-

The days passed with an uneasy stillness. Fontaine remained as beautiful as ever, its streets bustling with life, its fountains ever-flowing, but for Furina and Yoshika, there was an unshakable weight pressing down on them. It was the kind of silence that came before something catastrophic.

Furina, despite her usual dramatics, was quieter than usual. Yoshika noticed it, though she never commented. She simply watched as Furina trained with Clorinde or spent her evenings staring at the water's reflection in deep thought.

It was late one night when Yoshika found her again, sitting on the marble railing overlooking the city's central plaza.

"You'll fall," Yoshika remarked, approaching from behind.

Furina barely spared her a glance. "And if I do?"

Yoshika crossed her arms. "Then I'll have to save you. Again."

Furina scoffed, but there was no real bite to it. "How terribly inconvenient."

A moment of silence stretched between them before Yoshika finally spoke. "You're worried."

Furina inhaled sharply. "Aren't you?"

"Of course."

Furina turned to her, surprised by the honesty in Yoshika's tone. Usually, she hid behind cold detachment, never revealing too much.

"It's not just about Celestia," Furina admitted, gripping the railing. "It's about Fontaine. About my people. They lost faith in me once already. If a war comes to our doorstep, if I fail to protect them..." She trailed off, unable to finish the thought.

Yoshika studied her for a long moment before stepping closer, just enough so that their shoulders almost touched.

"You're not the God of Justice anymore," Yoshika reminded her. "You don't have to carry the weight of the entire nation alone."

Furina let out a bitter laugh. "And who else will carry it?"

Yoshika turned her head slightly, dark pink eyes locking onto blue. "You're not alone, Furina."

Furina froze. The words were simple, but something about the way Yoshika said them made her chest tighten.

She exhaled, looking back out at the city. "Then don't let me forget that."

"I won't."

For a moment, there was nothing but the soft sound of the fountains below and the distant hum of the city. It was a fragile moment of peace.

But Yoshika knew-this peace wouldn't last much longer.

-
𝖠𝖭 𝗇𝗈𝗍𝖾: 𝖥𝗎𝗋𝗂𝗌𝗁𝗂𝗄𝖺 𝖿𝗈𝖼𝗎𝗌𝖾 𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗉𝗍𝖾𝗋𝗋🙏