𝐋𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐫 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ☆ ᴀ 𝙼𝙷𝙰 𝙾𝙲 sᴛᴏʀʏ

23 | ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ғʀᴇᴇ

Warnings: Just think about the end of last chapter... I'm not sure what to tag, but it's not death.

Word Count: 1031

☆-----...•ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ғʀᴇᴇ•...-----☆

"We'll just have to set it alight." Kaminari's words are echoing through my head as I remain, unable to do anything but stare as he falls.

Villains don't care.

But I'm plunging already, not thinking this time but moving, metres behind him as he gets closer to the ground. A scream rips from my throat and is stolen by the wind. I can't make it in time, I can't make it, my hands are reaching out but my voice is gone, I can't save him, I can't save him, I CAN'T SAVE HIM AGAIN

MURDERER

The air stings my eyes. I tuck into a ball and increase my weight, trembling with the weight of the tidal wave of thought that threatens to pull me under again.

I won't stay still this time.

I refuse to.

"KAMINARI!"

The rising sun fractures into molten gold at the edges of my watery vision, light falling over the building a moment after I whip past. My hands reach out for his weight, pulling my classmate to my chest. We tumble through the air the last metre or so, land on the grass cushioned by my Quirk. I have to let go immediately, nerves in pain and registering too much. I put my head in my hands again, press my forehead to my palms.

I saved him this time.

It's not the same. It's not different. The past is set in stone. But Kaminari is alive.

He sits up, groans and breathes out. Laughs, coughs and then wheezes for a minute. "I was almost convinced you wouldn't follow."

I throw a stick at him. "Don't jump next time unless you want to be fully convinced."

He stands up, offers me a hand. I take it, my senses having cooled down, and brush the grass off. Kaminari steps back, sticks his hands in his pockets and dips his head for a moment. "Thanks for saving me, Hero."

"Hoshi-chan! Kami-kun!" Mina runs out, followed by Kirishima, Tsuyu, Tokoyami... our whole class spills out onto the lawn, running towards us. They hit, and I'm tackle-hugged. "We saw out the windows, are you two okay?"

Tears and hugs and smiles surround Kaminari and me, warmth and love bubbling up. It surprises me, my eyes lowering and mouth softening, a substitute for a smile.

My heart beats. So does everyone else's. Beat. Beat. Beat.

Maybe.

Just maybe.

"C'mon inside before we all catch colds," Shoji says, placing an arm on my shoulder.

I don't even feel the need to flinch.

We walk back to the dorms together. The whole class as one.

Maybe this could be a home.

☆-----...•...-----☆

I wake up, again, heart thrumming and throwing itself against the bars of my ribcage. My hand makes its way to my neck, my eyes close, and I stay still for a long time.

The darkest night must meet a brighter day.

When was the last time I saw a bright future? The night is dark, but it is beautiful. The stars are far and cold and melancholic.

I think back to earlier, my naïvety emerging for the first time since I was small as I believed the dorms could be another home. My home is a graveyard. I will not allow these rooms to become the same.

I can't remember.

I must remember.

I open my phone to see a missed call from an unknown number. I recognise the combination of fives, twos and more as the same person who called me when we moved into the dorms.

What did I do?

No.

What should I do now?

I can't remember. I must remember. How do I remember? It's been so long. It's been so dark.

Brighter light won't illuminate everything.

How do I cut through the veil?

Veil...

I pack as much as I can into a small bag and leave this home quietly.

The same way all ghosts do.

☆-----...•...-----☆

Kakukira Mira watches rain fall over the windows. A clock ticks away the time.

There was a time when the smell of thyme filled the air, short and sharp and tick tock thyme. A time I fell, and it hurt like hells.

The thoughts are not Mira's own.

Her Quirk may be called Unveil, but that is not the full extent of it. The files containing its name and description are overly blank. Mira has never known the full extent of her Quirk.

She doesn't want to.

Necessary experiments made everything worse.

To unveil something, you must also put the veil back.

All that does one must do the other.

There are many rules of this world. Not the rules made by the inhabitants of the earth-- rules that are a memory of the dirt itself. You can try to write over them. You can try to ignore them. The rules will always return.

Mira's Quirk, she thinks, works based on these rules.

Far away, the ocean is blue and still. Translucent fish dart from one speck of sunshine to another, tiny minds with tiny goals.

Rain falls over the streets of Tokyo. Plenty of people are still visible on the streets, walking with purpose, shielded by their umbrellas. The storm was unexpected, puddles forming quickly and catching the dim light.

Weaving through the groups of drenched souls is a familiar girl. Ukizuki makes her winding way over the pavement that covers the dirt that holds the rules of the world.

Though she doesn't realise it, a familiar girl with an unfamiliar face hidden by a red umbrella passes by her.

Passes so close by her.

Their arms almost touch.

If they did, what may have happened? Would it all have changed?

Fate is a finicky thing.

I would know.

Ukizuki and Kocho don't touch, though, and each continue on their way. Our protagonist's gloved hands swing at her sides, rain darkening the colour.

She will not stay still, this time.

Her bloody hands are stained crimson. But saints and stains are so close, no?

Far away, the ocean is on fire. Sunset burns through the sea, blood spilling through the waters as waves rise high.

Like I said, Fate is a rather difficult thing.

I would know.

ᴛʜᴀɴᴋ ʏᴏᴜ ғᴏʀ ʀᴇᴀᴅɪɴɢ ʟᴜɴᴀʀ ɴɪɢʜᴛ