Chapter 10 - Heliocentric

The heavy service doors of Amatsu Tower hissed shut, cutting off the sterile hum of air conditioners and the blinding glare of studio lights. For a moment, there was only the silence of the alleyway and the biting chill of the night. Then, Kana gripped Akari’s hand, her fingers tight and trembling with a frantic kind of energy. She looked up at the moon, her wide, endless smile reflecting the silver light.

“Hey, what about—!” Akari started to protest, her mind still stuck on her friends they were leaving behind.

“They can deal with that!” Kana laughed, already pulling Akari toward the street. “C’mon, I think we just need some us time!”

Akari didn't resist. She let herself be pulled, her own smile breaking through as they sprinted. The city was a blur of white lights inmotion; streetlights flickered overhead like casting long, shadows across the asphalt. They ran until the towering glass of the Amatsu District faded into the background, replaced by the low, weathered profiles of old wooden houses and the scent of damp earth.

They finally skidded to a halt under a dim, flickering streetlight, both of them doubled over and gasping for air.

“Really gets… your blood flowing… doesn’t it?” Kana chuckled, her voice hitching as she tried to catch her breath.

“You could say that again,” Akari wheezed, wiping a smudge of studio makeup from her cheek. She looked around at the quiet neighborhood. “This brings me back. It feels like home.”

Kana leaned over with a smirk, nudging Akari’s arm playfully. “Well, now you’ve gotta spill it. What’s going through that head of yours? You've been quiet since the elevator.”

Akari giggled, sitting straight up on the curb and resting her chin in her hands. It’s so easy to talk to her. Why is it always so easy? “Well, it was just me and Mei for a long time,” Akari began softly. “I picked up odd jobs after training. My parents always told me I had a gift—that I should use it to be the hero I wanted to be. And I’ll be that hero, no matter what! It was rough sometimes, but Mei would always be home, cooking and cleaning… it was awesome.”

Kana’s expression softened, her eyes shimmering with a quiet empathy. “You really loved them, didn’t you? Your parents?”

Akari leaned back, laying flat on the cold sidewalk and staring up at the stars—the stars she had cleared the sky to see. “So, so much. Dad was the smartest person I knew. He poured his life into his work. When I was little, he took me to see the Amatsu Prototypes, to see all of the ins and outs of Aether and Anima because I wouldn’t stop hounding him. And Mom… she told the best stories.”

Kana laid down beside her. For a long moment, they just watched the twinkling lights of the cosmos, impossibly far and impossibly beautiful.

“Stories, huh?” Kana whispered. “Is that where you get all the hero talk from? As if it wasn’t obvious enough!”

“You aren’t wrong! Mom told me so many stories… so many worlds that aren't like ours. But my favorite was always the one about the Light of the Lucents—people who’ve suffered so much but can’t fight. I want to help people who can’t stand up for themselves. After all, why can’t fiction be reality? Who says it has to be fake? I don’t believe that. I can't! I’ll make it real.”

Kana sat up slowly, her gaze fixed on the dark horizon where the city lights met the sky. “...For years, I tried to follow in my parents' footsteps. They’re great, but… everything about this world irks me. So many of my friends from elementary school aren’t around anymore. The worship around the Order is growing... it’s just not normal. I’ve met so many people abandoned by the Blight. It doesn’t feel like a coincidence anymore.”

Akari paused, sensing a shift in the air—a coldness that didn't come from the wind. “What do you mean? The Order helps people. It’s not a crime to believe in something strongly, is it?”

Kana shook her head, her hair shielding her face. “Not necessarily, but… a long time ago, me and the others had a run-in with a weird organization. They were searching for something… the First Flame.”

“Do you want to be a god, Kana?” Akari asked, her voice barely a whisper.

“Hehe, absolutely not,” Kana replied, a flash of her usual spark returning. “But if something did exist—something that could give me the power to soar above it all? To see the opportunities for the world, and for me? I’d take it in a heartbeat. I want to be an Imperator and find that flame. Then we’d have a truly free world!”

Akari shot up, a competitive fire igniting in her chest. “Not if I get there first! Sorry to say, but you’re gonna have to eat this Rising Star’s dust!”

Kana chuckled, the tension breaking. “Oh yeah? You’re on! Whoever reaches the seat first owes the other person whatever they want!”

“Sure! When I win, I’ll make you buy me a whole feast! A buffet of all the best foods in the world!”

Kana hugged her knees to her chest, looking thoughtful. “How ambitious… I’ll keep my wish a secret, though. Just for now.”

“At least tell me more about your team,” Akari nudged her. “They’re your best friends, right?”

Kana’s eyes drifted as she got lost in the memories. “Let’s see… Junpei was a troublemaker. He’d always make a racket and wrestle with the other kids until Mira scolded him. Then he’d be silent for the rest of the day. Toru… he was the toughest to crack. His parents disappeared early, so he was always alone. He’d sit in the back, draped in shadow, trying to disappear… it got so bad that…”

She trailed off, her voice cracking slightly.

“Yeah?” Akari pressed gently.

“Maybe I’ll let them tell you the full thing,” Kana smiled, though it didn't reach her eyes. “It is an Astra secret, after all.”

She turned back to Akari,  “The world puts so much stake into appearance that no one is authentic anymore. People are just stools to gain power, climbing over bodies just for a chance to reach heights humanity could never… I hate it. I hate this awful world.”

She grabbed Akari’s hand, her grip surprisingly strong. “But you’re one of the only real things I know. You’re scatterbrained, but you’re so smart when you want to be. And I’m sure everyone knows it, too.”

“Ugh, I almost forgot about the Ms. Hayasaka thing,” Akari groaned. “Who’d lie like that?”

“People will lie to you, Akari. They’ll treat you like trash. They’ll laugh while you’re down. But you need to get up. Fight until you can’t anymore. Be stronger than anyone who ever doubted you!”

“...You suffered a lot, didn’t you?” Akari whispered, looking at her friend with new eyes. “The only people I know who talk like that are the heroes in my books.”

Kana’s eyes welled up, but she refused to let a single tear fall. She stared at the ground. “Suffered? I guess. But it makes us stronger. I’ve seen hell. I’ve come close to death more times than I can count. I try to be strong… but on the latest nights, it calls to me. You can only pretend to be blind for so long until you’re forced to stare it in the face.”

Akari didn't know what to say, so she did the only thing she could. She wrapped her arms around Kana, squeezing her with everything she had. “I think you’re the strongest person I know. I wish I was more like you. You’re… you’re amazing, Kana.”

Kana shook her head against Akari’s shoulder. “No. Everyone has a dark side, Akari. Whether they admit it or not. I can say that because she stares back at me in the mirror every morning. But instead of looking away, I stare straight back. It’d be a disservice to ignore the ugliest parts of myself. Just… just stay you, Akari. That light you have? It’s going to wreck the Blight someday.”

They sat in silence for a long time, watching the stars move in their slow, eternal orbits.

I want her to be happy. Her, Mei, all of them. They deserve a happy ending. I want to protect their smiles, but… I’m not there yet. I have to be stronger. I have to surpass everything I am.

“Look at us, getting all philosophical!” Kana suddenly exclaimed, dusting herself off as she stood up. “C’mon, I’m thirsty! I know a convenience store nearby!”

They burst into a small, brightly lit shop, the bell chiming a cheerful greeting. Akari wandered the aisles, marveling at the mundane rows of snacks, while Kana approached her with two cold cartons.

“I got us strawberry milk! It’s silly, but I love it. It reminds me of… simpler times.”

Akari took the milk, the condensation cold against her palm. “Tastes even better if it’s free!”

Before the clerk could even finish ringing them up, the girls were already halfway out the door.

“Put it on Kagemura’s tab!” Akari yelled back, waving a hand over her shoulder.

“Who the hell is Kagemura?!” the clerk shouted at the empty doorway.

They ran until they reached an arcade, its neon sign buzzing with a low hum. Tucked in a dusty corner was an old Gashapon machine. It featured the "Celestial Set"—the sun and the moon.

“Down for some light gambling?” Kana asked, digging for coins.

“You know it!” Akari replied, 

The first two tries were failures—a Cloud and a Star. Kana groaned, shaking the machine with a stubborn pout. She opened her wallet, pulling out her very last coin. “Ugh… I gotta stop sponsoring our team breakfasts. They’re eating me out of house and home.”

Akari grabbed the coin and shoved it into the slot. “The best for last! If we do it together, we’re unstoppable!”

They turned the dial together.

A single capsule rolled out. Inside were two linked charms: a brilliant gold Sun and a pale, elegant Moon.

“Woah, no way!” Kana gasped. “Are you a luck magnet or something?”

“Maybe because I’m with you,” Akari said softly.

Kana held the Sun charm out to Akari. “Here. You be the sun. You’ve always shone so brightly, after all.”

Akari waved her hands. “Why don’t you be the sun? That’s your thing, too!”

Kana looked out the arcade window at the distant, lonely moon hanging over the city. “You’re the bright star for everyone. You’ll spread warmth through the world with that burning will of yours… and I’ll be your moon. Even when it’s dark, and we’re on different missions… the Sun and the Moon will always look over the world. I’ll be reflected in your light. And the next time we meet, we’ll eclipse anything in our way.”

Akari chuckled. “How do you come up with this stuff so fast?”

“Talent! Not important!”

Across the street sat an empty playground, the metal of the swingset gleaming under the streetlamps. Kana rushed over and hopped on, kicking her legs back and forth. “If we’re gonna be kids, let’s do it properly!”

Akari leaped onto the swing beside her. “I bet I can go higher!”

“You wish, Hoshizawa!”

They swung higher and higher, the rhythmic creaking of the chains the only sound in the night. In a burst of adrenaline, Kana leaped off at the peak of her arc, tumbling into the sand.

“Kana!” Akari cried out, leaping after her and rolling to a stop. “We gotta be more careful!”

Kana didn't get up immediately. She sat in the sand, looking up at Akari with a strange, haunting intensity. “Do you want to know what I want? If I become Imperator?”

“What is it?”

“I want… for both of us to go somewhere far away. To a beach overlooking the vast, untouchable ocean. Just a small vacation, the two of us. And I want Sister Kikyo to see her dream come true. She’s like another mother to me.”

Akari smiled softly, her heart aching for reasons she couldn't explain. “Well, a deal’s a deal! But I won’t make it easy for you. You’re my rival now! And even if I win, I’ll help her out for you. It’s only right.”

Kana lunged forward, wrapping Akari in a hug so tight it felt like she was trying to merge their very souls. Her fingers dug into Akari’s jacket as if Akari might vanish if she let go for even a second.

“Thank you. For everything. You’re the best, Akari.”

Akari hugged her back, laughing softly. “No problem! That’s just what a hero does!”

Akari… I hope you understand… I can’t explain it, but…

Kana clutched her tighter, her eyes closed, her breath trembling.

I have to hope she can. I have to.

Chapter 10 - The End