Spiraling

While Shiori and Hikigaya are away at the convention, the others are left to entertain themselves.

Chizuru lays on her bed on her back with her head hanging over the edge. Her expression is that of extreme boredom. She lays there for a moment before groaning loudly and throwing herself up. 

"It's such a perfect day! There's got to be someone who wants to hangout!"

She quickly swipes her phone off her nightstand and starts typing away. She puts the phone up to her ear as it rings.

"What's up Chizu?" Lucy answers.

"Lucy! Please tell me you're not busy right now!"

"Sorry main, but Ryuji and I are helping my dad out at the restaurant today."

"Lucy, who you on the phone with?"

Kenji calls to Lucy from the background. In the restaurant, Lucy turns to face her dad a bit.

"It's Chizuru, dad."

"Chizuru? Tell her to come on down, I think we got it from here."

A couple people in the back behind Kenji give thumbs up. Lucy gives a slight smile and returns to her call with Chizuru.

"Well, dad says you should come by."

"Yes! I'll be right over!"

She hangs up the phone excitedly, wraps a flannel around her waist, grabs her bag and rushes out of her room, down the stairs. She heads for the front door when her father stops her.

"Where are you going?"

Henry says with a slightly asserting tone.

"Oh, I'm just going to meet Lucy at her dad's restaurant."

"All by yourself?"

"Yes?.." She answers with an almost annoyed look.

"Not without these, you're not."

Another voice speaks. Suddenly, her mother steps out from behind Henry holding a small bottle of pills.

"My refill?"

"Yes. Who knows how late you'll be home. Don't tell me you forgot your other bottle is empty."

Pastel, Chizuru's mother, gives her a slightly disapproving look as Chizuru laughs nervously and pulls an empty pill bottle from her bag.

"Oh, yeah…"

"Chizuru, you have to be more careful. You know what can happen if you don't take your medicine."

Pastel says with a loving motherly tone. She gently places the bottle in Chizuru's hand and places a soft hand on Chizuru's cheek.

"I know mom. I'll make sure to not forget next time." Chizuru says, appreciating the care.

"I hope so. Now go have fun, but be safe!"

Pastel says while kissing her on the forehead. Chizuru then steps out the door.

"I will! Love you guys!"

As she closes the door behind her, Henry steps forward to say something else with a concerned look on his face when Pastel lifts her arm in front of him, stopping him.

"But, darling.."

"I know, my love. But she is growing up and will be out from under our wings more and more. We can only hope she's grown healthier and stronger."

She turns and holds his head in her hands. He gently presses his head into her palms with a conflicted look on his face.

"Of course…" He says, worry still all across his face.

It doesn't take Chizuru long to make it to the restaurant. When she arrives, she comes in and gives Lucy a big hug. 

"So what did you guys wanna do?"

She asks excitedly while Ryuji takes off the black button up shirt he had on. 

"I was thinking maybe we hit up the arcade. How's that sound to you guys?"

Lucy asks, looking at Ryuji. He nods approvingly in response.

"Yes! That sounds like super fun, let's get going!"

Chizuru says excitedly as she grabs their wrists and pulls them out the door. Lucy waves goodbye to her father as he smiles and waves.

They make their way to the arcade, a smaller building with lots of games inside.

"Woah! I haven't been to the arcade in so long! They've really changed it up." Chizuru says happily.

"Yeah, Ryuji and I come here every now and then. They're pretty good at keeping things fresh."

Lucy says. Chizuru gets a smug look while leaning closer to Lucy.

"Oh yeah? Just you and Ryuji huh?"

She asks, playfully nudging at her feelings for him. Lucy smiles and shakes her head a bit, brushing off her comment. Chizuru laughs as they begin to have fun. They play some games for a little while then on one specific game, Ryuji plays extra hard, trying to get a high score. Chizuru and Lucy stand behind him.

"It's too bad Haru and Sugawara couldn't make it." Chizuru says.

"Yeah, I tried calling Haru but it just went to voicemail."She says, a little surprised as the fact.

Going back to that moment, a hand lifts up Haru's ringing phone before clicking the hang up button. It's Sugawara. He smiles a lustful smile as he puts the phone down on the table next to the couch he's on before lowering himself back down on Haru. They go back to making out as Haru wraps his arms around Sugawara's waist tightly.

Back at the arcade.

"I can't imagine what he'd be busy with." Lucy says, still watching Ryuji play.

 "Well, I know something you're busy with."

Chizuru says with a mischievous smile. Lucy gives her a confused look. Chizuru leans in closer to whisper behind Ryuji.

"You're busy checking out Ryuji, aren't you?."

"Chizu!." She says, still whispering. "I am not. It's not like that."

Chizuru lifts her eyebrows up and down a few times as Lucy just rolls her eyes. Soon, Ryuji finally loses so they move on.

They eventually make their way to this game that has a tiny box room for it. There are two play mounted guns pointed towards a screen. As soon as Ryuji sees it, he stops and taps Lucy on the shoulder. She stops and turns around to him. He looks at it and speaks.

"That one looks fun." He says casually.

"Woah, look at you. I haven't seen you this riled up in awhile."

He smiles at her sarcastic comment and they make their way to the box. Chizuru sees this and gets an idea. As they get to it they see there are only two players at a time for this game.

"Sorry Chizu, it's a two player."

"Oh, don't worry. I don't mind watching."

They smile at her warmly as they all climb in with Chizuru sitting in the middle. They play a few levels into the story when eventually a cutscene comes on.

'Now's my chance!' She thinks. "Hey Ryuji, I had a quick question."

"What is it?"

Chizuru speaks softly so not to seem obvious but loud enough for Lucy to hear her. Lucy looks at them from the corner of her eyes, trying not to seem like she's paying attention since she thinks the conversation doesn't concern her. 

"I was just curious if you gave any thought about dating recently?"

Chizuru asks. Lucy's eyes widen with shock and Ryuji pays more attention to her.

"Dating you?" He asks.

"No no no, silly! I just mean in general."

"Oh, I can't say I have really." He responds plainly.

"Really? But so many people have asked you out and we're already entering our second year of highschool."

He just shrugs a little. Chizuru seems displeased with his answer.

'Time to bring out the big guns!' She thinks. "So you don't have a crush on anyone?"

Lucy reacts even more intensely than before, a look of shock and anxiety across her face. Ryuji pauses for a moment and looks ahead with a completely neutral expression.

"Well I-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Lucy suddenly speaks up.

"Ah, you know what, I'm kind of thirsty. Do you guys want any food? I'm gonna go use the restroom."

She says slightly upset as she quickly stands up and leaves before he can speak anymore. They watch with confused expressions for a moment.

"I'm… gonna go follow her. We'll be right back."

Chizuru says. She then leaves the game and follows Lucy. Ryuji sits there for a moment, staring where they just were before lowering his head a bit.

Lucy walks out the back doors of the arcade to the small patio area in the back. She walks hastily and is holding her arms tightly to her chest, obviously distraught.

"What am I doing? What was that? Why did I freak out?" She says to herself before stopping and taking a sharp breath in. "It doesn't matter, it's all okay-"

"Lucy?"

She stops and looks up with surprise, hearing Chizuru approaching her from behind.

"Why did you leave like that, Lucy? Did something happen?"

Lucy grits her teeth a little before quickly turning around to face her.

"Yeah, you did."

Chizuru gets a shocked and sad look on her face.

"I mean, what were you thinking? Why have you been messing with me all day?"

Chizuru pauses, unsure of what to say to the words she's hearing.

"I just… I thought-"

"You thought what? That you're helping me? Helping me with what, Chizuru? All you've been doing is messing with my feelings. Making me feel weird and awkward."

Chizuru stands there timidly, stunned by what she's hearing and obviously upset about what is happening.

"I thought I could help you with it…"

"With. What? There is nothing to help, Chizuru. There is nothing to fix. There is nothing between us, there will never be anything between us. Ryuji will always be my friend, nothing more, so stop trying to 'help' and just leave me alone."

Lucy says with an extremely upset and overwhelmed tone. Chizuru stands there, holding herself tightly, hanging her head down low for a moment. Not a sound coming out of either of them. After a moment of silence, Lucy sighs softly and breathes in.

"Listen, Chizuru?.. I didn't mean to sound so harsh.."

She steps towards Chizuru which causes her to step back. Lucy is surprised by her reaction as Chizuru lifts her head and smiles at her.

"No, it's okay Lucy. You don't have to apologize. It was my fault. I don't know why I was being so pushy today. I should've left it alone.."

She smiles at her but her body and voice shakes. Lucy tries to smile back but can hardly do it. She takes another step towards her but Chizuru steps back once again. This time Lucy is more sad at the action. She looks down at their feet to see it then back up to Chizuru's face.

"I really should be going now. This was really fun, I had fun today. I'll see you guys later?"

Chizuru says while stepping away but once she finishes speaking, she turns around and rushes to the doors and through them. Lucy watches her leave but as soon as she does, her eyes widen. Ryuji is standing there, just a bit behind where Chizuru was a moment ago.

Lucy realizes that he was there listening to it all. His expression is neutral. Or it would be to any other person who would see it but Lucy knows him all too well. She can tell he is hurt too.

"..Ryuji, I-"

"We should head home."

After he says that, he turns and walks through the doors. Left there alone, Lucy stands there with a sad look on her face as she stares at the place her friends once were.

Chizuru eventually makes it home. She comes through the door and heads straight up the stairs. She stops half way up them and looks through the doorway to the kitchen on the counter. She sees a note card that reads:

'Headed to the store. Be back soon. -Love Mom & Dad'

She stares at it for a moment before continuing up the stairs and to her room. She closes the door behind her and leans against it. After just a moment, she slides down it and plops onto the floor, pulling her knees close to her chest. She lays her head on her knees and wraps her arms around her legs tightly. She begins sobbing all by herself on her room floor.

Late one night, back at the Devil's Syndicate warehouse. The different members are all doing their own things, moving crates, building things, or just hanging out. Amber walks in carrying a duffle bag. She looks uneasy and unsure of what to do. She walks in and heads towards the living quarters when she hears someone call for her.

"Psst! Amber! Over here!"

She looks over to see a fairly tall and skinny man roughly the same age as her. She gets a look of relief as she quickly walks to him and gives him a hug.

"I'm so glad to see you're okay, Alexi."

"As I am too for you."

They pull away from the hug and step back a bit.

"What are we gonna do? I don't think I can take much more of this…"

Amber says as she hangs her head low and expresses high stress. Alexi pauses for a moment and looks empathetic before responding.

"From what I hear, we may not need to…"

Amber looks at him slightly confused by his statement before Commander Spark calls out to everyone.

"Everyone, cherished members of the Devil's Syndicate, please come gather around."

They look over with concern but know they must do as he says. Everyone eventually makes their way around the little stage he stands above them on.

"As I am sure you all are aware, we have been working on something very big and you all have had a part to play. The boss will certainly be pleased with that."

He speaks clearly and pleasantly, making many of the members proud of their actions as Amber only sinks in a lower feeling of regret.

"However, the time for preparations and hanging around, like most of you do, is over. We are ready to enact phase two."

After he finishes that statement, four large people shrouded in shadow step up behind him. The four of them each look different from each other but one of them is recognizable, Keeper. Amber gets a look of terror.

"Oh no…"

"Because of that, the four Pillars of the Devil's Syndicate will be staying with us for the time being."

He says, motioning to the people behind him. Suddenly, he claps his hands together.

"But, before any of that, I have a question." The crowd looks at him confused. "On our last mission, both Fullsky and Watchdog showed up, like they always do. Now, we don't expect zero resistance against what we are doing, them showing up is expected. However, they showed up before we even made any attempts to complete our objective, before we even did anything. Can someone explain that to me?"

He asks with a casual tone, no sense of anger in his voice. The crowd is silent for a moment before someone raises their hand. Spark motions for them to speak.

"Someone would have needed to tell them, right?" The random member says.

"Yes, you are correct. But who could've told them something that even the Peace Enforcement didn't know about? Something only we knew about."

He lifts his hands as if expecting an answer as Amber's heart starts racing.

"And may I remind you, this action got our dear Frontier arrested. Surely none of you would want that, would you?"

Amber is freaking out towards the back of the crowd because she knows she's the one who told Fullsky about it, like they agreed. When she looks up, she notices Spark staring right at her. Her heart begins beating heavily as sweat forms on her face. She doesn't know what to do.

He stares at her with a slight smile on his face but his eyes are sharp. She feels almost like he could kill her with just his gaze. Spark begins to open his mouth to speak when he is interrupted.

"Maybe they were just-"

Alexi speaks up. Suddenly, a plasma spike is shot past his neck in an instant. He didn't even realize it had lightly cut the side of his neck. No one was able to keep up with it. Spark is now staring at Alexi with a much more aggressive look.

"Do not interrupt me. Speak when given permission to speak. Now, what is it you were saying?"

The spike slowly pulls away and absorbs back to Spark as Alexi sweats and swallows heavily. He stutters before he speaks from the fear of almost losing his head.

"I-I just was thinking, maybe they weren't told? Maybe they too found out about the facility and were scouting it out. They are superhumans a-afterall…"

Spark glares at him for a moment with squinted eyes before looking away.

"Yes, I suppose you could be correct. Regardless, we were still able to accomplish our goal with minimal loss. I will put aside my suspicions for now."

He says while turning to face a different direction.

"A week from today, we will begin the final act so be ready and everyone do your part. You wouldn't want to be left behind."

He gives them a smirk before dismissing them. As everyone spreads out, Amber grabs Alexi's hand and whispers.

"Thank you…"

"Don't mention it…"

Amber looks at him as they walk back to the barracks. She looks at the cut on his neck that's bleeding a little. She then gets a determined look on her face despite the fear.

They sit across from each other, Alexi with a bandage on his neck now. Amber stares at him as he rubs his neck lightly and reads a book. She pulls something from her pocket and looks at it in her hand. The device Fullsky gave her. She sweats and shakes nervously but stays determined. She stands up and steps towards him, patting him on the shoulder.

"I'm gonna go for a walk. I'll be back later."

As she turns to step away, he grabs her wrist lightly. She turns and looks at him.

"Please, don't be crazy. I can't do this without you."

He looks at her seriously and nervously as Amber sighs. She lowers his hand and gives him a reassuring smile. 

"I won't."

He smiles back weakly as she turns to leave. She closes the door behind her as she steps out onto the dirt road.

'I'm gonna get us out of this, I promise.'

She eventually makes her way to a park with little light around. She pulls the device out. He holds it in her hand shakily for a moment before exhaling and clicking the button on the device. A small light on the front blinks red slowly for a moment until the static stops.

"Fullsky."

"It's me, Amber. I have to tell you something super important. Their plan, it's complete. They're moving onto phase two in a week. I'm not sure what is exactly happening but it definitely has to do with the amulet and serum. I heard it's going on inside Fawn Tower. I wish I could tell you more but that's all I know."

She squeaks out quietly in the shadows of the park. Fullsky doesn't respond for a moment causing Amber to look very anxious but soon Fullsky does respond.

"Got it. Thank you for your courage, Amber. Stay put for now and play it cool. Once we take them down, you'll be free from them, permanently."

Amber lets out a sigh in relief.

"I hope so… Thank you, Fullsky."

The channel then goes static before clicking off. She sighs as she puts the device back in her pocket. She turns around and is immediately met by the sight of Commander Spark.