Work Text:
Miya had descended down to the bottom of the uncomfortably hot pool in hopes the temperature would somehow cook her alive so the consequences of her rash actions would have to find her in the next life.
At the moment, giving up and running off with Rekka seemed like the best course of action. The memory was still fresh in her mind: the horrifying ordeal of having your worth be judged by people you thought were your friends. All eyes on her, making her skin scrawl; explanations and justifications catching in her throat. Miya thought she knew what was in store for her, having seen everything Kenna set in motion before, but being stared down by a hoard of your peers that you’re in not-so-silent competition with is a lot different than facing off against your three sisters.
The temperature of the pool was unbearable, but that was exactly what Miya desired. She wanted it to be unbearable, she wanted to suffer.
Miya could feel her body reacting to the heat, queasiness and a strong desire to get out of the pool overtaking her, but her mind was taken off of the miserable state she was forcing herself to be in by a distinct change in the atmosphere.
She felt the vibrations before she had heard anything concrete, and she tried to brush it off in hopes that it wasn’t any Fotian soldiers coming to bother her. She may have come here willingly in a moment of dumb desperation, but she refused to be at their beck and call. But the more she paid attention, the more the vibrations seemed less like casual movement and more like a struggle, and then an accelerated effort to get to where she was.
Miya pressed herself against the closest corner of the pool. It was deep enough to where she probably couldn’t be seen regardless, but she didn’t want to take the chance. Something was happening.
“Fou–nd h–er!”
Miya’s heart leapt in her chest at the sound of a voice. Distorted, but familiar–the thought made tears spring to her eyes, though Miya could hardly tell they were there. Before she had the chance to swim up herself, a figure jumped into the pool, swiftly swimming down with the kind of certainty of knowing you’ll be finding exactly what, or who, you’re looking for.
“You’re okay!” Kaisei wrapped his arms around Miya and pulled her into his chest, kissing the crown of her head in relief. He swirled them around in gleeful circles, pulling away from Miya every other second just to make sure she was truly alright before pulling her in again and holding her tightly once more. Miya didn’t mind; she hugged Kaisei back, the relief of no longer being alone and stranded making her dizzy. Kaisei noticed immediately. “Don’t worry, I got ya,” he reassured gently, securing Miya in his arms before swimming them both back up to the surface.
Here, Miya hazily caught the sight of more familiar faces: Asuka, Himeyuri, and Sayori. Just past them, she could see Shin by the door, fully transformed into a bear and ready to stop any danger from coming their way. She could hear distinct static-y versions of her other classmates–friends–voices over what she assumed were comms.
Moments before this, Miya had thought she was okay. She was nervous, undoubtedly, but it didn’t hit her just how wound up she had been until she felt safe again. She remained in Kaisei’s arms, body relaxing far too fast, the last thing she heard was a steadfast command from Zen over the comms: “Alright, let’s get home!”