Memories can be as fleeting as the wind itself, one moment it's right next to you, the next it already had gone somewhere else.
For those in Holomyth, this usually doesn't always apply, despite being alive for so long they seem to have very good memory, sometimes. But they have never once forgotten one another, or in a certain phoenix's case, forgotten anyone for too long.
However, there was one member who did not remember another.
Gawr Gura is great friends with her other genmates, she loves the gap of Calliope Mori's personality and appearance, she enjoys being babied by Takanashi Kiara, she gets along very well with Amelia Watson and her chaotic nature and she really got into flirting with Ninomae Ina'nis.
The shark knows everything about her friends and her friends know her really well too. Especially Amelia and Ina.
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It was a cold winter's morning when Amelia found a young shark girl washed up on a beach in England. She was faced down, kissing the sand and not moving.
Being an investigator of the weird and supernatural, the girl decided it was best to check up on the girl rather than let some random person see her instead.
Walking down to the beach, Amelia first checked if the girl was still alive. She's dealt with sea-dwellers before so she knew that they were built similar to humans, albeit with slight differences such as gills on their sides.
After confirming she was breathing, Amelia proceeded to roll the girl on her back and lightly slap her cheek to wake her up.
"Hey, hey kid! Wake up!" she called out.
A slight groan escaped the little shark's lips before her eyes fluttered open, revealing her ocean blue pupils.
"Huh? Who you?" she asked, tiredly.
"I'm Amelia Watson," Amelia replied. "Who are you kid?"
"Gura," the shark answered.
"Ok Gura, what are you doing here?" Amelia asked while looking around for any bystanders.
"Swimming." Gura then sat up and rubbed her eyes before turning her head all over the place. "Where this?"
Amelia turned her gaze back at the shark, before explaining to her where she was. Unsurprisingly, the shark was in a panic, she had gotten washed up in an odd place and she didn't know how to get home. Furthermore the shark was clearly young since she didn't speak the human tongue fluently. Sea-dwellers, despite having their own language, have communicated with humans on land and therefore speak the human languages, or some of them rather.
Luckily for the sea-dweller, Amelia has dealt with many lost creatures before. So she had a hunch of where Gura's home could be. But still, she needed to make sure that she had the right place.
Grabbing Gura's attention again, the detective questioned the young shark about her origins and just as she suspected, Gura was from Atlantis.
"Alright kiddo, let's take you back home," Amelia said, her chest proudly puffed out and hands on her hips.
"No, no go home," Gura snapped, dropping down and hugging her knees. "Big meanies, don't wanna go home."
Amelia's eyes widened when she saw the girl throw a tantrum. It immediately sent her detective instincts into overdrive as she concluded that maybe Gura was on that beach for a reason and not just because she got washed up.
Going down to her level, the detective, with a gentle voice, asked Gura why she was actually on the beach and the shark revealed that she was being bullied back home for her size. Her 'big meanies' were also sharks of the same breed, but since Gura was a smaller shark they constantly picked on her, so she decided to run away, only to get swept up by some underwater currents.
Still, even if she had a fair reason for running away, Gura couldn't be left on her own and seeing as she also didn't want to go home Amelia had no choice but to take her in for a bit. Only problem was, Amelia lived in a one-bedroom apartment that was constantly in a mess due to her work. Papers were scattered all over the place, books just dumped in piles that were tucked away in the corners of her home and her chemical concoctions stunk the entire place up. No place for a young girl, even she was a shark.
Amelia strained her mind to look for a place that Gura could stay in for a while, but nothing came to mind. There was no way the underworld was a safe place and she had no idea where her phoenix friend was at that moment.
"Oh wait!" Amelia quickly fished out her phone from her pocket and sifted through her contacts before placing the device to her ear. "Hi Ina? Yeah it's me, listen I've got a favour to ask, do you mind meeting up? Yeah, ok thanks, I'll be right over."
The detective then turned to the little shark and held her hand out. "Come with me!"
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As a time-travelling detective who went out of her way to look for the supernatural, Amelia was not short of other-worldly connections. One such was the priestess of the Ancient Ones, Ninomae Ina'nis.
Ina'nis, or Ina for short, was a human girl who managed to attain a book belonging to the Ancient Ones, thus turning her into their priestess. She even gained the ability to control a set of tentacles, making her look even more other-worldly.
Ina was a long time friend of Amelia's and more often than not, agreed to help her with any investigation. The Watson to Watson's Holmes.
However, on this occasion, Amelia wasn't going to invite Ina to another exploration of the unknown, she needed a babysitter.
Walking through the monochrome forest with Gura's hand in hers, Amelia praised herself for thinking of such a brilliant solution. No one in the world was as kind or gentle as Ina, so she was the perfect choice to take care of a little shark. Now that was only if she could persuade her to actually let Gura stay. Ina was kind, but she always held the detective responsible for actions she took during her work, so a part of her thought that the priestess might say no since she took it upon herself to take Gura in.
At the same time, Gura was feeling rather uneasy walking through the forest. It was a bone-chilling place. The trees were naked of their leaves, their branches stretching out forming claws and their trunks covered in holes that formed grotesque faces. The shark was in a nightmare.
Gura clung closer to Amelia, her eyes darting everywhere as she took one step at a time. Jumping at the sudden cries of crows and ravens that were flying underneath the grey sky.
"I want go home," she cried, tears threatening to fall from the corner of her closed eyes.
"We're here Gura," Amelia said, making the girl slowly look in front of her.
Once her eyes fully opened, Gura took in the sight of a set of stone steps and an old torii gate, its colour nearly faded away to match the surrounding.
Amelia then led the shark up the steps where an old shrine stood in the middle of some dead trees. It looked as if the place was abandoned, the floor was covered in mud and the dead leaves that were once on the trees were now just plastered there.
The detective then walked up to the shrine, letting go Gura's hand in the process, much to the shark's dismay.
Amelia then rang on the hanging suzu bells and waited for a bit.
A black portal then appeared behind Gura and a young woman with purple hair, wearing a purple dress with white wings wrapping around her waist stepped out.
Gura stared at the woman in awe, her eyes sparkling like diamonds. "Pretty."
"Hmm, who are you little one?" the woman asked, her voice soft like cotton.
"Hey Ina," Amelia called out, getting the girl's attention.
"Ame, who's this?" Ina asked, pointing at Gura.
"Oh uh, this is-"
"Gura!" the shark chimed in. "Gawr Gura."
Ina smiled at the little girl and crouched in front of her again. "Hi Gura, I'm Ina."
The young shark smiled brightly at the girl, her tail wagging furiously behind her. She seems to have been very taken with Ina, something that didn't pass by the detective's eyes.
Amelia quickly butt into the two and explained to Ina the situation. As Gura's circumstances unravelled and her reasons presented to the priestess, Ina's face began to soften and that's when Amelia knew she got her.
"Oh you poor thing, of course I'll let you stay." Ina then grabbed Gura and hugged her tightly, nuzzling her head while whispering words of comfort that Gura didn't really understand.
With the priestess agreeing to take care of the young shark for a while, Amelia could focus on her work while also talking to Gura's parents about her current location. She had a feeling that Gura had gone missing for days now and her parents would've probably already placed in a missing person's case file.
"Alright you two, I'll see you when I have news. Ciao!" Amelia quickly messed with the dials of the clock hanging on her neck and slowly disappeared in several strings of light.
Once the detective was gone, Ina then took Gura's hand in hers and gave the shark a small smile, which the humanoid sea-creature with a big smile of her own.
A portal then opened and the priestess led the little one inside. It was an immediate change of scenery, from the terrifying forest to a beautiful room where the sun shone brightly outside.
"Well this is my home," Ina said, letting go of Gura's hand to let her explore.
Gura wandered about, taking in the sight of the large bookshelves filled with all sorts of transcripts. Then she turned her head to the set of scrolls gathered in a giant pot and the sack next to it, which was actually a bean bag chair. But the one thing that Gura became really fixated on was the easel with a partly finished painting on it.
"What this?" Gura asked, pointing at the painting.
Ina smiled a little and walked up to the girl, she took the canvas off her easel and handed it to the shark. "It's a painting, you don't have paintings where you're from?"
Gura studied the artwork with intense curiosity before nodding her head. "Mama."
"Oh your mom makes art?"
Gura nodded again, but tears then began to gather on the corner of her eyes as she cried out, "Mama."
Seeing the little one slowly break made Ina quickly wrap her arms around her and rub her head gently. She whispered sweet words to the girl, telling Gura everything will be ok while the shark just silently sobbed on her shoulder.
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Their exploits as guardian and child was a learning process, mainly for Ina, who learned that Gura was an adventurous child. She loved to wander about and would sometimes let her nose guide her away from the priestess.
In fact one incident made Ina really worried, that she needed to study how to be a better parent. It all started when the two were out in the city, passing by several restaurants in a crowded street. Ina had her hand on Gura's and the two were pretty connected for most of their trip, but the moment the shark caught the scent of meat being cooked, she easily slipped away from the priestess when she was looking at a menu on a window.
By the time Ina had realised the little one was no longer with her, Gura had already gone off into the crowd. This sent Ina down a spiral of panic, she began to push through people shouting for Gura but nothing came back to her. She asked the people around but nobody had seen her.
Ina could feel her heart nearly stop as she searched endlessly throughout the street and every restaurant.
Eventually, she found Gura in front of a barbecue restaurant, staring at the meat displayed on the window, drooling.
Without even thinking, the priestess ran for the little girl, calling out to her which did snap Gura out of the meat and turn around. Ina then dropped to her knees and hugged Gura tightly.
"Oh thank god you're safe," she said, relieved. "Don't ever wander away like that again."
Gura didn't understand what was going on, but she could tell Ina was in distress and she didn't like that. So patting the older girl's head, Gura told Ina it'll all be ok. Surprisingly this actually comforted Ina a bit, though the priestess still berated herself internally for failing to watch Gura.
Now more aware of her shortcomings, Ina called Watson for some help on how to watch a child. Amelia may be a detective but she also worked as a doctor once, so she knows a thing or two about taking care of others, or at least that's what Ina was hoping for. Sadly, Amelia only knew how to make medicine rather than be a parent.
"Sorry Ina, I've never been a mom before," Amelia said over the phone. "But, I have seen some parents walk around with a harness on their kid."
"A harness?" Ina asked in slight shock. She never heard of that parenting technique before.
"Yeah, there's like those special vests with a safety harness on them. Parents use them for more rowdy kids or just so they can keep them close I guess."
Perfect, just what she needed.
Ina thanked her friend for the idea and ended the call, she then quickly left her home to run to a store in the city and buy a safety harness for kids. Her problems were solved… for a while.
Yes, the harness worked in keeping Gura close, but with many things in the world, it's never a hundred per cent perfect.
Like the time they were in the supermarket getting groceries.
At that time, Gura was safely strapped in a vest with Ina holding the rope of her harness. The two wandered through the supermarket, picking up any utilities or snacks on the way. There were a couple of times that Gura got distracted and Ina had to stop to check on her. Most of the time it was food for the shark to munch on, other times it was something interesting that took her attention.
One such example was a butcher, slicing up a giant fish into pieces. Gura, being a shark, could feel her stomach grumble as she stared at meat. Ina noticed this of course and bought a bag of it before feeding a tiny piece to the predator. Of course, this being Gura's usual prey, the shark snapped her jaws at the piece presented to her, nearly cutting her guardian's finger in the process, Ina just managed to pull it out before she did though.
Continuing on with their shopping, the duo continued to venture through the isles, picking up everything that they needed back home. However, when she was distracted, Gura was caught by the scent of something delicious, as per tradition the little shark then began to slowly make her way towards it, tugging at the harness until it fully broke, letting her loose.
By the time Ina had realised that Gura had disappeared, the shark was already nowhere to be seen and this caused the priestess to nearly have a heart attack.
She kept calling Gura's name as she wandered about the supermarket, yet for some reason, there was no answer. This was no crowded street, it was a supermarket, so how could Gura not hear her?
Well, the thing was, Gura was entranced by a stall handing out free samples. Her nose twitched as she inhaled the scent of the cooked meat and drool slowly slid down a corner of her mouth. Whenever food was involved Gura was bound to be there, gawking at the dish until she was found by Ina.
Truth be told, Ina has spent a good amount of her money buying little snacks for Gura. She couldn't help it, seeing the sea-dweller munch of anything was a joy to see, unless that thing wasn't meant to be eaten.
So while the older girl knew her companion would be around the food area, she couldn't pinpoint her exact location since there were over a dozen stalls all selling food!
Ina sighed to herself as she checked every stall, asking the vendors if they'd seen a little girl wearing a blue hoodie. Luckily they have so they directed the priestess to another stall where the vendor there directed her again.
This went on for a while since Gura apparently went to every stall to try their food. Honestly her appetite was humongous.
When she finally made it to the last stall, Ina was drained pretty much to zero. Her legs were shaking, she was taking massive breaths and sweat poured down her face like a storm along with steam puffing out her head.
"Gura!" she called out with the last of her breath.
Turning her head around, the shark beamed when she saw the priestess, even running to her and offering the kebab she was stuffing her mouth with. But rather than grab the stick of food, Ina instead grabbed Gura, much to the shark's confusion.
"Ina?"
"You stupid shark, I was so worried, don't ever leave my side like that again," Ina begged, burying her face on the girl's shoulder.
Though Gura didn't understand why her carer was so shaken, she did understand that she was hurt and so began to lovingly rub her head, telling her it was alright and that she shouldn't be crying.
Ina looked at Gura in disbelief, before a small smile formed on her lips. She didn't know whether it was Gura's innocent smile or the fact that there was no use in getting mad at someone who was oblivious to their situation, but Ina felt nothing but sweet relief when she was reunited with her little companion.
The two then continued to finish shopping hand-in-hand and this time Gura didn't leave her side, clinging to the hem of Ina's yellow hoodie the entire time.
Once they had collected and paid for their groceries, Ina and Gura made their way to their ride, which was Watson, and placed the bags of food, toiletries and other random items they picked up in the trunk. When that was over, Ina then went away to return the cart she was using, prompting Gura to peer over the window.
It didn't take long, but for the little one, that brief moment when the priestess wasn't there felt like an eternity. She just sat beside the detective, kicking her feet in the air while swaying back and forth, hoping that time would go just a little bit faster.
Eventually Ina did return, brightening up Gura and causing her tail to wag rapidly from side to side.
"Is she a dog?" Amelia thought, watching the girl's tail.
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That night, after tucking Gura into bed, Ina sat in her study with Watson. The two were having some hot tea and biscuits that Ina brought from the supermarket.
"Thanks for the dinner Ina, haven't had a proper one in days," Watson said while munching on a biscuit. "Work's been hell."
Ina giggled at her friend, she's had Watson over for dinner multiple times and most of those times it was due to her not eating proper meals and was getting a bit restless.
"Well I hope that filled your stomach."
"Are you kidding?" Watson exclaimed. "I'm stuffed."
After a couple more rounds of tea and biscuits, Watson then told Ina that she found Gura's home. Of course, this was good news to the priestess, who knew that the shark would be delighted in hearing that she gets to go home. However, the priestess saw the detective's guilt-ridden face.
"Ame? What's wrong?" asked the priestess in a concerned tone.
Amelia turned her head and her gaze wouldn't meet her friend's, her lips quivered from being forced shut and her fingers curled on her knees while trembling.
"Ame, what did you find out?" Ina questioned, now a little more forcefully. If it concerned Gura, it concerned her.
"Ina…" Watson shakily began, her face still turned away from the priestess. "Gura isn't from this time."
Ina's shoulders dropped and her mouth hung slightly open, her eyes slowly widened before tears gradually glazed them.
"Gura is from the past," Watson added on. "So if she goes back to her time-"
"I know," Ina cut off. Her head now hanging towards the floor, her body bent over and hands clasped together. "If she goes back, I won't be able to see her again."
Watson said nothing and only continued to look away as the tears Ina held back slowly dripped onto the priestess' knees.
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It was a cloudy morning when Gura, Ina and Amelia gathered in front of the beach where the detective found the washed-up shark.
Gura had been excited ever since she was told she could go back home, so it came as no surprise when the two girls watched the shark bounce around at the beach while she waited for Watson to take her home.
However, not everyone was elated that morning. Although a part of her wanted her little companion to see her family again, Ina couldn't help but feel lonely, she felt her heart slowly erode into pieces at the thought of never seeing Gura again, but she held it together for the little one.
Still, no one could blame her for feeling that way, she's been with Gura for a substantial amount of time now and the two have established a deep bond between them. Gura had made Ina's days feel more colourful, every moment with her was a bright one and even all the worries the little shark caused the priestess was something that became a treasure to her, so just the mere idea of all that ending was painful for Ina.
"Ok everything is ready." Amelia turned to Gura and held out her hand. "Ready Gura?"
"Yep," Gura answered immediately and was about to reach for the detective's hand when she was halted by Ina.
"Wait!" the priestess suddenly barked. "Can I have a moment with Gura?"
Guilt painted Watson's visage, she nodded at the girl and wandered away from them, giving them some much-needed privacy.
Kneeling down, Ina held Gura's shoulders tightly as she looked at the girl with teary eyes. She didn't want to cry, but she was close to letting out a loud wail that would echo all throughout the place. With little control she had left of her emotions, Ina hugged the little girl as she whispered her parting words to the shark.
"Be a good girl ok? Make sure to eat properly and don't wander off from your parents," Ina choked out with all her might. "Study hard Gura. Smile like you always do and remember… you're a strong shark. Ok?"
Gura didn't understand what was going on but she nodded and hummed in acknowledgement.
Ina then pulled herself back and looked at Gura was a teary smile. "Ok then, time for you to go home."
At that moment, the shark suddenly felt a sharp sting on her chest. For some reason, Ina's words felt different, it didn't feel right.
"A." Nothing, she wanted to say something, but for some reason now words would leave her lips.
Ina rubbed the little shark's head and kissed the top of it, her lips lingering for a couple of seconds before parting with it.
Ina then turned to Amelia who was watching from afar, she gave her a nod and the detective walked back to them and took hold of Gura's hand.
The detective then took the watch that was hanging on her waist and pressed the button on the top.
As they slowly began to fizz away back to Gura's time, Ina watched with a shattered smile, she didn't want to show Gura she was hurt but she couldn't hide it very well either and so she just decided to tough it out.
Gura on the other hand was processing the new pain she was feeling in her heart and when she was slowly disappearing into the timestream with Watson, it only got worse when she saw Ina on the other side.
"Ina?" she questioned, confused. "Ina?!"
She repeated the priestess' name over and over as she reached out to her, but Ina would not take her hand. Tears had now begun to escape Gura's eyes, her calls turned to cries yet none of them moved Ina from her place. Gura stretched as far she could but her tiny fingers would not reach and Ina merely continued to watch as the little girl slowly began to fade into the light.
For Gura, it was a harsh realisation, because the girl who always held her hand in bed, outside, in every waking moment, would no longer reach for her.
With a final cry for her, Gura disappeared into the timestream with Watson, leaving Ina alone on the beach.
Once she was alone, Ina collapsed onto her knees and all the pain she held back burst out in one massive cry. Her tears rushed out like a waterfall and her sobs echoed through the empty morning. With her heart now in pieces, Ina wailed and wailed until no tears could escape anymore.
Just like a mother weeping for her child who she lost.
Ina lost hers.
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As the years went by, Ina had moved on from losing Gura, although she still kept her memories well intact in her home with some of Gura's drawings and toys. Though she could no longer see the shark, at least she had something to remember her by.
Or at least that's what she thought.
When Watson suddenly came running into her home bursting with energy, Ina's initial thought was that the detective was out of her deskjob. She was right, but that wasn't the only reason why her friend was extra energetic that morning.
Watson had proposed the idea of joining an idol and streamer group called Hololive. Now as a priestess of the ancient gods, Ina thought there was no way she was going to fit in, but after Amelia explained that the company was seeking for other-worldly beings, Ina was starting to become convinced into joining.
She eventually did and the moment she met with the other people she would be working with, her heart nearly stopped when she recognised a certain ocean dweller, now slightly bigger than before and also more fluent than before.
Gura was no longer the child she met all those years ago, she was now 9000 plus years old yet still looked like she was young enough to be Ina's little sister, even though Ina more or less saw her as her daughter instead.
Though the reunion was a bittersweet one, with Gura not remembering her and all, Ina still found comfort in the fact that she could see her adopted daughter again. Still, sometimes she wished that the shark would remember her so that she could have those memorable days once again, but time was cruel to her as the shark remembered nothing at all.
As time went on and the two created a new bond of friendship, Ina thought she had finally let go of the past. But when she and Gura went out to buy groceries for a collab, Ina didn't expect Gura to suddenly grab her hand out of nowhere.
"Gu-Gura you ok?" Ina asked, taken aback.
"Huh?" Gura looked down at her hand and noticed her clutching onto Ina's. "Oh sorry, I do this a lot with my mom, guess I did it in reflex since you're so motherly sometimes Ina."
Ina felt the strings of her heart be pulled at the shark's comment. So when the shark was about to pull her hand away, Ina quickly snatched it back into hers.
"Ina?"
"It's ok," said the priestess. "If you want to hold hands, then we can."
A tiny blush appeared on Gura's cheeks, but she then tightened her hold of the other girls' hand.
They then walked to the store hand in hand, much like during those days far gone from Gura's memories, but have been already etched into time itself. Maybe one day she'll remember, that at one point, her mother was Ninomae Ina'nis.