Yuriko stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom, struggling to tie the band around her waist of the yukata. Jayce had said everyone was going to wear one, and she decided to use an old one that her mother used to wear. It was a little big on her, but not too bad. However, she couldn't quite reach behind her to tie the bow, and she had already tried to tie it in the front and rotate it to no avail.
She stopped when she heard thoughts enter her mind, and she glanced up to see her grandfather stop in the doorway. He scanned her, thoughts silent, only images of his daughter in the same outfit in her earlier years present in his mind. Yuriko watched as he quietly came to her, setting his cane on the sink before going behind her. Swiftly, he tied the bow, not saying a word or addressing her in his thoughts. When he was done, he simply grabbed his cane again and started walking away.
"Jiichan?" She called. He stopped, turning to look at her softly. She hesitated. "Can we… talk… when I get home tonight?"
He didn't seem to react at first, then simply smiled, nodding. Of course, Yuriko. Have fun at the festival.
With that, he left her alone in the bathroom, the only thing left of his memory being the tapping of his cane. She looked back at herself in the mirror, closing her eyes for a moment before she raised her head and smiled into the mirror. Then, she started working on her hair, just a tad bit warmer than she was before.
(¯`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸¸.-> 🖋 <-.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸¸.·´¯)
The festival was a long aisle of canvases and shops that were splayed out on the street, with hundreds of people milling about and buying food, playing games, and talking. Yuriko stood at the edge of it all that night, staring out into the crowd silently. There were so many people in normal everyday clothing that she felt rather silly in her yukata. It was a clean black with blue flowers across the canvas, the wrap around her waist also a fair azul. Her hair was done up in a half bun, wrapped around to the left side of her head since it was what her dominant hand was on.
"Yuriko!"
She turned and looked up as she heard the familiar voice speak her name, seeing Jayce waving her over excitedly. He was dressed in a warm blue Yukata, striped and dotted with a darker colour, but still wearing his black gloves. Mystic was behind him, wearing a white one with pink cherry blossoms scattered across it. Her arms were crossed, reddish brown hair done up in a ponytail. Yuriko started over to them, looking around for Vinhatri.
"Where is Einarsson?" She asked.
"He said he was gonna meet us later," Jayce shrugged.
"What about your Sensei? Is he coming?" Yuriko looked up at him.
"Yeah, he's setting up the blanket," He explained quickly, then grabbed her hand. "Stop worrying, now is a time to let loose!" He started pulling her onward, while Mystic rolled her eyes and walked ahead of them both. While she did, Jayce leaned down and whispered to her. "You didn't bring it, did you?"
"Of course I did," She mumbled back.
"You didn't have to," He sighed. "You could have just relaxed tonight."
"Anything could happen," Yuriko argued. "Absolutely anything."
"Well, when nothing does, just remember I told you so," Jayce smiled.
He continued on, catching up to Mystic when she stopped to buy some caramel apples, handing one off to them each. Yuriko stared at it – she had never had one before. Watching the other two bite into theirs, she decided to follow suit and bit into the crunchy mess. It dripped down her chin, and she quickly wiped the juice away with her wrist, looking up to see both of them giggling.
Rolling her eyes, she followed them as they went next to a game called Shateki. It was where a player used a rifle with a cork bullet to win prizes. If they hit it, they got the prize. Mystic went first, having very good aim for a person holding a caramel apple in their mouth, and hit a bracelet hanging from above. Once she received it, she put it on her wrist happily with a jingle at the other two. Jayce gave it a go next, winning a small cat plush that was black. Turning to Yuriko, he took her hand and placed it in her palm, smiling. She held it, looking at the white sewn in eyes.
They played a few more games, some that Yuriko partook in and others that she blatantly ignored. She even got to taste cotton candy, but didn't like it too much and gave her cone to Mystic, who apparently loved sweets. Then they walked over to the hillside by the river, where the mats were laid out neatly and people were sitting on them. Matsuda waved them down, who was wearing a red yukata with white circle outlines.
Reaching the brown mat that was laid out for them, each of them took off their sandals and sat down on their knees, the three talking among each other while Yuriko watched the starry sky. It was clear – perfect for the fireworks. Her pristine and calm thoughts were interrupted when Vinhatri arrived, wearing a plain dark green yukata. Everyone greeted him excitedly, except Matsuda who gave him a nod. Yet, something was different. Yuriko continued to stare at him for a long time until she noticed that the white part of his hair was black.
"What happened to your hair?" She asked him.
"Oh," He touched it thoughtfully. "Nothing, I just… Dyed it."
"I'll go get us some drinks," Mystic chirped, standing up and putting on her shoes before walking away.
Yuriko blinked at him. "You know you can't lie to me." Vinhatri glanced away, gritting his teeth as his visual thoughts gave him away, and her eyes widened. "She what?" Her voice wavered slightly for once.
There was a light at the corner of her eye, and she looked up just as the first firework hit the sky in an explosion of bright bulbs. Yuriko stared at it in shock of what she had learned from Vinhatri's mind, her mouth open ever so slightly. People cheered as more fireworks struck the black canvas, painting the sky in a swirl of a multitude of colours. The moment of nice and calm lasted for only a minute before something hit her ears – the sound of her name being called from behind desperately.
"Yuriko!"
She turned her head, along with the others, at the sound. The sight of Petal confused them. She was running across the glade, wearing a musty white dress and socks, tears running from her pale blue eyes across her dirty dark skin. Yuriko watched as she fell to her knees in front of her, gasping, trying to get some sort of semblance of words out. The others surrounded her in worry, but she only stared at Yuriko.
"Flower…" Petal panted. "She's… She's going to…"
Her thoughts clicked the sentence together long before she got it out, and Yuriko's eyes widened. Standing up, she completely disregarded her sandals and started running for the tents in the festival area. She stared out at Mystic, seeing her take up a carton of drinks and turn towards her. A smile spread across the girl's lips when she saw her, but Yuriko's face was only covered in pure panic.
"Naomi, get down!" She screamed.
Alas, it was too late.
The fire was seen first, a light spreading across the canvases and buildings like a viral disease. Next came the wind, like a buffeting crowd all slamming into Yuriko at once, before the mushroom cloud of red behind it all. She could see Mystic get shoved forward, before she herself was propelled backwards and slammed into the ground. After that, it was the rattling explosion which filled the air, right before the screams of terror over the mass sounds of fireworks still being set off in the distance.
Yuriko sat up after landing harshly on her back, the pins in her hair to keep the bun up having fallen out as she stared at the mess of flames and injured people. She could see her – Mystic, laying on the ground in front of it all, drinks spilled to the ground. Scrambling to her feet, Yuriko ran towards her limp body, hearing the cries of fear behind her but mind settling on one thing and one thing only.
She fell to her knees next to the form, whose face was in the dirt. Yuriko picked her up, flipping her over to see injuries scatter across her body, eyes closed and ponytail undone. The worst of it all was the pole sticking out of her shoulder, blood staining the white of her yukata. She felt her neck, but… nothing.
"Yuriko!" A voice called, and she looked up to see the others rushing forward. Matsuda dropped down next to the two girls, feeling Mystic's pulse. "Shit," He cursed, reaching for the pole.
"Don't pull it out," Yuriko reminded him. "It will only make it worse. Do you know CPR?" He nodded, beginning to do so against her chest.
"I'm sorry," Vinhatri cried, tears rolling down his face. "I didn't know she would- I'm sorry…"
Yuriko stared out into the flames silently, watching as people stumbled and struggled to find their way out, some not even getting up from the ground. She saw a child in the distance crying over a form on the concrete. This was an emergency. Standing up, she looked at Jayce, who turned to her before shaking his head pleadingly.
"Please don't," He said quietly.
"I guess you don't get to tell me you told me so," She sighed.
"What?" Matsuda looked between them, still doing compressions on Mystic. "Yuriko, what are you planning? Now is not the time-!"
"Not planning," She interrupted him. "Doing. Jayce, tell them."
Yuriko turned around and started walking into the hellfire, undoing her yukata and dropping it to the ground – her grandfather would forgive her for ruining it later. Underneath, she was wearing a long-sleeved black shirt and tights, a mask around her neck. Pulling it up across her face to hide her identity as always, she tied her hair into a ponytail with a spare tie that was around her wrist.
"What?!" She heard Matsuda yell in English at Jayce's revelation of Yuriko's true self, before she took off running into the flames.