Our Resolve

Chapter 4: Aftermath

Ice. Ice everywhere.

Screams and sobs echoed in a terrifying manner, as the air turned frigidly cold.

Suddenly, all went silent. A piercing, unsettling silence.

Then, a sharp, cold, clear voice shrieked, "(NAME)!"

"Mom!" Kaila cried out as the darkness of her room resurfaced from the depths of her dream. May came running, her rapid footsteps approaching quickly. Kaila's bedroom door burst open.

"Honey, what happened?!" May exclaimed worriedly as she watched tears fall down her child's face.

"...It was terrifying..."

~~~

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have arrived at Mistralton Airport. Please retrieve all of your carry-on items and your luggage at Baggage Area 2. Thank you for flying with Sky High airlines."

(Name) let a deep sigh escape her lips as she took in the familiar surroundings. I'm finally home.

"Hey, (Name)!" A voice called. The young woman turned to see N and Touko rushing toward her. (Name) raised her hand in a wave and sent them a small smile.

"Glad to be back," she mused as the pair reached her.

"Oh gosh, you look so pale!" Touko frowned worriedly. "And it looks like you've gotten thinner!"

"Huh? Really?" (Name)'s eyebrows rose. "I didn't notice..."

"Did anything happen while you were over in Kanto?" The brunette questioned.

"Well... I... it just... um..." (Name) didn't know what happened in that moment, but suddenly, the force of all of the tragic recent events came tumbling down on her in the moment. Her eyes filled with tears, and her body began to tremble.

"Woah, careful!" N cried out as he and Touko each grabbed one of the (h/c)-haired girl's arms to stabilize her swaying stature.

"S-Sorry." (Name) sniffled quietly. "Don't w-worry, I'm f-fine... it's j-just, my p-parents both d-died while I was o-over there..." The couple exchanged looks of dismayed shock.

"C'mon, (Name), let's get you home..." Touko whispered as she gently led the girl out of the airport to the car.

"Thank you, b-but, there n-no rush. B-Because, even though I'm u-upset about it a-all, good things h-happened while I was g-gone too. Things that m-made me h-happy..." And for the first time in three years, (Name) (Last Name) cracked a real, big, genuine smile.

~~~

(Name) asked N to drop her off at the studio, for she had to get right back to work. The (e/c)-eyed woman was met with a sight of chaos as soon as she entered the building. Everyone was running around in a frenzy, hurrying to get their jobs done. She had missed the craziness of her workplace.

"(Name)! You're back!" Elesa called. "We missed you! How is everything?" The blonde model strolled up to her designer, with a big smile on her face, but the grin soon faded as she took note of the tear tracks on the other woman's face.

"I'm alright, Elesa," (Name) replied with a bitter smile. "How is the studio?"

"We've been quite busy, but the real question is, do you need anything? A few days off? Some coffee? Some company? You look rather distressed."

"Don't worry, I can return to work immediately. Just tell me where you want me to go." Elesa sent her a skeptical look, but didn't comment.

"Whatever floats your boat... I believe there's some paperwork for you in your office. Someone dropped it off yesterday. Maybe that could busy you?"