934/Holiday Return

Holiday Return
Date of Scene:	28 December 2023
Location:	Dorms #1
Synopsis:	Hinoiri returns from her trip and finally goes to see Sayaka and her duplicate. However, the twins give her a gift that has a startling effect on her... and she tells them exactly who she is. In a musical number. (Song warning: Little Miss Perfect Parody)
Cast of Characters:	Hinoiri Kirara, Sayaka Miki

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Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara was back from the holidays. So that meant it was time to see the girlfriend. You know. Pretend she wasn't a total jer. So when she arrived, she decided to shower, clean up, take a nap.... And yeah, it was the next morning. Sayaka likely didn't even know she WAS back yet, but it was the day after the day after christmas(so 2 days after christmas) morning that there was a light rap a tap tap on the duo's door.

She had a small box in arms, wrapped up with... mermaid wrapping paper. Listen, she knew literally ONE THING her girlfriend liked. She was gonna roll with it. Oh, and she'd gotten Ula something. The gift for Ula was a lot less thoughtful. Since she was basically getting her 'go to' gift for the holidays. A snowglobe.

Sayaka Miki has posed:
When Hinoiri knocks, nobody answers. Instead, she is assaulted by both sides by two figures that jump in with a double hug.

"Welcome back, Hinoiri!", Sayaka exclaims with a full smile. Klarissa adds a "We missed you. How was your trip?" While asking these questions the two twins open the door to the room and lead her inside, where Ula is waiting, polishing a gem on a ring (something that she is actually doing again and again), at which point she drops It and exclaims "Hey, you are back! Merry late Christmas, Hinoiri!". They actually didn't set up an ambush. They just coincidentally went over to see how Madoka was doing and were to Hinoiri's left when she knocked.

One thing that stands out entering the dorm room is a little Christmas tree standing on the table, full of decorations and Christmas lights. The star on top of the tree? That one is a solid piece of hollowed granite painted with gold and decorated by lots of little jewels alongside its borders, all of it Ula's handiwork and her gift to the twins.

Two packages with Hinoiri's name in a flaming italics are waiting under it, wrapped in paper with lion motifs and musical motifs respectively. Incidentally the one with lion motifs is much larger than the one with musical motifs.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara hadn't expected THAT. She yelped, her eyes going wide and was on the verge of slamming an elbow into one of their skulls... when she realized. Wait, hug. She stared with wide eyes, her mouth falling open. "How did you..."

When she was guided inside she couldn't help but snort. "I hope you weren't waiting for me all night or anything, that'd be silly," Hinoiri said with a chuckle. "Guessing my timing was just amazing as always, though." Sure. Why not? She then held out the box to the twins. "I uhhh... wasn't sure if you'd be back together, but the gift is kind of for both of you, so here. Sorry I wasn't here for heart-- for Christmas. I think you'll like it. It... oh. Huh. Cute tree. Wait... you got me stuff? You didn't need to do that. I mostly got you this stuff because I was out of town."

Inside the box was four movies. Die Hard, The Little Mermaid, Mermaid in Paris and The Magic Snowflake. All DVDs. Also, some american and french candies as well as... some sheets of music. Nothing fancy, just basic ones she picked up at a music store. "Trip went well, dealt with some things. You have fun? Hang out with the family and stuff?"

Sayaka Miki has posed:
"It was pretty much a lucky coincidence", Sayaka chuckles, moving away from Hinoiri. "We were out to check a few things, and we happened to come back at just the right moment."

Ula nods, picking the ring back up. "And I decided staying back to hold the fort was the better option." It was just a tad boring, which is why she was doing the same thing over and over.

"I actually have a gift for you too", Ula says, giving Hinoiri the ring she was holding. It was an exact reproduction of Sayaka's Soul Gem ring, down to the Witch runes engraved on it. She had an inkling that was Sayaka's name, since the number of letters were the exact same, and the twins found that gift very romantic, even if it wasn't them doing it.

Klarissa shakes her head. "We didn't really hang out with our family. We wouldn't know where to start explaining. But yes, we had fun. The gift with musical notes is from me, while Sayaka made the other."

The twins watch with trepidation as they wait for Hinoiri to open the gift. The larger package contains a purple jacket with a lion emblazoned on the right side, while the smaller one contains a collection of photos showing the twins in various situations together, including one in Santa costumes with both of them holding a sign saying "We love you, Hinoiri <3". On the back of each photo is a musical script.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara snickered lightly. Lucky coincidence's were always fun. Hinoiri took the ring and actually laughed. "Okay, that's adorable. Like I'll be carrying a bit of the twins with me everywhere I go. And your heart when you pull yourself back together again."

She then took a seat, pulling the big one to her lap. "Well, guess I should go by size, huh? And go on, you two. Open your gift," she said with a snicker, motioning to it. "Ula's is inside the box as well, in another little box. Easier haul around o nthe trip together."

She started with the big one and snickered. Well, she normally wore black with spikes... buuuuut... Purple with a lion was pretty cool.

However, when she opened the small one, she pulled them out. "Awwww. That's adorable. You girls even dressed up! It--"

Then she froze. 'We love you Hinoiri'.

... No they didn't. They didn't love her. She wasn't... The smile slowly filtered off her face and she stared at the picture. Love? Love?

How could Sayaka LOVE her? She didn't LOVE her. Hinoiri wasn't capable of love. It was just like Double Trouble all over again. Another empty, hollow... it...

... No. She did. Sayaka loved her. Or rather... Sayaka loved who she thought Hinoiri was. A hand moved up to her face while she just stared at the picture, covering her mouth with her palm. Staring at it so intently it could almost burst into flame. Her hand shaking...

"... Ula... I... need you to go. I need to speak with Sayaka and Klarisa alone..." she said softly. If Ula refused, she'd actually YELL at the mermaid to leave.

She thought about what Mami had said. Use this to... hurt Sayaka.

... Why was she so terrible? Why was she... "Sayaka, Klarisa... there's... something I need to tell you. Something... remember before how I said there are things about me I can't tell you? That you won't like them? There are.... this is one of those things. But... if I tell you... I need you to swear to me you won't tell anyone. Not even Madoka. Nobody else can know. If they did..." Deep breath. "You'd put me, them, and.... a lot of other people in danger. A lot of danger."

Sayaka Miki has posed:
Sayaka is the one to open Die Hard and A mermaid in Paris, while Klarissa takes care of the other two.

"Hmm, what is this?" the former says, looking at Die Hard unsure. "It looks pretty strong." Not to say gritty. Or violent.

Still they both like the gifts, so they give Hinoiri a kiss on each cheek with a heartfelt "thank you". "We are glad you like our gifts", they smile relieved.

That was before she got to their message though. The grave aura Hinoiri has next makes the two of them quickly pull back. "What is wrong, Hinoiri?"

Ula being told to leave especially startles the group. "Would you be fine?" the koi mermaid asks the the bluenettes.

After the twins trade an uncertain gaze, they give a hesitant nod to Ula. "We... think so", Sayaka says. "Sorry to ask you to go outside when we are celebrating."

Klarissa opens the door and Ula floats outside. "Treat them well", she tells Hinoiri before the door gets closed behind her. "We are listening", Klarissa says. "We won't give up on you, we really care about you."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara couldn't take her eyes off the picture. "Care... about me?" she asked softly. "What is this?" she asked gently. "How can you... how can you say this? How can you just... tell me you love me?" Hinoiri asked softly. "You don't... even know me. We've only... just started dating. We only just... you don't even know me."

"You don't even know YOURSELF! You're in two halves. Literally. Right now. You're not even... you have no idea who I am. I've lied to you. I've tricked you. I used you. I slapped your friend. I'm not kind, or honest, or loyal, or generous or even funny. I'm none of those things that you should want. Is that all this is to you? Love? Is it just a word?"

Hinoiri got to her feet and started pacing back and forth. "How can you say you love me? I don't love you. I'm fond of you. I think you're cute. I think you're fun. But I at least *know* you. I've seen you transform. I've watched you panic over this whole phylactory thing. I've seen you be adorable and nervous. I know you idolize your silly pink haired friend. I know you hate Kyubey. I know you saved my life. I know you made a wish to help someone ELSE. I know you overdo it to an unhealthy degree. I know you adore mermaids because your favorite movie is Aquamarine which is a frankly STUPID movie! Mermaids grant wishes? That's so SILLY and unrealistic and the premise is STUPID and it's kind of cute because I see the way your eyes lit up when we watched it and so I tolerated it and actually found it kind of a cute movie! But what do you know about me? Literally, what?"

"Did you know where I come from they didn't even HAVE dvds? Did you know that Aquamarine was the first movie I'd actually seen because the only things I've really watched since coming here are instructional videos to find out how things work? Did you know I can barely even use a controller and always end up screwing the buttons up half the time because we didn't have them back home, because I didn't even have hands? Did you know until a few months ago wasn't even HUMAN? That I--" She stopped, a hand moving over her mouth, going entirely still. Staring at the pair of them.

She got so upset she just kind of.... blurted it out.... And now? she was just staring...

Sayaka Miki has posed:
They can only wait surprised, shocked and scared by the sudden speech Hinoiri throws out. "We do care about you", Sayaka whispers, still recovering from the sudden change in the atmosphere.

"No, we don't absolutely everything there is to know about you, but we know that in your country music is a very big tradition, we know that you like motorbikes and you are frankly reckless when you drive, like an actual daredevil. And yet, you haven't caused one incident, so that's something you have really cultivated."

"We know that you go above and beyond for us, because you were willing to adopt all kind of measures everytime we were down since our very first date, even! And yes, you can overdo It a lot, what happened with Madoka wasn't good at all, but you understood and were willing to work on that! Are we supposed to think you are a terrible person because you aren't perfect?"

"We would have dropped you right there and then if you had proved to be the sort of person that's never going to change, but you hadn't, and just like you pushed us to be our best and consoled us, we believe in you, we know your greatness because we experienced it ourselves. Everytime we had fun together, everytime you did impossible things for us despite our stubborness, we remember it all!

"We know you are impulsive and prone to violent outbursts, but we know you acknowledge your mistakes and work on them so they don't happen again. No, we don't know everything, but we know how you behave, both your good and bad sides, so we truly do care about you! We don't know what this not being human thing is, I thought that was supposed to be our territory, but even if it's true, we believe in Hinoiri, even if you changed forms to become human."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara clenched her fists. No. NO. She wasn't... Wait, she was reckless? She just drove like she was taught. Sure, it didn't follow all, or most, of the laws...

"I mean... yeah. You were hurt. This whole phylactory thing isn't a big deal. Just because your soul is in a ring doesn't change the person you are. You treating it like it does is just you being dense," Hinoiri muttered.

"And I wasn't... I just didn't want you to be more upset. I'm still mad at Madoka, though I did over react a bit. I just... ugh. Got so mad and I..." Both hands reached up to grab her head and she paced a little faster. "Sayaka... Klarisa... You're not... I... I'm nothing but a big mistake. I'm trying to fix all of them, but I... I'm not some..."

She finally pulled back, hitting the wall and just leaning her back against it, before sliding down it. "You don't... know me. You have no idea what I'm like. I'm..."

"... I'm perfect..."

And Sayaka would hear it... that little background music. Hinoiri didn't even try to hide it this time. Instead she began to, lightly, sing.

"Straight mane, straight A, straight forward. Straight path, I don't cut corners. I make a point to be on time. Top of every student metric. I don't go out to parties. I jam with a book, not ponies. If you ask me how I'm doing... I'll say... well... hm..."

"I was abandoned before I could walk. My parents must have thought me rotten. Often I ask myself what did I do to get as far as I've gotten."

She hugged her knees to her chest, resting her chin on them. "The glorious sovereign made my future. Took me on as her pupil, though many thought it absurd. A life was created for me and I became little miss perfect..."

This was... a little weird, likely. Especially with the music in the background.

Sayaka Miki has posed:
Ok, the background music was unexpected, especially since, like, it didn't seem to have a source? What was up with that? "Are you using magic for this music, Hinoiri?" She knows her girlfriend isn't supposed to have magic, but this isn't really something that would come up in a fight, so that would explain why she didn't think it was relevant. After all, who in their right mind would sing while fighting?

They have a lot to say here, about her still being mad at Madoka, about that pony thing she just mentioned, but Hinoiri's reaction is quite scary and the most un-Hinoiri they have ever seen her as. What has happened to her?

"It's ok, Hinoiri, you don't have to be perfect", the twins say, pulling her into a hug. "Nobody here is asking you to become the best student here. Here you are safe, with people who care for you exactly as you are", Sayaka mentions.

"Hinoiri, this Sovereign has clearly done horrible things to you, you shouldn't think about her anymore. Or at least try not to, a bit more every day", Klarissa suggests. "You are better off like this. Maybe coming here to Earth was a blessing in disguise for you. She isn't here to bother you with impossible academic standards. You can just restart from scratch, be with people who already love you. You deserve that. Heck, you cared for me, even."

"Please, Hinoiri, don't follow those standards anymore. This is your turn to be more at ease", Sayaka ends it.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara usually... would let herself be pulled into a hug. But not this time. She jerked away, making Sayaka come to her. Worse, she buried her face in her knees. She was shaking, tears welling up in her eyes. Tears that she tried desperately to suppress, her voice choking, raspy, as she sang.

"Na-na-na-na-na-na-na, no. I can't risk giving up all I know. La-la-la-la-la-la-la, love is something I can't even know."

"Straight mane, straight A's, straight forward, perfectly straight. Little miss perfect, that's me..."

"One night, she called me over. I laughed, how could this be offered? Her glory fully drew me in. What? I know it was moronic... My studies were so exciting. Her praise was so uplifting. Years sped by in days... What happened next is just a blaze..."

"She says I'm special, they all just heckle. Perfect isn't enough, I have to show my stuff. I rise above, await her love..."

A few more tears... "My heart shatters for the first time..."

"She tries to conceal, but I break her veil. Next thing I know, I lose control. I almost confront her, but oh no. I see her face in the glass and then my brain starts to go..."

"Na-na-na-na-na-na no I can't risk giving up all I know. La-la-la-la-la-la-la, love is something I will never know..."

The tears flowing wildly down her face now... and there was another verse coming, the finale... The girl shaking as the twins held her.

Sayaka Miki has posed:
There really isn't much the twins feel they can do. They keep staying close to her, uttering reassurances. "It's alright, you don't need to be perfect, you can relax around us Hinoiri."

That sovereign sure did a number on her. What to do with this? They weren't really prepared for this amidst the Christmas cheer. Is it really that hard for Hinoiri to be told she is loved? "Hey, Hinoiri", Sayaka says. "Listen to me, because this is pretty important: we already care about you, you don't need to try to impress anyone, just have fun with us, ok? That's your task from now on."

Klarissa scowls at that 'having fun'. Really, it's like her opinion doesn't count. But she doesn't say anything. This is for the good of Hinoiri.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara looked up, the tears in her quivering eyes when she looked at the two of them. They... they didn't know. They still didn't. They couldn't feel the pull, not like she did... Care about her... care...

"Rewind, act like I trust her. Deny the truth, it'll be easier... She shows me a mirror, my destiny... I finally know who I'm supposed to be..."

"A truth I must find even if it's scary... But she corners me and all I can do... is... flee..."

"... Into the mirror I go, acting so cocky... Still Little Miss Perfect... because... that's... me..."

The music slowly fell away and she stared up at them... "You... don't understand... do you... My home... my world... is still under her hoof. I believed her. I would have done anything for her... I'd have given my life for her... and yet, it was all a lie. A loving, eternal goddess of the sun and moon. I believed I was going to be her student... but then... I saw through her lies. My destiny isn't to... serve her."

"... It's to dethrone her. To stop her. To rise to her level. But when the time came... when I faced her? I ran. I hid. I did everything I could to escape her until she cornered me. And even then I couldn't even scratch her. I came here because... I can't... stop her there. I need... I need to get stronger to face her."

"... My entire life over here, everything you know about me... it's all a lie. The only true thing about me is my name... Everything else is just... fake. A disguise to stop people from knowing the truth. From risking myself... from risking them... from risking... Sora... finding out..."

"... Even now I don't know if I hate her or love her and... and... I can't love you... I can't love either of you... I don't even know what love is."

Sayaka Miki has posed:
Sayaka and Klarissa pull back to look at Hinoiri, not because of her saying she can't love them (even though that one actually hurt), but because of her stated goal. To depose a tyrant. One who controls the sun and moon themselves, and, reading between the lines, is the head of their whole society.

"What do you mean everything we know is fake?" Klarissa asks almost tiredly. She is actually fed up with discovering secrets after secrets after secrets. Next thing she will be told is that there are a bunch of aliens with soul stones who reincarnated as humans among the students.

Sayaka leaves aside the matter of being fake or real since Klarissa has already asked about it and focuses on the rest of the speech. "It doesn't matter that you ran in the past, the important thing is that you aren't running anymore now. And I am sure there are lots of people here who could help you, just as they helped me."

"As for you not knowing love, I think you at least care about us. And that's a step forward: what has spurred you in wanting to have fun with us, help us and console us, even calling Guardian Daifuku for help?"

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara lowered her gaze again. "... I... have to stop her. My world. It's... I'm not the... good person you think I am... I'll do anything I have to, to stop her... to save my world... to... fulfil my destiny."

"... I do care for you. I want to help you. I want to help make you better before I leave this world... but... the thing you need to realize... the thing you need to understand... I've seen my destiny. But I know I can't run from it forever. I have to take every... every step possible to achieve it..."

"... Even if it means I have to be the bad guy. Sayaka... Klarissa... you and I are enemies. I'm a member of obsidian... They... they think I'm on their side, but I'm not. But... the only way I can achieve my destiny... the only way I can stop her... is with them."

"... I play the role of villain, your enemy, the ones you hate and fight... because it's the only way to save my world. I take care, I prepare, I make sure I don't actually hurt any of you... that I don't... really... risk killing any of you.... but... I'm not the good guy in your world. Here? My destiny is to be hated and loathed and possibly feared... and one day I'll leave and nobody here will even know, or care, I'm gone. Because that's the way it's supposed to be... the way it has to be..."

Sayaka Miki has posed:
Being told your girlfriend is your enemy is an Earth-shattering revelation, though its impact is vastly reduced by all the things she explained first. So the two bluenettes just stare dumbfounded at Hinoiri, processing the information she has just given out.

"But why?" Sayaka asks. "You don't need to do that, Hinoiri. If you need to obtain something, I am sure we can pool together our resources to obtain it without harming people. I get you feel like you are doing what you should by reducing the harm as much as you can while still trying to do something for the good of your people, but that's not something just."

She bites her lips, disappointed, and still, wanting to understand. She can't reveal this to anyone, they certainly don't know Hinoiri like they does at this point. But she will be responsible for people being hurt again, and Hinoiri be able to escape wuth whatever objective the is carrying. "That's not right, Hinoiri. You can't just harm people for your goals, even if you have the best intentions in mind, and you are trying to reduce the harm. Please, trust in us instead."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara was silent then. "Do you really believe that?" Hinoiri asked. "Damn it. You know, that's something I legitimately love about you sparkle skirts. You're always so positive. So 'We can do this!' If you believe it, it must be true! Everything will... can... work out in the end, right? It almost sounds so easy when you say it like that."

"... You can almost make me believe it. But that's not reality. I've tried, Sayaka. I've looked. I've searched. I've studied. I've even... talked to some of the sparkle skirts. Do you think if it was so easy that all I had to do was... was ask for help I wouldn't do it? Do you think I'm too *stupid* to think that? Do you think I'm... I'm arrogant? Or do you think I'm just too cocky? I'm fighting a tyrant you can't even imagine..."

"Do you really think I haven't looked at this from every angle? This is the path I have to walk to achieve my destiny. I'm not asking you to accept it. I'm not asking you... to accept me. Or trust me. Or even help me. But don't..." Then, slowly, she looked down at the picture. 'Love'.

She put it on the ground, face down, and slid it away. "But don't say you can love me. I'm... I'm many things. But I'm not the kind of person anyone should love. Can love. I wasn't chosen f-for this destiny because I was a good person. I was chosen because I was the only one who could, would, do anything to achieve it."

Sayaka Miki has posed:
Sayaka and Klarissa are mortified when Hinoiri takes her speech that badly. They certainly didn't mean to belittle her or make her feel lesser. Is this the trauma she has been carrying herself all the while, or her actual thoughts?

"No, Hinoiri, I am sorry, I didn't mean it like that", Sayaka starts trying to fix her mistake. "But new roads can be opened, the way to hope doesn't stays the same all the time, miracles happens as situations evolve and change. That's something important. Magic and miracles exist, don't they? We are the proof of it."

She sighs. "But if you insist on sticking to your way, I am sorry, but I can't follow you like that. I will still stop you from hurting people, I just hope you can still be my girlfriend in our everyday life." That's so selfish of her, not fully committing to stopping Hinoiri, nor finding a real solution for her, just in the name of her personal happiness.

"I want to help you, and accept you, even if you don't want it. And I will try to find new roads for you all the same, but I will help the people you are seeking to hurt. I won't compromise there. Please, understand me, Hinoiri. This is important, even if I truly love you. This is not something I say lightly. Please, believe me."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara sighed and shook her head. "Maybe miracles exist here, but they don't where I'm from. No miracle is going to... is going to fix this."

"... Only hard work and determination. I will achieve my destiny. I won't cross the lines I've set in the sand. But other than that... other than that, I'll be the bad guy. I'll be the monster. I'll be everything they hate."

"... I'll grow. I'll adapt. I'll learn. I'll get stronger. Stop me as long as you want. I'd expect nothing less. I always rise to the level of those I face. And eventually, maybe your pushing, your... your challenges... you stopping me... will be that nudge I needed to get strong enough to do what I have to..."

Hinoiri wiped her eyes, looking up at her. "I... I don't understand how you can still say you love me... though.... b-but... f-fine. I... I'll still be your girlfriend. I-I'd... I'd like that..."

She used her sleeve to wipe some of the tears off her face. "God, I look like a mess. I... I think I need to wash up, then... then how about we watch one of the movies, okay? I... I got two christmas ones and two m-mermaid ones... D-die hard is like... a weird american romantic christmas m-movie or something and... andthe little mermaid i-is that disney one, f-from america..." Oh, she had *no* idea... But she was a mess and she felt so... ridiculous.

And confused. Sayaka... Sayaka knew. So how could she... ever... love her?

Sayaka Miki has posed:
Hinoiri still insisting to be the monster is way less than ideal and both bluenettes feel guilty about it. They have found themselves unpredictably loving Hinoiri, and now they just can't let go of that, even as Hinoiri will still threaten people. They really are selfish.

Not even Klarissa wants to reject Hinoiri despite her being the one who is all or nothing in helping people. A mutual glance between the twins confirms they will work twice as hard to make up for their selfishness, they both confirm in shame.

"If that helps you defeat your tyrant, that's good, but we will have to stop you before that. Everyone's wellbeing is important, and I have the power to help them, just like I helped you when the television witch threatened you."

And Hinoiri is offering to watch one of her movies, and both of them accept with relief. Let's change the subject. This was supposed to be their festive meeting. Not this new unpleasant surprise in their lives. "Let's watch A mermaid in Paris."