Reiko Touyama makes it to a tree just outside Ikiko's window and climbs it. Nmrrrggg! Climb Climb Climb. She begins to wiggle across the branch and grabs the window sill of Ikiko's room and---
She realizes she is not a phantom thief. She'd summon a koi to open the window or unlock it, but well--- Ikiko's worried about her family finding out about her thing.
So she doesn't do that. Instead.
She politely gives a little rap.
"Pssssst." she says. "It's me... Reiko." she says, hoping she can be heard through the window.
It had been a pretty long week for Ikiko, but things seem to be getting better. Well, or at least not as bad as they had been, anyway. There's still a knotted feeling of impending doom whenever she thinks of Ayana, and the foxgirl hadn't been seen at school this week. However, Ikiko's magic had recovered; earlier in the evening she had even managed to henshin into Tsukiko again! Still, the wolfgirl didn't quite trust that she was in shape for a fight; a full extra night of rest should be enough to be back up to full power.
So Ikiko had been about ready to go to bed when there's a knock at her window. She crouches, wondering who might be trying to enter through the window, but relaxes when she sees who it is. "Didn't expect to hear from you tonight," she remarks to Reiko as she opens the window and helps the younger girl into her room. "Much less see you in person. What's up?"
Reiko Touyama hops in and raises a finger......
"First off...why didn't you tell me that Ayana drained your energy!?" she huffs! "And---secondly...!"
A koi pops into existance. *pop!*
"She killed a koi!" it says in a high pitched voice.
*pop!* another one.
"Reikoi's trying very hard not to be upset at about it for your sake!"
Then... *pop!* *pop!* they're gone.
She deflates. "T--that's a thing now. I really shouldn't had been trying to control them because now they talk and just blurt out things I'm feeling and I don't even know if they're sentient but they were /also/ able to force me to transform against my will..."
"Ikiko somethings very wrong with Fox-chan.... She killed a koi! and ate it!---and! My wand was reacting strange...."
"It wanted me to blast her with color energy...."
She mutters.
"I just ran away...." she mopes.
"She said I was bad friend for caring about the koi..." she mutters.
"I dunno... I was in shock when she bit and before I knew it there was like a whole bunch of koi surrounding me and they were calling out name's n junk...like calling her a toothy jerk...."
"Ikiko what's going on?"
Ikiko Hisakata blinks, then gives Reiko a hug. "I didn't mention that she drained my energy because she felt really bad about it," she explains. "And because apparently her jerk of a 'brother' was ill, and she needed the energy to help make him feel better."
This talk of Ayana makes Ikiko's heart twinge, and the descriptions Reiko was giving makes the sense of looming disaster feel closer than before. "There's something you should know, Reiko," she gulped. "A few days after Ayana drained me, I felt something from my bond with her. Despair -- despair so strong, I could feel it like she was nearby, instead of who-knows-where!"
A haunted expression settles on her face as she recalls the experience. "Within an hour or so of that, there was a feeling like an avalanche of darkness," she recalls with a hollow voice. "It battered my heart like a leaf in a windstorm, and I wasn't even the target of the darkness -- Ayana was."
A shudder. "I can't even pick up on the vaguest hints of Ayana's emotions now; all I can sense is a feeling of doom, lurking always in the back of my mind. And every time since then, I've felt ill when I tried to even think of Ayana." She takes a deep breath. "I think having my magic back is helping to reduce that feeling, but it still makes me uneasy."
Reiko Touyama huffs and gives Ikiko a tight hug. "She was being really creepy. Somethings wrong with her Ikiko and what you're describing sounds reallllly bad!" she says as she backs off and crosses her arms and looks down.
"My...Chroma Wand kept wanting me to blast her. I didn't do that. I mean...once. Because I ran away---and she lept after me."
She frowns. "She ate that koi really meanly... it died really slow." she says. "Even if she cared, she'd act like--she wasn't eating it at all I think! Try to hide it--I'm not even...that upset I guess...."
"It's just she seemed so wrong and doing it slowly just to mess with me..." she mutters.
"She was wading in the koi pond, even!" she huffs!
Ikiko Hisakata nods sadly. "I'm starting to think that something dark is affecting her," she agrees. "Darkness can take things that are innocent and turn them into monsters, and whatever it was that wrecked my bond with Ayana, it felt like a lot of darkness."
A sudden realization makes her shiver. "And if darkness can turn something innocent into a monster..." Her eyes widen. "What would it do to someone who's already convinced that they're a villain?"
Reiko Touyama frowns... "Well..that's what a Shade is, so... maybe that's why. It'd explain why my Chroma Wand reacted like it did. But---I dunno if I should blast Ayana with Color Energy. I don't wanna hurt her... and if it can destroy Shades..." she looks down.
"Don't wanna hurt her...even if she's doin mean stuff to fish.. and tried to attack me..." she says softly and looks down. She sighs and sits on Ikiko's bed and a koi appears and pats her on the back consolingly.
"What do we do?" she asks. "We can't hurt her... right?" she asks.
Ikiko Hisakata sits next to Reiko, patting her on the back and giving her a one-armed side-hug. "I might be able to do something with my howl," she pointed out. "It worked that time when she was acting like a monster due to something evil that she ate. Took out the evil thing and left her alone."
She leans partway back and looks up at the ceiling. Fighting Ayana, the person that she loves? That's not going to be easy for Ikiko... but the feeling of darkness was palpitable, and the despair earlier than that was heartwrenching. Something had happened to Aya-chan, and what kind of people wouldn't do what they can to help one of their friends?
"You're right: we can't hurt her," she sighs, sitting back up. "We'll just have to do what we can to keep her from successfully doing evil, and find a way to save her. Somehow."
Reiko Touyama sighs and also face-faults and deflates. "I hope my koi aren't .. smart... and are just...talking for me..." She says. "I dunno if I could deal with that... I just think it was like... my Chroma Crystal protecting me because I was too shocked to act..." she says mopey.
She tugs out her chroma crystal....
"Ikiko... did I ever tell you what happens if my crystal breaks...?" she asks softly.
Ikiko Hisakata nods. "The color orange vanishes from the world, and bad things happen to you while the crystal tries to heal itself," she recalls. "Which isn't good for you or the world."
She reaches over and gently pats the crystal. "I think your koi come from your instincts and inner feelings," she notes. "At least partially, anyway. It might be why they show up to reflect your stronger emotions, and how they knew what to do to keep you safe."
Reiko Touyama frowns. "I go into a coma." she says frankly. "That's what happens...." she says looking down. "I can't.. talk or play or tell you what happens." she says softly. "I'm hoping that I didn't let Ayana know.." she says softly.
She looks down.
"I'm afraid." she says. "I have this doll after me... and now I need to worry about Ayana." she sighs.
"But I bet you're more worried about Ayana for other reasons...." she says.
"We'll find a way to help her. Okay?" she assures Ikiko.
"Okay," Ikiko smiles weakly, giving Reiko a hug. The memories of cuddling Ayana-the-fox like a plushie and napping in Ayana-the-girl's lap are both a bittersweet heartwarming and an encouragement for their goal. "And I'll still do what I can about the doll that's threatening you."
She glances towards the window, then towards the door, then looks at Reiko. "I'd offer to let you stay the night, but I'm not sure I'd want to explain your arrival to either of our families," she shrugs apologetically.
Reiko Touyama Shakes her head. "I just...wanted to talk...about that." she says softly.
"I'm just scared and worried..." she admits with a sigh.
She leans into the hug Ikiko gives and nods. "No I understand I should. Get home anyways." she says with a sigh. SHe gets up and makes to the window. I can get back down the tree...!" she insists.
"I think..." she says. She makes to climb to the branch and begins to do just that!
Ikiko Hisakata goes over to the window and, with a hand on the Lycan Locket as an emergency precaution, watches Reiko make her way back down the tree. Once her younger friend is safely on the ground, Ikiko waves goodbye, then closes the window and climbs into bed.
She sighs and does her best to fall asleep, but this information about Ayana weighs heavy upon her. The sense of impending doom feels less mysterious, but now the mangled emotional bond feels even lonelier. "Aya-chan..." she whimpers softly, dreaming of happier memories as sleep slowly overtakes her.