Chapter Text
"Ah, my dear, esteemed benefactor. Such a proud, winged idol. You are truly the fairest one of all."
"Oh magic mirror, thy wisdom I entreat... reveal unto me the visage which I do seek..."
"You, whose image the Dark Mirror did beckon forth... if your heart bids it, take the hand of the one reflected in the mirror."
Yu hadn't done anything wrong. Really, no, seriously! She hadn't'! The last thing she remembered was walking back to her and Rui's shared apartment after practice had run late, stressing over how quickly she'd need to pack all of her things in order to make it to her parents' house for her weekend off just following.
After that, though... nothing.
Once she came to, Yu realized, rather abruptly, that she couldn't see at all. She was leaning back inside of something, as evidenced by the tangible cushion directly ahead when she'd tried to reach out, but she also didn't feel the epaulets on her shoulders digging into her shoulders as they normally did after dress rehearsal.
She was... fairly certain... that she'd run out of the dance studio with no regard for returning her standard costume, which wasn't exactly something that she was proud of, but regardless of just how much Rui would chew her out later, Yu had been in a hurry. Now, though, she was surrounded by a fabric that felt velvety, plush, and slightly loose-fitting, a welcome change from her main costume.
The silence was starting to get uncomfortable, though. Yu was used to always being surrounded by some kind of noise, considering her professional life as well as her more private hobbies. After all, you couldn't exactly consider waiting in line for doujinshi at comiket to be anything peaceful or quiet...
"As a golden current of victory reduces even the stars to null, as winged justice seals away even time itself, and as grand dreams swallow up even the sky..."
"Fear not the power of darkness. Now-- demonstrate your own power."
"To me. To them. To even yourself. The hour grows long, and time is scarce."
"Keep steady your grip, no matter what may come."
"We all believe in you, Suzumura Yu."
...right. She was still stuck in this box, with no clue where she was, unable to even see her palm in front of her face. Oddly enough, though, as Yu lingered on the strange sensation of silence, the sound of small claws dragging across concrete could be heard from outside of the thing that she was in. It sort of reminded her of the cats that Mei would bring to the big dorm with her. Last time that Yu had visited for movie night, Mei had brought a golden kitty with markings in the shape of a bowtie, and Kokoro was quick to capitalize on the opportunity, chasing Suzu around the common room, clutching the cat as if it were a weapon.
The sound of paws stopped directly in front of her, prompting Yu's thoughts to quickly pause. As she waited for something to happen, she started to sweat, the skin on her arms starting to itch from the heat suddenly enveloping the enclosed area. Gosh, she felt almost dizzy...
"Urrgh... this lid weighs a ton! Try this on for size! Mya-hah!" The voice was nasal and childish, and seemed to be coming from around knee height.
Wham!
The cushioned door in front of Yu (which, honestly, she'd thought was a wall) slammed open, with a gray-and-white catlike creature seemingly responsible for it.
"Huh?" asked Yu, slightly confused. "Neko-san, would ya mind tellin' me what's going on? I'm not sure what's going on here..."
"Wha? I'm not a cat, understood? I'm the Great Grim, sorcerer extraordinaire, and don't you forget it!" The not-cat puffed out its chest in indignation, scowling at the idol in front of it. "Tch. Whatever, you insolent human. Just gimme your uniform, and be quick about it!"
Yu looked down at herself, and at the plush fabric surrounding her. It was indeed the case that she was wearing something completely different than she'd previously been wearing. Instead of her performance outfit, she was surrounded by black-and-purple fabric, with some kind of gold detailing painted on top of it. She didn't exactly seem to be wearing much underneath it, either- just a tight-fitting, matching black button-up shirt- and so Yu stubbornly clutched the fabric closer to her chest.
"Why would I ever do that? What're you, some kind of gross fan? And here I thought cats were meant to be cute..."
The creature huffed, a small lick of blue flames escaping from its mouth as its ire grew. "Well, if you don't... you're gonna regret it, do you hear?"
Her eyes widened at the sight of the fire. Shit.
Out of the corner of her eye, though, Yu saw an exit- past a row of... floating coffins? No, she could think about that later. Instead, she made a run for it, bolting out of the room, the odd creature hot on her heels.