"What do you mean death?" A voice asked. It was small, high pitched, familiar.
Akira turned around to see, whom she'd known as Rinta the high pitched girl, Kirinta.
At the sight of her, the stars in the distance began to glow brighter, as she drew nearer to them. Akira, however, was becoming far too impatient with this. She didn't have time for all this wonder and cosmic mystery. She had a purpose. A goal. A single goal to find whoever murdered her brother.
And so, before Rin or Kirinta could begin talking to each other, Akira interrupted, standing between the two souls as her voice lowered:
"Listen, I don't have time for all this cosmic bullshit. I have better things to do than stand around here and act all confused." Her glanced at Rin, then Kirinta, "Let me go. I want to leave."
For a long moment, an awkwardly small silence filled the space between them.
Rin, who's eyes where now glowing a muted crimson, didn't speak. She let Kirinta say what they both wanted to say.
"Akira, I get that you're frustrated. We took you without consent to be questioned in our HQ, but that's only because we wanted to see you."
"We?" Akira side eyed Kirinta.
"Yes, we. Well, I'd say I, but that's inaccurate. I wanted to see you because I'd never seen another Hybrid before, but...well she wanted to see you for her own reasons."
"What reasons?"
"Only she can answer that..." Kirinta said softly.
Akira's eyes slid slowly toward Rin, who's entire body materialized into a transparent red, "I will grant you your freedom, child. However, I want you to answer this simple question."
Akira didn't say a word, just stared at this glowing annoyance like it was one of Yoshida's mistimed jokes.
"When you find the truth you're searching for. What then?"
"Kill it." Akira said in a heartbeat. Cold. Precise. Like it was the only truth.
The only plausible answer.
"I see..."
Rin's hand manifested a staff in her hand before it started shimmering. Except, the staff kinda looked familiar—
"Now. Be gone with you."
And in the immediate moment that happened, Akira sprang up again.
She took a deep breath, eyes wildly looking around until they stopped by the door.
Her bedroom door.
Wait...
Hold on.
Akira looked at her hands. Solid. Meaty and definitely not transparent. She was awake now. However she was confused.
Why the hell was she back in her bedroom?
She got off bed, hands on her head drowsy and dazed, "What the hell—"
Just then, her phone rang. She checked the contact info: Yano.
She answered.
"H-Hello?"
"Don't tell me you're still in bed, Aki."
Akira looked at her feet, then through the window and at her door, "H-Huh, I'm...wait, what's going on? Where am I? What happened?"
Yano sighed over the line, "Akira, I seriously can't keep this up, okay? Just tell me you'll get ready for later on tonight, alright?"
Akira's eyes squinted at her phone, "H-Huh, what's going on later tonight?"
"How the hell did you forget what you told us to do!?"
Akira got up and groaned a little, feet shuffling against the floorboards, "Uh-Uhm, sorry, it's just I've got a lot on my mind and I'm kinda lost right now. I seriously have no idea what happened last night. Did you guys get back home okay? Those guys from the Ayanaki, they didn't hurt you, right?"
"What the hell would people from the Ayanaki Order want with us? Seriously, Aki, you've gotta get a grip, girl. I get you're stressed out and losing Akashi's doing things to your psyche, but we're here for you, alright?"
Akira's hand twisted the doorknob as she shuffled inside the living room before she suddenly froze midway, "Wait. Run that by me again?"
"Look, I don't have time for this, Akira! I'm late for the next lecture!"
She looked at the phone, checked the time, 12:08 pm.
Wait, what?
"Y-Yano, I-Im so confused right now—"
"I'll talk later then! I gotta go, the professor's just walked in."
Just before she hung up, Yano's voice softened a little bit as she said, "And sorry about what I said yesterday. It wasn't considerate of me to say Akashi was selfish. That's my fault. It's just I worry about you, y'know?"
Akira's eyes shot open as her breath hitched, "Wait, Yano—!"
"Talk later, Aki. Seriously. Bye."
The phone hung up. Akira stood there motionless as the realization hit her like a damn bullet to the chest.
Did she just...go back in time?