Post by xXxStitchesxXx on Feb 20, 2023 2:59:14 GMT
There was a slight breeze in the air as they stepped out of the cafe, and Taru accepted Kiki’s arm through hers with only the slightest of blushes. She nodded her head in agreement, smiling at her new friend’s playful wink. As they passed under a light near an alley, Kiki stopped and dug out her phone.
“Oh! We should take a picture together before we go.”
Taru shook her head slightly, shaking her hair free as she tried to quickly prepare for her photo to be taken. As Kiki raised her phone and turned it toward them, Taru’s eyes were drawn by a reflection on the screen. The reflection moved closer, and closer, and Taru’s eyes went wide as she realized that it wasn’t a reflection in the dark, but rather the eyes of a Grimm who was slowly creeping closer behind them. She started to turn to look behind them, her hand gripping Kiki’s shoulder.
A large salamander looking Grimm slithered out of the alley toward them. Its scales didn’t reflect the light of the streetlamp, and instead seemed to suck it up into their inky depths. Its golden eyes narrowed in on the two girls, and it raised itself up higher, preparing to strike at them.
And to those Gods I will speak bluntly, We have an accord if you ever touch or harm him Please rest assured, you may not fear a man, But by the end to a woman, you'll kneel and plead Because I'm more than my mom taught me to be.
Kiyomi saw herself reflected back in her phone, cheeks faintly flushed as Taru shook her hair out. She was cute with her hair a little mussed up, wasn’t she? Kiki moved her thumb to the camera icon, but her finger froze in place. A pair of golden orbs glittered in the space between their two heads, and Hotaru’s eyes widened with a sudden understanding that took Kiyomi a moment longer to realize as she felt Hotaru’s hand tighten on her shoulder. That wasn’t a reflection of the streetlight. Kiki’s eyes flicked to Taru, her lips twitching as she mouthed the word ‘run.’
Her phone slipped from her fingers as she turned fast to face those glowing orbs. In the reflection of her phone her academy uniform unwound, the fabric peeling away into brilliant ribbons of light that spun around her body. They wrapped around her wrists, forming a cross crossing pattern as they spun up her arms around around her shoulders, the light melding together into a short pastel kimono, a white frilly skirt peaking out from under the hem of the kimono.
Her heart hammered high in her chest as she pulled in a sharp breath. This would work right? It had worked on leaves, so it would work on a grimm. Yeah. She reached up and squeezed Hotaru’s hand in her own as her lips parted.
“Stop.”
//... into the dark she stepped, but never did she feel free of the gaze...//
Post by xXxStitchesxXx on Apr 4, 2023 18:59:09 GMT
As the Grimm drew back to strike, Taru watched as Kiki reacted faster than her and transformed. For a moment her heart skipped a beat as she took in the pastel skirt of her kimono, taking in the sudden grace with which she moved. As she recreated the field that they had used on the leaves before, Taru backed up a few steps and took a deep breath. She clapped her hands together in front of her, drawing them apart to reveal layers of light ribbons. They fell down her body in rings, striking into her body with a sudden burst. They melted away into a puffy button down blouse and deep purple skirt. A pair of spiked pauldrons adorned her shoulders, and a single glove of the same dark silvery metal graced her left hand.
She watched as the Grimm started to slowly inch forward through the field that Kiki had created. There was something subtly terrifying about the way its body shifted and shimmed through the air. Its scales expanded and contracted around its slithering body as Taru stepped back up to join Kiki. She looked back and forth between them. Her friend looked like she was straining to try and maintain the field that was keeping it stuck, and she knew this was the moment she was meant to step up and do something.
With trembling hands, she kicked herself into gear, moving ahead of Kiki. Hopefully it would keep her from being in the blast radius and Taru opened her lips. She screamed, and she could almost see the ripples float through the field as they smacked into the Grimm. It shivered and started to float the opposite direction, flung back in slow motion.
And to those Gods I will speak bluntly, We have an accord if you ever touch or harm him Please rest assured, you may not fear a man, But by the end to a woman, you'll kneel and plead Because I'm more than my mom taught me to be.
Stop, and the Grimm stopped. Or, well, it slowed. Which somehow made it more terrifying than it was before. It’s body moved incorrectly, like there were muscles where there shouldn’t be, or like its skin was sticking to the wrong parts of its body while other places sagged as it advanced. Like pausing an anime in a moment between frames turning their face into something off.
Ribbons of light escaped between Taru’s fingers, the light striking her body with a flash as her clothes transformed into a puffy purple blouse that hard pieces of armor seemed to poke out from under. It was pretty but it felt a little… disjointed? It was just a little thought that soon passed as her gaze returned to the Grimm. Kiki pulled in a deep breath and pushed the breath out slowly as she maintained her concentration on the monster. The Grimm pressed forward, and she could feel that pressure in her chest like a ticklish twinge as beads of sweat formed on her brow. Kiyomi squeezed an eye closed as she felt the pressure of holding pushing down on her shoulders, before Hotaru stepped forward.
Her friend pulled a breath before she screamed, a sharp noise in her ears. The ground rippled slowly as the force of her magic carved through the still air before it picked the Grimm up off its feet. It scraped blindly at the air as it attempted to catch the ground, and with a sharp gasp of her own Kiyomi’s spell broke. All at once movement seemed to catch up with the Grimm as it was sent bouncing down the street until it impacted hard against a street lamp. Kiyomi pressed her hands against her knees as she gulped down air, her gray eyes looking at the monster.
“Is it… still alive?” Kiki panted, trying to ready herself to freeze their surroundings again.
//... into the dark she stepped, but never did she feel free of the gaze...//
Post by xXxStitchesxXx on Apr 21, 2023 21:35:25 GMT
Thunk. The Grimm’s body slammed into a lightpost. Taru stood upright, her back aching from how straight she was holding it. Next to her, Kiki was trying to catch her breath, leaning over and panting hard. “Is it… still alive?”
I don’t know. Taru moved forward slightly, her hand reaching back for Kiki’s as she looked at the fallen body. It was still, as still as the rest of the street, but she just wasn’t sure if it was dead. Weren’t they supposed to dissolve into dust when they died? How long did that take? Was it instant? Surely something should be happening to the body if it was dead. Then, as though answering all of her unasked questions, the thing twitched.
Its body turned, and it tried to stand, but quickly fell down. It dragged itself with its front legs, the only ones apparently working, toward the two girls. This was scarier than when it had been frozen. In her surprise, Taru jumped back and screamed, a short burst of noise that hit the creature and sent it flying back into the side of a building. It impacted, hard, and stayed against the wall for a solid moment. Then, it slowly drooped down and slid off the wall, leaving behind an impression. Taru put a hand over her heart, trying to calm her frantic pulse.
And to those Gods I will speak bluntly, We have an accord if you ever touch or harm him Please rest assured, you may not fear a man, But by the end to a woman, you'll kneel and plead Because I'm more than my mom taught me to be.
“Aiee—!“ a strangled scream escaped Kiyomi as the Grimm lifted its broken body and dragged itself towards them. She took hold of the hand that Taru offered as the girl jumped back from the advancing Grimm. She screamed again, Hotaru did, this time her voice not dampened by Kiyomi’s own magic. She winced against the sudden sharp noise, feeling the pressure pushing against her kimono like something squeezing her chest tight. Kiki gripped Taru’s hand as the Grimm was again lifted up off the ground and sent flying into the side of a building with a hollow crunch.
For a long moment Kiyomi was still, one hand holding Taru’s and the other clutching a handful of her kimono over her trembling heart. The Grimm’s body fell and Kiki struggled to catch her breath. Black smoke, like vapor in the air after a shower began to rise from the still body and Kiyomi looked up at Hotaru. She blinked a few times before she wrapped her arms around the taller girl and pulled her into a tight hug.
“I, uh, I think you got it that time.” Kiki said, shakily.
//... into the dark she stepped, but never did she feel free of the gaze...//
Post by xXxStitchesxXx on Apr 25, 2023 22:51:53 GMT
Taru watched as the Grimm started to slowly dissolve into smoke and a sense of relief flooded her. It was dead. This time, it was for sure dead. She wrapped her arms around Kiki as the two of them watched it disintegrate. She looked down at Kiyomi as the girl spoke, then nodded in response. She hugged her tightly and took a few shaky breaths against the girl's hair, breathing in the scent to try and calm herself down. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and so she focused on the scent, trying to time her breaths.
Kiyomi smelled like strawberries. It wasn’t a strong smell, but she could smell the sweet, fruity scent on her hair. She took in a deep breath of it and held it in her chest until it hurt, letting it out slowly. Her heart began to slow down, so she repeated the process a few times until she felt steady enough to let go of Kiyomi. She held onto the girl's arms and looked down at her. “Are you okay? Did I hurt you at all?”
And to those Gods I will speak bluntly, We have an accord if you ever touch or harm him Please rest assured, you may not fear a man, But by the end to a woman, you'll kneel and plead Because I'm more than my mom taught me to be.
”No, no, I’m fine! Just a little startled. More tired from holding it still, didn’t know it would feel so heavy, hah.” Kiki said with a quick smile. Her cheek was still warm where she had been resting it against Taru’s chest, and the skin slightly flushed. She looked up at Taru, her heart still beating quickly in her chest, but the feeling of Hotaru’s hand on her arm helped her feel a little safer. “That was really loud though.” Kiki added with a short chuckle. After a moment her gray eyes turned away from Hotaru as she looked at the still form of the Grimm. Had they really killed it? She could hardly believe that they had, the magical girls on TV were the ones who slew monsters, not someone like her. Taru was like them though, she was so tall and strong and had such pretty eyes. The skin on the back of her neck felt warm with that thought.
“I can’t believe we actually did that… It was kind of cool.[/i]” Kiyomi said, a sparkle in her gray eyes as she looked back up at her friend.
//... into the dark she stepped, but never did she feel free of the gaze...//
Post by xXxStitchesxXx on May 23, 2023 19:42:58 GMT
”Yeah, it was cool. We’re cool. Holy shit, we really just killed that Grimm.” Taru’s mouth twitched up at the corner as she signed, her face slowly lighting up as she realized what they had done. They had killed a Grimm. A real Grimm. Not one of those tiny things that Penny had to keep getting rid of, either. Like a real Grimm. God, Penny. Penny was going to be so excited when Taru told her about this.
She looked down at Kiki and thought to herself that her little kimono and frilly skirt looked exactly like what a magical girl was supposed to look like. Taru would be lying if she didn’t say that she found her own transformation outfit embarrassing. It felt so… wrong. But it was expected of her, it was what was normal. So she’d always just dealt with it. ”Do you think anyone saw us?”[/i}
And to those Gods I will speak bluntly, We have an accord if you ever touch or harm him Please rest assured, you may not fear a man, But by the end to a woman, you'll kneel and plead Because I'm more than my mom taught me to be.
“Oh! Uh,” Kiyomi looked back over her shoulder, gray eyes scanning down the street and back to the cafe they had just left, wincing slightly at the broken glass which now littered the street. She didn’t see anyone, but that could change fast and… was it legal to use their powers anyway? It was like self defense, right? She returned her gaze to Taru, offering a flash of a smile and a quick chuckle. “I… don’t think so?” She said.
In the corner of her eye Kiki saw the shifting of shadows in the distance, followed soon by a voice. “Hello? Is someone there?”
Without thinking Kiyomi took hold of Taru’s hand as she scooped up the to-go box with their cakes. She grinned up at the taller girl, with a spark of mischief.
“Let’s get out of here before we get caught” She said, tugging on Taru’s hand.
//... into the dark she stepped, but never did she feel free of the gaze...//
Post by xXxStitchesxXx on Aug 4, 2023 13:07:24 GMT
Taru gripped Kiki’s hand tightly and ran alongside her, down the alley and up the next street. As they ran, she thought again about what they had just done. It was so amazing, and they worked so well together. She giggled a little bit to herself as she ran. Then she sped up a bit and turned around to face Kiyomi. “Where are we going to go?”
And to those Gods I will speak bluntly, We have an accord if you ever touch or harm him Please rest assured, you may not fear a man, But by the end to a woman, you'll kneel and plead Because I'm more than my mom taught me to be.
That was so thrilling! Kiyomi felt practically giddy as the duo made their way down an alleyway, hand in hand, and no doubt narrowly escaping the gazes of any curious about what that ruckus had been. She giggled too, the sound bubbling as she squeezed Taru’s hand as they ran. She looked up to Taru, her heart fluttering a little quicker as the taller girl pulled ahead and turned to look at her as she asked where they should head next.
Kiki tilted her head to one side for a moment, before her lips spread in a wide grin. “We don’t have class tomorrow, so how about we head to my place for a sleepover?”
Kiyomi’s house wasn’t from the school, placed in a quiet residential neighborhood just past a row of apartments and down from the metro station. The house was cute, it’s small front lawn had been turned into a rock and flower garden which left a lingering sweetness in the air. Kiki fished in her pocket for her key, and slipped off her shoes as she passed through the front door.
“I’m home, and I brought a friend!” Kiyomi called cheerfully into the entrance hall. A moment or two later a woman in her late thirties poked her head out of the room at the end of the hall, a warm smile on her lips.
“Welcome home,” her mother said, with a faint laugh, “my, what a cute girl, please do make yourself at home. The slippers for guests are on the right side of the cupboard.” She added, as Kiyomi took out a pair of house slippers for herself and another for Taru.
“My room’s up the stairs this way.” Kiyomi said, taking Hotaru’s hand again.
//... into the dark she stepped, but never did she feel free of the gaze...//