Beg me for Forgiveness, Cruel World

Three weeks, every day from sunrise to sundown, very few breaks with few minutes in each. Hina fought like the devil among men, her body twisting in forms she'd never known, flying and weaving... she was beginning to grow more than even she'd thought possible, and while some angels made her sweat hard or even occasionally sent her flying off the clouds into open air... there were so many who could not stand up to her, and occasionally an angel who never held a lighter to her, though they were weaker than most on their own. Now she sat, shorts tattered and almost showing too much, her bra depleted of magic for the moment and having fallen off, her shirt gashed and ripped... Hina, on her knees and panting hard, a line of drool flowing from her bottom lip, her body no longer even strong enough to support her, knees and legs tucked underneath.

However... around her was sprawled such a mess of bodies that for every drop of sweat beading her half naked body and massive, dove-like wings, there was a tired and annoyed angel's face to reflect.

"Oh, Hina, I don't know whether to love you or hate you! Truly, any of the gods except for my own boss are going to feel at least mildly uneasy any time you say their name!" Aerendyl laughed softly, admiring the badger girl as she panted raggedly, chest heaving. In the past three weeks, her body had indeed changed, but not unrecognizably for once; her abdominal muscles had become defined, and her body in general was more tight, toned. As she glared up at Aerendyl, a weak smile flitted across her lips, eyes glassy and reserved for now.

"I don't know what the hell you're planning, Aerendyl, or what anybody is... but I definitely feel strong."

"Just remember that there's always a bigger force than you, somebody who can still kick your ass~ oh but you're strong indeed, nobody can deny that. Now, how about we get you back to the city for a shower and the rest of the day to rest? I don't think there will be much good in throwing more of my subordinates at you anymore, anyway... plus, maybe you want to cover your breasts?" He chuckled; as much sweat as had been pouring down her back, the knotted thing had fallen to the cloudy floor just before her knees. Indeed, Hina did slowly, shakily work the thing back on, tying it before collapsing to the clouds on her back, slowly blinking up at the sky.

"I need a minute... I'll head back on my own, okay Aerendyl? I appreciate this, but I just... I just need rest..."

"Alright, Hina. Makes sense that you'd be tired, so I'll leave you to your own devices now, stay safe..." Aerendyl slowly left the area, and Hina closed her eyes before she intended to, immediately and helplessly drifting off into a deep, deep sleep. No dreams came to her, she only laid there in the clouds, letting her hectic mind and her screaming body rest, for a time.

When Hina woke, though, she found herself back in her suite at the manor prepared for her and her companions to stay in during their training. She was sitting on the floor of the gargantuan shower big enough for three to comfortably fit, exposed and being gently washed by Emily, who knelt beside her.

"Brings back some memories, doesn't it?" The fell angel, the ex-Devil, the girl Hina loved laughed softly, slowly scrubbing Hina's hair. There was a look in her eyes that the badger girl didn't immediately recognize, but it might have been a look of reflection... and somehow, in the same breath, Emily seemed forlorn.

"It really does," Badger Girl ultimately agreed, banishing her wings to sit more comfortable and closing her eyes as the light of her halo temporarily faded as well. "How long has it even been, since you found me in the rain...?"

"I feel bad for saying it, but I eventually lost track... can't have been more than four or five months, though, really. The time... it doesn't bother me much, what's going on, not really. I kind of always felt like maybe I wasn't doing enough, like I'd rather have some, any kind of purpose in life... but at the same time, whatever purpose I've been driving toward is rushing at us without giving us time to breathe, you know?"

"No," Hina murmured quietly. "I know there's things we aren't being told, yes, but we can rest for now, I'm sure of that much. Underland might be a hell, but going there isn't because we have some new enemy to face; it will just be a tour, peaceful. We can rest, explore, take a load off."

"I love you Hina and I love the sound of that, but surely you can see why I might struggle to have complete faith in it. When has it ever been that simple, you know?"

"It will be," Hina answered softly. "We won't make any enemies, this will be a peaceful trip- and if we get into a bad situation, we leave. I'm not going to hell to pick a fight, even now it's probably not a good place to do it, didn't Charlotte say it was one of the worst out of them all...?"

"I can't remember," came Emily's quiet answer. "Promise you'll try to avoid conflict? It's not like you typically search out an enemy, but promise me that you'll make an effort to avoid some kind of massive war between Heaven and Underland, or even just a fight over the last roll at dinner?"

"I promise," Hina agreed with a slow nod, opening her eyes to meet Emily's. "So long as I can help it, my blades will never be unsheathed while we're there."

"Good," Emily answered with a soft hum, seeming to be very much satisfied for the moment, and slowly moved her hand off of Hina, having finished cleaning her in this time and now moving onto herself. "I think Charlotte wanted to do some wandering with you, so do you want to get out ahead of me? She's probably in the suite somewhere."

"I'll wait for you," Hina answered with a small shake of the head. "Ah, by the way, how exactly did I wind up in the shower? I'm fairly certain that I passed out half naked in the clouds, and pretty far from here..."

"Aurelia found you and brought you back, and part of her wanted to be the one washing you, but four wet, feathery wings is a lot heavier and more uncomfortable than two, I'd imagine, so I said I'd take over this time. Speaking of... how much have you seen Aurelia in the last few days?"

"Honestly, I never really see her at all... or Charlotte, or Nao, and you're not far from the same case. I don't like it, honestly, but Aerendyl has had be training day in and out... and today, my body finally gave out, forced me to sleep more than a half hour. I don't understand why he wants to work us so thoroughly, if we don't have anything to rise to right now, and I believe him when he says it, but..." No, though. As Hina thought about it, she did know. Aerendyl said that they had no particular purpose for a time to come- but he also implied that more likely than not, some of the gods would be threatened by the raw power of her group, and organize an attack on them. He probably wanted her to be prepared for anything now, rather than after she needed it.

"I can't say for sure why that is either, but back to Aurelia... she seems different, somehow. Her outfits have become more daring, bold, and the way she walks has lost its softness, her jaw is set and her shoulders tall everywhere she goes. In some regards she seems like the same girl, but when you start seeing her more than while she sleeps, you'll probably notice some inconsistencies between what you see and remember."

"Is she okay? Has something happened, triggered her, st-?"

"I think she's okay, yes. She doesn't seem angry or stressed, she seems to have gained a massive amount of confidence, is all. Aurelia isn't being annoying or anything along those lines, it's just that she's changed... I think you should try and get some time alone, talk to her."

"Specifically me? We all care for her, I mean I will, but..."

"Hina, this isn't an open relationship," Emily spoke with a small, playful smirk, done washing herself and simply resting under the water with Hina now. "It's very much a harem, and you're the one Aurelia loves, just like me. So yes, it will be best if you spend some time with her yourself and figure out what's going on... we get along, for sure, but Aurelia isn't the reason I've been around this long, and neither is Charlotte or Nao."

"I love you too, Emily," Hina answered with a soft, slow laugh, starting to shift in preparation to stand and turn the water off. "Just as much as ever, skin color changed, entire species changed, you're still Emily. Remember that, okay? I'll talk to Aurelia soon, I promise."

"Wait, did I tell you that was on my mind, the changes to my self?"

"No, but logically it would have to be. I didn't totally mind when I changed bodies, but my mind has always been slightly broken, so I learned to understand the way things should be."

"What do you mean by slightly broken?"

"I mean... well, I don't know. I guess my childhood wasn't anything too unusual or extreme, and I had good marks in school, enough food, a bed to sleep in... but something in me has never really felt the same way people are supposed to. I don't always feel anything at all, even when it matters- though my love for you has never wavered," Hina added teasingly, grinning down at Emily. "Water stopping," she added as a warning to prepare her lover for the incoming rush of cold air while slowly turning the faucet off. Thank the gods they still had showers with hot water and pressure in this other world- perhaps it was because of somebody summoned in the past here? A summoned architect without combat experience was once mentioned to her, after all...

"Hina... what's your opinion on the whole summoned hero business?" Emily posed the question softly as she stood, opening the shower, stepping out and beginning to dry off.

"I mean, it didn't really bother me, I never-"

"That's not what I'm asking. I love you Hina, but try to look at this, like you said before, as most would. This world, and it's not just Starria that have done and will continue to do it... they rip people from their homes with abandon, no matter if they've got families, relationships, anything. Indiscriminate murder in another world with the intent to bend the victim to our will in the next world... don't you think it's wrong?"

"You..." Hina paused. She hadn't been summoned as in, falling asleep and waking up in another world, and in this case, that meant almost dying of pneumonia, normal circumstance or not. She'd fallen down a staircase in broad daylight, snapping her neck; potentially exposing children in the underground to gore or worse, almost definitely making the news, leaving her father confused- and damnit, Hina loved the man... Her teachers, Aika... it was true, Hina was violently ripped away from a life... Now, her father wouldn't leave her mind, how had this never occurred to her before...?

"You're right," Hina murmured as she finished drying off. "I need to go, okay? Tell Charlotte I'll catch up with her- and yes, I'm alright, I promise."