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A streak of red sped through the sky of the quickly approaching dusk. Bitter winds rushed past Mei as she rode Kurikara amidst the orange-hued clouds.
Orange.
The color reminded Mei of the warmth that seeped through her clothes as she sat by the fireplace of her once dorm in St. Freya, nose buried in her favorite book and later distracted by slender fingers playing with the fine hairs of her nape.
The color reminded Mei of the simple happiness she used to feel when the meal she lovingly prepared was heartily consumed, and a wide grin was directed her way in a gesture of gratitude.
The color reminded Mei of her.
Mei's fingers were numb from the biting cold of the harsh winds and from gripping too tightly on Kurikara's scales. She preferred it that way. She didn't want to feel or see how her fingers trembled like fragile things. The strong woman she had become was a culmination of all her triumphs and defeats, her elation and grief. But still, there would always be that part of Mei, carefully concealed in the deepest recesses of her being, that will always be fragile. Fragility only reserved for her.
Her.
Mei let out a heavy sigh, the sound easily carried away by the rush of wind from Kurikara's wings. She wondered if she should turn back. To return to the World Serpent base, and pretend that Kevin had not given her permission to go back to old comrades, back to old friends, back to her.
Her.
"Kia—"
The name almost came out unbidden from her lips. The twinge in Mei's chest even at the thought of that name had never gone away despite the lengthy time they spent apart. Mei felt like she had stayed for an eternity within the Elysian Realm—learning, struggling, growing. During all those times, never once had she forgotten about the girl with the silver moon hair who exuded the warmth of the sun.
When Mei began to forge new relationships within the realm, she pondered if the girl she left behind had already gained new friends.
When her life almost ended at the hands of a fiery Flamechaser, her last thought was of her smile, and wondered if she would ever get to see it again.
When she was wracked by guilt after finding out that she became an unknowing harbinger of destruction for the place she had started to consider her second home, she wondered if the pain she felt was even a fraction of what the girl felt when she carried the burden of their mentor's fate on her shoulders.
Kurikara's roar pulled her away from her thoughts. In the distance, above the golden skyline, was an island hovering like a sentinel to the world below. Mei's last memories of the place were of golden eyes gleaming at her with malicious glee before an unimaginable pain ripped through her chest and robbed her of consciousness.
A different kind of pain bloomed in her chest as she neared the floating island. Her heart hammered too fast that she could feel the beat up to her throat, constricting, until breathing became an effort. Every flap of Kurikara's powerful wings brought her just a bit closer, and the island that once looked like a speck of dust against the pristine sky had grown to the point that she could see the familiar white buildings that dotted the place.
There's still time to turn back, a whisper flitted at the back of her mind. Kurikara roared again sensing her queen's hesitation, their flight slowing down as her orders were awaited.
Before Mei started her travel, she contacted Theresa ahead of time to inform her of her intentions. It had been a stilted conversation mainly because of Mei, while Theresa for her part mostly just listened. The prolonged silence added more to Mei's anxiousness. She deeply respected the new Overseer, and if she told Mei outright that she was no longer allowed to come back, then she would accept that decision no matter how agonizing it would be. But after a long-winded explanation from Mei, she was answered with a tired chuckle, and Theresa telling her that her family had been waiting for her.
Were they really waiting for her? Her family? Mei didn't even know if she still had the right to call them that.
Mei could still remember that dreary afternoon. She felt like a fugitive, trying her best to conceal herself, staying as far away as she could from the mourners surrounding a pristine white tomb. All she wanted to do was to get closer, to pay homage to the woman who also had a hand in her growth, to wrap her arm around the slumped shoulders of the girl who had borne so much. Instead, she looked on from the shadows as the girl was comforted by arms that were not her own, by the family that Mei already left behind.
With all these thoughts floating in her head, Mei felt like she was back to the lost, insecure girl she once was. She hated it. She didn't just go through grueling challenges in the realm just to second-guess everything once she got outside.
She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and willed her mind to clear of any thoughts, recalling the meditation technique her father once taught her. After some time, she felt her heart start to settle, and the unwanted thoughts silenced.
Good.
Her sharp eyes focused once again, she tightened her grip on Kurikara and urged her dragon to move onward.
It was finally time to face reality and find out if she still had a home to come back to.
_______________________________
Mei had reached the Shicksal base a few minutes ago. Her arrival caused a commotion among the new valkyries who were not informed about her. Mei had to place a calming hand on her agitated dragon when she let out a threatening growl to those trying to hurt her queen. Fortunately, the misunderstanding was quickly cleared up by A-rank valkyries that arrived at the scene. Apparently, Mei was expected to arrive at the main landing area and not at the farthest location of the base.
She was then accompanied by a couple of valkyries to the command center where the Overseer was waiting for her. Neither of them talked, and Mei preferred it that way. Now that she was finally at the Shicksal base, she could feel the thrum of nervous energy flow through her veins, like ice chilling and invigorating her at the same time. She clenched and unclenched her hands, timing it with her steps to keep her mind focused on a simple task instead of thinking of what lay ahead of her.
It was a long walk, but for Mei, it went by too fast. The buildings, the scenery, and the curious eyes following her movement barely held her attention, only the towering white structure at the very center of the base did. There she would meet familiar faces, there she would meet her.
Mei's steps faltered when her keen vision caught the flash of white hair in the distance. Both of her escorts turned to her when they noticed that she started to lag behind. She shook her head, kept her face impassive, and continued walking.
The closer they got, the more she realized that the figure in the distance was too short to be her. Mei let out a heavy breath, both in relief and disappointment.
"Raiden Mei, it has been a long time."
Theresa Apocalypse, the once principal of St. Freya, and the new Overseer of Schicksal, remained unchanged. She still addressed Mei like she was still one of her students. Her Kaslana blue eyes looked at her with understanding, without any judgment, and it made the tightness in Mei's chest loosen a bit somehow.
"Principal Theresa, or should I say, Overseer Theresa. It's good to see you again," Mei's greeting was returned with a smile.
Behind Theresa was a woman with braided white hair and covered eyes. She looked vaguely familiar, but Mei could not place where she had seen her from. Other than that, she did not see anyone she recognized.
Mei tried not to feel dismayed. She didn't want to admit it to herself, but she was expecting to see more friendly faces, Fu Hua, Bronya, her.
"They're out on a mission right now if you're wondering," Theresa said. Mei suppressed the urge to fidget under the meaningful glance the Overseer was throwing her way. "Don't worry Mei, they know you are coming and they're very eager to see you too."
"I—" Mei opened her mouth to deny Theresa's assumption, but thought better of it. "Thank you for accommodating me again."
"Don't be so overly formal, Mei. Come on, let's get inside and catch up. You must be tired from your trip." Theresa gestured at the entrance of the towering building. Mei nodded and followed Theresa.
She had only taken a few steps before her breath got caught in her throat. The sudden spike in Honkai energy behind her would have alarmed Mei under normal circumstances, but this certain energy was so familiar that she did not have to look behind her to know who caused it.
"Kiana, how many times have I told you to stop showing up like that? The new valkyries might mistake you for an enemy someday." Theresa's exasperated tone was barely a blip in Mei's consciousness.
"Sorry Aunt Theresa, I was in a rush to get here."
That voice...
That silvery voice that Mei used to wake up to every morning, that used to energize her with sheer enthusiasm and vibrancy of life. That voice had matured so much since they parted, mellow and gentle, but still reflected the kindness that would always be inherent to her.
Mei swallowed the lump in her throat and took a deep steadying breath. She turned.
The golden glow of the setting sun served as a halo around the snowy hair she had dreamed of countless times. The orange lining of a tattered cape held a residual glow, tiny embers floating away in the gentle breeze.
The woman before her was the embodiment of flame, and Mei longed to be surrounded by that warmth again. But she suppressed the urge to get closer, and instead, let herself be rooted to the spot.
"Kiana."
Finally saying her name out loud was a catharsis Mei never knew she needed. The tightness that always gripped her chest at even the thought of Kiana's name slowly eased away until she felt nothing but stillness.
Seeing her in person again was vastly different from meeting her inside their Herrscher cores. She was thinner, her features more defined, and still the most radiant person she had ever seen.
"You're still not wearing that jacket."
A giggle and all her dark thoughts from earlier vanished. Kiana gazed at her, eyes bright and lips smiling in that lopsided way she does that never failed to make her feel like floating. A smudge of dirt on flushed cheeks and a few wayward strands of hair that escaped a ponytail, reminded Mei of the unruly Kiana she used to know. The familiarity made her chuckle in return.
"You really like that jacket huh?" Kiana asked. She slowly closed the distance between them, and every step increased the beating of Mei's heart just a bit faster.
"I told you before, you look good in it," Mei answered. Like a sea unable to resist the call of the moon, her body moved without her knowing, closer and closer still until she was in front of the woman who had no trouble occupying her thoughts. "Hmm, but now I can't decide. Seeing you in this battlesuit is making me reconsider what looks better on you."
Kiana tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and Mei had to clench her fist to keep herself from reaching out and doing it for her. "Oh yeah, you haven't seen me in this battlesuit before. How do I look?"
"Beautiful."
They were all but a couple of feet apart. Lightning and flame, lighting up the blood and electrifying the senses. Mei could feel the fine hairs in her arms stand on end, the anticipation in the air so thick that she could almost taste it.
A solid weight collided with her front, and Mei took a step back from the momentum. The warmth that Kiana exuded seeped through her clothes, engulfing her in the familiar comfort that she had yearned for so long. She brought her arms around and held Kiana tightly, her hand against a bowed back, feeling each heaving gasp underneath her palm. Her other hand went to Kiana's nape, softly stroking her soft hair while she waited for the other woman to settle.
Mei tried to swallow despite her closed-up throat, gritting her teeth to not let out a sob of her own when she felt wetness drip down her chest. Kiana was finally in her arms—all softness and jagged edges—and a quiet certainty formed in her mind; she would never let go again.
And then, words that Mei never knew she needed to hear were spoken in a broken whimper, and the fragility that was only reserved for her was finally revealed.
"Welcome home Mei."
