blissfully unaware of the stares they were receiving or, to be more accurate, the stares Y/N was receiving due to his torn clothes and dirty appearance.
"Look at his clothes...Where did she find him?"
"Hope she knows what she's doing..."
"Urk..." Y/N felt his face heat up from embarrassment as he could hear everything they were saying.
"Kill them." was all the Herrscher persona in his head said.
"(I'm not killing anyone! Stop trying to make me do it.)"
"...Murder is fine. We've done it before."
"(No, it's not and there was no 'we' in that situation!)" Y/N shouted in his head.
"Are you still saying that? Enlighten me on this. When I destroyed that human civilization you call home, I could feel a miniscule amount of satisfaction that was not mine. Who could have that been from?" Though he could not see them, Y/N knew they were smiling. "You hold no love for the people there, did you? Only your mother and this Hua person were the people you cared about. Maybe, me and you aren't so different after all."
"(You're wrong! We are nothing alike.)"
"Not now, perhaps. There will be a day when you see the truth of the world. Continue to play along with the girl's adoration for you. You might as well enjoy it while you can before you are hunted down like a dog." On that uplifting note, Y/N can feel their presence disappear into the background of his mind after leaving their 'pleasant message.'
Y/N continued to follow Rin -who remained unaware of the inner and outer turmoil the male was facing- without a word or care of what the other people were saying behind his back. He contemplated their words of ill omens and premonitions, but found himself unable to make heads or tails of anything of it.
Only one thing was clear to him.
"I fucking hate that asshole..." Y/N concluded.
"Hm? Did you say something?" Rin finally turned her head to look at Y/N.
"No, it's fine." The male looked around to see that they had traversed to the residential and quieter side of the metropolis. Houses were separated by stone slab walls standing four to five feet tall, and in each plot were beautiful cherry blossom trees with all of their pink petals.
Each house was distinct in their features and shapes but one stood out from the rest.
The house had two floors and two separated rooftops painted red - with the lower one protruding and outlining the space between the first and second floor. The balcony to the single room on the second floor had posts connected to the second floor rooftops to support itself. The house had a stone-tiled pathway leading up to the slightly elevated front porch with a wooden front door, multiple squares of glass on the right, lining up vertically, and a thin pillar at the corner. To the left of the doorway was a mini version of the traditional Japanese engawas and three glass sliding doors. The rectangular lawn was trimmed recently and evenly, making for an eye pleasing sight for those who laid their eyes on it.
"What are you waiting for, Y/N?" When he came back to reality, Rin was standing near the front door, her right hand raised to knock on it. Her pet fox curled up underneath the Cherry blossom tree and closed its eyes, going back to sleep.
"Eh? This is your house?"
"Well duh. Isn't it obvious."
It was not obvious but before Y/N could respond, Rin knocked on the door loudly. "Obaachan! I'm home!"
"('Obaachan?')" Y/N joined Rin at the door. They heard the sound of slow footsteps growing closer and closer before the door opened. An elderly woman greeted them. Despite the wrinkles on her face due to old age and her slouched-over posture, the smile on her face immediately reminded Y/N of Rin.
"Welcome back, Rin. Oh." She looked at Y/N. "Who's this?"
"Don't you remember Y/N from when I was younger? He would always come over to play with me and Big Sis before he had to move!"
"...Y/N?" Rin's grandma clutched her head, her face contorting in effort. "Oh dear, my memory has been hazy of late...Please forgive me for not remembering your face, Y/N."
"A-ah, don't push yourself too much, Obaachan." Y/N gently placed his hands on the old woman's shoulders before escorting her to the couch in the living room - the first room on the left. Rin locked the door behind her and quickly followed behind them just as her grandma was seated comfortably.
"Oh...I'm so sorry for troubling you two."
"Don't worry about it, Obaachan! It's not a problem for us!" Rin smiled, sitting on the seat next to her grandmother while Y/N sat across. "Anyways, Obaachan. I was wondering if Y/N could stay for some time since...er..."
"Since what, Rin?"
Rin began to panic, struggling to come up with a convincing lie to say to her grandmother. Thankfully, Y/N stepped in to fill in the details.
"If I may, Obaachan. My hometown was destroyed just a month ago by a natural disaster and I was barely able to escape with my life." Rin flinched when she heard the sincerity in his voice, surprising her when it really shouldn't have. She quickly realized that she knew next to nothing about Y/N and found herself paying more attention to his words than she would to her own teacher. "Using whatever money I had remaining, I was able to come back here since I had nowhere else to go. However, I realized too late that I had taken the wrong flight and had to wander endlessly on feet, searching for this place. It was only a stroke of luck that I ran into Rin outside of the city and she recognized me. I know it may be presumptuous and rude of me, but, may I ask to stay here for the time being?"
Rin's grandma gazed into Y/N's eyes before her pair of hues softened and her smile turned into one of sympathy.
"Of course..." She turned to her granddaughter. "Rin. Why don't you go on and take a bath first? You both look like you could use a bath." Though, she didn't outright say it, it was obvious that she was pointing out the mud and dirt in the pair's clothes.
Rin didn't respond until the old lady called her granddaughter's name again.
"Rin!"
"O-oh! Y-yes, Obaachan..." The pink-haired girl quickly left afterward in a rather uncharacteristic manner, her bright hair covering her eyes.
"Rin?" Y/N tried to call out for her but to avail.
"Please don't mind her. Hearing your story must have reminded her of..." Rin's grandmother shook her head dismissively. "Never mind that. Young man, if you could, please keep an eye on Rin while you're here. It would mean the world to her if the first outsider she made friends with told her stories of the world outside our little city."
"You knew?"
"Ohohoho, if there's one thing she, her sister, and my daughter share in common, it's their inability to tell a convincing lie. Though, your story made me doubt my memories."
"T-then, why would you let me, a complete stranger, stay here in your house?"
"'Why?' That is a good question. Why am I doing this?" She looked forward at the wall in front of her, staring off into space as her mind wandered. "Call it: maternal instincts. Rin and her older sister, Sakura, always have trouble making and keeping friends when they got older. Most teenage girls think about rock music, expensive clothes, boys, and the such. Although both of them try to get into those things, they struggle to fit in with their peers even though they conform to the standards of their classmates. It's not a very pleasant experience, wouldn't you agree, young man? Trying to fit in as best you can but failing to do so?"
"...Yeah. I know another person like that." Y/N looked at the floor, a frown on his face.
"As their current caretaker, it makes my heart ache to see them like this. But, when I saw the smile on Rin's face and you by her side, something told me that it would be different this time. And," She turned her eyes back to Y/N. "you don't look like someone who would break a poor old woman's heart. So, I beg of you, please keep bringing out that smile on my granddaughter's face and continue to make her happy. Tell her stories of the world beyond the bamboo forests and valley rivers. Help my little Rin live her life to its fullest and always be there for her. That is all I ask of you."
Y/N looked up and into the elderly woman's kind eyes. They were gentle and caring like the tone she used to make her request but they were just as pleading.
With a firm nod, the male gave his answer.
"I understand, Obaachan." The look in the young man's eyes was enough for the old lady who smiled.
"What a kind person you are, young man. If there's anything else you need, please don't be afraid to reach out to me and Rin."
"Right. There's just one question I have, Obaachan."
"(Does he not know what...Ohohoho, never mind then.)"
"Rin keeps mentioning her older sister and now you have as well. Where exactly is she?"
"Ah, she must not have told you then. My other granddaughter is on an internship that is providing us with the necessary funds while offering her college credits. The flyer is on the fridge."
Y/N got up from his seat and walked over to the refrigerator. On the fridge were other photos of the Yae family. One photo had a young girl with pink hair holding a newborn in her hands, carefully keeping her arms close. The next one had the same girl, now a teenager, sitting with another girl around the age of two to three. It was impossible for the male to not realize who they were.
Y/N smiled before freeing the paper from the little magnet keeping it pressed against the fridge door. Immediately, he grew suspicious of the legitimacy of the internship.
GTC Internship Program! The Global Transport Corporation Internship Program's main objective is to remove that void in life we called boredom with a hundred percent guarantee of curing participants of all their troubles! P.S: We are not responsible for all accidents and injuries interns may acquire during this time including -but not limited to- inability to walk, permanent loss of vision, dismemberment, mind break, and death. Please be prepared to sign a legal disclaimer releasing us of all liability for anything that might have happened during your time with us!
Y/N frowned once again with a small sweat drop running down the back of his head, "There's no way this is a legal thing, Obaachan...."
"I think it sounds like something that will impose the lesson of discipline on teenagers these days!"
"(Yeah, and maybe kill them along the way...)"
Y/N couldn't look at the smile of Rin's grandma the same way anymore after that...
"I think I'll go take a shower, Obaachan."
"You go do that, sonny." The old lady calmly walked over to the connected kitchen where a cup of hot tea had already been brewed earlier.
Y/N bowed and quickly left the old lady to her own devices before bumping into Rin who was looking like her normal peppy self. She was wearing newly washed clothes that looked pretty good on her: a white polo, pink suspenders, a pink plaid skirt, and an eggplant-colored sash.
"How do I look?" Rin twirled around in her new set of clothes, giving Y/N a full 360 view of her. Y/N smiled and patted her head, making her freeze up in the process.
"You look the same as you always do."
Rin lightly smacked his hand away and stormed away, huffing and leaving Y/N confused.
"Can't you give a decent compliment?!"
"E-eh?"
"Obaachan! Do you need help with making lunch?" Rin was already moving on, forcing Y/N to do the same as he sighed and decided to do so, locking the door behind him.
"Yes, dear. Let me get up and-"
"Nonono!" Rin stopped her grandmother from getting up. "I can handle the cooking today, Obaachan! You can just sit back and relax!"
The old lady smiled, "If only you were this well behaved without any guests over. Oh, you remind me of your mother when your father was coming over to eat at our place for the first tim-"
"O-OBAACHAN! STOP IT!" Rin shouted at the top of her lungs, her expression overtaken by a massive blush while her grandmother remained unfazed by her loud shouts.
"Oh, alright. You can take care of lunch for today. Just make enough for yourself and your friend. I'll be preparing some clothes for Y/N to wear."
With an affirmative nod, Rin ties a white apron around her body while her grandmother leaves to find some suitable clothes for their guest.
"(What can I make...?)" Rin begins to cipher through the list of what she was capable of making -which wasn't a very long one- before deciding on the easiest thing she could make. "(Yes, that one!)"
Meanwhile, Y/N hopped into the shower and turned the shower faucets until the water was at the perfect temperature for him.
He could hear the sounds of cooking down the hallway and felt his stomach rumble in anticipation. In fact, now that he thought about it, he hadn't recalled eating anything in the past month and wondered how he was still alive.
The grime and dirt on his body from many days and nights spent wandering through the wilderness washed off with ease. It was a startling experience when he suddenly woke up to find himself alone in a forest and without any familiar landmarks in sight. It wasn't until later that he learned of what had happened to his home thanks to sudden flashes of memories and the Herrscher's gloating.
"Obaachan! Do you have any clothes that I can wear for now?" Y/N shouted as he turned the shower off and got out, grabbing the newest towel to dry himself off.
A knock on the door made him peek his head out to see Rin's grandma with a set of folded clothes in her hands.
"Ah! Thank you, Obaachan!"
Rin's grandma smiled and nodded her head as the door closed. She waited until Y/N got out with the clothes she brought him on before saying, "I'll be taking my afternoon nap. You and Rin can go shopping for clothes if you wish. But, please watch over Rin."
"Got it!" Y/N waved her goodbye and made his way down to the kitchen. Initially, he was calm in the manner in which he walked until he smelled the very familiar scent of smoke and ran down the corridor.
"Rin! The stove!"
"Huh?" The young girl looked from up the cutting board and quickly noticed that the stove's fire had consumed too much gas and was a blazing inferno. "Wah! Y-Y/N, QUICKLY PUT IT OUT!"
"HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO DO THAT!? I NEVER TOUCHED A STOVE BEFORE!"
"HOW ARE YOU STILL ALIVE!?"
"WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH ANYTHING!?"
Y/N frantically looked around before noticing the control panel and pressed every button until the fire was turned off. He quickly opened a window to allow the suffocating smell of burnt food to leave through the window.
Together, he and Rin looked down at the charred piece of meat and shared a moment of silence and grief.
"Something tells me that it's going to be very hectic around here now..." Rin's grandma smiled when she heard the panic ensuing outside her room come to a halt.
Her smile turned bittersweet when she looked over to one of the shelves in her room, tucked away into the corner. It was crammed with many books she kept from when she was younger but the main thing that stood out was the empty section in the middle where only an urn stood.
"I only wished you were able to see our little Rin right now, dear...Perhaps it is almost time for me to..."
"Obaachan!" Y/N and Rin screamed in the kitchen. "RIN/(Y/N) BURNT THE- WHAT!? THIS WAS COMPLETELY YOUR FAULT!" Y/N and Rin screamed at the same time, respectively, with the only difference in their sentences being the first word.
"Never mind, dear. I still have a job to do. I'll be back soon." With a goodbye to the urn, Rin's beloved grandmother walks back to the kitchen where she could hear the two arguing.
Now wasn't the time for her to leave yet...
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Prologue End
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