Work Text:
Riri didn't fare too well in the cold, but she loved watching snow fall. Little by little, white covered the ground and fell over ruined buildings, and she could almost imagine what the world was like before the monstrous Huge attacked.
She shivered, wrapping her arms around herself. Still, while she and Yuyu had sought shelter from the snow in this ruined building, the broken windows provided no relief from the cold. Outside the snowfall grew heavier, and Riri could see nothing beyond the gusts of white.
"Riri," Yuyu said as she came beside Riri, CHARM in hand. "How are you feeling?"
"Better, I think." Riri touched her leg; the stocking was torn, revealing a large bruise, but fortunately no blood. "It doesn't hurt as much."
A flicker of relief flashed across Yuyu's face. "That's good. We should start moving soon."
Riri nodded. This was supposed to be routine training between a Schutzengel and her Schild to become accustomed to fighting in extreme weather, but because of the heavy snowfall, neither Riri nor Yuyu had seen the Huge until it was too late, and they had sought shelter in one of the abandoned buildings after Riri had taken a blow to her leg. A pout tugged at her lips; these had been one of her favorite pairs of thigh-highs too, and not even Magie could repair torn clothing.
Fingers tightening around her own CHARM, Riri followed Yuyu closely, trying not to put too much pressure on her injured leg. She hadn't been lying when she said it didn't hurt as much, but there was still some pain and she didn't want to slow Yuyu down. It was growing colder, but as this was supposed to be simple training, Riri hadn't thought to bring her phone, something Yuyu had nearly reprimanded her about before realizing she didn't have her phone either, so they couldn't call for help.
"We'll head to the rooftop," Yuyu explained to Riri. "The other members of our Legion will spot us more easily there, and the Huge most likely caught their attention."
"How long do you think it's been?" Riri asked.
Yuyu paused a moment. "No more than an hour, I believe, but longer than we said we'd be gone."
Silence began to fall over the two of them. Yuyu was never particularly talkative most times, Riri knew, but lately things seemed… different. After destroying that Huge nest months ago, there hadn't been as many attacks, giving the academy time to rebuild, but these past few weeks Huge attacks had grown more frequent again, and now Yuyu seemed more withdrawn than usual. Maybe it was winter melancholy? Riri's chest tightened. No, that didn't feel quite right…
They passed a large broken window, and outside snow still fell. "Um…" Riri began, fumbling for her words. "The snow is really pretty, isn't it?"
Yuyu glanced at Riri out of the corner of her eye for an all-too-brief moment. "It doesn't usually snow so heavily here. It'll be dangerous if it doesn't stop soon."
Once more Riri stared at the falling snow. Some researchers likened Huge to natural disasters and she knew some Huge could even affect the weather, so maybe the culmination of all the Huge attacks near the academy was beginning to change the climate and environment. Even fifty years after the first Huge had attacked, there was still so little known about them.
Maybe if she had known more, she could've found a way to save Yuri…
Riri shook her head. No, this was not the time to fall into grief. The loss of Yuri still hurt, but Yuri would want her to be brave. She had to focus, she told herself.
"Riri?" Yuyu stopped, turning to face Riri. "Is something wrong? Does your leg still hurt?"
"N-No, I'm fine!" Riri said quickly, too quickly.
Something strange flashed across Yuyu's face, but she said nothing more.
A sigh slipped from Riri's lips, and her breath was visible against the cold air. Idly she began to wonder what this building had been for. A school? Or dormitory? Ruins of a forgotten city lay all around Yurigaoka Academy, but no matter who she asked or what records she read, there was little information about these ruins' past. Yuyu once suggested, rather bitterly, that Lilies like themselves were separated from society so that others could live in fragile ignorance.
Again Riri shivered, her CHARM cold in her fingers. Even so, she could still say she didn't regret becoming a Lily.
She and Yuyu reached a stairwell, and her leg began to ache as they climbed the steps. She grimaced, but bit her lip to suppress any sound of pain. It didn't hurt that much, she told herself, and once they were back at the academy, she just needed rest and her leg would be good as new. She wasn't a burden to Yuyu.
Yuyu let her fingers brush against the crumbling wall. "How long has it been since you became my Schild?" she asked suddenly.
"Um, about half a year, I think," Riri answered, trying to smile, and yet her heart raced.
"That long, huh?" Yuyu laid her hand over her chest, perhaps where her necklace laid under the cloth. "A lot… happened since then."
Riri felt her body stiffen. "Yeah, you're right…" was all she could say. It wasn't just her imagination; something was bothering Yuyu. But she could say the same about herself. She wanted to reach out to Yuyu, as the Schild to Yuyu's Schutzengel, but lately, too often, she found herself hesitating and she couldn't understand why. What had changed between them?
When they reached the top of the seemingly endless stairs, Yuyu came to an abrupt stop and Riri nearly bumped into her. The ceiling here had caved in, revealing the snow-covered roof, and the cold wind felt like needles against Riri's cheeks. She wrapped her arms around herself, shivering, and then saw Yuyu's sharp gaze fixated on her.
"Riri," Yuyu said firmly, "your leg still hurts, doesn't it?"
"Not that much," Riri replied, her teeth chattering. "But if it did, there wouldn't be much we could do about it right now."
Much to Riri's surprise, Yuyu knelt and touched her exposed thigh, fingers warm against the cold bruising. "When you're hurting, you can tell me."
Riri's cheeks grew hot, and she couldn't help but smile, faint as it was. Yuyu's fingers were surprisingly gentle, and that simple touch somehow felt almost intimate. "You're hurting too, aren't you?"
Yuyu let her fingers fall from Riri's bruised thigh. "I've been thinking about Misuzu lately."
Carefully Riri knelt before Yuyu, trying to ignore the pain in her leg. "And I've been thinking about Yuri a lot too," she said softly as she touched Yuyu's cheek. "It never stops hurting, does it?"
"I—" Yuyu began to say, but a beastly roar cut through the air, and both she and Riri readied their CHARMs. The serpentine Huge that had attacked them earlier flailed wildly, as if writhing in pain.
"We should be able to handle this one together," Riri said, but even in this cold her palms grew sweaty.
"Be careful," Yuyu said sharply. "You're still hurt."
Riri nodded, and she set her CHARM to gun mode while Yuyu charged forward. This Huge wasn't particularly large, and Riri fired shots of concentrated Magie as Yuyu ran along the Huge's spine, her own CHARM piercing its flesh. The Huge tried to shake Yuyu off its body, but she used Magie to keep herself steady. When she reached the head, she stabbed her CHARM into the base of the Huge's neck. It let out an unearthly wail, shaking Riri to her very bones, but she remained focused. Shouldering her CHARM, she began to gather another burst of Magie from within herself, aiming straight for the Huge's head.
"Now, Riri!" Yuyu yelled as she jumped from the Huge's back.
Riri fired, shooting that bullet-shaped concentration of Magie into the Huge's mouth and down its throat, exploding it from the inside. It wasn't a pleasant sight, as chucks of flesh and strangely-colored blood showered the rooftop, but Riri had long since come to terms with these violent deaths. That was the duty of a Lily, after all.
"Riri, watch out!"
She jolted at the sound of Yuyu's frantic voice, and the tail of the Huge fell right beside her, breaking through the rooftop. She tried to jump out of the way, but as she pulsed Magie through her limbs, her injured leg throbbed sharply in pain and she lost her footing. Debris fell around her, and she too was falling. Snowflakes brushed against her skin, and she could almost feel as if she was floating. The world seemed to slow, and she couldn't even be sure if she was scared or not.
But when she felt something seize her arm, all became clear again: the cold of the wind blowing all around her and the strong warmth of Yuyu's fingers wrapped tightly around her wrist. Her legs dangled helplessly, but with a mighty heave Yuyu pulled her back onto the snowy rooftop, and before she could even blink, she found herself embraced in Yuyu's arms.
For a breathless moment neither spoke, their hearts racing in sync, and then Yuyu's lips were on Riri's, warm and soft. Time seemed to freeze, and Riri finally understood.
However, just as quickly Yuyu broke the kiss, her cheeks bright red against the falling snow. "I'm sorry!" she stammered uncharacteristically. "I just— I was so scared—!"
Riri couldn't help but laugh, even as her own cheeks flushed. "It's all right," she said, cupping Yuyu's crimson cheeks, and this time she kissed Yuyu, and again it felt right, as if it were fate.
Yuyu's arms tightened around Riri's back, and as her lips fell from Riri's, she rested her forehead against Riri's shoulder. "I won't lose you too," she whispered. "I'll protect you, I swear."
"And I'll protect you too," Riri said, threading her fingers through Yuyu's long hair. As Lilies, they had chosen a life of battles, and thus Riri would repeat that promise as often as Yuyu needed.
As they stood, Riri and Yuyu saw the other members of their Legion approaching, with Kaede leading them. Riri smiled and took Yuyu's hand into hers, and together they greeted their friends.