Naru asked to hear about some personal things. Naru is a friend, and she's willing to talk about it and she's calmed down from it mostly that she isn't gonna freak and panic and this is mostly with Hannah's help and reminder that she loves the heck out of her, daily for the past few days.
Lots of cuddles helped too, of course.
So Haruna asked to meet in the ECFH at sometime before she goes to open the shop before she goes to school and leave Corvus in charge.
She's arrived via Balcony landing via Pretty Cure flight and unhenshined and walked in uncermoniously and peeked around.
"Naru-chan?" she calls out softly. She doesn't know if people are up. Or out. Or awake in another of the penthouse areas or what.
She tip toes into the living area where the couches and video game systems and everything is.
"I always forget how utterly obnoxiously big this place is." she says under her breath.
Fortunately, school doesn't start 'til the 18th! Unfortunately, exam season for those trying to get into High School or University is well underway and the study freak outs are starting to creep in.
There's no one else awake at ECFH, at least not who is out and about in public areas, except Naru. She's still in her running gear, puttering around the kitchen making coffee. "Morning!"
The muffins already set out are totally not late night stress impulsive muffins, not even a little.
"Coffee? Or are you sick of it yet and would prefer something else?" Naru offers with a smile.
Haruna Kurosawa grins. "Coffee is fine. I just make it now~" she says softly as she steals a cup. There's muffins. She eyes them. She makes the kind of longing eyes at them of someone looking at a long missing love. She may be too afraid to ask for one.
She looks back at Naru. "Ahaha---" she says. "I was already to.. talk to you. About. The things. That bothered me a lot." she says nerovusly.
"But I had a talk with Alexis and-- I put.. two and two together easily because I swear I've never seen Kyouko-chan blush /ever/." she says.
"And besides. Hannah totally gosspied at me about it already and she about threw me off the roof of WPS when I told her I more or less figured that out already." she says with a nervous grin.
"But.. what I'm saying is that.. I don't wanna-- put worrying ideas in your head. But I don't even think you can worry." she says nervously.
"Muffin?" Naru nudges the plate over. "Banana walnut." She offers, eliminating the worry about being shy about taking one. Coffee for both of them, and cream and sugar nudged over in the same casual offer as the muffins.
Naru quirks a touch of a wry little smile. "We'd been fairly subtle, but I didn't think we'd been quite /so/ subtle to warrent the shock and surprise we're getting. Ami has an excuse, she was in Peru. So thank you for having figured it out, I feel better."
Naru reaches for a muffin of her own after a sip of coffee. "So did talking to Alexis and figuring out about Kyouko and I, did that mean that you don't want to discuss whatever attacked you?" She asks thoughtfully.
Her ability to worry and just how finely honed that skill is, Naru doesn't comment on.
Haruna Kurosawa bites her lip. "No. It's just that..." she says.
"Okay. I'm gonna tell you about what happened alright? But I need to kinda. Tell you some stuff. Personal stuff. Stuff that I wish didn't get out because only Hannah and Aki knew the deal and now like. Some other kids know and Sakura knows and just. I don't even think Sakura-chan understands." she says quitely.
"Basically. My hometown is this small village up north. On the beach. Kind of a small fishing village. Not huge. Countryside. Could see the beach from my room." she says.
"-and it was me, my sister Aki, my Dad and My mom." she says.
"My dad was a fisherman and my mom was kind of traditional homemaker. And that's kinda. Where the problems begin." she says.
"Dad and Mom were. Very... traditional." she says.
"When I was.. much younger." she says. "I realized I kinda. Liked girls?" she says quiety.
"--and I knew my parents had... not nice things to say about.. 'those kind of people'." she says.
"--and I became kind shy. And weird. So I didn't make many friends. But. I would go to the library. And rent. Books. Like. Love stories. About that kind of thing."
"I hid them well but I screwed up one day and left one downstairs. And Dad found it..."
"...and he read it..."
"...and he saw who'd signed the little ticket in the back..."
"..and just..."
She trails off and thinks a moment this is obviously hard for her to think about /too hard/. "Just... my sister. I'm glad. That. She'd. Stayed home. That night. Because. It was very loud. And she punched dad in the face. And she grabbed my hand. And we ran. and we ran. and we ran." she says.
"They would still. Speak to Aki. Hesitantly. But. They disowned me. They said a lot of bad things." she says. "So Aki took me here. To Tokyo. And she got a job. And we got this stupid small shack in this guys backyard that we lived in." she says. "----Because 'part-time convience store worker' doesn't pay a whole lot when you're also paying for a guy to do the whole. Legal Guardian paperwork thing." she says.
"So. That's where. This recent event. Is coming from. Alright...?" she says quietly.
Naru is quiet, sipping her coffee as she listens. She doesn't inturrupt, but little nods of understanding and a faint wince at yet another example of the reality of intolerant families.
"I'm sorry to hear that your family didn't support you. I'm glad that your sister was there for you." Naru replies quietly. "Please, go on. I understand."
Haruna Kurosawa sighs and rubs a hand through her face.
"So.. a couple weeks back." she says quietly. "I woke up." she says. "But. I woke up. in my old house. Where I lived in the small village." she says. "and I smelled the turkey bacon my dad used to buy special. And I walked down and my dad was there and my mom were they and... I started. Questioning things. At first... I think. I'm not sure. My brain was kind of. Being messed with." she says quietly.
"And my Mom said. I'd missed a call. From /Hannah/. And that. She probably wanted to take me on a date tonight."
"And neither reacted. And acted like I'd been dating her. Like I did here. And I /questioned it/ and they said..."
"I must have had a /really/ bad dream. Because they'd never say that sort of thing. That they'd love me. No matter what. And that they liked Hannah. And.. it was perfect Naru..."
"It was so /perfect/." she says. "Just... Hannah. Has this great family. And they love her. And they love me too and they want me to call them.. mom and dad too and everything and they know my family sucked about that and---" she kind of bites her lip.
"And I want Hannah to meet mine. Because I met hers. But she can't."
"And then... before I know it."
"...Hannah. And Yuzuki and Sakura and these others crash through the wall. And they're telling me that. This world is fake. It's an illusion and I don't belive them. I don't want to belive them. I think Hannah is there. For the date my mom mentioned."
"But they start saying things. And I start remembering and-- everything. Just started falling apart. Like glass. And I was in my room. And I was tired. And they were there."
"I'd been missing three days but it didn't even feel that long. And I hadn't eaten or slept." she says.
"Because this.. thing. Passed through. And It feeds off desire and so it fed off my desire that. I wish my parents would had accepted me for who I was and loved me." she says.
"Just. It messed me up. Really bad. The last time I felt that messed up. Was when I thought Aki died. And I'm only lucky that I have friends now and my sister is okay and not dead and Hannah loves me and her family loves me." she says.
Then she's shoving the muffin into her mouth because a Naru muffin is going to make her feel better after all that exposition.
"So. That's. What happened. And that's why I nearly almost wasn't ready.. for opening." she says quietly. "Almost."
Naru is very good at listening. She is quiet and attentive, sipping her coffee and watching. Watching Gull's expression and reactions, giving little 'mmm' noises and gentle wincing, utterly sympathetic.
"Oh those are the /worst/." Naru agrees quietly. "So this was you actually were taken to another place? Or was it in Dream? Or just caught entirely in your own head?" Her tone is curious, no condemnation, or assumptions about further details.
Haruna Kurosawa sighs. "Like? It existed. But it didn't. Like Hannah and them we're..physically there." she says. "In the illusion. And then the illusion shattered and we were just in my apartment I keep." she says.
"It makes a .. physical illusion? Like.. have you ever watched that American show, Star Trek?" she asks. "It was kind of like the Holographic room." she says. "Same deal. A big house in a tiny tiny place and I didn't physically move. I was just. Trapped in it." she says quietly.
"As the thing fed and left." she says. "Kinda leaving me to.. well I guess die." she says meekly.
"It's not like illusionary food is real." she says. She eats another muffin.
"Could claim this muffin is though, it's great." she smiles a bit.
"But. Just."
"Look, just don't take that from anyone. That kind of hate." she says quietly.
"Hunh. That /is/ interesting. And new." Naru reaches for her phone, to be able to take a few notes as they talk. "I'm glad that people found you in time, it's disconcerting as well as interesting. And you say that it felt like it had moved on, but you were still caught up in the illusion your own mind had created?"
Naru smiles. "Mako makes beautiful as well as delicious food. I only manage tasty, but I'm hardly about to argue with that."
There's a gentle smile and a nod from Naru. "So far, I've been outrageously lucky in the love and support that I have in my life. Not just about my romantic life, but wended all through it. I am blessed beyond measure at the amount of love I get to enjoy. It makes me sad to know that others dont' have that luxury, either in their past or their present."
Haruna Kurosawa bites her lip. "Right. That stuff. Too. It leads into. The other thing. The 'Dark Witch' thing." she says.
"Do you remember Mitakihara Public?" she asks. "Where Infinity University is now? That's where me and sis went to school." she says.
"--and it was fun. And. I mean. I was shy. Very shy. My sister was practically my only friend."
"And I would bury myself into romance novels." she says sheepishly. "In my spare time."
"Anyways. Aki. Goes to help setup a dance." she says. "The night Tomoe Labs went up like a lit candle and took Mitakihara Public with it." she says.
"...and they never found her." she says softly. "The dance was the next day. And it was after school hours. So. It's not like anyone was in attendance. Except that group. And every one got out..."
"Except for her." she says.
"And I remember. Talking to the firemen. Weeks later. Who'd given up searching the rubble because they had run out of time to search. And I remember... sitting next to my parents. Who didn't even anowledge me. During the memorial service." she says. "and--"
"I became. Withdrawn. And I hid."
"I didn't. Need to worry about money for a while. Aki was smart. She got life insurance, you know? I was too young to work anyways. And. Everyone who went to Mitakihara, got a 'free pass' into Infinity. And I moved into the dorms there alone." she says. "And I was a shut in. And everyone hated me. I was... 'The Horrible Haru Hikikomori'." she mutters.
Naru frowns a little, thoughtful as she listens. There's a sip of her coffee and she sets her phone down again, notes stilled for the time being.
"Losing your sister must have been devistating for you." Naru comments gently. She doesn't comment on 'the horrible Haru Hikikomori' moniker that she acquired in the dorms. Dorms are cruel places at the best of times.
Haruna Kurosawa frowns. "It was. and.. the people that.. did try to reach out to me? I just. Pushed them away. Somethings literarly." she says. "I remember. Smacking at least a few people upside the head with a textbook." she says a little meekly with a slight smile.
"Anyways. About. A year and a half ago.. Two years after my sister had been gone." she says. "I am forced to go on a field trip. Or I will fail and they will kick me out." she says.
"So I got to the Museum in Penguin Park and we go through 'The Americas' exhibit." she says.
"And I kind of. Wander away from the group to do my own thing. And I come to this. Display. Of four tablets. A raven. A lynx. A bear. and a raccoon." she says. "When I draw near. There's a spark. All four tablets spark-- but only one glows. The Raven." she says.
"And this little shadow of a bird pops out. And he says.... that. He hasn't sensed a sadness like mine for a long time. That my heart is practically a black hole-- and he tells me that he knows I want something desprately."
".. and he tells me. Before I can even process this. That if I help him. He can grant me a wish. Any wish. If I help free him from the tablet. and-- right there. Right then I didn't even think about it. I grab the tablet and I shove it into my backpack and I run back to my dorm room. I know what I want. I want my sister back. I want my sister back very bad." she says.
"So I talk with this bird. He is an old demigod named Corvus. He was trapped in the tablet by scared humans. He wants to be free again."
"I am of course. a Desperate idiot. I agree to help him." she says lightly.
"So. He kind of. Imbues me. With his power. And he makes his 'Priestess' and this takes the form of a Witch that he names 'Scorn'." she says.
"To free Corvus. I had to collect souls."
"So I did that. With the power I had. This power was.. it was awful. Every attack I could levied just. Licked at and Touched and Tickled your very being. Ask.. Mamoru. About it. He was one of the first people I fought, as Scorn." she says.
"Well. I mean as Tuxedo Kamen. No one knew who Mamoru was at the time."
"Except a jerk." she smirks with a giggle.
"Anyways. I do that. And I hurt people. A lot of people. Stealing.. thier souls." she says.