Aikatsu Legend.

Chapter 15- Misfits

"I'm trying my best Mai, b-but..." Hiro stuttered, approaching the screaming Miyu who seemed possesed, she had been crying for someone to let her out- that she needed them to breathe... To live. Mai shook her head looking at Hiro, biting her lip- still very annoyed from having to see Chihiro.
"We need her at a good state of mind, perhaps a performance would help her? It has been a while since she's been on stage... Well then, it's settled and clear what we must d-" Suddenly Mai was interrupted by Miyu turning to then, yelling out.
"Betrayal! Betrayal was administered! I need them, let me have them! Thieves! Thieves! Let me be! I'm real, I'm real, I'm not lying to you! I always tell the truth. I'm the truth. I'm really the truth."  Miyu hissed in her crazed state.
"It's... Very clear," Mai cleared her throat, letting out a sigh.

~~~~

"A competition!" Cai squealed, rolly Pollying into Ai and Aya's room. "Look, look! It's a competition to see if any of the first years can beat Miyu! This'll be fun!" Cai smiled, jumping around the room as she tried to steal everyone's aikatsu mobiles- rolling onto her back and taking photos of herself on them or typing the password in until the mobile locked her out.
"Now, now, Cai... Don't get too excited." Ai giggled sweetly in a ladylike fashion before, you guessed it, muttering in a bitter manner. "After all I'm clearly the person who'll score the most." Aya nervously laughed in the corner, tugging on her plats as she couldn't help but chuckle.
"You guys know that none of us will actually win, right? I mean... Miyu's a top idol... With or without Mew, it's highly unlikely that any of us will beat her alone.." Aya then stopped herself biting her lip knowing she'd said too much. "I mean... You go! Woop!" Cai suddenly narrowed her eyes before she started talking.
"You're right... There's no chance... But I'll still win!" Cai squealed before Ai looked at her with narrowed eyes trying to understand Cai's logic. "Because I won't be performing alone... You guys will be performing with me!" Ai's bubble gum eyes widened in interest and horror. Perhaps she couldn't contemplate being in a unit with the freaks at Cai and Aya were or perhaps she didn't know how to not be independent.
"Like a unit?" Aya questioned, tilting her head. A warm feeling sparking within her that she would be included.
"Yeah! Like a unit!" Cai smiled, twirling around her little blue eyes gleaming. "Think about it! Us all on stage in unit dresses with a cute little unit aura as we crush Miyu with our power of friendship and protagonist powers! MWAHAHAHA!' Cai began to manically laugh, leaving Ai and Aya very confused. "I've never liked to be alone you see, I always needed someone to do things with or for me... I just love the feeling of millions of grunts supporting me, cheering me on as I go about my day!" Cai smiled, clapping her hands.
"It is a good idea and if we go on stage as a unit while the rest of the students are performing alone we could really be the talk of the show..." Ai mumbled, before Cai hugged her tightly.
"Yay! You're doing it! I'm so happy!" Cai giggled, her geometric world of sugar and happiness falling perfectly into place. No one could see the danger, the bitterness behind everything, they just saw in Cai all their dreams come true.
"W-we... Should probably research past units if we're going to do this... We certainly don't have time to write our own song so we're going to have to pick an already existing song to perform if we want to create unit coords." Aya mumbled, trying to get involved while still not trying to say too much in case the others started hating her. "The library would be a good place to get that information, not to mention Aki used to have a unit with her sisters before they..." Aya shook her head, trying to get the thought out of it. "She'll probably have some good advice on units."

~~~

The three came to the library, it was very empty. They were the only three there aside from of course Aki and Hiro, who was sitting quietly with a crazed expression in her eyes as she rapidly read books on herbal cures and illness. Aki approached the three, she seemed sad- her eyes displayed vast amounts of guilt... Too much guilt.
"Are you alright?" Aya asked Aki quietly, tilting her head.
"... Yeah... I'll be fine, Uxie's safe now..." Aki gulped, trembling slightly. Cai raised an eyebrow looking at Aki.
"What do you mean?" Cai asked, her tone slightly different then usual.
"I don't want Uxie to be taken away and experimented on like the other two pixies... So I've sealed them away in a room that I'll only go in if there's an emergency... No one can know about this, for all anyone's allowed to know Uxie left to another world." Aki whispered, her tone low yet hopeful. Hiro perked up at Aki's words, looking up from her book and shooting a glance at Cai before looking back down at her books. Aki then shook her head, gripping her book tighter. "Still, what do you girls need?"
"Please may we have information on units? Do you know any books about past units or unit coords or something?" Ai smiled before muttering. "Do it quick, okay? We don't need to hear about your damn sob story, we just want books." Aki let out a sigh, glaring at Ai before pointing to a section marked 'units'. The three dashed over and started looking at the books. Cai started to trace her fingers over the titles of the books, reading them.
"Unit fails not clickbait, the complete history of unit coords, Yuri units for sad lonely people, I want you have Euphorias babies- a case study on obsession, unit auras the ins and outs, appeals and all that, why you should never let pop types into your units, Pokémon coordination in units... Hmm... There's a lot here!" Cai exclaimed before getting out some of the more helpful books about auras, appeals and coords. They all sat down at the table, each looking through a different book before Aya absentmindedly spoke.
"You know... I think we should perform that song in Mai's recent album... The lyrics in it are nice," Aya smiled before Ai sharply spoke back.
"They sound like a bad Shoujo opening." Ai bluntly muttered before letting out a sigh and looking at the table. "But it is a catchy song... Fine, we'll do it." She finally said, making Cai smile widely.
"Oooh! I know! We should all listen to it and draw a design inspired by it, afterwards we'll present our designs and we can turn them into coords that look like unit coords!" Cai exclaimed, it was actually a pretty good idea so they agreed to do it- the melody slipped through Aya's ears. It was soothing... Like she was one with the stars, a warm beautiful paradise that she could sleep in forever. But the paradise was quickly shattered when Cai called out.
"Done!" Presenting her design.