[AQ] The Calm before the Storm [Miuna/Junko][DONE]

[Miuna]

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spoiler}
Friendship Dukes

+ Description: You and a friend haven't been getting along lately. Is it because of your own problems, or is it Guardian Character related? Are your would-be selves more or less compatible than your regular selves? Are they having an impact on your relationship? It might be getting to the point where you need to talk it out between yourselves, no matter the outcome; tensions will just get higher otherwise, right?

+ Talk it out calmly: +3 Guardians, +2 Faberge, -2 Roost

+ Talk it out, passions running high: -2 Guardians, +3 Faberge, +2 Roost

+ Talk it out, Character Changes coming in: +2 Guardians, -3 Faberge, +2 Roost
+ Attempt to talk it out, but get stuck at a dead end: +2 Guardians, -2 Faberge, -3 Roost

+ Attempt to talk it out, but become frustrated and leave in the middle of it: -3 Guardians, +2 Faberge, -2 Roost

+ Have the idea of talking brought up, but reject it before it can start: -3 Guardians, -3 Faberge, +2 Roost

+ Have the discussion ruined by a Character Change: -2 Guardians, -3 Faberge, +2 Roost

+ Requirements: Two participants.

+ Submitted by Pai

The few months between Takeo's horrible accident and the upcoming events had left the dark-haired first year in a state of disarray.  Her corruption had been bubbling like a horrible concoction, waiting to spill out at any moment as it slowly grew and grew.  She'd been in contact with her upperclassman a bit, exchanging words of pain and suffering along with emoticons that only they could really understand.  It wasn't much, but it was something to keep her grounded while she struggled to gain control of her new abilities.  She was so unbelievably powerful in this new form and only recently had she learned she could harness it.

As she stood on the rooftop of the school, Miuna stared at the X-egg in her hands.  It was darker than her previous egg, a white X slapped right across the gem that no longer sparkled.  Her hair was loose and flew wildly as a warm summer breeze brushed past her.  A storm was brewing overhead and she was probably in a less-than-ideal position with how high she was.  Bringing the X-egg to her mouth, she pressed it to her lips for a moment before letting it go.  Her fingers no longer shined with the gold of Faberge, a dark black gracing the nails instead.

No longer trapped in the delicate form of a newly corrupted egg, X-Lapis popped out and shook her head, staring at the world with dull eyes and a irritated expression.  She crossed her arms and floated around Miuna, ignoring the storm brewing as thunder boomed around them.  The two watched each other carefully, unsure of what their next move should be.  There was just so much to do and so little time.


junko ୧( ॑ധ ॑)୨

[junko ୧( ॑ധ ॑)୨]

She'd been lollygagging after classes, running around the school as she pushed off going home for too long. Eventually after putting it off for so long she decided to head out, the weather outside was becoming worse and she didn't really want to be caught in the rain. She scooped up her bag, pulling it over her shoulder before she picked up Tama's egg in her hand. She slipped it into her bag before hurrying out of the club room.

She hurried through the halls and through the front doors, pausing as she shivered. It was already beginning to get chilly as the sky grew darker. She looked out on the campus in front of her letting out a sigh. She'd done well to distract herself as the days passed but something still nagged at her in the back of her mind. Though she fought to ignore it, it was still there and it would creep out every so often when she let herself hesitate.

She tightened the grasp on her bag strap as another shiver ran down her spine, she could feel the goosebumps rising on the back of her neck as she sensed something... Tama pulled herself out of the back, looking up at Junko. "My Lady...something's not right. Something's....wrong." Junko frowned softly, glancing back down at Tama. She knew she was right and she hated it.

[Miuna]

Miuna stood towards the edge, staring at the students mulling around once her gaze broke away from her X-character. For the first time in a long time she held her egg close to her heart and activated her character transformation. Little X-Lapis disappeared as she was sucked inside the oval object, everything swirling together at once as a darkness spilled out and consumed her.

Unlike her usual transformation that glittered and glowed in the darkness, her new look could barely stabilize. Her armor seemed to crack the longer she tried to hold the change, stretching out and shrinking as she let out a choked breath. It was too tight around her again, the silver contracting further and further until it felt like her insides were being crushed. Bending down and holding onto the edge of the roof, she focused her despair on her transformation. If she could focus, if she could just..... focus...........

Similar to what happened in West Otonoki, the armor splintered and completely shattered, the particles flying in the air in a single sparkling stream as the black cloth of Miuna's outfit wrapped around her. A black X formed over the crystal on her head, the light now gone as she lifted her usual crystal spear into the air and let it shatter once again. The gems flew all over the place, halting their movements after they'd reached a certain distance and floating back to Miuna.

With one heeled boot perched on the edge of the roof, she lifted a single crystal into the air and shot it down to a group of unsuspecting students. It wouldn't hurt them, no, but it would spread the despair.

[junko ୧( ॑ധ ॑)୨]

She stepped away from the entrance, glancing around as she tried to find the source of her sudden unease. Her egg sense was causing her head to throb slightly as something was wrong with the school. The storm alone was a bad sign but for her abilities to suddenly start acting up...She sighed. She couldn't get a break from all this egg business for one minute. She let out a deep breath, closing her eyes as she tried to hone in on her egg sense to find the source. It wouldn't be hard with how the despair suddenly swept down and past her, like some sort of dark breeze. It was like something pungent had just flown past her.

She opened her eyes, looking up at the sky, looking a bit closer at the school. It was coming from the school...Inside? Outside? On top of it? She still...couldn't figure it out. She balled her hands up into fists before pursing her lips. "Tama...stay on guard..." The small knight looked to Junko and then to the school with a slight pained look. Junko took a deep breath before hollering out as loud as she could.

"Come out! I know you're there! Stop hiding away like some coward!"

[Miuna]

Miuna watched the crystal shatter once it hit the ground, spreading out in icy spikes before condensing and flying back towards her. Her only weapon was what she had gathered from her spear before it broke, a large number of crystals that formed and re-formed when they weren't growing. It shot back up in the sky and floated next to her as she heard a familiar voice call out. It was her of all people. Miuna hadn't expected to see the other so soon. it was still too early to try and capture the other, she needed a bit longer to become fully capable.

Watching as the rest of the students filtered away, Miuna took another step towards the roof of the school. She had a small bounce to her step with her old transformation but would the same carry over here? Measuring the height from the ground, she sighed and flicked her finger. Two of the larger gemstones flew to the edge and she stepped on them gracefully, heels clacking against crystal as they floated her closer to the ground. Within seconds she was standing several feet away from the girl who had been previously yelling.

Miuna's stared at Junko with pained eyes, dark circles under them that spoke of sleepless nights. Whatever efforts the others were making to keep the young girl at bay had fallen through. She'd gone from being watched like a hawk to freely roaming the city. The despair that flowed through her veins was nearly overwhelming. "What do you want?" She asked, tone still as sweet as ever despite the scowl on her face.

[junko ୧( ॑ധ ॑)୨]

She could practically hear her heart pounding in he rears as she looked up at Miuna. That faint 'something' that had been nagging at her, slowly resurfaced. That. That was what she had been burying in the back of her mind. Miuna.

The thought of the girl still behind that mask of dark energy, the X energy she brandished all too proud. She had shamefully pushed it to the back of her mind as she did her best to get through the days that passed. Watching her appear in front of her once again all her fears and unease had reappeared along with her. The pain eyes that were buried under the dark circles her face now had, she looked worn. So worn and worse for wear, everything was taking its toll on her and looking at her struck a cord.

She swallowed the lump in her throat, hoping to wash away any unsettling feelings she had along with it. She knew she wouldn't be that lucky. But she looked straight forward at Miuna, refusing to look away this time. She'd face this problem, there was no more running from this. She couldn't do that to Miuna any longer.

"You have to stop this Miuna."

[Miuna]

Miuna gave Junko a single look, taking in the short hair and the determined face.  She had changed since she last saw her. S the last time the two had interacted they had run away with their tail between their legs.  They were both unprepared for he other was going to react.  Junko thought she'd actually be to reach Miuna underneath all that corruption, while Miuna...

Well, she had thought that Junko would be much easier to convince.  Nothing worked out as planned though and Miuna was disappointed to see that things had changed since then.  She had been hoping that the other would have crawled back to her begging the girl to keep her safe.  This new Junko was confident though.  The first year was almost impressed she hadn't fallen into complete corruption.  Perhaps the other was stronger than she originally thought.  Not that it mattered much now.  It was too late to cure Miuna without putting up a serious fight.  Junko wouldn't be able to take her in this sort of area, she'd make sure of it.

As the rain poured down and drenched the both of them, Miuna lifted her crystals into the air to circle around her.  She wasn't getting close to the other now, she was keeping a fair distance as she took yet another step back.  The crystals behind her moved to the front, shielding her from Junko as she spoke again.

"What do you want, Junko?  This isn't your battle to fight.  Let me be in my merry way and we can part without a fight," Miuna's words were no longer laced with a fake sense of love and hope.  She was serious this time as she glared at the other girl in her full x-transformation.  There were no guardians around to protect her, no egg-fighters to corner the corrupted child into a corner.  In this scenario she had the upper hand in terms of abilities.  The other girl wasn't even transformed.

[junko ୧( ॑ധ ॑)୨]

"No." She stared at Miuna, no more afraid of her than when she had called her out. "No, you don't have the right to tell me that." She shook her head, clenching her fists. "You can't decide this isn't my fight. You don't get to decide that." This had become her fight the moment the two had become friends, it was her fight because she cared. The moment she began to care for the other girl was the moment any conflicts in the future, any fights they had, anything she suffered through, it was her problem as well.

"You know what I want Miuna. It's what I've always wanted. I want to help. I want to help you Miuna." She took a step forward. "I don't know how and...I don't know if it'll work. I definitely don't know if I'll eventually be able to reach you but...I'll keep trying. I'll keep trying until I help you. I can't leave you alone. I'm done running away."

There was going to be no more running away like a startled deer in the headlights. She'd be better than that. She'd get back up and face Miuna again. Miuna deserved that much. Her friends deserved that much. Everyone deserved...that much.

[Miuna]

Miuna clicked her tongue, clearly not pleased as she crossed her arms and shifted her weight one leg, using the other to perch herself back up on a floating crystal. She rose a few feet in the air to match Junko's height before rising even higher. "It's not your fight, it's mine. Stop sticking your nose into things that don't matter to you Junko." She lifted her hand up, bringing it down as she shot several of her floating crystals down towards the other. They didn't hit the girl but slammed into the ground around her, spiking up to make a type of menacing cage.

As always, Miuna's interests were not to hurt the other. She wanted to scare her, send her scurrying back to whatever hole in the school she crawled out of and not look back. Even if she wanted to she couldn't cause the other harm. She'd tried multiple times to stab some unfortunate acquaintances of hers with crystals but they never pierced skin. The moment they touched they wrapped around their target and spread. Even if they didn't hold they still caused a blunt enough impact that they wouldn't break through. Miuna had grown tired of trying to create a more useful weapon quickly, missing the spear she once had.

Her new abilities were so unfortunately weak, but she'd make due with what she had been given. They allowed her to keep her opponent st long range and that was all that really mattered. She didn't want the other to get close to her anymore, she didn't want her to touch her. She wanted to be free to roam around and escape, escape, escape.

A dull throbbing in the back of her head had her running a gloved hand through her hair, trying to shake away the overwhelming suffering that haunted her. Just because she accepted the despair didn't mean it was particularly kind. "Run away, Junko, run away. Go back to Daichi and the rest of them. You don't belong here anymore, you never did. Give up and walk away from it. I'm not going anywhere. You can't cure me."

[junko ୧( ॑ധ ॑)୨]

"You can't decide that Miuna! This does matter to me. You matter to me, Miuna. I can't just sit back and watch you fall apart. You--" She stopped as several of her crystals hit the ground around her, tensing as they shot past her one by one ever so rapidly. She knew they weren't meant to hurt her, Miuna could deny it but Junko was certain Miuna would never really harm her, even in this state. At least that's what she liked to believe. But at the speed they came towards her, she couldn't help but tense up as they whizzed by her with menace.

She let herself relax before looking back at Miuna once again, that determined look locked onto the second year. "You can't scare me Miuna! I'm done being afraid! I'm done letting my fear control me! You can not make me run away...not this time..." She was not doing it again, she refused to hide in her room again and have people feel bad for her. She was done letting her father look at her with that miserable look he had each time she ventured out. She was done hurting others like that. She wouldn't hurt Miuna like that again, she wouldn't run.

"I won't run away." She shook her head, stomping her foot as she took a step forward. "If I don't belong here anymore...then I'll make a place for myself! That's what you do! I refused to be chased out! D-daichi would say the same thing! He'd refuse to let you go until he tried every single thing he could and I will do the same!" He'd been there to reassure her when she'd crumbled down before, he certainly wouldn't let Miuna go either. They both saw eye to eye on that.

"You don't know that Miuna. You can't know that! I will keep trying! A-and I'll keep saying it! I'll keep blabbering on and on saying the same thing but I will not give up. So get used to it! Get used to me showing up when things are 'going your way'. Get used to me hollering as long as I can until I get through to you!"

"I will not back down. We will not back down! We care about you Miuna! We will not stop until we help you! Whatever it is, what ever is wrong, we will deal with it!" She took another step forward as best she could, her face growing closer and closer to the encasement the crystals had made.

[Miuna]

Miuna listened to Junko speak, the anger inside her growing and growing until it felt ready to split her apart at the seams. A small part of her deep e cheered for Junko's sudden boost in self-confidence and that last piece of uncorrupted soul swelled with pride. Had she not been so far along in her despair, Junko's words might have actually done something to change her for the better. She might just have been able to pull of the darkness to the point where a single easy cure was possible. Instead she was dropped deeper and deeper into her pit of self-loathing.

The crash of thunder and a flash of lightning slammed into them from above. The storm raged on.

Without even thinking, Miuna released a large surge of power into the crystals stationed in the ground. As the sky lit up the gleamed a wicked blue, the black mist swirling deep inside them as they suddenly shot up farther than ever. They spiked out in all sorts of directions creating a sinister looking web of light and dark, crystal and corruption. They wanted to completely trap whoever it was that stood between them, whoever it was that dared venture too close. It was sheer willpower and a lack of control that kept them from closing in and preserving the poor girl forever. As another bolt of lightning struck the fractured, long lines spreading up the sides and puncturing the glistening gemstones. The rain slide off the smooth material with ease, a gentle potter-pattering echoing inside the encasement.

Meanwhile Miuna seemed to be going into hysterics as she pulled at her hair and covered her ears. The crystals below her swayed uneasily as she tried to stabilize whatever it was she was feeling. How dare Junko say any of that. How dare she think she could make a difference. She was nothing compared to Miuna, she was everything to the girl that previously fought beside her. She was twice as strong, no, three times as strong as the girl would ever be.

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Miuna screamed as she slammed her hands onto the sides of her head, allowing for her crystals to spread across her face and cover her ears. They made a strange accessory to adorn but the girl didn't seem to care much as she teetered back and forth on her makeshift pedestal. "I don't care what you say, I don't care what lies you spout. I don't want to hear it, I don't want to hear any of it! You don't know anything so go away and leave me be. I hate you, I hate you!" She yelled and shouted just like she had the first time she had gone X, clutching at the crystal on her chest as encased more and more of her face. She didn't wanted to deny everything the other was saying. She wanted to live in a world where she was right and she alone knew how to solve everything. There was no place left for her or any of them. Seiyo was a lie, it all was a lie.

Tomorrow she'd wake up back at home with her parents making breakfast and it would all be a silly dream.

Why couldn't it all be a dream?!

[junko ୧( ॑ധ ॑)୨]

Junko stumbled backward as best she could in an attempt to avoid the crystals as they'd begun to shoot up further and branch out like trees as they almost seemed to tower over her. Her knees knocked together as she attempted to find space to stand in between all the pillars of crystal before she finally called out for help. "T-tama!"

No sooner had she called for the guardian character who had remained idly in her bag had she shot out like a bat out of hell, helping the second year transform. She was enveloped in the light before it was dismissed as she barreled towards the crystals with her gauntlets in an attempt to shatter them. She brought them down again and again as she tried her best to chip away at them before she stopped for a breath, already out of breath from her brash actions.

"I won't stop Miuna!" She hollered out, her head hanging as she let out deep breaths. She shook her head, looking back up at the first year as best as she could. She could feel her chest panicking as it pounded faster and faster inside of her but she kept as calm as she could, not showing Miuna an inch of her unsettled. She wouldn't let her have what she wanted.

"Hate me! Hate me if you want!" She brought a hand up to her chest as she spoke. "If that's what it takes then that's fine by me...you can hate me all you want and I wouldn't care less. I may not know anything...but I know some things. You're suffering. You always suffered alone. Whether or not you're taking this X transformation differently than others in the past, it doesn't matter! You're still suffering! Even now you're suffering! It's too late to shut me out Miuna!"

[Miuna]

The pressure of the gauntlets hitting the crystal made them shake, moving them from the very foundations they were built on and increasing the number of cracks that circuited through. They were strong but not invincible, and with a few more punches they began to shatter under the pure power of Junko's attacks. As it turned out, when hit along the cracks that formed they were much easier to destroy, and those that were left shattered needed time to regenerate before they could form again.

Interesting knowledge to remember, but now wasn't the time for that. Those that managed to escape the pulverizing attacks of the moon girl grew thicker and thicker to try and cover up their cracked points. They felt the vibrations of the screaming girl that continued to wobble on her floating crystals before a crash of thunder shook her off.

In the moment that the platforms she was standing on finally gave way and sent her flying to the ground, time seemed to stop. The pitter-pattering of the rain was deafened by the sound of the crystal shattering, the glass-like shards separating further and further from each other until they were just fine dust. They lingered in the air for a moment creating a strange sparkling effect in the air, casting rainbows of light upon Junko.

Miuna sat on the ground, feet tucked around her as she slammed her fist into the wet mud over and over. She was trying to stamp out all of the pain that she felt as her transformation took its toll on her body and mind. The crystals that were originally floating in the air cocooned around her like a shield as the rain once again beat down and thunder rolled above. It sounded as though the storm was moving away. The sparkles of crystal that had previously floated in the air evaporated, forming off of the crystals that surrounded Miuna as they attempted to regroup. There was not much that could be said as she held her head and sobbed.

"I hate you, I hate you," she muttered to herself, one fist still hitting the ground as she pulled at her hair. The crystals that floated around her grew thicker and thicker, muffling some of her words as they encased the girl. Though the inside was hollow, the outer parts were almost completely closed off. "It's better this way, I'm better this way. You just don't understand so why don't you leave me. I wish I never met you, we could have all been happier that way. I wish everything was different."

[junko ୧( ॑ധ ॑)୨]

She took a few more digs at the crystals, hitting the same spots over and over again until she'd cleared away enough. She wanted to be able to see Miuna. She wanted to look her straight on, she couldn't loose sight of her. They both couldn't loose sight of each other. She refused to look away again, her full attention was on getting to Miuna.

"That's fine! Hate me!" She hollered out, raising her voice once again as her friend shut herself away. "Hate me if you have to! But I can't leave you alone! I care about you too much Miuna!" She hollered, her voice simply getting higher and higher as the emotions ran wildly between the two. "This might be a part of you but you're not better this way Miuna! You are better than this! This is just a step to what you could be! What I know you can be! You are amazing Miuna! You are so much better than this!"

"I'm an airhead! And I don't think things through all the time! But you always were there, you always made me face the reality of things! I wouldn't have started getting serious if it weren't for you! You've helped me so much! You've helped a lot of people!" She brought her gauntlets down on the crystals again, trying to pull herself out of the encasement she'd been locked up in. "I'm selfish Miuna...I'm so selfish..."

"I couldn't be happier... I wouldn't be happier if I didn't know you! If I hadn't met you, my life would be so much different! It would be lacking in the things I enjoyed up until now! You can't just shut everything out, everything...has happened for a reason and I wouldn't change anything." That wasn't completely true...she'd definitely have changed this if she could...she didn't like seeing Miuna like this. She was so vulnerable and angry. She couldn't believe she'd let Miuna suffer so silently like this.

[Miuna]

The final crystals that had drifted around Junko retreated back to their owner as the girl's cocoon grew thicker and thicker. Her image was slowly becoming distorted by the gemstone around her, a blurry figure that was highlighted in the bright flash of lightning strikes. It was almost comical how her transformation was keeping her safe. If she still had the metal armor wrapped around her midsection and arms she would have surely been a walking lightning rod at the mercy of the storm above them. The air was still thick even as the rain poured down, chilling from the usual summer heat that seemed to rise in the atmosphere. It was becoming increasingly humid in this sort of weather but inside her gem Miuna was safe from the elements.

Her face was hidden now as she cried into her arms, still crouching down on the ground as she allowed herself to succumb to the despair. There was a level of control she had over her own emotions even once she had turned X. Her otherwise sugary ways were a convenient cover for how she really felt this whole time. Her encouraging and determined smile and only turned sinister, still serving as a mask for how she really felt.

She could barely see Junko from inside her makeshift prison, the girl a blur of light through the thick crystal. She raised her head for a moment as her hair fell into her face and she snuck a peek at the girl before shifting around. The crystal moved like a fluid with her, chipping off at some places and growing in others. Pulling herself away from it she let herself detach from the crystal before releasing it completely. The leftovers stood tall as a shield in front of her as she increased the wall between the two. Her intentions were no longer to trap the girl, not right now. It was clear she was still incapable of using her X-transformation. Her willpower hadn't improved despite falling into despair and it was starting to fade from her figure.

"Leave," she said, her voice choked as the wall between them grew higher and higher. "Go away Junko, go cure someone else. It's not time yet, there's still so much I have to do. Don't get in my way anymore or next time will be the last. Don't test my patience like this anymore."