Work Text:
The weather outside felt bleak and cold. The sidewalk pavement was nearly flooded, the drizzle of rain pelted the windows nearby, and the clouds descended overhead like a grey mantle over Kamihama.
Yachiyo sorted through her bag, fingers seeking the staticky material of a folded umbrella smashed somewhere between her books and binders. There was a push of wind that set her aback and shuddered the fabric of her coat, causing her to omit a sigh of exasperation under her breath, clouding into the air like a little storm.
The bus stop was an unconventional location for her to mingle in, but the little roof over her head felt warranted and welcomed- at least enough to save her from getting drenched.
The buildings reminded her of mirrors, always proudly displaying a reflection, a sepia of colors, pure hollow light, and herself . It was that same emotion she got from staring at the lenses of the studio cameras, images always sloped with brilliant overlays and monotones. She did appreciate her modeling career, but something about moonlighting in the shadows made it slightly more exhausting, and a balance with her school work seemed completely unattainable.
Sometimes, it felt like the rain stopped time.
Yachiyo tore her gaze away from her own reflection, opting to look at the grey pavement ahead, the water pooling down the road in an abundant puddle. All she had to do was wait for the storm to pass. Find something to distract herself with, to keep her mind off the insistent tattering of water-
"Master Yachiyo!"
She wished too quickly.
Yachiyo steadily looked over from her post, the enthusiastic voice sounding all too familiar in her ears.
Tsuruno was drenched from head to toe. Her lengthy hair was down, frazzled by the wind, and her uniform was soaked.
She then sneezed into her arm, and Yachiyo winced.
She recovered quickly, shivering slightly at the introduction of a sharp gust. "You forgot your umbrella too?" Tsuruno asked sheepishly, wrapping her arms around herself and plopping on the bus stop bench beside her senior.
"I didn't realize it would rain today." Yachiyo replied calmly, arms folded around her bag.
Tsuruno looked up and huffed at the skies. "Yeah, me either. I was surprised to find you stranded as well. It's unlike you to let things pass."
The older girl raised a brow, one arm holding her coat into place. "What do you mean?"
Tsuruno kicked a puddle with her squishy shoes, looking at the ground. "The duel."
Ah, so she's still holding on to that.
Yachiyo watched the droplets spillover onto the roads in front of them, dispersing into the flooded pavement. "I don't consider it a proper duel if one of the parties was unwilling."
Tsuruno opened her mouth, keen on speaking up, until that eagerness devolved into a meager apologetic expression. Her hands toyed with her wet sleeves, somewhat thoughtful in her next response. "I'm sorry."
There was a pause, where the soft taps of the rain filled the gaps in between their conversation. Yachiyo shook her head, visibly taken aback by the apology. "Don't be. We learn from our mistakes, and I think you learned yours."
Tsuruno acknowledged a smile. "On the importance of determination in achieving one's goals?"
Yachiyo felt the rain on her cheeks, swiveled by the wind. "On not attacking complete strangers for the purpose of demonstrating your mightieness. After all, true respect is earned, not forcefully established."
Tsuruno sneezed again, this time diverting her gaze. She rubbed her nose, her cheeks warm but her smile unfaltered. "I think I've learned my lesson."
Yachiyo allowed herself to smile back a little, watching the water drip off the other girl's cheeks. "But I see that you're still picking fights with the rain."
Tsuruno shrugged and grinned. "Yeah, but I'm not letting it win this time."
Even when stranded in the middle of a rainstorm, Yachiyo was never bothered by the prospect of letting the water engulf her. She had developed an affinity for the rain, the beauty of its clear ambiguity, swaying her to the magnetic pull of the moontide over sea, reflecting spatters of fractured light underneath the ebbing ocean. As she grew older, she collected stars, the ocean, and the moon on her soul, just so the rain wouldn't have to be alone.
She was independent.
Tsuruno, on the other hand, needed the warmth of a family. Set ablaze by a spirited rancor, she was perhaps one of the strongest magical girls Yachiyo had ever fought.
Tsuruno had luck, and Yachiyo had survivability.
Maybe that's why they were still alive.
Yachiyo hummed in response, shrugging off her coat and handing it the other girl. "As the senior magical girl of this territory, I suppose I'm obligated to assist my pupil."
The brunette pouted slightly, taking the coat and slipping it on in one swift movement. "You're only a year older than me." She muttered under her breath, relief enveloping her countenance at the introduction of the new dry article. Miraculously, the coat fitted her quite well considering that she was somewhat taller than her counterpart. The fashion snob in Yachiyo was satisfied.
"In magical girl years, that makes a world of a difference."
Tsuruno wrapped the coat around herself tighter, looking down at the puddle stirring underneath her feet. "I've survived long enough to understand that sentiment."
Another unexpected response. Yachiyo found herself at a loss for words, and instead proceeded to observe the droplets ripple on the pavement below. Tsuruno was undoubtedly intelligent. Her level of awareness was profound beyond her years, often masked by a light-hearted facade that was deceivingly absent of any insecurities or uncertainty.
And each day that passed, it was breaking.
Yachiyo's heart swelled with an unexplainable desire to do something to mitigate the emotional downfall evoked by merely existing as a magical girl, the chronological destruction that was written in the shared oracle of their future.
The bus arrived, turfing water onto their feet as it came to a full stop, electric doors unfolding slowly.
Yachiyo sat up first, her heels splashing against the pavement. She turned to the younger girl, a weary smile falling on her lips. "That's why we have each other, right?"
Tsuruno blinked, and laughed bittersweetly.
"Of course."