Zodiac Story

A Thousand Sparkling Pink Diamonds Part 3

The rain and the hail made it hard to see where Mihira was going. Trying to find Kaori's house was nearly impossible. At least Mihira managed to become invisible so that there would be no one impeding her. With the red spire of Tokyo Tower in view, she landed on it and started to look around. Hail the size of golf balls showered Tokyo, while the rain whipped at the exposed trees below. The strange creature's bellows could be heard, even though it wasn't in the vicinity. Mihira wanted to talk to it, to ask it to calm down, but she was the aggressor in that situation, and she had to wait. In the meanwhile, she needed to find her friends. It had been a while since she visited Kaori's house, but she recalled that it was two minutes away from Tokyo Tower. She stretched her wings and dove, barely managing to not get hit by the massive hail. Her wings seemed to be partially waterproof judging by the way the large drops rolled off of them, but the rain soaked into her hair.

Who is the Lady of the Clouded Courts? The wind never answered her question, but she seemed to be related to the Seventh House, which is where Mihira's gifts came from. She knew that she connected to the wind in ways that none of her friends comprehended or that she had a talent for "drawing out the inner beauty in people" as Kaori put it, but not in a magical sense. Mihira still pondered at the identity of the Lady, and why the seeming mistress of the Seventh House bestowed her powers on a small copper amulet.

At last, Mihira arrived on Kaori's balcony and knocked on the door. Shielding her body from the rain and hail with her wings, she waited for a response. Right after shedding her invisibility, Kaori opened the door, a green toothbrush still stuck in her mouth.

"Who the f-" Kaori squinted as the rain punted her face. "Who are you? Why are you on my balcony?"

"It's me, Mihira." Wait, her hair and eyes are different. "I just look a little different right now."

"Mihira? How did you get up here? I didn't hear you come up the stairs, and you certainly aren't athletic enough-" Kaori finally caught sight of the giant cream-coloured wings. "How did you get those? Where can I get some?"

"From the copper amulet that you gave me." Mihira held up the medallion. "There are such things as magical girl trinkets, and thank you for the gift again."

Kaori nodded. "As much as I want to know all about this." She waved at Mihira and her large wings. "You should come inside, there's a Calamity out there." Kaori glanced at her narrow doorway, and back at Mihira's wings. "Actually, why don't you enter through the skylight? Or can you detransform?"

Mihira shrugged. "I'll use the skylight." Her mind was blank in regards to a possible detransformation phrase.

When she dropped down, hailstones filled the floor. Hina yelped and tried to hide behind Kaede's back. Kaede herself remained resolute, but Mihira noticed her hands were shaking. Kaori is still brushing her teeth, though her eyes darted wildly across the room, at Mihira, and up in the clouds.

"I'll say thank you to my parents for the Calamity-resistant glass, but I would have rather have no Calamity. By the way, where were you, Mihira?" Kaori asked.

"In the sky." Mihira pointed upwards.

"With the hail, and the rain, and the wind, and, wait, how long have you had wings?" Hina babbled out before Kaede rolled her eyes. "Most people don't have wings!"

"We were worried for you! We called you several times, and you didn't answer. We all thought you were stuck outside. There were reports about a monster and I-"

Kaede never finished her sentence, since the large glass window overlooking Kaori's balcony shattered into a million pieces. The girls yelped while Mihira sneaked into the living room. A furred paw had burst into the living room and was rummaging around, knocking over two white chairs and the dinner table. Mihira knew that it was the creature from the clouds, playing with the furniture.