Chapter 1 : Nacchan has a heart to heart.

I was currently in a hotel, somewhere in a city I didn't know.

I know, I know, I usually would be more aware of where I was, but considering my circumstances, I think I'm doing pretty well. Not to say I don't have nightmares though, not with those gruesome... Nope, not thinking about it.

One of the good things about having Himeko helping me was that her teleportation abilities could transport us pretty much anywhere as long as she'd already been there. Such as the Nekota apartment to get my things. Using the name Sorano Lily wouldn't be of much use now that I looked like a little girl though. The fun thing in this is that I'm a legitimate 12 years old and look the part, not a 16 something loli. I suppose becoming somewhat human included a normal growth rate ? I've decided to do my things online because there wasn't any alternative otherwise. It was a pleasant surprise to see that now that I was my own person, the world wasn't at my throat anymore. Three days, and nothing of note happened!

I could hear water running and smell flowers, that was my companion washing herself.

"You sure you don't want to share the bath?"

"No, thanks."

I answered my ... friend?

I don't really know what our relationship is, because my only link with Ratatoskr is Yggdrasil, whose core is Lily. Sure, we knew eachother for a year, because we went to the same college, but does that make us friends like I was with Hime since high school? And now she saved me from erasure and took me in... I know she has a plan. She has to have one, but I don't know what the current me is good for, really.

I finish typing on my laptop. What am I doing, one might ask? The only thing I currently can with this body of mine, which would be securing us a more efficient base and compiling the information we salvaged from the labs. Most of it went way above my head though, because, even before the separation, I never was much of a scientist, and as Yuri, I studied Arts with Himeko, not science-ey stuff. Now that I thought about it though, the same question reemerged...

"Hm, nevermind, I think I will."

I frowned, got myself a change of clothes and moved to the bathroom where the black haired girl was currently playing with the water's surface. A quick shower and we were both in the tub, that was more of a small pool really. Hey, I have money, I can get a luxury suite if I want to damn it! Himeko smirked as I pouted.

"Money's made to be spent anyways, 'Sides, soon enough, it won't have any value anymore, so might as well enjoy it while we can."

She certainly has got a point. That's so depressing though, since Her vision of an ideal world is a medieval one, sanitation would be one of the things to go. I try to joke, but there's no heart in it.

" Well, there's always Iceland?"

"Don't even joke about it. Scandinavia's gonna be wiped out first, probably. So, what's the big question that has you coming here?"

I put my chin my kneed and peer at her warily.

"You know the question anyways."

She smirked, drinking from a small bottle nearby.

"Yup, but I want to hear you say it."

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

I huffed and looked at the steam coming from my hand.

"Fine... Say, I know that everybody was originally human and the primordial entities were asleep, and upon awakening, they overtook the body's. So who am I speaking to, Ratatoskr, or Himeko?"

She looked at me, slightly surprised.

"Eeeeh, I thought you'd ask why I chose to help you."

"That was a close second."

She toyed with her bottle a little bit, before putting it on the floor.

"Well, depends, really. Sometimes I feel more like Himeko, sometimes more like R. Right now I'm R, since Himeko died back on that island it's pretty hard for her to remain on that side of existence, especially because now there's an afterlife system, so it's become easier to die, for lack of better term."

As expected, another person died because I was there huh ? So much for believing I wasn't the only survivor of that deathly school trip. My expression probably said it all, because R sighed and dragged me to its side. I tried to squirm away, but before long, I was hugged from behind. The familiarity of that act makes my eyes sting and squeezes my throat.

Don't think about it, don't think about it...

"It's not..."

"If you're going to say something like 'blame Yggdrasil, not your fault' drop it, I've seen enough of the Queen and Reisen's manipulations to fall for that."

"..."

I tried once more to get free, but I was kept in place, and squeezed.

"Hime and I agreed that the fusion option was the best, contrarily to Y and N's atitude of destroying the original host. For all intents and purpose, I am your friend. Just with some extra, but you would know about that, after all, you're made up with all that remains of Sorano Lily before her possession by Y."

"A hedonistic crybaby."

"Well, it's funnier that way ?"

I'm feeling pretty tired, so I stop struggling and lean back instead. I don't feel anything, so R must have changed forms.

"Hm? Giving up early?"

"Trying to bask in the illusion somebody gives a damn about me."

"I do."

I smile wrily.

"No you don't."

Meanwhile, at the Academy...

Everybody was relaxing in the classroom, Lily was eating sweets, Seiryuu, Agito and Minato were playing a video game, Nagito was speaking to their teacher and Yumeko was writing .

What was she writing? The manifesto of the Goddess Yggdrasil faith of course.

Everything was good until a certain person slammed their door open.

"Sorano Lily, you are to be taken under Gleipnir group's custody."

A bunch of surly men was glaring at them intimidatingly while their leader spouted those nonsensical words.

Of course, everything went to hell quickly afterwards.

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Tired.

More backstory, action gonna happen next chapter.

Yuri/Fiona feels very sorry for herself right now. I thought she needed a hug, so I gave her one. Poor thing.

We learn more about the pre-god people, and things that were hinted at are even more hinted at. *shove shove*

As always, thanks for reading.

I think I'll go... close my eyes for a bit after that. Yeah.