Happy Birthday
darthcourt10
Well worn.
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NotHimAgain
Happy Birthday
-----
Mamiya pounded up the stairs, half-dragging herself along. Unfamiliar places were a maze, and this hospital was no different. She was following the signs as best she could, but a frantic mind often means that you miss details that you wouldn't regularly.
She caught herself on her knees at the top, breathing heavily and looking around. Where was she now? Should she ask for directions again? Was she going in circles, like she thought she was? Nurses and orderlies were staring at her, maybe even whispering, even the two girls…
Wait.
Pushing herself upright, Mamiya walked over to the two girls, clad in old school seifukus. It had taken a moment to make the connection, but once she did…
"Excuse me," she asked the two destroyers, "do you know where Yae-san's room is?"
The two girls glanced at each other. "A little ways down that corner over there," one of them said, gesturing.
"Thanks!" Mamiya was already running.
-----
As the woman disappeared around the corner, the two destroyers glanced back at each other.
"Do you know what her relationship to Ashida-san is?" the one asked.
"Can't say I do," the other replied. "Should we investigate this?"
"That's Haneda-san, Yae asked for her!" Ushio shouted from somewhere down the way, "don't crowd her out!"
-----
Sayaka flopped down into a sitting position in front of the grave. "Hey, Momo," she said quietly, looking up at the headstone. "I'm sorry that it's been so long. I kept meaning to come by, but… there's someone around now that's a real handful to deal with. Remember her? I had to bring her along a couple of times.
"Don't worry—Mom and Dad are keeping an eye on Yamapi for me," she added, shaking her head as if her sister could see her, trying to show that there wasn't anything to doubt. "It's… it's been forever since I could take my eyes off her even for a second. Since I could really just think.
"I heard that Potter-san would be coming back to Japan for that ceremony soon," Sayaka felt her cheeks flush, not just from the brisk air. "But… it's okay. I'm not going to go looking for him. I…" Her fists clenched, shaking. "I know that I… what I did… what happened to you… I know I don't get to be happy. Not ever."
Her vision began to blur.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, fingers brushing the cool stone. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I just… I can't… I shouldn't have…" She sniffled, raising her hand away and clutching it to her chest.
"I love you."
-----
"So, you're like a Shipgirl?" Tatsuya asked. The young woman sitting across from him nodded.
"I… I think so? If you're saying that a Shipgirl is like… like what I am?" Tatsuya gave her a blank look. "Sorry. It's just… This is all kind of disorienting."
"I guess I understand," he shrugged. "But really…" he turned to the Oni who was sitting sullenly beside her. "Where the hell did you get the idea that we were Aurors?"
"Ask her," he groused, jerking his head towards the Kejoro. She quailed slightly at Tatsuya turning to face her.
"H-hey, you came out of nowhere!" she complained. "Just charged through all the wards we had set up! We didn't have any reason not to assume the worst!"
Tatsuya glanced over at Reiko. "And our Jorogumo miko?" he asked sarcastically. The Kejoro's head sank.
"We thought she might be a collaborator," she admitted shamefully. Reiko stiffened, glancing up at the other girl. As Tatsuya watched, her stance shifted slightly, ever so slightly, and wow that was some venom she was putting in to that look.
"M-moving on," he said hastily, "Why are you running around summoning these… castle girls?" The Oni, sparing his companion a tired glance as she jumped behind his back, fielded this one.
"Things are changing," he pointed out. "Scandals, and riots, and who knows what's going on out at sea? We're going to need them one of these days. We don't know how or why yet, but we will."
"I… see. I guess." Tatsuya cupped his chin in his hand thoughtfully. "I won't say you're wrong—Benio, put the candles back—"
"Hmm? What was that?" Benio asked, looking up from her ill-gotten gains.
"—but this isn't something that you can just jump into like that."
"Oh, like some Muggle vigilante has anything to say about it?" The Kejoro dared, jumping up and briefly hooking her chin over the Oni's shoulder.
Tatsuya glared at them. "When you run scared from a "Muggle vigilante" thinking that he's a wizard police man—Yes, I know what Aurors are, my grandfather… dealt with a lot of wizards—it doesn't exactly bespeak knowing what the hell you're doing." The Kejoro shriveled slightly, dropping back down behind her companion. "Seriously though… Benio's a hanyou, she and I weren't using any magic, and Reiko's standing right there. And somehow that screams "Auror" to you."
The Oni glanced away, embarrassed. The Castle Girl looked around thoughtfully, trying to think of where to go next with this. Behind them, the Nekomata twins were grabbing at their… summoning kit… as Benio danced around them, going through it in such a manner that she was probably messing with them. With Benio, it could be hard to tell sometimes.
"Anyways," Tatsuya said finally. "I can put you in contact with some people who should know more about this stuff. There's a Miko we're familiar with, who I'm pretty sure is a yokai—an Ono, if you know what that means—she should be able to help you. Let me just get my phone…" Pulling it out, flicking through the password, he glanced up at the yokai in front of him and noticed how they were frozen in shock. Probably a yokai, though he still maintained plausible deniability. "Now let's see… hey, what's with these messages? Just a second—"
"W-wait," one of the Nekomatas—he thought it was the girl, they looked way too similar—stammered, "You can't just—"
"Ah, Benio?" Tatsuya interrupted her, glancing up at his life-long partner. "Ashida-san is…"
-----
"Yae-san!" Mamiya shouted, pressed forward by a legion of little destroyer girls and bursting into the room like a bullet from a gun. Her old friend gave her a shaky smile which almost as immediately twisted into a cry of pain.
"Mamiya…" she managed weakly. "You… came…"
"As soon as I knew," Mamiya promised, running to her side. Her hands wrapped around Yae's own reaching out as it was. "I'm here, Yae."
"Hey, Mamiya…" her friend rambled on before screaming again, Mamiya wincing as her grip tightened around her own, "Hey… remember what… AAAAAHHH!"
"It's coming!" the doctor—an older woman, with greying hair, called out past the scream.
Mamiya smiled. "Yeah, I remember. What you said you'd name them."
-----
"It's decided!" Ashida Yae, aged six, shouted cheerfully. "I'm going to name all of my children Snow!" Haneda Mamiya, aged the same, gave her a puzzled stare.
"I thought you were going to name them all after Super Sentai," she said dubiously.
"Nah," her friend replied, dropping down from the jungle gym into the snow that was building up around them. "That would be silly. But I like snow! It's fun to play in, and everyone's happy when they see it coming down! Snow is awesome! So I'm going to name all my children after it!"
After a moment's pondering, Mamiya found that she couldn't fault this logic. Except… "If you name them all Snow," she pointed out, "wouldn't that make it hard to tell them apart?"
Yae's eyes widened. "Kuso!" she squeaked. "Uh… what if I just named the first one that?"
"Then what will you name the other?"
"I don't know—I'll think of something! It's still too earlier to be deciding that, I'm only six!"
"But you just were," Mamiya pointed out.
"Sh-Shut up!" Yae blustered, pointing wildly. "If you're like that, then I won't be your kid's godmother!"
"H-Huh?"
"Well, you're gonna be my kid's godmother," Yae replied matter-of-factly. "You already gave me their name!"
Mamiya shook her head emphatically. "I don't think that's how godmothers work," she pointed out.
"Too late, it's already decided!" Yae crowed. "Please take care of us!"
"W-wha? I…" Mamiya floundered, staring at her friend. Finally, she defaulted to her standard response to things that didn't make sense to her, and shoved her friend over into the snow. "BAKA!"
-----
Finally, the screaming had stopped. Yae lay, limp, hand still in a death grip around Mamiya's, gasping for breath.
"Where…" she whispered, looking around, "where is…"
Mamiya looked up at the doctor, who smiled gently in response.
"Miss Ashida," she said, "how would you like to meet your daughter?
Happy Birthday, Yuki
-----
I'll be honest: It's not anywhere near what I pulled off with the original Ushio story, but this is my favorite ending to any snippet ever.
Well what did you think, sirs?
Happy Birthday
-----
Mamiya pounded up the stairs, half-dragging herself along. Unfamiliar places were a maze, and this hospital was no different. She was following the signs as best she could, but a frantic mind often means that you miss details that you wouldn't regularly.
She caught herself on her knees at the top, breathing heavily and looking around. Where was she now? Should she ask for directions again? Was she going in circles, like she thought she was? Nurses and orderlies were staring at her, maybe even whispering, even the two girls…
Wait.
Pushing herself upright, Mamiya walked over to the two girls, clad in old school seifukus. It had taken a moment to make the connection, but once she did…
"Excuse me," she asked the two destroyers, "do you know where Yae-san's room is?"
The two girls glanced at each other. "A little ways down that corner over there," one of them said, gesturing.
"Thanks!" Mamiya was already running.
-----
As the woman disappeared around the corner, the two destroyers glanced back at each other.
"Do you know what her relationship to Ashida-san is?" the one asked.
"Can't say I do," the other replied. "Should we investigate this?"
"That's Haneda-san, Yae asked for her!" Ushio shouted from somewhere down the way, "don't crowd her out!"
-----
Sayaka flopped down into a sitting position in front of the grave. "Hey, Momo," she said quietly, looking up at the headstone. "I'm sorry that it's been so long. I kept meaning to come by, but… there's someone around now that's a real handful to deal with. Remember her? I had to bring her along a couple of times.
"Don't worry—Mom and Dad are keeping an eye on Yamapi for me," she added, shaking her head as if her sister could see her, trying to show that there wasn't anything to doubt. "It's… it's been forever since I could take my eyes off her even for a second. Since I could really just think.
"I heard that Potter-san would be coming back to Japan for that ceremony soon," Sayaka felt her cheeks flush, not just from the brisk air. "But… it's okay. I'm not going to go looking for him. I…" Her fists clenched, shaking. "I know that I… what I did… what happened to you… I know I don't get to be happy. Not ever."
Her vision began to blur.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, fingers brushing the cool stone. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I just… I can't… I shouldn't have…" She sniffled, raising her hand away and clutching it to her chest.
"I love you."
-----
"So, you're like a Shipgirl?" Tatsuya asked. The young woman sitting across from him nodded.
"I… I think so? If you're saying that a Shipgirl is like… like what I am?" Tatsuya gave her a blank look. "Sorry. It's just… This is all kind of disorienting."
"I guess I understand," he shrugged. "But really…" he turned to the Oni who was sitting sullenly beside her. "Where the hell did you get the idea that we were Aurors?"
"Ask her," he groused, jerking his head towards the Kejoro. She quailed slightly at Tatsuya turning to face her.
"H-hey, you came out of nowhere!" she complained. "Just charged through all the wards we had set up! We didn't have any reason not to assume the worst!"
Tatsuya glanced over at Reiko. "And our Jorogumo miko?" he asked sarcastically. The Kejoro's head sank.
"We thought she might be a collaborator," she admitted shamefully. Reiko stiffened, glancing up at the other girl. As Tatsuya watched, her stance shifted slightly, ever so slightly, and wow that was some venom she was putting in to that look.
"M-moving on," he said hastily, "Why are you running around summoning these… castle girls?" The Oni, sparing his companion a tired glance as she jumped behind his back, fielded this one.
"Things are changing," he pointed out. "Scandals, and riots, and who knows what's going on out at sea? We're going to need them one of these days. We don't know how or why yet, but we will."
"I… see. I guess." Tatsuya cupped his chin in his hand thoughtfully. "I won't say you're wrong—Benio, put the candles back—"
"Hmm? What was that?" Benio asked, looking up from her ill-gotten gains.
"—but this isn't something that you can just jump into like that."
"Oh, like some Muggle vigilante has anything to say about it?" The Kejoro dared, jumping up and briefly hooking her chin over the Oni's shoulder.
Tatsuya glared at them. "When you run scared from a "Muggle vigilante" thinking that he's a wizard police man—Yes, I know what Aurors are, my grandfather… dealt with a lot of wizards—it doesn't exactly bespeak knowing what the hell you're doing." The Kejoro shriveled slightly, dropping back down behind her companion. "Seriously though… Benio's a hanyou, she and I weren't using any magic, and Reiko's standing right there. And somehow that screams "Auror" to you."
The Oni glanced away, embarrassed. The Castle Girl looked around thoughtfully, trying to think of where to go next with this. Behind them, the Nekomata twins were grabbing at their… summoning kit… as Benio danced around them, going through it in such a manner that she was probably messing with them. With Benio, it could be hard to tell sometimes.
"Anyways," Tatsuya said finally. "I can put you in contact with some people who should know more about this stuff. There's a Miko we're familiar with, who I'm pretty sure is a yokai—an Ono, if you know what that means—she should be able to help you. Let me just get my phone…" Pulling it out, flicking through the password, he glanced up at the yokai in front of him and noticed how they were frozen in shock. Probably a yokai, though he still maintained plausible deniability. "Now let's see… hey, what's with these messages? Just a second—"
"W-wait," one of the Nekomatas—he thought it was the girl, they looked way too similar—stammered, "You can't just—"
"Ah, Benio?" Tatsuya interrupted her, glancing up at his life-long partner. "Ashida-san is…"
-----
"Yae-san!" Mamiya shouted, pressed forward by a legion of little destroyer girls and bursting into the room like a bullet from a gun. Her old friend gave her a shaky smile which almost as immediately twisted into a cry of pain.
"Mamiya…" she managed weakly. "You… came…"
"As soon as I knew," Mamiya promised, running to her side. Her hands wrapped around Yae's own reaching out as it was. "I'm here, Yae."
"Hey, Mamiya…" her friend rambled on before screaming again, Mamiya wincing as her grip tightened around her own, "Hey… remember what… AAAAAHHH!"
"It's coming!" the doctor—an older woman, with greying hair, called out past the scream.
Mamiya smiled. "Yeah, I remember. What you said you'd name them."
-----
"It's decided!" Ashida Yae, aged six, shouted cheerfully. "I'm going to name all of my children Snow!" Haneda Mamiya, aged the same, gave her a puzzled stare.
"I thought you were going to name them all after Super Sentai," she said dubiously.
"Nah," her friend replied, dropping down from the jungle gym into the snow that was building up around them. "That would be silly. But I like snow! It's fun to play in, and everyone's happy when they see it coming down! Snow is awesome! So I'm going to name all my children after it!"
After a moment's pondering, Mamiya found that she couldn't fault this logic. Except… "If you name them all Snow," she pointed out, "wouldn't that make it hard to tell them apart?"
Yae's eyes widened. "Kuso!" she squeaked. "Uh… what if I just named the first one that?"
"Then what will you name the other?"
"I don't know—I'll think of something! It's still too earlier to be deciding that, I'm only six!"
"But you just were," Mamiya pointed out.
"Sh-Shut up!" Yae blustered, pointing wildly. "If you're like that, then I won't be your kid's godmother!"
"H-Huh?"
"Well, you're gonna be my kid's godmother," Yae replied matter-of-factly. "You already gave me their name!"
Mamiya shook her head emphatically. "I don't think that's how godmothers work," she pointed out.
"Too late, it's already decided!" Yae crowed. "Please take care of us!"
"W-wha? I…" Mamiya floundered, staring at her friend. Finally, she defaulted to her standard response to things that didn't make sense to her, and shoved her friend over into the snow. "BAKA!"
-----
Finally, the screaming had stopped. Yae lay, limp, hand still in a death grip around Mamiya's, gasping for breath.
"Where…" she whispered, looking around, "where is…"
Mamiya looked up at the doctor, who smiled gently in response.
"Miss Ashida," she said, "how would you like to meet your daughter?
Happy Birthday, Yuki
-----
I'll be honest: It's not anywhere near what I pulled off with the original Ushio story, but this is my favorite ending to any snippet ever.
Well what did you think, sirs?