It was near midnight when Ferain was getting dressed again. She had put on a show for Anita’s sake of showering and changing into her sleepwear after they finished eating dinner. This was not something she wanted to concern her partner with, not now. She knew it had a real chance of turning dangerous, and having Anita protest, or worse, tag along, was something she didn’t want to deal with at the present. Ferain was wearing some black tights, a pair of black denim shorts with some light tears in the material, a black tank top, and a black hoodie she had at the bottom of her stockpile of clothing. Normally, even though she didn’t mind black as a color, she did not enjoy wearing so much of it, but the situation called for something darker. She needed to blend in with the night, and it wasn’t just for the sake of who she was meeting, but so she would be harder to detect by any wandering guards or staff members, since there had been a curfew instigated after the last victim was found.
Really, it was put in place much earlier, but not many people followed it then. Giana’s death apparently made a lot more people than just Ferain take this whole situation much more seriously than before. After zipping up the hoodie, Fera slowly opened her bedroom door and peeked her head out into the hallway, just to be sure that Anita was nowhere to be seen. Luckily for her, she heard Anita’s soft guitar playing coming from her room, which was almost always a nightly ritual she did before falling asleep. She would not be leaving her room anytime soon, and if she did decide to, it would be to use the restroom before going right back to bed. Ferain was in the clear… as long as she could get out of the building without detection, that is.
With all of the training she had been given by Anita, and her natural gift at being silent and unnoticeable, Fera easily snuck to the entryway and slid her feet into her boots. The rest of the escape was easy enough, as she didn’t run into another living soul on her way to the elevator or during her trip through the lobby. Upon entering the dark street outside, the door to the dormitory locked behind her, its sensor letting out a quiet, confirming beep. She ducked away into an alley and lifted her left arm so that she could check her band again. The message she found read ‘Meet me at Tomoti park by midnight’, which was a location she was actually familiar with. It wasn’t really a park, per se, as it was more concrete than what she would consider a park to be.
The place in question was a sort of playground near the gym they always trained at, with a few swings and a couple of basketball courts for people to use at their leisure. She also knew that it would be closed and abandoned at this hour, making it the perfect place for an ambush or an attack. Still, ignoring the risks this meeting came with, Ferain was determined to go. Once the way was certainly clear, she continued her journey to the destination. It wasn’t long after that she was walking cautiously towards the entrance of the miniature park, her hood pulled up to conceal her face, completing her ensemble so that she looked like nothing more than a walking shadow. If she had been encompassed in complete darkness, she doubted anybody would actually be able to make her out. Assuming this, the shadows were exactly where she stayed. There were short concrete walkways that were lined on either side by a few rows of trees and some posts that acted almost like spotlights. They weren’t blinding, but they were more than enough to make the paths, and most of their surroundings visible.
A short while of using the trees for cover led her to a place perfect for hiding, and one that gave her a view of the courts that was almost too good to be true. She was cloaked in darkness, and standing in the middle of one of the courts was a single silhouette. From her hiding place, with his dark clothing and black hair, he was hard to distinguish from any other person that could have been there. Had it not been for the fact that it would be impossible for any other student to be standing there, she might have even questioned whether it really was him or not.
“You can stop hiding, Ferain.” came Yarin’s voice. “You still have a lot to learn about your powers. Get good enough, have them ingrained enough, and you can eventually detect entire power grids, as well as the natural currents within a person’s body. With that being said, you can’t hide from me.”
Yarin did not turn and look at her as she reluctantly fled from her place of cover. Perhaps stupidly, she walked out into the open, staring at the back of her friend, mentor, and in any moment, maybe even possible killer.
“Judging by how cautious you’re being, I believe it’s safe to assume somebody told you already.” Yarin added.
“Told me what?” asked Ferain.
“Playing dumb, then? Fine, I'll indulge you. I don’t know who, but somebody told you I’m the new prime suspect in the murder case, is that right?”
“Did you do it?” asked Ferain, using this in place of an actual answer.
“Did you?” Yarin retorted, looking over his shoulder at her.
“No.” Ferain said.
“That is my answer as well. Let me ask you, Ferain, do you actually think I would do something as horrid as kill all of those people?”
“I didn’t want to believe it, but if it’s not me, or any of the other lightning-users…”
“It must be me.” Yarin finished for her. “I can’t deny that logic. It’s the same reason you were a suspect, after all. You were around the victims, and you had vendettas against them too. Besides my lack of alibis, what motives would I possibly have of killing those students, hmm?” Yarin asked, finally spinning around and staring Ferain dead in the eyes.
A shiver ran up her spine and then, in that moment, she knew she could not beat him if they came to blows. If she had to defend herself, she would not even put up much of a fight, not if the look in his eyes was anything to go off of. There was something there, something new and frightening, something monstrous. It wasn’t towards her, she didn’t think, but there was a chance that all of his rage might escape and catch her in the crossfire. Ferain knew she had to tread carefully, because right now, if she wasn’t careful, Yarin might actually attack her.
“None that I can think of.” Ferain admitted, answering Yarin’s question as soon as she was finished thinking it over. “But…” Fera started. “If it’s not any of the registered lightning-users, who could it be? They were all killed by various methods of electrical shock. All except for Giana, anyway.” Fera recalled, growing grim and pained by the flash of the gaping wound in the girl’s chest.
“I don’t know, but I want to find out. At first, I thought it might be some sort of weapon, but now, maybe it’s somebody that has multiple powers.”
“Multiple?” asked Ferain.
“Yes.” answered Yarin. “Some people grow into more than one ability. It’s actually not all that uncommon for somebody to have two, but hardly anybody has three. There was one record of a wielder with five abilities, but that was the only case of a person having that high a number, and it was never actually confirmed.”
“Wouldn’t it be in the school registry, then?” asked Ferain.
“Not if they lied about it. It’s not like they have some sort of scanner to tell them about our powers. It would be easy to leave one out on the application.”
“I suppose so.” said Ferain, thinking about it for a moment. After a second, she shook her head and looked into Yarin’s crimson eyes. “Enough of that. Why did you call me out here so late?”
“Worried I might attack you?” asked Yarin, giving a wicked, snide sort of grin. “I had nobody else to turn to, simple as that. I can’t get Lilipa involved. She’s all that matters to me, Ferain, if she gets hurt, I couldn’t live with it.”
“And Kiko, do you not trust him?”
“No, I don’t. I can’t go into details now, but I fear he’s involved with this somehow, I just can’t catch him at anything.”
“Have you been following him around?” gasped Ferain.
“I’ve been trying to. Strangely enough, it’s the times I don’t that a body shows up the next morning.”
“So you think he might be the killer?”
“He might be involved, I said. Again, I don't know how, but I think he is.”
“I still don’t understand why you’re calling me out here. I’m not much help, especially after Saturday.”
“You’d be more helpful than you realize,” said Yarin. “But, that’s not why I called you. Really, I wanted somebody to know what I was doing. I don’t want to get anybody involved in this mess any further, but if something happens to me, at least one person would know why.”
“So if you die, it’ll be my job to tell Lilipa that you were murdered for secretly investigating the case on your own?” asked Ferain, growing agitated and outright furious. “What if I want to help? What if I want to catch this person just as much as you do?”
“Then I would refuse your offer.” Yarin said coldly. “I can handle this. I just needed at least one person to know that I’m innocent, and I knew you would have faith in me. Though, with how you tried sneaking up on me, I must question how much faith you really have.”
“I couldn't be too careful, Yarin.” Ferain stated defensively. “Since you trusted me, I’ll decide to trust you in return. Just, let me know if anything comes up, okay? If you need any help at all, don’t hesitate to ask me.”
“Of course, Ferain.” Yarin said, genuinely smiling now, which was a sight that honestly creeped her out. Combined with the ominous setting and the tension that hung in the air everywhere within the city right now, Yarin’s unrecognized expression seemed absolutely terrifying.
“Is that all, then?” asked Fera.
“That’s all. You know now, and that’s all I wanted. Best you get back to bed before Anita notices you’re gone.”
“Yeah, probably. Will you be going back too? We probably shouldn’t walk alone at night.”
“I’m trying to find the murderer. Staying out late while I’m alone and at my most vulnerable, it’s the perfect bait for a hungry predator. Be safe getting back, Fera, and have a good night.”
This kindness also took her back, but Ferain didn’t have the time to dwell on it. Yarin was right, she had to be home before Anita found her bed empty and her shoes missing. An angry Anita was a walking disaster waiting to happen, and she would be angry with how much danger Fera was currently putting herself in.
“Bye, Yarin. Remember, ask if you need help and I’ll come as soon as possible.”
“Thanks.” Yarin said, before shooing her off.
Fortunately for her, her late night escapades went unnoticed and her return was unchallenged. Their apartment was quiet upon entering through the door and she suspected Anita was fast asleep, completely unaware that she had snuck out in the first place. As was expected by now, Ferain did not sleep well that night, but she did get some sort of rest, and perhaps that was all she could ask for. When morning came, however, she was met by an unexpected surprise, and one that did not couple well with her groggy stupor. She felt a weight on her chest, making it difficult to breathe properly, and when she tried to use her hand to swat at whatever it was, her eyes still closed tight, she found that she could not move one without the other. Her range of movement with them was also extremely limited, as if they were bound together or something.
“Wakey wakey, Fera.” came Anita’s voice, as sweet and charming as always. When she opened her eyes, she saw Anita straddling her stomach with her hands flat against Fera’s body, just under her breasts, for support. Anita beamed at her, appearing to be amused by her baffled expression. Further examination of the scene showed Ferain that her hands were stuck together, tied at the wrist by the black and purple ribbon Anita had gifted her a few days prior.
“What is this, Anita?” Fera asked, blinking rapidly and looking up at her partner’s devilish features.
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“He he he.” Anita chuckled mischievously. “It’s to keep you right where you are so you don’t run away. If you want to escape this time, you’ll need to use your powers on me and I doubt you’ll be able to.”
“Sure, but why–”
“Why do it?” Anita interjected. “Because, we need to have a chat, you and I. A couple of things are on my mind at present, but I think I’ll start with the first one. Why are you avoiding me? You have barely spoken to me in the last few days, and you haven’t shown up to the cafeteria at all. Ever since I kissed… Either way, I’m sorry if that made things weird, I felt like I had to do it and it just sort of… happened.”
“No, Anita, it’s not that.” Fera said quickly. “That was just bad timing. Saturday was a… a rough day for me, and the night wasn’t any better. What Mana showed me… it really messed me up.”
“And you never thought that talking to someone might help any? Fera, I would have listened to anything you had to say and I would’ve done everything I could to help. You know that, right?”
“I know.” Fera said, trying to free her hands from the knot Anita had tied them in. Apparently, she was fairly efficient at creating them, since no matter how much Fera tried moving her hands and wrists, the knot only seemed to strengthen.
“You can’t get out of it like that.” Anita pointed out. “I did that for a reason. Now, why didn’t you talk to me if you knew I would be there for you?” Anita questioned, pressing harder on Fera’s stomach and leaning forward a bit so that her silver, angelic hair fell down towards Fera’s face.
Fera had to look away. She couldn't stand the eye contact right now, not after how ashamed she felt for the way she’d been acting since the start of the week. Still, as reluctant as she was to be truly honest with her feelings, she admitted what had been on her mind for some time now. “Because, Anita, I didn’t want to bother you with it. We’re friends, but I don’t want my only contributions to the relationship to be sorrow and grief. You do so much for me, all the time. You cheer me up when I’m going through a rough patch, you taught me how to stand on my own two feet here at the academy, and you’re always there for me no matter what happens or what I’ve done in the past. I’ve done nothing like that for you. I mean, honestly, can you think of a single time I’ve helped you like that?”
Anita’s grinning features shifted at once, becoming grim and serious. It was like a switch had been flipped within her mind and the situation had taken a full one-eighty. There was silence for a moment, enough that Ferain drew the conclusion that she’d feared to be true.
“See, there’s nothing there, right?”
“No, you’re just so wrong that I’m trying to not burst out laughing.” Anita remarked. “Ferain, there’s dozens of times I can think of, hundreds even, possibly thousands if you gave me enough time to list them all. But… None of that matters. I don’t care about those sorts of things, Ferain, I never have. Do you really want to know what I care about the most? Do you want to hear what I value the most in our relationship? You’re here. You are by my side. That’s something my own parents couldn’t manage, and that’s their damn job. Nobody has ever stayed by my side the way you do, not even Regi. You really have no idea what you’ve done for me, do you?” she questioned, taking note of Fera’s lost and doubtful expression.
Anita scoffed and held up her left arm, turning it enough so that the underside, and the thirteen white slashes that went from wrist to elbow, were completely visible.
“Some of these were from loneliness, and the rest… the rest was from a lack of self-worth. I felt like I was nothing, had nothing… meant nothing. This one right here,” Anita said, pointing at the closest one to her elbow. “This one was from the weekend before boarding the ship. I was doing this all the way up to the week that I met you. I haven’t done it since. Do you see how valuable you are to me now? Do you have a clue as to what you do for me on a daily basis? Ferain, you’re my savior. You’re my everything, and it’s all because you’re here and you’re you. That’s all I need from you for our relationship to work. I need to know that you are with me for who I am, not what my name is worth.”
Anita bent down further, putting her hands on either side of Fera’s head and moving so that their faces were relatively close to one another. Fera held her bound hands close to her chest, unsure of what to do or say, and was blushing too much to think properly to correct those problems.
“I love you, Ferain. At least, I think it’s love. I love your voice, I love the way you smile, I can’t bear to be without your laugh or your quiet demeanor. I can’t imagine a day of my life without you anymore. Whenever I look to the future, I see you there, and it doesn’t matter if you love me the same way or not. I just want you to be my friend for as long as you can be, because if… if a day ever came that I woke up and couldn’t see your face anymore, I don’t know what I’d do with myself. Are you finally getting it yet? Tell me, because if you aren’t, I’ll keep going.”
“No. There’s no need. I understand.” Fera said breathlessly.
“Good.” Anita snapped, almost sounding angry. “Good, so enough putting yourself down like you’re not worth a damn.” Anita said, cursing for the second time and blushing accordingly, though the blush could also be from the moment and the honesty that came with it. “You are so much more special than you give yourself credit for, Ferain Hirigaya. It’s not just me that feels that way either. Maple, Victor, Yarin and Lilipa, the headmaster too, they all feel that way. You’re a great person that cares about others, you don’t like hurting people and you hate seeing people suffer, and you despise putting more burdens on other people’s shoulders so you try to take it all on yourself, just to make their lives a little less hard. You are cute and humorous at times, and you do brighten my day just by being there, you really do. So please, stop acting like you’re a monster, and stop pushing me away.”
Anita’s voice was shaking now, quivering from a rising emotion that almost felt tangible to Ferain. Still, despite the feelings she was putting into the words, Anita did not cry, did not shed a single tear… but Ferain did. She felt the familiar stinging in her eyes as guilt, shame, happiness, and a dozen other sensations all built up within her, threatening to burst out as she felt filled to the brim with emotion. Not one person had ever told her these things. She imagined her mother would have, given enough time together, but with her parents gone and her grandmother despising what she was, there was nobody else in her life that could ever say these words. In that moment, Fera felt that most of the darkness that had soaked into her heart since the weekend vanished. It didn’t all go away, but there was a lightness to her again, one that filled her with love and hope and worthiness. In her throat, her words got stuck as she choked and tried to hold back from breaking down entirely.
Anita leaned even closer, and while Fera almost expected another kiss, that was not what was on her partner’s mind. Instead, their foreheads touched together softly, lovingly, and she could hear Anita’s heartbeat as if it was her own, and their breathing even seemed to sync up as well.
“I don’t care if you love me as more than a friend or a sister, Ferain. I don’t care if I’m never allowed to kiss you again, but I do care if you throw me aside. I don’t know if that was your intention these last few days, but it’s been breaking my heart. I can’t be strong without you, my scars are enough proof of that. I don’t know if this is selfish of me or not, but I don’t want to let you go. Please, don’t push me away.”
Fera blinked slowly before lightly bumping Anita’s forehead, getting her attention. They both found each other’s gazes and to her surprise, Ferain smiled. “I have never gotten the chance to get close to somebody before, not since getting my powers. I missed out on so many things growing kids get to experience. Love, friendship, fun, sports… pretty much everything. Sooo… I don’t really know what love feels like. But… I know I feel funny things around you, Anita. I get these weird, warm, floaty feelings in my stomach whenever I see your face. I feel sad when I don’t get to hear you laugh during the day, and I’m ecstatic whenever you’re by my side. If that’s what love is, then… maybe… I don’t know. Maybe I love you too? Even if I don’t, even if what I’m feeling is normal for friends, it doesn’t matter. I feel the same way you feel, Anita. You saved my life, I’ve told you before. I don’t think much about the future, never have, but if I had to, I wouldn’t want you to be gone from it. Does that make sense?”
Anita did kiss her this time. It was a quick, soft peck on the lips, and it made Fera experience that strange, fuzzy feeling again as a deeper scarlet colored her already red cheeks.
“I’m glad to hear it. You really had me scared for a while there, Hirigaya. I thought for a moment that my kiss… that it scared you off. I’m not normally that up front, but it’s new to me and I didn’t know what else to do and–”
“Anita.” interrupted Ferain.
“Hmm?”
“You’re rambling. You already told me that.”
Anita giggled and straightened up so that she was in her original, straddling position. “Just reiterating the message. For somebody so smart, you can be pretty dense sometimes.” Anita lied, as Ferain knew it was a cover-up for her rising nervousness and embarrassment. “Well, since all of that’s settled. Hrm.” Anita cleared her throat and waved a hand in front of her face to cool herself off. “My other question was about where you went last night. I know you left, and I know you were doing something dangerous.”
“How do you know that?” asked Ferain.
“Because, you didn’t tell me and you broke rules. You don’t break rules very often, and you always tell me where you’re going unless I’m coming with you. Knowing you as well as I do, I’m going to assume it was potentially perilous and you didn’t want to worry me. Tell me, how close to the mark am I?”
“Dead on.” Fera admitted. “I’ll explain, but can you untie my hands first? And… maybe get off of me? I’m having a hard time breathing.”
“Hmm, and I was starting to enjoy this position too. Very well, I’ll let you go.”
Anita rolled off of Ferain and within a few minutes, they were sitting at the dining table. Fera’s hands were still bound together, since Anita could not get her own knot undone. Of course, her partner blamed it on her struggling earlier, but at the moment, it wasn’t too much of a concern. It was a bit of hindrance while trying to eat breakfast though, she had to admit at least that much. All in all, even with her bound together hands and emotional awakening, the morning turned out okay. She felt lighter than she had in days, and lighter still after explaining the situation with Yarin the previous night. It also made her feel better to hear that Anita was on Yarin’s side in all of this, and if Anita trusted him, that was saying something.
They never had a very close bond, Yarin and Anita, so for her to believe in his innocence, it not only meant a lot to Ferain, it said a lot about his character. After finally managing to get the ribbon undone without cutting the soft, beautiful accessory, they both proceeded to get ready for school. Ferain was the first to finish, seeing as she didn’t have an arm of scars to hide or a concern for the straightness of her hair, and eventually found herself in the living room while retying the purple ribbon around her right wrist, and only that wrist. A repeat of that morning was something she didn’t exactly want to experience again.
“At least not before school.” an odd voice said in the back of Fera’s mind, and as expected, the thought made her turn red again. She shook it off and groaned as she turned the TV on. “I’ve been spending too much time with Maple. Her twisted fantasies are starting to rub off on me.” she muttered as the news came on the screen.
A young blonde woman came onto the screen, wearing a white blouse and a tight, blue colored skirt. Fera saw this woman whenever she happened by a running television throughout the city that by chance had the news playing. She was apparently the lead-anchor for Olirian’s News Network, or ONN, and had the happy, bubbly personality to prove why she was the one chosen.
“This is Tina Weathers, your daily source of sunshine and positive vibes.” said the woman on the screen, her lovely curls of hair falling stylishly around her head, and a beaming positivity in her gem-like sapphire eyes. A banner of text was scrolling beneath her that read ‘Mainland strifes not letting up as local rioting increases and escalates to an all time high’. Behind Tina was a screen that currently showed the weather forecast for the week, as they had apparently just been going over it minutes before the commercial break. “Now that David is done with the upcoming forecast, it’s time to get you caught up on the news from home. Unfortunately, it’s not as bright and sunny as the next couple of days will be. The rising tensions between humans and wielders are reaching an all time high as a group of protestors stood vigil outside the Wielder Embassy in Tokyo just the other day. This would be the sixth protest in the last four months, and the second one to result in violence.”
“Violence?” gasped Fera. She had been oblivious to anything going on back home, which was probably understandable with everything that’s been happening in Olirian. “Is this what the headmaster was talking about?” she muttered.
“Three humans were injured as a result of so-called ‘self-defense’, and several wielders found themselves hospitalized as well from the fight that broke out in the end. The governor of Tokyo, a wielder himself, has called for an assembly with representatives from both parties with the hopes of bridging the growing divide between our two species. This is, of course, being met with some skepticism on the account of speculation that he would be biased to his own kind, but he assures the people that he is only fighting for what’s right, not for one side or the other in particular. For the humans troubled by these events, it wasn't a persuasive argument, but only time will tell whether this can solve the issues or not. Fingers crossed on a peaceful resolution in the end. Moving on, there’s also–”
“Anything good?” Anita asked, pulling Fera’s attention from the television.
“Not really. Apparently humans and wielders are fighting back home.”
“I heard. Are they still going at it, then? It’s getting ridiculous if you ask me.”
“What are they even mad about?” Fera questioned.
“I don’t really know. Something about jobs and pay rates or some nonsense. I guess they think wielders get too much special treatment and it's starting to affect their livelihoods. In my opinion, I think they’re jealous and are trying to push us down beneath them. I certainly haven’t seen any special treatment for what I am. There were quite a few humans at my older school, both as teachers and students, and none of us were treated any differently than the rest. As far as I know, the normal teachers didn’t make any more or less money than the wielder ones either so I don’t really know where their arguments are coming from.”
“Perhaps it’s like you said, maybe they’re jealous or something.” Fera murmured, turning the TV off and stepping around the sofa to head for the entryway.
She slid her feet into her boots, scooped up her bag, and with Anita behind her, left for school. It was with a heavy heart that she left, and she had a growing concern for what all that was happening now meant for the future. The murders, the growing tensions between humans and wielders, and her own problems with the students at Olirian Academy. The latter issue was her own, she knew that well enough, but as for the other two, she was almost certain this was what Guji was talking about when he mentioned a hint being found in the news. According to Anita, it sounded like this was happening for quite some time now, and according to Guji, it sounded like the murders and this growing conflict might somehow be connected.
Besides just these, there was one other thing that bothered her as well. Mana came to the school knowing who she was before they ever met. Mana had also come here to work on this case, Ferain was one hundred percent sure in that regard. There was a link there, there had to be. Whether her friend would admit it or not, Ferain was involved in this, and all of this was involved somehow in the larger scheme that was happening back home. Her normal school year, which didn’t start all that normal at all, was quickly starting to expand out into a spider-web of questions with not really any answers for a single one.