>If we can manage it before passing out, drag the pair out of the shed.
>Then pass out.
>You try to rise to your feet. At least you think you do, even thinking about the attempt makes your head swim, presenting you with a rather pretty vision of color swirls dancing before your eyes, before your head hits the ground. Some time passes, and you hear something... an engine, off in the distance. A small shadow passes before your eyes before they shut, and you can hear a strange voice speaking very softly, "I'm sorry." The shadow passes, a larger shadow takes its place, and for a moment, you think you hear someone shouting. Then nothing.
>The first sensation you have next is a smell. A very pleasant smell. Raspberries? Yes, that is indeed raspberries, which draws you back into the world of the living, at least partially. You open your eyes, but somehow this act feels like pushing your apartment building. You feel weaker than a newborn kitten, but you automatically recognize where you are: your room in Moonside. The room is rather bright, you suspect it's daylight outside, and the raspberry smell is coming from the small kitchen down the hall. Lifting your head off the pillow of your bed is a massive undertaking, but you manage it after a couple of attempts, and with a couple of groans. You can hear the sounds of puttering from the kitchen, as well as the sound of soft breathing from the floor by your bed. A look (not a quick one, for you think turning your head too quickly would make you pass out) reveals the sleeping form of Rin in her futon. The events of the past day come rushing back to you as you see her form, and you feel a dull ache forming on top of the other dull aches all over your body. This particular dull ache is born of worry, given the state you saw in her moments (from your perspective) ago, but unlike then, this time she seems to be resting peacefuly. Her left ear is even twitching slightly, which you've come to know is a sign she's having a good dream. You breathe a sigh of relief, and it feels like whatever strength is left on your body leaves with your breath. Remaining in a seated position isn't going to be easy for much longer, but the sight of Minoriko coming out of the kitchen keeps you there for a moment longer. That would explain the smell of cooking, as well.
>She explains how Nitori found you, and the others, near the school sports fields, and called an ambulance. She detected a strange smell in the air, but the arriving doctors couldn't smell it themselves. They figured it was a gas leak of some kind. They looked over each of you, and determined that you'd all be fine once you had some good rest at home. This seems odd even to your still-exausted brain, but Minoriko assures you that you all received a thorough check over on the scene, and the doctor in charge of the scene saw no need to truck the lot of you to the hospital when your own beds would do just as well. And if Nitori had taken issue with this, Minoriko adds with a smile, the ruckus she would have raised would have roused you all on the spot. She's a very... spunky little thing, after all. So she carried the two of you back herself, where you'd been resting ever since. She adds that, although Rin's sleep was rather peaceful, you seemed to be having a lot of dreams, not many of them good. She caught you mumbling things about a ring, a doll you couldn't trust, and a bat with green eyes, among other things. Unlike the other crazy and disturbing visions you've had since this affair began, you have no memory of those. She says you seemed the most agitated when you were muttering about 'the old man in the molten throne room.' and something about 'the walls... the walls...' This tugs at your memory for an instant, then it is gone again.
>Which reminds her of something, evidently, and she compliments you on your new accessories, and wonders where you got them from. Puzzled, you ask what she means, and she crosses the room to your desk, and retreives the items in question: a small, plain gold ring, and a stylized lotus-blossom hairpin. She also points to the violet ring with a white gemstone on your hand.
>Recalling your declarations to the doll about total disclosure of yesterday's events to your friends takes a moment, but it does come to you. You start to explain, but Minoriko holds up her hand. She can plainly see that you're still drained to empty, and curious though she may be, as are all your friends, she tells you it can wait, and that you need your rest. Despite your new mission, you find you can't argue with her on this one. You thank her, for her concern, and ask her to pass along the sentiment to Nitori as well. Minoriko nods and offers you that motherly smile of hers, before returning to the kitchen. Looking down at Rin one more time, you remember the greenish glow that surrounded her, and how weak Lily and the others looked after you'd won. Things could have been worse. Much, much worse. But they won't ever be that bad, not if Byakuren Hijiri, Magical Lotus, Hero of the Heart, has anything to say about it. No matter how powerful a foe you face, no matter how much deception you must sift through, no matter how many secrets you must unravel, you will keep this world, and all who dwell upon it, safe.
>Laying your head upon your pillow again, your eyes close easily, and you can't help but wonder fleetingly, before sleep claims you, just what the future holds...
>Magical Lotus Episode 1: End.
