583/Familiar Bonds

Familiar Bonds
Date of Scene:	15 November 2015
Location:	Ikiko's House
Synopsis:	Ayana attempts to steal Ikiko's Lycan Locket, but gets caught in the process. Ikiko panics and tries to activate the locket, but with both girls clinging to it, its magic goes a little haywire. The results are an unexpected emotional bond, allowing the two girls to sense one anothers emotions in a way they never expected.
Cast of Characters:	Ikiko Hisakata, Ayana

---

Ayana has posed:
For the second time in as many months, Ayana visited the Hisakata home for the evening, but this time she didn't even have a backpack to pretend like she brought clothes. Nevertheless, with the aid of a little Kitsune magic, she was once again able to disguise her magical nature from Ikiko's parents. Or at least, that's what the girls think. Whether this is true or not is anybody's guess.

A nice dinner, silly funtime in front of bad movies, and some chatting about school, but eventually the girls grew tired. Ayana had to borrow a set of pajamas from Ikiko, but with only a few centimeters difference in size between the girls, it worked out alright.

Deep, deep in the night, long after Ikiko's breathing has deepend with her sleep, the little fox awakens. At first, she lays very still, not moving a muscle for fear that Ikiko might also be faking her sleep. But eventually she sits up and peers at Ikiko on the bed above her.

"Still Night," Ayana whispers, "Silent mode. Night vision." Sure, she can see in the dark on her own, but Still Night turns night into day, allowing her to better surmise her friend's current state.

Ayana crawls forward off of the futon, and her real ears--those fluffy fox ears--pop into view as she sniffs and searches very carefully for hints of Ikiko or her parents noticing her activity.

Quietly, Ayana crawls onto Ikiko's bed, moving slowly and deliberately to avoid too much rustling--to avoid waking Ikiko. At last, she kneels over her friend's sleeping form, and leans down very gently to place her hands behind Ikiko's neck. Nearly nose to nose, she very carefully tries to unclasp the Lycan Locket; a tricky task from this angle even were she not trying to be noticed.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Ikiko Hisakata is sound asleep, but it's not a very sound sleep -- her dreams are uneasy tonight. Finding Ayana and rescuing her from the hunger parasite helped relieve some of the worry that the younger girl had been having, but new worries had come to take their place, and they are heavy on her mind.

At first, the dreams weren't bad -- wandering around town while looking for Ayana, then finding her and hanging out. But after a while, Ayana would fade away, and then Ikiko would find herself in a different part of town, and the cycle would repeat. And with each new cycle, it takes longer for her to find Ayana, and Ayana vanishes sooner.

Ikiko squirms in her sleep. "Ayana... where are you..." she sleep-murmurs, a worried expression on her face. She doesn't seem to be close to waking up yet, which might be a good thing for Ayana -- especially since Ikiko's movement has slid the clasp of the locket's chain away from the foxgirl's hands!

Ayana has posed:
"Tch," Ayana makes a soft nose, then leans in even closer, putting her face right next to Ikiko's as she tries to find the locket's clasp again. Finding it, she leans away again and starts to fumble with the clasp once more.

This time, she finds herself transfixed by Ikiko's face. So close, she can see the lines of worry there, the concern so readily etched on her friend's features. Some part of her should feel guilty; she's sure that she would feel guilty. But the rest of her knows that this is what has to happen. This is for Ikiko's own good.

The clasp finally comes free, and Ayana breathes a tiny sigh of relief, then starts to pull her hands out from behind Ikiko's neck, bringing the chain with her on either side. Careful, careful, she begins to lift the locket from Ikiko's chest.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
The dreams keep getting worse for Ikiko. Not only has Ayana vanished into a series of shadowy afterimages that Ikiko keeps chasing fruitlessly, but now Ikiko herself seems to be losing her form as well! It starts with a blurriness around her hands and feet, and then it starts spreading up her limbs. What's more, her head is turning to mist and blowing away!

...no, not her head; her neck, rather. And it feels like the parts of her dream-self that are fading and blowing away are matching a hollow feeling in her soul, a part of her that feels incomplete. Come to think of it, the last time she felt like this was...

...the last time she removed the Lycan Locket.

Reflexively, she reaches for the Lycan Locket, grabbing it -- and a pair of hands that are also holding onto it. She wakes up with a start, disoriented by the sudden pulse of adrenaline -- and the very unexpected faceful of foxgirl! "Whu- wha...?" she stammers groggily, her hands tightening.

Ayana has posed:
Success! Victory! Ayana begins to relax as the locket starts to raise from Ikiko's neck. "Yesss," she hisses quietly to herself.

And then it all goes wrong. As Ikiko's hands lock onto the devices, Ayana lets out a soft yelp of surprise, and finds herself meeting Ikiko's eyes from an uncomfortably close distance.

"No ..." she whispers quietly. So close to victory, yet it's not close enough. A sadness enters Ayana's eyes, then; a realization that she can't save Ikiko. But stubbornly, she refuses to give in.

Ayana leans away, trying to tear the locket out of Ikiko's hands ...

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Ikiko Hisakata blinks for a moment, recognizing the sadness in Ayana's eyes. "Ayana...?" she asks, trying to puzzle it out.

Then the foxgirl leans away, trying to take the Lycan Locket with her! "Gah!" Ikiko yelps, then tries pulling the Lycan Locket away from Ayana. "Ayana--! Why...?" she hisses, trying to keep her voice down in an effort to not wake up her family with the struggle.

But this tug-of-war is way too close for her comfort. This calls for a sudden move, one that should give her an edge and some space!

"Lycan Locket!" she says through gritted teeth. The silvery aura starts to surround her... and another aura surround Ayana, dark but not ominous. The two auras meet at the Lycan Locket, seeming to form a distortion in space--

And Ikiko feels herself falling into Ayana's eyes.

There's a blink -- Ikiko would say that it's her, and that it's not her but Ayana instead -- and suddenly there's a lightning rush of memories, as vivid as reliving them for the first time. Ikiko lives through Ayana's memories, each one going by too fast to see, to hear, to touch... but not too fast for emotions. Those, she feels, and experiences, and learns.

After a split-second that felt like ages, Ikiko finds herself looking at herself through Ayana's eyes, and then falling back into her own eyes... and once more, she is herself.

She blinks, the attempted (and failed) transformation forgotten. "Wha... what happened?" she asks, still in a bit of a daze.

Ayana has posed:
Familiars aren't supposed to dream. They aren't supposed to have ambitions or desires of their own. They are an extension of their master; a companion, certainly, but a tool, at the end of the day. It never quite works out that way, however, and dream this familiar has.

In her dreams, Ayana found a friend, and that friend trusted her deeply and truly. That friend trusted her despite the times Ayana broke that trust. That friend cared so deeply that she put herself at risk to save Ayana from the darkness that consumed her.

And in that same dream, Ayana found herself trusting the friend in return; believing in a Good that she could never experience as a familiar. Believing in a life outside of her master; a life for herself.

Several nights ago, that dream was shattered, when she was forced to make a choice between her love for the undboutedly villainous Takashi Agera, and her passion for Good. In truth, it wasn't a hard choice for Ayana to make. Shattering dreams seemed so easy, that day.

As the Lycan Locket connects the two girls, however, Ayana realises that dreams are not so easily shattered. She falls into Ikiko's eyes, and for a brief few moments, she lives all of Ikiko's life, too fast to really comprehend, but as the vision parts, Ayana is left with the emotions that her dream held from the other side. Love and friendship unabounding. Trust. Trust to ovrlook even the strangest of things.

Ayana is thrown back by the force of the failed transformation. She slams into the far wall, then groans in pain at the suddenness of it.

No, not at the physical; this is a pain bourn from understanding on a fundamental level just what 'betrayal' means for the very first time. The little familiar is shaking, slowly huddling up around her own knees as realization of just what she's done settles in.

She's still clutching the Lycan Locket in her hands, but her plans had been to take it and run; to hide it where Ikiko would never find it. That plan seems so callous; so cruel. So wrong, now. How can she possibly hurt the first person who has ever loved her, instead of using her as a tool? So she just lies there, rocking back and forth, clutching the small locket in her hands.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
As Ikiko looks at Ayana, the question 'why?' starts to surface once again. But this time, an answer comes even before she speaks the word: caring and concern, misguided in execution, but heartfelt nonetheless. And heartfelt as well is the sorrow at the realization of what the plan meant.

But the sorrow is not directly hers -- it is from her understanding on Ayana's heart, learned from the brief/lifelong exposure to her memories and feelings.

Her eyes damp with resonant tears, Ikiko walks over and sits next to Ayana, holding her close with one arm and lightly resting her other hand on Ayana's hands.

"Thank you," Ikiko murmurs, leaning her head against Ayana's. There is gratefulness in her voice, made even clearer by their communication of feelings. Ayana's concern for her is acknowledged, appreciated, and -- most importantly -- accepted. All gladly, all fully.

Ayana has posed:
The feeling of acceptance comes through more than just through Ikiko's words. For a moment, the familiar is startled by it, but not enough to stop feeling her own regrets. "No, don't thank me," she mumbles unhappily at Ikiko, even as she leans into the hug. "I'm a bad person, Ikiko. I'm horrible."

She's crying, now; knowing that everything is slipping out of her grasp. Takashi's going to kill her if he finds out she messed this one up. She tried to think for herself again, and once again it's backfired. Why couldn't she just stop thinking and start doing what she's been told!?

"You should hate me," she tells Ikiko gently. And maybe that's a little bit because Ayana hates herself. "You should hate me, and fear me, and defeat me. I hurt people today ... I'm going to do it again, Iki-chan. I'm going to hurt people, and I'm going to do it on purpose. I'm the villain in your story. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I wanted to save you from it. To make you just a normal girl. You wouldn't get hurt. I can't do it. And you're going to get hurt and it's going to be my fault."

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Ikiko Hisakata hugs Ayana, one hand going up to gently skritch the foxgirl between the ears. "The hardest thing to save someone from is themselves," she says softly. "I'm not a magical girl to be safe; I'm a magical girl so that I can help keep others safe. And you're not as horrible as you feel you are; you show concern and compassion. For me, and for others."

She snuggles closer to Ayana. "You enjoy doing good," she continues, recalling some of the memories of emotions. "Do good when you can, even if it's just in the small things. I'm not going to give up on you, and I refuse to let you give up on yourself, Aya-chan."

Ayana has posed:
Ayana leans into Ikiko's affectionate touch and closes her eyes. Slowly, she releases her hold on the Lycan Locket, allowing it to fall back into Ikiko's hands. "I can't tell you the truth," she tells Ikiko. "I'm a liar, and I'm a thief, and I can't even tell you why," she says softly.

"I just don't want you to be hurt," Ayana reiterates. "And I can't save you. Why won't you let me save you?" She sniffles again, then turns and wraps her arms around Ikiko, burying her face in the girl's shoulder. "Don't be Tsukiko anymore. Please. It's the only way I can save you."

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
The Lycan Locket might be back in Ikiko's hands, but the younger girl is in no rush to put it back on. Instead, she wraps her arms around Ayana, holding her close and gently rocking her.

After a few minutes, Ikiko nuzzles Ayana. "If you save me, then how can I save you?" she asks quietly. "I can't just sit at home and worry, waiting for word on how you're doing -- I have to be there, to help you, to be the first one to know that you're safe, to be the one to cheer you up when you're sad."

Ayana has posed:
The utter conviction in the statement--the simplicity of Ikiko's devotion felt keenly through the strange bond they share--strikes Ayana so oddly. "I don't deserve those things," she says, even knowing Ikiko will disagree. "I don't deserve you," she emphasizes, then lets out a soft sigh of resignation. "I wish you would just let me suffer so that you don't have to. I had it all figured out. And now ..." she trails off. "Now I've ruined everything. Just like I always do. Foxes aren't meant to be girls. I'm so bad at this."

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Ikiko Hisakata ruffles Ayana's hair and ears. "And let you suffer alone? Not a chance," she retorts with a warm smile. "Besides, you're clever and quick to learn; you're already pretty good at being a girl, and you haven't been doing it that long. Just imagine how good you'll be when you keep practicing!"

Ayana has posed:
"You're such a dumb dog," Ayana accuses her friend gently, though there's no malice in the accusation. Instead she says it with fondness, as if she couldn't find any better way to refer to Ikiko. Opening her mouth, she very gently bites Ikiko's shoulder, then sighs and rolls away to put her back to the wall again, staring at the far wall. "So what happens, now?"

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
The friendly tease elicits a giggle from Ikiko, which turns into a yawn about halfway through. "Sleep, probably," she quips with a deadpan expression that quickly breaks into a smile.

While she puts the Lycan Locket back on, she gives the question a bit of serious thought. "I think... mostly the same, really," she muses. "We're more aware of each other's emotions now, and more aware of what each other is doing, but I don't think it really changes anything between us. Well, other than being more open with each other, that is."

A warm smile crosses Ikiko's face. "That part's kinda nice, actually."

Ayana has posed:
There's a brief flash of uncertainty from Ayana, at the last thought. Nice? For Ikiko, perhaps, but the fox isn't so sure. "Yeah," she lies anyways, then sighs and closes her eyes. Resignation once again, as she realizes this may well be the last time Takashi allows her to see her friend. Perhaps the last time he allows her to see anything. After a moment, the girl shrinks and transforms, and the borrowed pajamas fall to the floor around her vulpine shape.

The little black fox clambors into Ikiko's lap burying its face against her stomach as it nuzzles her affectionately. If this is going to be her last moment, she intends to make certain Ikiko understands how she feels in the only way she truly knows how: by cuddling her close.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Ikiko Hisakata pets the black fox, complete with the occasional skritchies. After a minute or two, she gently scoops up Ayana, then carefully stands up with the foxling still in her arms. There's a moment of cautious balance as she snags the borrowed pajamas, then she heads back to her bed.

Dropping the borrowed pajamas back onto the futon that Ayana had been using, Ikiko climbs into her bed, still holding the fox close. "Good night and sweet dreams, Aya-chan," she murmurs, kissing the tip of Ayana's nose and snuggling the black fox like a plushie. She might not be able to do much for Ayana's feeling of resignation and worry, but she can respond to the foxgirl's affection and caring.

With love. <3