"By the way Luna, not that I mean to be rude or anything but, you seem... oddly unusual today." Hikari remarked looking at Luna at the mirror who was by her side washing her face.
"Is it?" She bluntly replied.
Hikari thought that Luna what been oddly quiet, she usually talk alot more too, but today seems different. Perhaps she's just in a bad mood.
"Well, probably because I'm just tired." Luna replied again.
"I see... Um, right! I'm not sure whether it's alright to ask you this but..." Hikari trailed off looking at Luna's bewildered expression "are you...and Shiki, you know, a thing?"
Luna' eyes widen, she couldn't believe she's hearing this from them, but she eventually chuckled after, "Him? And me? Of course not, why would you think if that?"
"Well, you seem to never interact within the room but oddly interactive with one another outside. It's almost like—"
"Were dating in secret?" Luna interjected, a snort escaped her mouth.
Hikari nodded not uttering a word.
"How's your brother?" Luna asked breaking the silence, but hikari only responded with a smile.
Luna just shook her head chuckling still as she turn the faucet on and washed her hands.
"Then do you think you and the SC president can work out?" Hikari implored, changing the topic.
The sudden statement halted Luna, turning her head at Hikari who was fixing her braids. Luna frowned as she turned off the faucet.
"Why would you ask that?"
Luna flinched when Hikari glanced at her wearing still wearing her innocent smile that made Luna felt an eerie present from her.
Elmira who was outside the washroom, together with Luna's beast was crouch down at the door side waiting for the two. She went with them for she didn't exactly felt being left alone with the others since Elmira wasn't close with them unlike towards Hikari.
Suddenly she was shadowed by a figure standing in front of her. She lift up her head to see the student council president smiling.
"Oh, president, what...what are you doing here?" Elmira asked standing up, but Dion didn't say anything while she winced when the two beast suddenly started growling at Dion.
She couldn't understand, Dion was just standing there, is he perhaps just checking bathrooms inspecting them?
Finally, Dion spoke as she glance to Elmira smiling. "I was told to inspect bathrooms floor to floor, is someone inside?"
"O-oh! Yes, Hikari and Luna's inside." Elmira replied, nodding.
"Hmm... I see, then I'll just get back to this after the others." After that, Dion bid his farewell to Elmira.
Elmira got nervous for nothing, she guess her thought was right all along.
But... what's this eerie feeling?
****
"...What?" Shiki asked in disbelief.
Rinalyn eyes starting to wander around, not really knowing where to look, panicking as she can feel the words becoming stuck within her throat.
She took a deep breath and slowly sighed and look straight into Shiki."Listen," she started pulling herself together, "I resent you, you know that right? But perhaps I just hated you. Maybe I was just blinded by the thought that I resent you, that I have to."
Rinalyn paused gulping, fiddling with her fingers. "I can't forgive you just yet, but I do understand what happened before isn't your fault, you were just being controlled by that b*tch. But still, you put my mother into a state of coma for years... I... No, you weren't in the right mind that time, but physically speaking, you're the one who hurt her and I can't just get the thought that it's not your fault. You were being manipulated, but it was still your own strength that did all the damage."
Rinalyn paused once again as she thought of how her words are just circling around. She knew Shiki was being manipulated, and controlled, but still, she can't seem to find the urge to just say, it's not Shiki's fault, he was unconscious that time of the incident and yet she still blames him.
She wanted to forgive him, but the scene of Shiki's power tremendously crushing her mother's body was being played over and over again everytime she thought of wanting to close the gap between her and him.
"I'm being quite unreasonable, aren't I?" She scoffed.
"...." Shiki needlessly said nothing.
The short term silence was unnerving. Rinalyn's eyes kept on wandering around, as she took a long deep breath before continuing what she was supposed to say.
"I know, I can't be forever be like this— i can't resent you forever, nor do i have the conscience to feel guilty about not forgiving you, because i know, I'll come to regret it in the future and, I do not wish for my heart to be clouded with resentment. Because I feel like when I do, something within me would burst."
Shiki did not still say anything. He has his usual expression, stiff, and indifferent.
Rinalyn bit her lips, how can she say the things she wanted to say when Shiki doesn't say anything in return? How can they communicate better, this wouldn't work, just no!
"Well, I guess, I have to go. I hope you think it through, maybe we can talk it out much better the next time we meet."
Rinalyn smiled for the last time and turn around to leave Shiki. But suddenly, a tight grip yanked her arm making her halt and jolt as she turn back with widen eyes.
She looked over to Shiki who was still quiet as ever, but something about his eye was off, it was sharply looking at her, as if he was glaring.
His grip tighten when he asked, "Who are you?"
"!!!"
The atmosphere became tense by the time. Rinalyn was stunned by what Shiki sudden said, but eventually laughed. "Are you implying that I'm a different person just because of the things I had said? Are you indicating that I'm not capable of forgiving you or throwing away my resentment? Is it? Ha!" She remarked.
"..."
Rinalyn thought Shiki would loosen his grip but her statement only made him to grip harder and pull her closer. She froze, holding her breath, as she could hear her heart beating from her chest.
"Just what are you—"
Shiki immediately interfered making Rinalyn stop mid sentence.
He had then said something that made her gaze sharpen at Shiki.
—!!!
"Why are you doing this, Luna?"
She immediately put all of her strength and yanked her arm away from Shiki's grip. Putting a huge distance between them.
Regaining her composure, she tried defying the accusation "Are you crazy?! Why would you bring up Luna in this? Do you honestly believe that? Do you hear yourself?! Just tell me if you cannot bare with the things I had said instead of accusing me of being someone—"
"Your eyes are glinting with Gold. And you still dare to defy that you're Luna?" He embarked.
Shiki started to close the distance between him and her, and before she could even take a step to boarden the distance once again, shiki swiftly grabbed her shoulders, stopping her from moving.
"Where is she? I'm sure you two had planned this, but this is unusually rude, don't you think? Pretending to be someone? If I'm not mistaken Rinalyn should be pretending to be you."
They both exchanged glares.
Not a second later, Rinalyn— or should we say, Luna sighed in defeat.
"All right, all right, you got me, I give up." Shiki's grip loosen and shrug her shoulders. "I am indeed Luna, and Rinalyn, she's..." Luna trailed off, as she gave shiki a dricet glance.
"She what?"
'Why is he being impatient this time? How did he even see through me? Damn it!' Luna thought, frustratedly scratching the back if her head.
"She went to check on to something. A traitor."
***
A high pitched cry resonated throughout the first floor of the academy attracting students nearby as they run to the girls rest room to see Elmira trembling ik the ground crying as she was looking petrified inside of the restroom, the beasts with her was also barking uncontrollably, growling.
"Oh my—! Is that blood?! Hurry call a teacher! Hurry!" One female student shouted after peeking into the restroom. Blood was everywhere, it was dripping from the sink creating a puddle down the the tiled floor.
"Miss, what happened? Miss?!" One student approached Elmira trying to calm her down.
"Hikari...Hikari and Luna was taken!!" She yelled historically.
***
"The girls are late, should we just go without them?" Remus said impatiently.
Remus, Shiki and Daryll was near the exit of the forest of illusion. They had gotten permission to be the search party to look for Rinalyn anf Hikari.
The crunching of falling branches was heard behind them and soon enough Rei, Elmira and Luna (who was still in disguise appeared)
"Took you long enough." Remus comment.
Rei who was panting heavily raised her middle finger at Remus, "Fuck you."
"It's not time for bickering, you two." Daryll interject just when the two was about to start to be on each other's neck.
He's right, bickering won't do them any good. They'll just be wasting time.
Everyone of them locked eyes with each other, nodding in unison as they soon set foot outside the Forest of Illusion. Luna immediately cast invisibility magic on everyone.
Luna took a deep breath, "Let's go."
With that, they leaped into the air as the search for their abducted companions begin.