Harem Hero

Rias and Mitsuru's Excellent Adventure - Part 6

"Me? Your friend?" Mitsuru repeated, incredulous. That was illogical. It just didn't make any sense. Mitsuru did nothing but burrow herself away inside of her laboratory, making inventions. Rias had spent almost all of her time with you. Going on dates, introducing you to her peerage – hell, even Venelana couldn't stop herself from talking about her hopes for a long and fruitful relationship with you. "We barely know each other."

Rias struggled to talk through her injuries, "I know enough. I know that you and me are similar in a lot of ways that you don't appreciate."

"You're just saying that," Mitsuru fretted. She didn't have enough tissues to wipe away some of the blood.

"It's hard to put into words just how grateful I am to you, Mitsuru-chan. I really love him. From the first second that we spent together – I knew that there was no way I could resist being his. You're the reason that I got to experience this, to meet someone that I want to spend the rest of eternity with."

"I know! But..."

"Everyone else feels the same way. You're amazing, and generous, and you do all of these things for other people without expecting anything in return. You're a hero..." Rias was short of breath, each statement emerging between desperate gasps of air. "...I can't offer you anything but my friendship. But I started thinking that maybe I could do something else. The reason I wanted to go shopping with you was so that you could be honest with your own feelings too."

Mitsuru closed her eyes, "It's not about how I feel. It's about how he feels. I don't know if he wants a plain girl like me."

Rias reached out and put a firm hand on her shoulder, "You know – even though everyone praises me for my looks, I feel insecure sometimes too. Always having to live up to their expectations is hard, and I feel like the girls who don't have to worry about their reputation have an advantage over me. I appreciated it when he made it clear that he understood how many responsibilities I have. He has room in his heart for you as well, he always has. That's why he's your best friend, right? He'll never forget about you. No matter how many hundreds of wives Chun-Li says he'll have."

Mitsuru couldn't help but laugh. It was completely ridiculous in every possible way. To think that her own hands would have brought about a situation like this, where she was receiving a motivational speech from one of her friend's numerous fiancés. Rias' words rung true. Maybe a corny resolution like that was just what she needed to keep in mind.

"I hope you understand what you're getting yourself into, Rias. Being my friend isn't easy."

"I'm good at handling a lot of things at once. But you should be friends with everyone else too, Lala really likes you."

"I'll consider it."

Mitsuru turned away and tried to hide the smile that threatened to crack her cool façade open like a dropped egg. Her eyes were drawn to the dark corners of the building they had entered. She had almost forgotten that they were being pursued by an enemy! A paranoid twitch ran through her as she realised that they'd been speaking aloud for several seconds while he was looking for them.

"Mitsuru, get out of the way. He's trying to find you."

"I can't just leave you here, look at these injuries!"

The crimson blood that flowed from Rias' forehead made her ruby eyes shine even brighter, "What are you talking about, you're my friend, aren't you? I'm not going to let him lay a finger on you, because if he does – this and every other world is done for! And you'll never be able to tell him how you feel!"

"Rias..."

Rias pushed against her chest, "Now go! I'll distract him. Hurry!"

Mitsuru hesitated, but she knew that she couldn't stand toe to toe with the enemy that pursued them. With a frustrated grunt she turned and ran down the aisle in search of a good hiding place. One of the dressing booths at the back of the store would have to do. She shut the curtain behind her and sat down on the bench. Her mind was awash with thoughts, some rational, others tinged with fear. This was what you experienced every time you left the garage and fought them back.