Chapter 35 – Sapphire and Ruby (Bonus Chapter)

The week after Aoi's debut, the initial hype settled into a steady, glowing success. She was a critical darling, her face gracing the covers of high-brow music magazines. The "thunder" to Miki's "lightning" was proving to be just as powerful, if not more so. Akane was over at my apartment for one "tutoring" session, which mostly involved me doing her math homework while she complained about it. She was wrestling with a particularly difficult problem, her tongue sticking out in concentration. I was about to give her a hint when Aoi walked in, home from a late-night recording session. She looked exhausted but energized, a familiar fire in her sapphire eyes. "The final mix for the B-side is done," she announced, not to me, but to the room at large. "Kyoko-san thinks it has the potential to be even bigger in the international market." "That's awesome, Aoi-nee!" Akane cheered, her homework completely forgotten. "You're gonna be super famous!" "Indeed," Aoi said, a small, proud smile on her lips. She picked up a bottle of water from the fridge. "The marketing team is already planning a European promotional tour for the fall." And then I saw it. Just for a second. As Aoi spoke of her success, her tour, her bright future, a shadow passed over Akane's face. It was a flicker of an old, familiar emotion. Not jealousy. Something closer to fear. A fear of being left behind. Aoi, lost in her own success, didn't notice. But I did. And so did Gemgem. Later that night, after Akane had finally given up on physics and lay down lazily on the sofa, I found Aoi on the apartment balcony, staring out at the city lights. "You saw it too, didn't you?" I asked, standing beside her. Aoi didn't turn. She just sighed, a sound of weary understanding. "Yes, Master. I saw it. That look on her face... It was the same look I used to have when I would watch her laugh with the fans. Back when we were still Luminous Sisters." She turned to face me, her expression troubled. "I thought... I thought we were past this. I have my own success and my own spotlight. The jealousy is gone. So why, why did seeing her look like that... hurt?" "Because the problem was never just your jealousy, Aoi," I said softly. "It was her dependence, too." "You were two sides of the same coin. You were jealous of her light, and she was terrified of ever being without your shadow to hide in. You've learned to stand on your own. But she's still afraid of what happens when you walk away." Aoi looked down at her hands. "So what do I do, Master? I can't... I can't give up my career. This is what you gave me. It's what I've always wanted." "No," I said. "You don't give it up. You just have to show her that your light isn't leaving hers behind. It's just learning to shine on its own." The next afternoon, Aoi did something she hadn't done in a long time. She knocked on Akane's bedroom door. "Akane," she said, her voice formal but soft. "I need your help. I have a training session scheduled with Miki, but she had some urgent things come up and has cancelled it." "It would be... inefficient to do it alone. Would you accompany me?" Akane's eyes went wide. Aoi had never, not once, asked her to be a sparring partner. It was always the other way around. "You... you want to train with me?" "Yeah, it has been a while," Aoi said, already slipping back into her strategist persona to cover her own nervousness. "Your chaotic style is unpredictable. It will be a valuable training opportunity for me." "...Okay," Akane said slowly, a grin spreading across her face. "Yeah! Okay! Let's do it!" They went to their home garden, a reinforced space designed for magical practice. They transformed. Dark Sapphire and Dark Ruby faced each other. "The objective is to incapacitate me," Aoi stated. "Begin." Akane charged, a wild flurry of crimson fists. And for the next hour, they fought. It wasn't like their battles before. Aoi didn't just defend. She moved, she parried, she used her void shields not just to block, but to redirect Akane's energy, forcing her off balance. It was a fierce, beautiful, and incredibly close battle. In the end, Akane, with a final, desperate burst of energy, managed to break through Aoi's guard and land a solid punch that sent her sister stumbling back, her concentration broken. Akane had won. She stood over her sister, panting, a triumphant grin on her face. "I did it... I beat you!" Aoi pushed herself up, a small, tired smile on her face. "Indeed. Your combat ability has improved significantly. Your feint in the final sequence was... well-executed." "It was, wasn't it?!" Akane beamed. "I've been practicing when you didn't notice!" She looked at her sister, the triumph fading, replaced by a genuine concern. "But... you're okay, right? I didn't hurt you?" Aoi walked over and, for the first time, placed a hand on Akane's shoulder. "I am fine. And you, Akane... you are strong." "You are strong enough to stand on your own now. You don't need me to protect you anymore." Akane stared at her, the full weight of her sister's words sinking in. This wasn't just a training session. This was Aoi telling her that she believed in her. "But... what if you go on tour?" Akane asked, her voice small. "What if you're not here to give us command, to protect me?" "Then you will lead the team in my place," Aoi said simply, her voice filled with an unshakable confidence. "You will be the one to protect them. And I will know that they are safe, because you are here." A single tear rolled down Akane's cheek. It wasn't a tear of fear. It was a tear of pride. "I, I don't know if I can do it..." she whispered, a fierce, determined grin breaking through the tears. "But, yeah. I'll try. No, I will." The coin had finally landed. Not on one side or the other, but perfectly on its edge. The Luminous Sisters were gone. In their place stood Dark Sapphire and Dark Ruby. Two separate, powerful stars, ready to shine on their own, but always brighter when they are in the same sky.