It doesn't feel like Touko is fighting. The Ki... It's overflowing, unrestrained. It's not the focused energy of combat.
*Rushing Towards Touko*
I arrive in a park to find Touko in the center, kneeling on the cracked ground.
Touko's entire body is shaking, and she's staring at a large, dark pool of blood on the ground.
"Blood?" I mutter—
I immediately scan the area around her. No enemies. No bodies. Just the widening stain of crimson against the cracked flagstones.
"Touko, what happened?" I ask her.
She doesn't answer. Her shoulders are tight, and her silver hair sparks with the unstable flare of wild Ki energy.
Her tail is lashed tight against her leg, the tip digging into the earth.
"Kita..." Touko whispers.
Her gaze is fixed on the pool of blood, wide and unblinking.
"It's... Kita's."
I look at the blood, then back at Touko, my eyes narrowing.
"How do you know?" I ask, my voice sharper than intended.
Touko slowly raises her hand, trembling.
"I can feel it," Touko whispers, with a strained tone.
"Her demonic energy... it's still here. Faint, but it's hers. And it's mixed with... with that cold, empty feeling."
I kneel down beside the bloodstain, touching it with my finger. It's still wet, still warm.
"This is fresh," I say, my voice low.
But - This texture...
(Lenah, that's not just blood.) Ignis's voice is urgent, cutting through my thoughts.
(There's something else in it. A... discharge. Like her own energy was trying to purge something.)
A discharge. That means she fought it. Fought the corruption.
And judging by this amount… she pushed herself to her limits.
I look at Touko, her face is pale, and her eyes are filled with desperation.
It's the first time I've seen her like this.
Even when I found them, broken and exhausted in the Ruin World, Touko had never shown such raw vulnerability. This is worse. Much worse.
"...What should I do?" Touko clutches her head.
"I... I should have been here. I should have protected her."
"It's my fault. All my fault!"
The air around Touko screams, and on Instinct, I jump away from her.
Her demonic energy explodes outwards, shattering the ground around her.
"Touko!"
"Get a hold of yourself!"
But Touko isn't listening. Her eyes are squeezed shut, her face contorted in agony.
"I promised her! I promised Mother! I promised to keep her safe!" Touko screams, tears streaming down her face.
Her Ki continues to surge, uncontrolled, tearing at the surrounding ground.
(Lenah, her demonic energy is unstable!) Ignis warns with genuine concern.
(It's reacting to her distress. If she doesn't rein it in, it could consume her! It's too much—even for her.)
At this rate... she'll self-destruct.
I place my left hand on Homura's hilt.
Do I really need to use force against her?
Horikita's big sister... I don't want to hurt her.
Sweat drips down my forehead.
(What are you hesitating for, human?)
I... I—
I've never been good at dealing with emotions.
Especially not Touko's.
She's always been the emotional one, the one who wears her heart on her sleeve. And I've always been the one to keep a distance, to analyze, to maintain control.
...Will she even listen to me? The thought of striking her down, even to subdue her, is… distasteful.
(Lenah, now is not the time for your sentimental nonsense!) Ignis's voice is a whip-crack in my head, sharp with urgency.
(You are her master, are you not? Then act like it!)
Ignis is right. I am her Master. This hesitation… It's a weakness I cannot afford.
I take a deep breath, pushing my personal feelings aside.
I can't simply analyze this. I have to act.
For Horikita. For Touko.
I close my eyes. My mind clears.
Breath. Stillness.
This isn't about analysis, or strategy, or force. It's about… connection.
Just like with Ignis. My hand relaxes on Homura's hilt. Force is the wrong path here.
Think.
What could I do to connect with her?
This isn't anyone else's problem to solve. It's an issue for me, Lenah.
My hand leaves Homura.
I think of Touko's default solution for Horikita's distress: physical contact. It's a method she has attempted with me, though without success.
I open my eyes with a strange resolve settling over me.
It's worth a try.
Without another thought, I step forward, closing the distance between us in a single, fluid motion.
Touko is too lost in her own grief and rage to notice my approach until I'm right in front of her. Her eyes snap open, wide with shock, but it's too late.
I push Touko to the ground, my body covering hers as I pin her beneath me.
Her wild demonic energy slams into me, pure force striving to throw me back. Still, I remain unmoved, my weight and Ki pinning her in place.
Touko stares up at me in disbelief.
"What are you—?!" Touko cries out, struggling against my hold.
I ignore her question, and without a moment's hesitation, I press my lips against hers.
It's... clumsy, not at all like how I imagined it. But the message is clear.
I am here. I am with you.
Touko freezes, her body going still beneath mine.
(What in the name of primordial flame are you doing?! This is not what I meant by 'act like her master'!)
I ignore Ignis's explosive outburst, pouring my full concentration into the kiss.
Touko's lips are soft but cold. She remains completely still, her shock rendering her immobile.
The chaotic demonic energy that had been threatening to tear her apart quiets into a stunned pulse. It no longer pushes against me. It's… confused.
I pull back slowly, my gaze never leaving hers.
Touko's heterochromatic eyes are wide, her lips slightly parted.
The silence between us is deafening, pierced only by Touko's shuddering breaths.
"…Did you…" Touko whispers.
"Did you just…?" Her mouth hangs slightly open.
I keep my eyes on her, saying nothing, letting the silence and the weight of my actions speak for me.
My expression stays composed—neutral, but my violet eyes lock onto hers with a calm focus.
I begin moving my left hand slowly, deliberately, toward her face.
Touko flinches, but doesn't pull away. Her eyes follow my every movement.
My hand rests gently against her cheek, my thumb tracing the edge of her jawline.
And then, I move my hand down her neck—over her collarbone, and down to the upper curve of her left breast pressing against the kimono.
My fingers hesitate for a fraction of a second before making contact.
*Squish*
This is the first time I have ever touched another woman's breast like this.
It's surprisingly soft.
My thoughts remain clear, analytical, but the sensation… it registers as an unexpected variable.
Softer than I anticipated... Ah... Kimochiii.
That word—it slips into my thoughts unbidden. Inappropriate. Illogical. And yet… there.
More... More...
(Are you insane?! This is your solution?! To touch her like *this*…? What are you thinking, Lenah? Are you some kind of pervert?!)
The thought comes from Ignis, but it could have easily been my own. Yes. What am I doing? This entire action… it's irrational. And yet, it seems to be working.
Touko's chaotic Ki settles further, the violent surges receding into a state of stunned equilibrium.
Her breathing is still uneven, but the self-destructive pressure is gone.
I continue caressing her breast, my thumb moving in slow, deliberate circles over its gentle curve.
It's firm, yet yields so easily beneath my touch. Every small movement of my hand sends a slight jiggle through the soft flesh.
"Le... nah..." Touko's voice is a breathy, confused whisper.
Touko's face is flushed.
Is this good enough?
Perhaps, I need to be more… thorough.
I move my hand inside her kimono, my fingers exploring the bare skin of her breast.
"Aah..."
A soft gasp escapes Touko's lips as my hand closes around the full weight of her breast.
Touko's skin is warmer than I expected, and the sensation of it against my palm is… intoxicating.
The texture is smooth, almost unnaturally so.
Is Horikita's the same?
No‒
The mission is to stabilize Touko, not to indulge in... comparative analysis.
(Lenah!)
(Stop it! You're losing your focus! That thought… that perversion! Are you insane?!)
I suppress the unwelcome thought and refocus my▬
Ah. I feel so good.
The pleasure... The softness... It's completely overwhelming.
Softer than my breasts. Softer than me. Softer than I wanted to admit, even to myself.
I can't... control it. I let out a soft groan.
This feeling… It's addicting.
I reach towards Touko's nipple, but a noise from the edge of the park breaks me out of my trance.
I flinch slightly.
And quickly retract my hand from inside her kimono and push myself off of her, creating distance between us.
"It's coming." I say, standing up and walking in front of Touko with my back facing her.
My heart is pounding. What was I doing? I let my desires…
No.
There's no time for distractions.
(What was that, Lenah?!) Ignis voice is a furious, disbelieving hiss in my mind.
(That… that was not stabilization. That was… something else. Something you enjoyed. Don't you dare lie to me! I felt it! I felt your Ki waver!)
Focus, Ignis. My voice is sharp, even in my own mind. There is an approaching threat.
(Threat?)
Soon, from the left side, it emerges.
I draw my tachi▬
My right hand grips the scabbard as my left draws the blade in a reverse grip.
I hold the tachi low, its tip angled toward the ground, the empty scabbard firm in my right hand.
My body settles into a ready stance.
I'll kill it for daring to interrupt me.
(I see. You're going to kill‒ Don't give me that!)