And so they went their own ways, Nino splitting when Adrien left.
After they left Nagihiko went to return the ball and hesitated, wanting to join the others. playing basketball again had felt wonderful. For so long basketball was the only time he could ever feel... like himself. And he did. And he had been having fun. He liked Nino and Adrien. But now it was the other kids and they were not giving him the time of day. He stood and watched, trying to gather the courage to ask to join them, after what had happened before, until they were packing up to leave.
Before long it was dusk, and Nagihiko was alone on the court. The kids had taken all the balls, since they were theirs, so he couldn't even play alone.
Closing his eyes, he reached into his pockets. Two familiar shapes met his fingers. He opened his eyes and headed for the fence. Sitting against it, he drew out two eggs, one from either pocket. He wrapped them in a pale blue silk cloth, and looked at them in the nest of that cloth.
"Why won't you hatch?" he whispered at the two small eggs. "Who... Who am I supposed to even be?" he whispered. "What do you want of me?"
Across town in a secret lair a portal opened over a window. A man in purple with a silver mask smiled at his butterflies. "So. Not knowing who to be because an egg wouldn't hatch. Waiting for others to invite you to play. Loneliness..... All the perfect mix of ingredients for my newest Akuma....."
He lifted a hand and a single white butterfly landed upon it. Somehow, perhaps... miraculously... he staff vanished and his other hand closed over it, imbuing the butterfly with darkness. When he lifted the top hand away the once white butterfly was a beauty of black and purple.
"Now, my little Akuma, fly away and darken his heart!"
The small butterfly did as it was bade, slipping out through the window and into the world. It didn't take long to find the boy, who had been wrapping the eggs neatly. One was wrapped and back in his pocket. But he was still wrapping the other when the Akuma landed on it. His head shot up as he heard...a voice. A voice in his head? What? What was going on?
"Ah," the voice said, "Éclosion. I am Papillon."
Wait. He knew that name, didn't he? Something... no wait... Nadeshiko had.... why couldn't he think?
"You don't know who to be," the voice continued, a low croon. He found himself listening intently, no longer trying to recall something so elusive. "But I can help. And not only that, I can help you to help everyone else figure out who they want to be as well. All I ask in return is one small favor... a favor between friends."
"Friends..." Nagihiko whispered, feeling something pulling at his heart. Nadeshiko had friends, lots of friends. But he wasn't his sister. He didn't have her friends, even if he knew a lot about them. They didn't know him.
"Yes, friends. Everyone will know you, Éclosion. Do we have a deal?"
He stood, carefully holding the blue cloth that cradled the second egg. "Yes, Papillon," he said softly. Darkness flowed over him and then absorbed into his new form, eight feet tall, looking like someone dressed one of those air waving dolls in a basketball uniform. On one arm he held a basket lined with a blue cloth, full of eggs. He threw an egg at a person and it cracked over them, devouring them, then spitting them out as a smaller version of the same sort of air waving figure, but dressed as their fondest dream. The minimized person followed him.
He smiled at the wonder of it. It worked. "Time to make some new friends. Time to count my eggs before they've cracked!!!!"
Meanwhile, wherever Mari was, one of the local Chsras had been hanging out with her and Tiki, letting them know that she had sensed someone that might be born soon... meaning a Chara Bearer like her child, like Amu and the others. But then she suddenly sat up, alert. "Something's wrong. The Egg I sensed is... gone but something....." she gave a small scream then... vanished.
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After they left Nagihiko went to return the ball and hesitated, wanting to join the others. playing basketball again had felt wonderful. For so long basketball was the only time he could ever feel... like himself. And he did. And he had been having fun. He liked Nino and Adrien. But now it was the other kids and they were not giving him the time of day. He stood and watched, trying to gather the courage to ask to join them, after what had happened before, until they were packing up to leave.
Before long it was dusk, and Nagihiko was alone on the court. The kids had taken all the balls, since they were theirs, so he couldn't even play alone.
Closing his eyes, he reached into his pockets. Two familiar shapes met his fingers. He opened his eyes and headed for the fence. Sitting against it, he drew out two eggs, one from either pocket. He wrapped them in a pale blue silk cloth, and looked at them in the nest of that cloth.
"Why won't you hatch?" he whispered at the two small eggs. "Who... Who am I supposed to even be?" he whispered. "What do you want of me?"
Across town in a secret lair a portal opened over a window. A man in purple with a silver mask smiled at his butterflies. "So. Not knowing who to be because an egg wouldn't hatch. Waiting for others to invite you to play. Loneliness..... All the perfect mix of ingredients for my newest Akuma....."
He lifted a hand and a single white butterfly landed upon it. Somehow, perhaps... miraculously... he staff vanished and his other hand closed over it, imbuing the butterfly with darkness. When he lifted the top hand away the once white butterfly was a beauty of black and purple.
"Now, my little Akuma, fly away and darken his heart!"
The small butterfly did as it was bade, slipping out through the window and into the world. It didn't take long to find the boy, who had been wrapping the eggs neatly. One was wrapped and back in his pocket. But he was still wrapping the other when the Akuma landed on it. His head shot up as he heard...a voice. A voice in his head? What? What was going on?
"Ah," the voice said, "Éclosion. I am Papillon."
Wait. He knew that name, didn't he? Something... no wait... Nadeshiko had.... why couldn't he think?
"You don't know who to be," the voice continued, a low croon. He found himself listening intently, no longer trying to recall something so elusive. "But I can help. And not only that, I can help you to help everyone else figure out who they want to be as well. All I ask in return is one small favor... a favor between friends."
"Friends..." Nagihiko whispered, feeling something pulling at his heart. Nadeshiko had friends, lots of friends. But he wasn't his sister. He didn't have her friends, even if he knew a lot about them. They didn't know him.
"Yes, friends. Everyone will know you, Éclosion. Do we have a deal?"
He stood, carefully holding the blue cloth that cradled the second egg. "Yes, Papillon," he said softly. Darkness flowed over him and then absorbed into his new form, eight feet tall, looking like someone dressed one of those air waving dolls in a basketball uniform. On one arm he held a basket lined with a blue cloth, full of eggs. He threw an egg at a person and it cracked over them, devouring them, then spitting them out as a smaller version of the same sort of air waving figure, but dressed as their fondest dream. The minimized person followed him.
He smiled at the wonder of it. It worked. "Time to make some new friends. Time to count my eggs before they've cracked!!!!"
Meanwhile, wherever Mari was, one of the local Chsras had been hanging out with her and Tiki, letting them know that she had sensed someone that might be born soon... meaning a Chara Bearer like her child, like Amu and the others. But then she suddenly sat up, alert. "Something's wrong. The Egg I sensed is... gone but something....." she gave a small scream then... vanished.