Chapter Text
Kanname “Kanna” Sorayo had a dream.
In her dream, she was holding two warm hands. They were soft and gentle and even though the touch was light, Kanna knew that no matter what, they wouldn't let her go. Her eyes roamed over the sakura trees, a bubbly and happy laugh left her lips. She held the hands and laughed, looking up at the clear and warm blue sky with each swing. Sakura petals rained down from the sky, painting the whole ground pink with the fallen buds. The swollen and fluffy clouds bathed her in a feeling of peace and security that made the whole world bright. Occasionally, the hands would tighten their grip, and Kanna would suddenly be floating as they swung her, eliciting happy laughs from her.
It was a happy and fluffy dream, but a dream nevertheless. She knew this because she didn't remember this kind of happiness in her life. Every time she tried to squint at the pair of faces beyond the gentle hands holding her own, the figures became fluffy and blurry; she could never quite see the faces of these mysterious beings. Never quite go past the blurriness past her own nose. Every time she leaned in, just the tiniest bit, she would wake up.
The deep feeling of disappointment never left her chest. Her eyes would tear up at the pointless dream and sometimes Kanna would just roll over on her bed and close her eyes again, trying to bask in the faint memories of the dream, if only, for a few more minutes...
You wake up from that dream now. Heart racing, fingers itching. You are not in that dream anymore; you are here, now. But you tried to recall that memory, that sense of peace and happiness, that sense of belonging... if only for a little morsel of a moment. But when the cockpit closes with a hiss, you remember that you are alone. Instead of warmth and peace, the familiar scent of metal, oil, and copper wafts through the air, filling your nostrils as you took one long and sharp breath. It sent a shiver down your spine and every fiber in your body numbed as you prepared for what was to come.
The world faded away and just for a moment, all was still. The cockpit fell dark except for the blinking lights of the panel in front of you. Casting little colored shapes against your skin. Your breath deepened, your trembling hands stilled. For a moment, all was calm and quiet. In the darkness, your eyes opened, and that's when you felt it. The familiar feeling humming beneath your skin, the lingering excitement, fear, expectation, and terror, all the emotions you always felt before a fight.
Today was no exception.
The familiar longing stirred. A rumbling beast that resided in your chest, slowly awakening for what was about to come. You shifted in place, blood humming in anticipation. The light shifted, and a hologram interrupted your thoughts. The holographic screen of Archaengel, portraying the indifferent face of the moderator stared at you. An eyebrow lifted in expectation.
“Fighter?” he asked in a calm but expectant voice. No wonder, after all, they had waited all night for this. Another voice whispered in your ear.
“Onryo?” Matchia words were laced with uncertainty; you were no amateur to mobile suit fights, and it was no secret who you were, after all. They all knew they didn't need to instruct you about what to say.
You knew very well what to do. “Right,” with a sigh, you leaned back in your seat, straightening your posture and focusing directly on the screen before you. Your hands clutching the controls tightly, your blood humming along the sound of Archaengel’s machinery. You took deep sharp breaths, closing your eyes and…
“Y/n Sorayo,” you said in a deep and cold voice. “Piloting Archaengel.” You made a little pause -for drama and to calm your unnerved nerves- taking another deep long breath. The cockpit hummed, coming to life. The familiar shivers ran down your spine as Archaengel came to life, a lingering fire humming beneath your skin. Hot and cold at the same time, boiling you from inside. Hot and cold, hot and cold. Stinging all over your skin. Eyebrows furrowed deeply. You clenched your jaw as the permet made itself present. Took measured, sharp deep breaths to regain your bearings and… “Ready to engage.”
At your queue, the doors opened, and immediately lights blared on you, the roar of the people cheering echoed in the arena. The people went crazy. A little sneaky smile plastered on your lips, eyes narrowing in determination. Your heart drummed in excitement and you couldn't hold the excited grin that bloomed on your face.
"Another fight," you chuckled, "Another victory."
The fight was on.
A bothersome beeping noise rose her from the depths of sleep.
Miorine Rembran grumbled as she rolled onto her bed, taking the offending object with an annoyed growl and a look that could kill a person, though in the darkness of the room, it was hard to make out. A low protest could be heard from her side. The sheets ruffled as her wife rolled in bed, annoyed by the movement.
“Miorine?”
She did, in fact, not reply, eyebrows furrowed at her phone, squinting. The message on her device was clear, but at the same time, incredibly cryptic, concerning, and to make matters worse, the sender was enough to open a pit of dread in her stomach. A frown etched on her features, her body tensed underneath the blankets.
Guel Jeturk
In the darkness of their room, the clock read 3:00 AM. She had a lecture in the morning, and she wondered why Guel would reach out to her now in the early hours of the morning. Couldn't he wait a bit longer?
“Miorine.” A shift, the sound of blankets rustling, and Suletta’s red curls tickled her skin as she pushed her face into her neck. “Is everything okay?” her wife mumbled without opening her eyes.
No. It was not okay. But over everything, she didn't want to worry her wife in any form, so she decided to set her phone back on her countertop and roll to face her beloved. Eyes closing as she snuggled up to her, crossing her arms over her lover and burrowing in the crook of her neck, despite her harsh beating heart and the uneasy feeling melting in her chest.
“Yes,” she muttered lowly. “Just a random email.”
Suletta let out a low hum, clutching her close and relishing in the warmth of their shared heat.
“What a bother.”
It was an odd response, but again, her wife tended to lower her guard when she was asleep. For now, she decided, she would push her worries away, instead relishing in this warm and peaceful moment. Her arms tightened around her wife's middle, burrowing in the warmth of her skin against hers.
She had a bad feeling about this. A soft feeling hummed underneath her skin. For some reason, Miorine couldn't explain what this sensation was. Whatever it was, she could feel it would change the course of her life, one way or another.
“Yeah,” she sighed, closing her eyes. What a bother, indeed.
Guel Jeturk:
We have to talk, ASAP. I found something I think you need to see in person.