A silence hung in the air, almost as oppressive as it was damning. In a normal circumstance, someone might say 'that could have gone better'. They were right, of course.

Because it was hard to imagine things going worse.

Hinum had been carried to her room after her body had dropped like a puppet with cut strings. Neither Vert nor Chika had any idea why. Was it simply due to stress? Or was there something more serious going on? It wasn't like they'd missed much about their strange guest. It wasn't like they had noticed Hinum growing increasingly frayed. The girl was throwing herself into monster hunting with full zeel and was trying to distract herself.

The why was now obvious, with hindsight.

Vert rubbed the tears from her eyes. She easily could have handled the situation better. She tried to pay attention to Hinum's emotional needs, but let her own get in the way at the absolute worst moment possible. She should have realized that Hinum wasn't going to see her as a sister. Not so quickly. Calling Hinum her sister was just going to hurt her. Remind her of what she left behind. Unwillingly left behind, at that.

Chika looked down at the table, lost in her thoughts. The words she had said to Hinum, right before the girl passed out. They weren't wrong, but. She had just learned not long ago she might get to go back home. Maybe there had been a better time to tell her, but to let Hinum keep a flicker of false hope? Perhaps it was better to rip the bandage off then and there. Maybe get her to stop focusing on Vert. It had worked, in all the ways she didn't want.

Nobody was at fault, despite Hinum's accusations. Part of Chika roiled in anger. Nobody was at fault. Maybe besides the universe itself. But at the same time, Hinum was hurting. She felt wronged and was lashing out. That didn't make what she said okay. Merely, understandable.

Then again, Chika felt like she should have seen Hinum being Vert's sister coming. She'd seen the spike in shares. Enough that the shares were beginning to crystalize, an event that resulted in her turning Leanbox's archives upside down, in a mad search for answers. Only to find a single, if well-hidden explanation. Vert would be getting a sister. This was something that terrified Chika. She was supposed to be Vert's sister. For her to get one, was.

Well, she played things close to her chest. It wasn't likely she was wrong, but if she was, Chika would rather keep a secret than let Vert's hopes and dreams get brutally crushed. So she was thankful for her choice when the crystal vanished without a trace, nor did a CPU Candidate appear.

Chika had thought that would be the end of it, only for Vert to return home a few days later, carrying a girl in her arms. She was covered in mud, dirt, and grass, and generally, looked like a complete mess. It wasn't until she was clean that Chika's heart lodged itself in her throat. She was a near-perfect image of Vert. Yes, shorter, with a figure of an older teenager that several grown women would still kill for, but the blonde hair, and later revealed, blue eyes, sealed the resemblance in Chika's eyes.

Of course, she couldn't be sure. Not without her transforming. Blonde hair and blue eyes, while a bit rare, weren't unheard of in Leanbox, as far as traits go. That was her mistake. If she had told Vert about her suspicions early, maybe this could have been avoided. It would have spared them a lot of pain, possibly, but there weren't a whole lot of ways to check. Usually, such things were obvious. A Candidate was supposed to appear in the Basilicom, after all. At least, that's what happened with all the others, as far as Chika could gather.

And there was the chance the Hinum would lash out anyway. If they addressed things early enough, then maybe? It wouldn't be pleasant, even in the best-case scenario, but it had to be better than this. She had been stewing, even Chika realized that much. Hinum was letting her emotions boil, and this was just the release. What that now meant, Chika didn't know. Would she make good on her threat?

Chika wasn't sure how well that would work. It wasn't like monster hunting was an untenable profession, not by any stretch. Especially for a Candidate. But right now, they were the closest thing to a support network Hinum had. Admittedly, that support network just had its legs swept out from under it, but it was more than nothing.

Even if she didn't, the damage was done. Yes, it could be fixed, but that would take time. A lot of time. And with the ACIS breathing down their necks, time was not something they had a lot of. If things went well and started to return to normal? Then they would have time. But after the attack in the marketplace, an incredibly brazen act, Chika felt that things were going to get worse before they got better.

Maybe that was why a CPU Candidate had appeared like this? Is someone or something trying to prepare Leanbox, in the event something happens to Vert?

Chika shook her head. No, no, she couldn't be thinking like that. Not right now. That was the last thing Vert needed right now, on top of everything else.

"But is she right?" Vert's word's cut through Chika's thoughts like a knife. "I've always wanted a sister. It seems impossible, but maybe the share's responded to that?"

Chika put her hand over Vert's and squeezed tightly.

"If it worked like that, then you would have had a sister a long time ago," Chika said, trying to break Vert out of her thoughts. "It's an unfortunate accident. Nobody has control over Hinum being brought here. Don't blame yourself for this."

As much as Chika knew it wasn't pleasant to admit, in reality, there was nobody to blame. Instead, for whatever reason, the Universe itself, for reasons unknown, chose to rip Hinum from her family and bring her to Leanbox. Which was the root of the cruelty of it all. You can't just blame happenstance and impossible bad luck.

Sure one could try, but what good would it do? One could get payback just as easily as someone could bat away the tide. In other words, completely impossible.

"I know. It's just, I wanted a sister," Vert seemed to be on the verge of tearing up again. "I just didn't think that would hurt someone so much."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid! STUPID!

I wanted to pull my hair out! I wanted to scream! Stupid! How could I be so stupid!

But I didn't have enough energy to muster up even that. Merely punch at my pillow meekly. A nearly full day of sleep after I had passed out, so I should have had the energy. Well, I did.

Straight into just how hard I managed to screw the pooch.

"Idiot," I muttered into the bedsheets. Sleep helped. It made things click. Helped things make sense.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

I screwed up. I screwed up big time. Words could not do justice to just how badly I messed up.

If only I had passed out moments earlier and didn't make an utter bastard of myself. Or was it bitch now? I scowled, forcing down the thought. Now was not the time for that type of debate. Not that it mattered. The damage was done. And there would be damage.

Was Vert my sister? I didn't see it that way. But what I had said? That was, too far. I could tell she wanted one, the way she tried to coddle me. And in my anger, I went for the throat. It wasn't a sick fantasy to want a sibling. I had a younger brother, and even if he had his moments of being a brat, I still cared about him. Yes, if you tried to force someone to play that role, that'd be messed up. But would she?

That, I couldn't be entirely sure. She was friendly, and a think she is a good person. Not the type to kidnap someone across dimensions. Not like I accused her of.

I gripped the pillow, wanting to rip it apart, but still not having the strength to do so. Me and my mouth. My stupid, stupid mouth. I should be better than that. I should have better control over my emotions than that. Looking back, why would I even think that? How would I even come to that type of twisted conclusion?

Had the stress been getting to me more than I thought? My nerves? The adrenaline? Or was it that transformation?

I scowled. That was not a normal thing. Vert could do it. I could do it. But Chika didn't. Did Vert say something about shares? And Chika, some type of crystal?

I shook off the rest of the memory. The first part, I, I could deal with that later. Work out, something. But it was powered by, worship? Green Heart was worshiped as a Goddess. But Vert was Green Heart. And I was drawing power from the same thing?

Did that make me some sort of Goddess as well? I shook my head, trying to shred that thought with mental teeth. I was, not in a good headspace. Yesterday made that very, very clear. I did not need to add a God complex on top of that. That sounded like a terrible thing to have. But was I?

When I transformed, I felt, stronger. A lot stronger. How had I done that? Vert seemed to be able to do it on a dime. A flip of the switch.

But it had taken me getting angry for me to be able to do so once. Could I do it again? Did I even want to?

This was yet another reason why I was a complete and utter idiot. So many new questions and I had just set the best bridge I had of getting any answers on fire. Not just on fire. Rigged it with explosives, before setting what remained of the structure into an oil-covered blaze. Truly, a magnificent display of self-destructiveness. I couldn't have done better, even if I tried. Except, oh wait, I had tried.

My and my fat mouth. I reached over to Fuzzy, giving the dinosaur a soft squeeze. They probably hated me now for that little stunt. Probably?

No, that was grossly underselling things. They certainly hated my guts for that now. How could they not? They would want me gone. I'd even said I would go.

Stupid. How was I so stupid!

There was a brief flash of light that consumed my vision. I looked down at myself, wanting to recoil. No. No! Nonononononono! NO!

I was off the bed now. How? Why? I'd transformed? No! I don't want to be like this! Change me back! Nothing.

"Change me back!" I shouted, stomping my foot, part-way to tears. Another flicker, and my body, wasn't back to normal, but it was better. It wasn't covered in weird armor or had wings, or.

What was happening to me? How was this happening? Why was it happening? Oh, god, this might be worse than puberty. Wait? Was I stuck in puberty for the rest of my life? I groaned, slumping down against the bed, face down in the sheets. If I was, then I was in hell. Actual hell.

"Hinum?" I nearly jolted away from the door as a light knocking came from the other side. Vert's voice came from the other side, soft and faint. "Can I come in?"

How high off the ground were we? I could just, try to fly away? No, that wouldn't work. People would notice that type of thing.

"I guess," laid down, looking away from the door. I didn't want to deal with this. At all. But I was going to have to. The door slowly creaked open, Vert sliding in, closing the door faintly. The soft rustle of the carpet was the only indication of her presence. Her feet fell silent, only for the mattress to contort as she sat down.

"I know you're awake," Vert's voice was soft, sounding like it was in pain. I. What did I want to say? What could I say? I, didn't know what to do. What could I even say? I should have just pretended to be asleep. It wouldn't have worked, but I could have tried. I wanted to curl up into a ball and just.

"Just kick me out already," I mumble, doing my best not to look at her. She probably hated me.

"I'm not going to kick you out. You don't have to leave if you don't want to," Vert said, placing her hand on my shoulder, her words echoing in my ears. Why? She should hate me for what I said.

"Why?" I found my body bolting upright, practically against my will. "I hurt you. You should."

I clutched Fuzzy against my chest, trying to keep myself calm. Why? Why was she not kicking me out?

"You're hurting. And, I was at fault for part of that," Vert had an odd look on her face. "Even though I didn't mean to. And I don't think you meant to hurt me, either. Or, at the very least, it was in the heat of the moment."

"But it doesn't matter that it was in the heat of the moment!" I nearly shouted. "I hurt you, just simply because I was hurting! There's no excuse or justification for something like that!"

"You've put a roof over my head. Gave me a bed. Put food in my mouth. There is no reason for me to have said those awful things to you. Ever," I shrunk into myself, trying to hide from Vert's eyes, only for her to pull me into a warm gentle hug.

"You miss your home and your family. Me trying to claim you as my sister, it," Vert seemed to pause for a moment, stuttering over her thoughts. "The exact details don't matter. All that matters is that I hurt you, in my excitement. You say your harsh words toward me are inexcusable, but so were my words toward you. I should have known better."

Vert's words reverberated throughout my mind, but even with them in my head, I still heard the crack. The crumbling. If last night had been the dam of my anger shattering, this was the dam holding back everything else. My body quaked, shaking as the flood of repressed emotions poured forth.

"I miss them so much," I clung to Vert's body as a drowning man clings to a log. "I try not to think about it, but it's only making it worse! They, probably think I'm dead, or something!"

Vert held me as I continued to sob, tears streaming down my face.