Thorn's Reunion and the Aftermath

— POV: Thorn Shadows —

With a not-as-successful-as-the-usual landing, I made it to my destination and outside Crime's hideout.

"S-Shit…"

But now that I was back at the hideout, I was staggering. I tried to put on a strong act while I was in front of Regret, but seeing Blaze again must've taken more out of me than I thought.

"You really are a monster!"

I saw a sudden flash of fire rapidly approaching in my direction.

"Nngh…!"

I clutched my head and let out a painful groan. No doubt about it, seeing Blaze was making those memories stir up for me again.

Oh, great. If the situation wasn't already bad enough, why don't you just add a goddamn headache to the equation? Gee, thanks, Blaze!

I cursed her with every thought I had, but it was hard to focus on anything else when my anger was boiling over this much.

Why…?!

Why was she wearing that bandana like it still meant something to her?! How dare she when she was the one who abandoned us?! I would've rather she thrown it away than flaunting it with her friends!

Her friends…

She replaced us. She had so many new friends by her side, and yet she was wearing our symbol of Crime's formation from back then. Our friendship...

Just the thought had me boiling with anger, and my headache felt worse.

"Nngh…!?"

I couldn't move forward with all this pounding in my head!

C'mon, Thorn! Think of something else to stop this! Something else other than that damn Blaze!

I closed my eyes to try and get her out of my head.

"A-Are you alright? Did you hurt yourself when you fell...?"

…I suddenly recalled that girl's kind voice. It was the first time someone had ever looked at me like that.

Such gentle eyes…

She actually cared about my wellbeing. I, a complete stranger, had fallen on top of her, and she was more concerned if I was okay over herself.

"Luna… Ione…"

I let her name escape my lips before I realized.

Luna…

It was a pretty name. Fitting for someone so beautiful. While I was on top of her earlier, I had gotten a closer look at her. Her dark, long hair looked so soft. I thought it would have felt nice to run my hands through.

Well, not that I could really feel it with my gloves, anyway, but it smelled nice—

"....What the hell am I thinking."

I stopped myself.

No, seriously, what the hell am I thinking?!

Wasn't this completely unlike me?! But my heart wouldn't stop pounding at the thought of Luna Ione for some reason!

"...It's because of that kiss, isn't it?"

That's right! Ever since our lips touched, I haven't been able to stop thinking about it!

I was never the type to be interested in romance— I honestly thought it was an idiotic waste of time whenever others told me about it, but I never felt more like I wanted time to stop than in that moment…!

Her lips tasted a little salty, likely the salt water from her ability, but also just a little bit sweet somehow. And even more than that, her lips felt amazingly soft. It gave me a sensation like I was floating, and—

"...Ah?"

What was I doing here again? My thoughts were so full of Luna Ione, I couldn't think straight.

…Wait, Luna Ione?

I felt like I had just remembered something.

"Right! I need to report back to the others about Luna Ione!"

I forgot I had been standing in front of the hideout for several minutes now!

At least that damn headache is gone now…

But now this pounding in my heart was here to replace it. Strangely though, I didn't seem to mind this feeling as much.

In fact, my chest feels kind of fluttery…

I wasn't sure why, but thinking of Luna Ione was giving me this strange… yet oddly warm feeling.

I knew I just left, but I already felt like I wanted to see her again right away…

…Aaand I should be reporting back to the others!

I quickly shook my head to rid my thoughts of anything unnecessary to the mission at hand, and opened the door to Crime's hideout. Lillia would probably scold me again if I kept her waiting any longer!

Ahh, but Luna Ione's flushed face really was cuuute! ♡

Her rosy cheeks and those widened pretty purple eyes, the way her lips quivered with shyness...

It made for an adorable view from on top of her—

"—Ack!?"

With a loud thud, I slammed myself directly into a wall.

"...Welcome back." Lillia stared down at me from above. "Did you just walk into a wall?"

"Do you really have to point that out?!"

I could already feel my face turning red from the humiliation!

"It was unusual enough to point out, yes," Lillia answered matter-of-factly.

I lifted myself up and began to take my cloak off. Maybe it was because my body temperature was still warm from thinking of Luna Ione, but I felt like I was overheating by keeping that on. "I was distracted, okay?"

"And you were distracted with…?"

It was a simple enough question, but thinking of how to answer it was making me sweat.

How do I possibly explain I was thinking about that kiss?!

"Thaaat… Uhhh…" I darted my eyes around the room a couple times before settling my gaze back on Lillia. Damn, she was getting impatient. "You know, that important mission I was telling you about!"

"...Oh, right. You said something like that on the phone." Lillia seemed to accept that lie.

…Not that it was specifically a lie! It just wasn't the whole truth, was all!

"What was that all about? You left to go shopping, didn't you?"

I blinked slowly. "....Shopping?"

Lillia crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at my long pause. "That's what you said before you left yesterday. That you were going shopping for food. Well, in your case, it's more like stealing, but you get what I mean."

How did I forget about the shopping (stealing)?! But now that I was thinking of it again, I remembered stopping in the park to feed that stray dog I had befriended, and then once I left, I headed into the city to grab supplies...

And then, I saw that water signal in the sky…

At that point, my initial mission had completely escaped me.

"Don't tell me you forgot."

"...." I smiled silently to avoid answering her.

"You forgot, didn't you."

I decided there was no point in beating around the bush about it. "I completely forgot."

Lillia only sighed. "I suspected as much once I noticed you weren't carrying anything. I saw the news report yesterday. Did the hunters really give you that much trouble?"

"Not in the slightest. The hunters didn't even put up a fight. They weren't armed, either."

"That's… unusual," she remarked.

"But forget that. It's not important." I waved my hand to brush off the subject. "Did you see that water signal in the sky yesterday?"

"I wouldn't say it's unimportant, but whatever you say." Lillia let out a sigh, but she put a hand to her chin as if to think about it seriously. "...A water signal? I didn't see anything from the hideout."

"Huh. Well, I guess the park is pretty far from the hideout." Thinking about it more, it made sense Lillia hadn't seen it. "Anyway, I figured it could be a clue to Luna Ione, so I tried to track it down."

Lillia's face didn't ever really display much emotion, but I could tell she was just the slightest bit surprised at that.

"And did you find anything?" Lillia asked.

"You won't believe this, but I actually found her!"

Lillia blinked in disbelief. "...Seriously? Did you scare her off?"

"Why is that your first thought?!"

"Because she isn't here with you," Lillia answered matter-of-factly.

"Urk!?"

I mean, she wasn't… necessarily wrong, but did Lillia really have to come at me like that? I was already upset about it!

"It's… It's not like I meant to scare her!"

Because I really didn't! I was just trying to talk to her! It was Blaze who kept coming to those conclusions that I wanted her for evil reasons!

"So, you did scare her?" Lillia asked with a raise of her eyebrow.

"No!? W-Well…" Come to think of it, Luna Ione was trembling with fear whenever I looked at her. It reminded me of a small animal being cornered, and it gave me a stinging sense of guilt. "At least I hope I didn't…?"

"...You definitely did, didn't you."

"You don't know that!"

I tried to defend myself, but the truth was, I had a feeling I accidentally scared her off with my actions.

She probably is scared of me…

The thought of that made me gloomy; I really hoped it wasn't true. I knew Regret was scared of me obviously, but thinking of how Luna Ione might be, too… I felt a prickling feeling in my chest.

"What did you even do to her?" Lillia asked with a sigh. "Aside from having a scary face."

"Was that jab really necessary? But, well… Hmm…" I thought back to my encounter with Luna Ione. "I guess I might've… said some ominous things... looking back on it…" I shifted my eyes the more I thought about it.

It was no wonder she would be totally creeped out by me! What was I thinking with half the shit I was saying to her?!

Clearly nothing, apparently!

My communication skills needed serious work!

Lillia hummed. "Sounds like it's your fault, Boss."

"Must you only call me that to judge me?!"

"You seriously can't even think of one solid reason because there are too many to list why that girl could be scared of you?"

"W-Well, when you put it like that…" I groaned with embarrassment. "Ugh! Stop making me feel worse!"

"You did that to yourself."

So much for support.

I thought with a grumble.

Another thing instantly came to mind now that I was continuing to think about it. "There was also—"

"You thought of another one?"

I was taking more psychic damage with each jab from Lillia. "That…."

Lillia tilted her head slightly. "That?"

"K-K-Ki-Ki…" I couldn't bring myself to say it!

"Just spit it out." Lillia was growing more impatient with me.

That kiss…

Ack! It was no good! My face was flushed red just thinking about it again!

This was bad. This was really bad! I couldn't stop thinking about that girl!

Luna Ione's adorably red face.

Luna Ione's pretty purple eyes.

Luna Ione's beautiful dark hair.

Luna Ione's kind voice.

Luna Ione's soft lips.

Luna Ione—

I immediately punched my cheek to stop my train of thoughts.

"W-What's gotten into you…?!" Sure enough, Lillia looked extremely perplexed.

"N-N-Nothing…!" I rubbed my cheek, which was all red from the impact of that punch, and blurted it out in my panic without thinking twice. "I'm definitely not thinking of that accidental kiss with Luna Ione or anything!!"

"...Accidental kiss with Luna Ione?" Lillia asked.

I covered my red face in my hands, and let out a loud groan.

I usually considered myself a good enough liar for it to be one of my special skills, but whenever I got too panicked, I couldn't lie for shit. So, that skill had gone completely out the window.

Lillia was at a loss for words. "....How the hell do you accidentally kiss someone? Let alone, our target?"

"I don't know, okay?! The tree's branches cracked and I accidentally crashed into her!" I uncovered my completely red face as I tried to defend myself. "It wasn't my fault! It was all that damn Blaze!"

Lillia looked at me with a judging stare, as if to ask 'Why were you standing in a tree?' but immediately froze once she heard Blaze's name. "....Blaze?"

"Yeah, Blaze! Blaze and her little Regret organization found Luna Ione first!" I gnashed my teeth in frustration. "Just thinking about it pisses me off!"

"Regret…" Lillia had a solemn look on her face. "So, that's why you were gone for so long. Did you run into them?"

"Yep. Even saw their abilities in action."

I had a good memory, so I could easily recall the entire ability demonstration from start to finish.

"Those three all had interesting abilities… They would definitely be useful to Crime. I'd love to recruit them." I frowned once I remembered the look of disgust on each of their faces. "They rejected my offer, though."

"And our target?"

"Her ability..." I thought it was interesting, and I wanted to see more of what she could do with it. But her movements were also so beautiful that I couldn't look away. My excitement arising as I watched her must have been how Ettie Vernon was able to sense my presence. "It definitely caught my interest the most."

"What's with that grin? Creepy."

"C-Cree—?! Why does everyone think I'm creepy?!" And was I really grinning? I didn't notice!

"You've been acting weirder than usual ever since you've come back from Regret's hideout. Did you hit your head when you fell out of that tree or something?"

Did you hurt yourself when you fell…?

I recalled Luna Ione's words again with a giggle.

"Ehehee…♡" The very thought of Luna Ione was making me feel giddy!

"...You definitely hit your head, didn't you."

"I-I did not! I just…" I put my fingers to my lips, tracing the parts Luna Ione touched with her own.

I could still feel her warmth from earlier… Strange. What was this feeling bubbling in my heart?

"I want her…" I murmured without realizing.

"What." Lillia looked at me with a baffled stare.

"Bwuh?!" I gasped at the realization of what I just said and did, and quickly rushed to clear up the misunderstanding. "A-As in, I want to recruit her! I want her to be my partner!"

"Your partner," Lillia repeated slowly.

"My partner in Crime, I mean! I don't mean it like that!"

"Denying it so vehemently just makes you sound more suspicious," she sighed tiredly. "I don't really care if you've fallen in love with our target or not."

"F-Fallen in lo—?!"

Was that true?! Was I really in love with Luna Ione?!

"Ahahahahah! Nooo way!" I laughed awkwardly, with several waves of my hand. "I'm just interested in her as an ally!"

Lillia nodded slowly. "Uh huh. Keep telling yourself that."

"I mean, I think she's really cute, but—" I paused. Since when have I ever called someone 'cute'? Wasn't that completely out of character for me?

"I-I'm not in love with Luna Ione—!" I protested, but I was starting to doubt myself. "...Am I in love with Luna Ione?"

"Why are you asking me?" Lillia sounded completely disinterested in the topic.

"I don't know! You know about this kind of stuff, don't you?! What do you think, Lillia?!"

"First of all, calm down. And second of all, I don't care. What I think is that we should be focusing on the mission."

Lillia had a point obviously, but I didn't like how she was brushing me off when she was more knowledgeable about this topic than I was.

"Even though you're the one who brought up such a topic in the the first place…" I muttered under my breath. Still, I tried to bring my mind back to the mission despite finding it extremely hard to calm myself down. I cleared my throat, hoping it would help. "Anyway. Unlike the other three members, Luna Ione almost came with me. But…"

I felt like I would get angry again if I thought about Blaze too much.

"...Blaze got in the way," Lillia finished for me, sensing my feelings on the situation.

"Yep. That, and someone told me to come back while I was in the middle of the mission." I sighed dramatically, but I was more teasing than anything.

"Are you still mad about that? It had been a day since you left. We were worried."

…That made me happy. I could already feel a smile forming on my lips now that I knew my friends were worried about me.

I could never stay mad at them…

Unlike her. I would carry that everlasting anger to my grave.

Blaze…

I clenched my fists.

"So, where do we go from here, Thorn?" Lillia asked.

I regained my composure once I heard Lillia directly call out to me. "First, we'll inform the others. And then…" I couldn't help but feel my lips curl into a grin. This was six years in the making, after all! "We can begin the next phase of Operation: Secure Luna Ione!"

Lillia hummed. "Sounds good to me. We should inform Violet and Eon right away, anyway."

As Lillia and I walked further down the hallway to go gather the other members, I let Luna Ione enter my thoughts again.

That ribbon of hers sure is cute... It matches her pretty purple eyes.

"'Ribbon'... That has a nice ring to it, actually. Maybe I'll call her that? 'Ribbon'..." I nodded to myself.

"...What are you babbling about now," Lillia asked.

"Ah?! N-Nothing!"

I should keep that thought to myself!

— End of Thorn Shadows's POV —