Radiant Prism

 

Janova put one hand on her cheek and watched Yuu Yuu play with Lana and Vivian.

 

 

“Mother would always allow Yuu Yuu to play with toys. Even through all the crying Yuu Yuu did... When the voices were too much for her to stand… Mother would calm her down and give her toys.” 

We faced one another. I could see that Janova’s mind was diving back into the days with the Light Camp. I wanted to know more about that time, so I asked her to explain more about it. 

“Could you tell me more about… Mother?”

Janova shook her head to my surprise.

“We don’t talk about Mother. We… can’t talk about Mother too openly, Feo.”

“Why can’t you?”

Her expression darkened as she looked away.

“One day Yuu Yuu and I will explain everything. But… as of now, we can’t speak of Mother.”

Clearly, there was a trauma associated with the Mother. The way Janova was speaking, too, I doubt she'd go into detail about it.

“One day, we’ll tell you all about the Light Camp, Feo… but right now, we abide by Mother.”

“But didn’t Mother put a target on your back?”

During the reveal of Yuu Yuu and Janova being the Radiant City Bombers, the Mother stated that they were being exiled by the Camp. If anything, Mother was their enemy. I couldn't understand why Janova would still be willing to protect someone who wanted them captured. 

"But she also sent that bright-haired girl, Vivian, to rescue us, Feo. Mother isn’t bad… she just does what’s right.”

I thought about what Vivian said. She claimed that her Mother sent her to rescue them. Janova is taking away the fact that she disowned them only hours earlier. I could feel that this Mother had a powerful hold on them, and trying to show her reason wasn't going to work. I didn't know much about Mother or how she operates, but it was clear to me that her methods… might include a more sinister way of keeping control of her people. If I was going to be with them on the run after murdering Elizera, I would have to help coach them not to go back to the Light Camp. 

“One day, we’ll talk all about the Light Camp, alright, Janova?”

I was stern but concerned as well.

"Yeah, I promise we will, Feo.”

She promised but I doubted her.  

“Hm…”

I walked back to the door and opened it to see a new world open up to me. It wasn’t a pocket reality but our actual reality. Vivian, Lana, and Yuu Yuu were playing together as Eve and Mellissa watched them from the bed across the way. 

 

 

“Watch out, White Prism!"

Vivian dodged with her doll and rescued Yuu Yuu’s ranger from a small rock golem, likely made by Lana.

In this play world, Yuu Yuu was captivated. I…loved seeing her like this. She deserved to have a peaceful life where she could be happy. It made me want to make sure Elizera never takes this away from her.

I… will fight for her sanity.

I looked over my shoulder at Janova. She tenderly watched Yuu Yuu… go play. She was smiling and experiencing all the happiness of Yuu Yuu. After a bit of watching, we shut the door, giving our Yuu Yuu the privacy she needed. 

“Shall we go look around, Feo?”

The goddess asked as she held my arm. Without waiting for my reply, she pulled me gently along. Her shoulders were soft as her chest pushed up against my side, causing my body to warm up slightly. That long hair of hers brushed up against my back as we walked down the dark hallway together. Only a bit of holy spectrum radiated from above us for lighting.

As I thought about our relationship more… no doubt it was strange. My heart was overflowing with Yuu Yuu. And as I realized in the Steeble Lake, my heart was also entrapped by Janova. This would be the first relationship I've ever been in… and to think it was with two separate girls. But this begged the question I wanted to get off my chest. How… this relationship would actually work.

“Hey… I have a question, Janova.”

I turned to the goddess. In this darkened room, we looked into each other’s bright eyes.

“What is it, Feo?”

“How do you… feel about Yuu Yuu?”

 

 

From what I've gathered, they were more like mentors and students rather than romantic. Janova even mentioned that they wanted to share in their pocket reality. By switching who was “in charge” of Yuu Yuu’s body. It even got to the point that Yuu Yuu would take over too long, causing Janova to get upset. 

But within this strange triangle of a relationship, we have. What… are they to one another?

“Like… are you asking if I am attracted to Yuu Yuu?”

I wasn't sure what I was asking as I looked away from her, doing my best to gather what I wanted to say without coming off as insensitive. But ultimately, I concluded that if I was going to be with both of them, I had to be as honest as I could to avoid conflicts with our feelings.

“You two… make me feel emotions I’ve never felt for anyone in my life, Janova.”

I stated, doing my best to clear up any misconceptions I may have made in the past.

“But I want to know what does Yuu Yuu mean to you, Janova? Would I be wrong to think you two… might have romantic feelings for each other in some way you do for me?”

Janova continued walking ahead of me with her hand behind her back. She tilted her head, spun around, and gave me a warm smile.

“That day… the first time you hung out with us at the pocket reality, the Steeble Lake. You know, the day we played tag together?”

I thought about that day when I saw her playing with animals. Yuu Yuu and Janova took my hand and led me into the pocket reality of Steeble Lake without me knowing. There, we played tag as I chased them in the water and talked about each other…

“What about that day, Janova?”

She tilted that cute head of hers as she smiled brightly.

“I was so jealous that you were speaking with my Yuu Yuu… and that Yuu Yuu didn’t want to give me a chance to play too.”

My mind raced back to when Yuu Yuu suddenly jumped up, screaming that she had to go. Janova began to clear that up for me. 

“I… hated that you were the object of her attention, Feo. I was so angry that I said… “Come back home else I’ll kill Feodora.”

Suddenly, I was in a pocket reality of that day. Janova hovered above us and threatened my life with a spear to my neck. Little did I know that Yuu Yuu saved my life from an enraged mentor. 

"I never felt that way before. My emotions were confused, and everything in me wanted to get Yuu Yuu away from you. That night I was sure I hated you.”

In an instant, we returned to reality as she continued to explain. 

"Remember, I had to relearn emotions… Mother broke us away from contact with people, so the only person I associated with for years was Yuu Yuu.”

Slowly, she approached me. 

“But after a few more times that we met… it became clear what I wanted from Yuu Yuu.”

She smirked.

“I wanted her to feel the same way about me… that she did for you. And after a bit of chatting with Yuu Yuu… I think she felt the same.”

 

 

She approached me, put her hand on my heart, and pushed me gently.

“Yeah… I’m in love with her. And I’ve probably been in love with her from the beginning when we first became one. But it’s strange… because we share our emotions most of the time yet, I don't think we even realized it.”

We looked into each other’s eyes. 

"When I look at you, Feo, it’s like my feelings are amplified beyond my understanding. Yuu Yuu feels the same.”

She looked back towards the door, the room with her Yuu Yuu inside. 

“But when I look at Yuu Yuu… I feel something similar… and I think she feels the same way. It’s strange… because we never talked about it with each other. I… don’t think we even realized it until we met you.”

“What do you mean?”

She turned back to me. 

“We just began to understand what love was when you came into our lives, Feo. Then… we associated that feeling with each other too. So, in a way, you made us realize that we love each other. I can’t love you without her, Feo. Just like you can’t love her without me.”

With one hand on her hip, she looked away slightly.

“Then you were going on about taking Yuu Yuu away from me. It made me so angry that the two people I… loved were going to run away together.”

I felt incredibly guilty as the spoiled princess began to pout. As if she just put a large boulder on my back, Janova was good at… pulling my heartstrings. It made me wonder if she’s actually using her string ability to tug my feelings one way or the other. 

“Sorry I was such a jerk, Janova.”

Janova held me tight and bounced around with excitement.

“Make up for it… by showing me that I’m special too. I want you to know everything about me… just in case something goes wrong in our battle with Elizera.”

She whispered in my ear. When we faced one another.

“I want you to know so much about me… while keeping things a mystery. That way, during our battle, you'll fight harder so we can get to know one another better the next day."

Her words were constructed perfectly. Janova knew how to swing my heart around. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think she latched her strings on my heart and was pulling me along with her. That mysterious air she had only added to my will to come back.How I wanted to know everything about the woman in front of me.

“Hey, we’re both all dirty from that battle at the Steeble Lake. How about we go to the spa together, Feo?”

I rubbed the back of my head.

“Ah… what about Yuu Yuu?”

"What about her? She's happily playing her games with her friends. I think it'll be the best time for us to explore each other…."

She giggled.

"I mean… it's not like Yuu Yuu can't sense what we're doing or anything. Yuu Yuu is still here emotionally… without being here physically.”

I sighed deeply. That's when I realized that… I haven't seen much of Janova, and it was causing my body to warm up. Instead of waiting for my heart to be ready, she pulled me along down the hallway. 

“What does the map say, Feo? Is it this way? Or that way?”

I pulled out the small map as we both walked down the hallway. Apparently, we were going the right way as I pointed ahead of us.

"Up at the corner, to the right, I guess."

She weaved her fingers in mine. With the way her hair was bouncing, I caught glimpses of her back. Her low-cut dress exposed her shoulders and that tender backline that raced down to her hips. Janova was alluring to be around both physically and emotionally. She felt so much like Yuu Yuu… because she was a part of Yuu Yuu. But visually, Janova was different. Her long hair was magnificent, and I… looked forward to experiencing more with her throughout the day.

“Over here, over here!”

I was pulled around by the goddess of chaos… knowing that was strange in its own way. We both entered the spa section of the “sanctuary.” 

I was starting to think that Abigail Pasco loved to flaunt her money. Multiple Baron members walked about, tending to clean the spa and other relaxing stations. A few of them were idly chatting away, and it made the environment all the more peaceful. 

The goddess walked in before me, and I apprehensively followed her.

“I want to soak in a hot tub. I… haven’t done that in ages.”

One of the Baron members walked up to us, holding towels in her arms. 

“Hello, Feodora Cicer… and ah… Janova am I right?”

The goddess proudly put her arms on her hips and nodded sharply.

“Yes, I’m Janova! Today you will serve my girlfriend and me! We want the best! Feo better be happy with her treatment else I'll slice off the heads of everyone in this room!"

I rubbed the back of my head as I saw the horrified faces of the girls around us. 

“Don’t worry, she’s harmless.”

“Harmless? Do you think I’m joking, Feo? Today is your reward for saving Yuu Yuu and me. We wouldn't be alive if you didn't come to rescue us.”

The princess turned back to the Baron member.

“So, I want the best of the best for Feo Cicer. If any of you girls even look at my precious the wrong way, I will kill you.”

I held her hand and pulled her to me. 

"Don't worry, we just want normal treatment. I'll make sure Janova calms down a bit."

I wrapped my hand around her hips and pulled her towards me.

 

 

“Ep!”

Janova squealed, causing the Baron girls to gasp. A few clapped as I asserted myself over the bratty princess. I didn't even realize what I was actually doing as I turned back to them.

“Give her everything she wants. Don’t worry, I won’t allow her to get out of control. Thank you for your service, everyone.”

“Geez, Feo! C-Can’t you see I’m trying to treat you?”

I smiled at Janova, whose face was as bright as a cherry. My nose connected with hers as I whispered to her.

“You… are enough of a treat for me.”

That was something I read out of a book once. It was corny to all hell, but I think it was the right thing to say to someone so sporadic with emotions. She jumped in my arms and pushed her nose on my chest.

“Shut up, shut up, shut up! You’re embarrassing me, Feo! Stop it…”

“Oh my, these two are adorable!”

One of the girls in the back said as she looked at her friend. 

“Let’s get everything prepared for them, girls! Hurry along now.”

The boss said as she handed us our towels. Janova was still defeated as she took her towel and put it over her face. I held her hips tighter as we walked into the back room together. 

"If… If this is how things will be with us from now on…."

Her eyes shined that bright blue as she looked me in the eyes.

“I want this forever. I… want you to be my knight forever, Feo.”

“Forever is a long time.”

I teased.

“I’ll kill you if you ever leave me and Yuu Yuu, Feo.”

Her tone was a tad meek as she threatened my life. Her fingers rubbed on my side, and when we reached the back, she took hold of me and held me tight to her. 

“So don’t ever think of leaving us, okay?”

“Yeah, you don’t need to worry about that, Janova. I’ll fight until the bitter end to make sure we all stay together.” 

She let go, took her towel, and flew to the other side of the room. Gloriously, Janova brought down her dress in front of me, wrapped her towel around herself, and kicked her dirty dress to the corner of the room. Briefly, I caught a frontal view of her. She giggled and tilted her head. 

 

 

“Don’t worry about me. I’ve already seen quite a lot of angles from your body, Feo.”

I thought about the time in the shower when I… didn't realize that Janova existed. Or when Yuu Yuu and I had our dinner, things became intimate. Janova was there for all of that.

“You’re such a voyeur.”

I complained jokingly as I stripped down. I wasn't anxious with my body in full view of Janova because as she said… she'd seen all parts of me before I saw her. But the excitement of us being more open to one another overshadowed any other feeling. 

“Take a good look.”

I spun around just like she did before wrapping myself in the towel.

 

 

“Who knows when you’d see it again.”

I smirked. The goddess's eyes widened as she stomped over to me.

“W-What do you mean by that?!”

I looked to the side and put my finger to my lips. 

“Who knows?”

Suddenly, her fingers gripped onto my shoulder as she pushed her face close to mine. Her face was as bright as the sun as she said seductively to me.

“Stop being irresistible!”

The bratty goddess squealed. She kicked my clothing to the wall alongside hers and wrapped her arms around my hips. 

“You know what I like about you, Feo? You… are honest with your feelings. I don’t have to search inside you. When you say you care about someone… you care about them.”

Her fingers traced along my cheek as she gazed into my eyes. Our towels brushed up against one another as… Janova confessed her feelings to me. 

“That honesty… overshadows everything. I… I know you won’t let us get hurt because of how hard you fought to protect Yuu Yuu. That… is irresistible to me.”

Together we hugged in a tender embrace. This side to Janova that was bratty and needy always struck me to the core. As I held her close, the thought of Elizera wanting to destroy them came to mind briefly. I clawed at her back, doing my best to bring her closer to me.

“Everything will be okay. So don’t worry, Janova.”

I assured her as she fell further into my embrace. How I wanted to stay like this for as long as possible, but we had the Baron's waiting for us to start the spa treatment. So, I pulled away, wrapped my hand in hers, and nodded softly.

“What do you like to do, Janova?”

I asked as I led her out the door. 

“Well, I don’t care much for toys. What I like to do is improve my fighting style and learn new tricks.”

“New tricks?”

I asked.

"You remember when Eve went to jail because of our bomb? I put her within a pocket reality, and Yuu Yuu and I fixed the bomb she disarmed."

With a finger in the air, she continued as we made our way to the main spa room.

“Tricking people is one of my favorite things to do. The idea is that the masses have no idea what is happening before them. It's so much fun."

Her eyes shifted away as she admitted something.

“Like when you tricked the Radiants using our pocket reality… you have no idea how amazing that was. I… It took everything I had not to fangirl over it.”

She stopped me, looked me in the eyes, and confessed more of her overwhelming feelings.

“But… I can’t imagine anyone else making me feel as… happy as you do, Feo. It’s strange to think that I fell in love with you… without you even knowing who I was.”

It’s not every day that someone falls in love with a ghost. The idea that subconsciously, my feelings resonated with two people rather than one was still complex for my head to wrap around. But here it was, in front of me, the bratty goddess that I knew I wanted to protect. The Trickster that Maxwell told me about became the girl I wanted to kill one minute… and protect the next. 

 

“You are something else, Janova. I’m happy that you’re still with us.”

The guilt in me rose up in my stomach, causing my body to sink a bit.

How I treated Janova without genuinely understanding who she was weighed on me, but I would make up for all those bad choices I made starting today.