Chaos and Currents

The girls stood at the edge of the lake, buzzing with excitement and relief after the long day. But soon, someone realized the obvious:

“We… don’t have swimsuits,” Kaori said.

All eyes turned to Rei.

Rei let out a long, knowing sigh. “Of course.”

Before anyone could stop her, Mizuki tugged on his sleeve, eyes sparkling.

“Rei, pleeease. Come with me to get our stuff.”

He stared at her for one second too long, then resigned himself to his fate.

“Fine. But this is not becoming a habit.”

In a single fluid motion, he scooped Mizuki into his arms and leapt into the air. His wings unfurled, catching the wind; the two rose above the treetops, disappearing down the path toward the Academy.

They returned minutes later, Rei still carrying Mizuki, a tote bag of swimsuits and towels dangling from one hand. Mizuki looked far too pleased with herself. Rei looked like someone reconsidering all his life choices.

The girls grabbed their things and changed quickly behind a cluster of glowing trees. When they ran back out, splashing into the lake, chaos erupted instantly.

Sora twirled her fingers, sending tiny spirals of wind skimming across the surface.

Mizuki slapped her palms to the water, stirring up controlled bursts that glittered with blue magic.

Kaori sent shimmering rings of light scattering along the shore.

The lake became a living canvas of elemental mischief.

Mizuki spotted Akihiro and Rei standing at the bank—watching, amused but wary—and grinned with wicked intent.

“She’s plotting something,” Hikari whispered.

Before anyone could intervene, Mizuki swept her hand through the water and sent a wave bursting upward. A perfectly aimed sheet of enchanted spray shot straight at them.

Rei barely had time to blink.

The water hit both angels square in the chest.

Rei stood there for half a second, dripping, expression blank.

“Mizuki,” he said calmly. “That was… bold.”

Mizuki squeaked and ducked behind Sora.

Akihiro lifted a hand to brush water from his hair—an unusually human gesture—and exhaled a laugh. A real laugh. Soft, unguarded, unforced. It rippled through the trees.

The girls froze for a breath.

Aihana’s heart nearly stumbled out of her chest.

He looked… alive. Free. Mortal in all the most beautiful ways.

Rei, however, had recovered enough to retaliate.

“You brought this on yourselves,” he declared.

His wings spread wide, sending a gust that pulled water upward. He dove just above the lake and with one broad sweep of his wings created a powerful splash that soaked all the girls at once.

The shrieks and laughter were immediate.

But Sora was not about to lose.

With a twist of her wrist, a gust of wind shot underneath Rei mid-flight.

He yelped—very undignified—and dropped straight into the lake.

SPLASH.

Water erupted like a miniature explosion.

Rei surfaced with a gasp, hair plastered to his forehead.

And because wet wings were useless, his form shimmered—

feathers dissolving into light—

and he shifted fully into his human state.

Now thoroughly soaked and wingless, he glared at the girls.

“This,” he said darkly, “was a strategic error on your part.”

The girls only laughed louder.

Then Rei cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted toward Akihiro:

“General! Get over here! A little relaxation won’t kill you. Probably. Consider it… training for your emotional rigidity!”

Akihiro paused.

One breath. Two.

He looked at the chaos in the water.

At Rei splashing around like a disgruntled cat.

At the girls sending ripples of magic across the surface.

At Aihana—standing knee-deep in the lake, droplets clinging to her hair, aura glowing faintly with warm energy.

Something in his chest loosened.

Just slightly.

“…Fine,” he murmured. “A moment of rest won’t hurt.”

He shifted into his human state and took of his boots. His feet touched the water.

The girls all shrieked with triumph.

“GET HIM!”

Before Akihiro could reconsider, a coalition of magical forces—wind from Sora, a lifted splash from Mizuki, a tiny flare of warm energy from Aihana—hit him square in the torso.

The general of the heavenly guard stumbled, splashed, and finally lost his balance.

SPLASH.

The lake swallowed him with a wave.

When he rose, water dripping from his hair, his usually composed expression had cracked.

A real smile—wide and unmistakably human—lit his face.

Aihana caught his gaze across the water.

And for a heartbeat, the world softened.

Magic shimmered between them, faint but undeniable.

The rest of the lake exploded into laughter, magic, and spray.

Rei lunged after Mizuki for revenge.

Sora sent miniature whirlwinds dancing on the surface.

Kaori created glowing patterns in the ripples.

And for the first time in a long time…

Akihiro let himself simply exist.

Here.

With them.

With her.

The Accident That Wasn’t

The lake was alive with magic.

Sora’s wind spiraled in playful bursts; Mizuki’s water tricks shimmered like liquid light.

Aihana stood near the shallows, laughing breathlessly, hair dripping, cheeks flushed.

Akihiro waded closer, water rolling off him in shimmering droplets. For once, the disciplined general looked almost approachable… almost human.

Which, of course, was when Mizuki and Sora exchanged a glance.

A wicked, synchronised glance.

“Mizuki…” Hikari warned.

“What?” Mizuki asked innocently.

Sora already lifted her hand, gathering a swirl of wind.

Mizuki crouched, palms touching the surface, drawing water into a tight sphere glowing faintly with energy.

Aihana didn’t notice.

Akihiro didn’t notice.

Rei noticed.

“Whatever you’re planning,” he said, “don’t.”

They ignored him completely.

“Three…” Mizuki whispered.

“Two…” Sora whispered.

Rei groaned. “You children—”

“One!”

The water-orb shot forward at the exact same moment Sora’s wind blast launched.

But something went wrong.

Or maybe something went exactly right.

The two attacks collided mid-air, twisting into a spiraling whirlwind of water and air. It spun uncontrollably, widening—

—heading straight for Aihana.

Akihiro saw it half a second before impact.

“Aihana!”

He reached her in a single step—faster than physics should allow, water splitting around him in a sudden force of angelic instinct. His arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her tight against him as the magical burst exploded behind them.

BOOM—SHHHH—

A wave of spray and wind burst around them, like a small storm detonating at them.

The pressure would have knocked her clean off her feet if Akihiro hadn’t shielded her with his body.

Aihana gasped, hands clutching his shoulders for balance.

For a suspended second, they stood pressed together—his arm firm around her waist, her heartbeat racing against his chest, droplets of water clinging to their skin like scattered stars.

Akihiro looked down, eyes wide, voice low and raw.

“Are you hurt?”

“N-no,” she breathed. “Thanks to you.”

His fingers tightened for a moment—just a moment—as if reassuring himself that she was safe.

Their faces were inches apart.

Close enough for Aihana to see the soft flecks of gold hidden in his irises.

Close enough for Akihiro to feel the warmth of her breath against his throat.

Aihana swallowed hard.

Akihiro looked away, composed but not entirely composed.

Behind them—

A chorus of panicked whispers:

“Mizuki.”

“Sora.”

“…we messed up.”

“Like… really messed up.”

Rei folded his arms, dripping wet and deeply unimpressed.

“I told you not to.”

Mizuki squeaked. “We didn’t mean to almost explode them!”

Sora winced. “It wasn’t supposed to mix like that!”

Rei pinched the bridge of his nose. “I swear, one day you two will rewrite the laws of magic by accident.”

But then he looked at the pair still holding each other in the shallows—Akihiro reluctantly releasing Aihana, Aihana flushing bright red all the way to the tips of her ears.

Rei smirked.

“Although… this outcome seems to have been effective.”

Mizuki’s eyes widened, then slowly lit with understanding.

“Ohhh,” she whispered.

Sora nudged her. “So… not a disaster?”

Rei shook his head. “Oh, it was a disaster. Just… a useful one.”

Aihana splashed water at him. “Rei!”

Akihiro cleared his throat, straightening, trying to reassemble his dignity like wet origami.

He pushed his wet hair back, avoiding everyone’s eyes—especially hers.

“You should be more careful with your elemental control,” he said, voice tight but steady.

Mizuki and Sora bowed dramatically. “Yes, General!”

But the glint in their eyes said it all.

Totally worth it.

Aihana, meanwhile, still felt electricity buzzing under her skin—not from magic, but from the echo of his arm around her and the warmth that lingered where he’d held her.

Akihiro turned away first, but not before stealing a quick glance at her—

A glance Rei absolutely saw.

Rei smirked again.

Mizuki whispered to Sora, “So… we should ‘accidentally’ do that again sometime?”

Sora bit her lip. “Maybe… but let’s not die.”

Aihana, flustered but glowing, said nothing.

She didn’t need to.

The shift had happened.

And Akihiro knew it too.