Experimental Story #1

I’ve been working nearly non-stop in my writing time on Rei’s Story and IF’s Grand Adventure. I figured it was about time I took a break, but apparently I can’t just completely stop writing. So the following stories you probably will not like, they will be strange and unconventional solely for the sake of me wishing to expand my own skills. This is so the stories that I want to see through will be nothing but the best.

Any mention of existing characters should not be considered part of any of my other stories.


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IF’s problem (this was an aborted Uni story that got out of hand and contorted in a bizarre event)
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You sit in the middle seat of an old truck, though it’s quite the crowded ride given your current party.

Rather than the smell of sunbaked fabric, aged plastic, oil and steel, the faint whiff of vanilla from your beloved wife, Compa and bore solvent from your adopted daughter, Uni overpower the cabin. You brag too quickly to Uni, jinxing yourself.

“I taught Compa how to drive, she wants to be the driver for our trip!”

You turn to Compa. She’s biting her lower lip with a thousand meter stare and beading sweat. She turns slowly and locks eyes with you.

“IIIII CAAAAN’T DOOOO IT!!!~”

So after swapping seats with Compa, you venture out. The small woman was upset that she missed the last adventure, this time she was sure to make it. You slide the rear vent window open, hollering at your fourth member.

“COLD BACK THERE IF?”

The brunette’s swirling hair invades the cabin, as she crowds out Compa you can hear a quiet wisp of relief as she warms her hands.

“I’m sorry, I elected to ride in the back because I didn’t think we were going to Lowee. Of course it’s freezing, we’re probably 1200 meters above sea level already!”

You chuckle before responding.

“Oh, I’m sorry that Ms. ‘I’m an invincible adventurer and it’s summer-time’ is freezing!”

IF buries into Compa’s shoulder, clearly remembering that she actually said that exact quote. IF visibly tries her best to not respond. Uni folds her arms over her chest, puffing her upper body out a bit before speaking.

“Jeez, you guys are so loud, I can’t imagine we’ll have any luck monster hunting with you guys yelling…”

“You’re just mad that it’s not just the two of us again!” You tease back.

IF and Uni turn bright red, with IF quickly vacating the cab, mumbling that “She was warmed up”. Compa looks at you with serious eyes that beg an explanation.

“Am I missing something? I don’t understand…”

You smile, nudging her before wrapping an arm around her delicate shoulders.

“You’re a wife Compa, Uni is a daughter. I love both of you a ton, but-”

Compa’s comfortable smile returns, shining like a sun next to you.

“I totally understand! It’s like, it’s like you and me LOVE each other, but you love Uni!”

As long as she might understand and isn’t mad, things are good. In the mirror, you can see IF look at you aside. The vent window is still cracked. You’ll speak with her later. The meandering, lazy curves of the road prevent you from daydreaming and the girls do their best to try and distract you while driving.

You and the girls had all planned months in advance to get this week off, you intended to spend 4 days up here in the spacious mountain valleys. For a second time in recent memory, the truck creaks to a stop, grunting as the transmission makes its best effort to set the brake.

The sound of boots hitting the ground sets a checkpoint in your mind, the start of your vacation.

Uni quickly sets herself at your side. All of the gear that your group will pack further up the valley is arranged at the tailgate. Of course, you have the heaviest pack by far, with the girls carrying essentially their sleeping bags and whatever else they chose to bring plus some food. As for clothing, you were all dressed for the heat of day with rain gear in close reach. Part of the fun in mountains is the surprise rain, ranging from showers to downright deluges.

Uni wore a simple single color tank top and tan shorts. For gear, Uni bore a SCAR-L with a satchel of STANAGs. IF, wore her usual, with her beloved coat strapped to her pack. IF didn’t carry a gun besides her 1911 on rare occasion, for this,her main weapons were magic and blade as usual. Your sweet Compa wore one of your shirts which barely revealed that she also wore tan shorts. She didn’t bother with a gun- nay, she had the pistol you had bought her after her kidnapping. That pistol was a true Chekhov's Gun given Compa’s carefree, ditzy nature.

As for your gear, you and Uni had talked for awhile and come to the conclusion that any monsters that could not be killed with the 5.56 cartridge of her SCAR and your M16A1 would require Uni’s HDD and IF’s magic to deal with. The reasoning behind this was that foes in the mountains were either smaller than humans or the size of dragons, with no inbetween.

With a bandolier of 20 round magazines in an ancient OD green, you grinned. Uni looks at you, squinting a little bit, expecting something dumb to be said.

“It ain’t me, It ain’t-”

“Stop.” Uni’s eyes are slits. After a short pause she keeps hiking.

“Oi Uni~” You put a hand on her shoulder.

The little tsundere’s face turns bright red she turns and looks up into your eyes.

“I-I I thought you were joking, please do-don’t- not in front of IF and Compa.”

Uni gulps. You crack a smile, putting a hand on the top of her little head. Uni’s hair keeps your hand hovering for a moment before the fluffy hair collapses under your hand. You glance over your shoulder, seeing IF giving a sly grin before matching Compa who is rapidly closing the distance. Compa wraps her arms around Uni’s neck, nuzzling the girl’s cheek.

“UNI! Uni is CUTE! C U T E!”

IF wanders up, sort of switching her eyes between the three of you, a faint smile creeping onto her face. You let go of Uni slowly, Compa follows because you’ve locked an arm with hers. Uni sighs a breath of relief as you continue your journey down the trail.

IF clears her throat before speaking.

“I’m sorry, I’m going to have to leave a few days in, I won’t make you guys leave to help me.”

“I thought you had the week off IF…” Compa whines.

“Darkness never rests you know!” IF announces triumphantly.

The grit of the ground is the percussion for this orchestra of hearts. Though at the time you did not know there was a great work at hand and things were going to change. The hike was uneventful and beautiful. Maybe it was a good thing that the hike was monotonous in action, it let you decide what to do when you got to camp. Going for a hunt with Uni sounded nice and Compa could cook the group a dinner.

The view from the ridgeline is perfect, you and your family of girls might be sweaty and breathless, but that doesn’t seem to inhibit your descent into the next valley. Compa collapses into a pile on command, laying in the sun.

“This is where we’re camping, we’ve still got some time before sunset, so let’s get setup. I wanna go hunt with Uni for a bit.”

Uni’s smile brightens your heart, she doesn’t mean to smile, yet it still shines through. Uni corrects herself, taking a more serious expression as you head out. Journeying with Uni is a treat, she wastes no time in picking up her pace and can match your physical prowess.

“Hit the dirt!”

Uni plows her arm into your back, putting you low against a rock. You peek over the edge with your rifle shouldered. Uni flicks her safety, you follow her and chamber a round. Uni gives her satchel of magazines a bounce with her hip, letting the mass settle on the ground. You watch the girl go through her motions, Uni wastes no time in unrolling her drop mag pouch and putting a 30 rounder in each of her shallow short pockets.

“Tactical short shorts?” You quietly tease.

“You idiot! Shhh!” Uni snaps back. She angrily gestures that there are hostiles past your cover.

You shift, taking a knee. Uni locks eyes with you, her face losing any expression besides pure determination.

“Go.” Her eyes say.

TAK TAK TAK!
With lead flying and the rat-like creatures falling by the burst, there is a soothing wave from being in battle. You’re at home here, with Uni covering your back,come to think of it; as long as you have your family, you’re at home. A mag change follows, letting you send another 20 rounds into the enemy. Uni crushes one of the rats with her boots, following with a shot into the body. You’re standing there, huffing and puffing as a pair, gun barrels smoking.

“Hi Five.” You’re feeling a little winded now and it comes out in your speech. You let the rifle slack onto your chest to present a hand to your little girl.

Uni’s hand connects with yours and you turn, meandering back to camp with the sun still overhead.

You take a break with Uni, sharing energy bars and water on a boulder.

“You get to talk with Noire since last time?”

Uni sighs.

“Only a little. I tried… but my mouth just couldn’t move it seemed. I gave my best but she just got frustrated and left. Why does Onee-chan do that?”

You pat the girl’s shoulder.

“Noire has trouble with people, I don’t think that will ever change. Try again, try until you can speak with ease. It’s the only way that she’ll know you love “your stupid big sister.”

Uni smiles again wrapping her hands around your arm.

“Thanks. You look out for me, I-”

“Is that a whole two lines without a tsundere remark?”

Uni throttles your arm.

“DON”T GET THE WRONG IDEA, DUMBASS.”

Uni grins again despite her outburst.

“Let’s get back, I bet they’ve got a giant dinner ready.”

“Of course.”

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Uni wanders about the miniature landscape of boulders throughout the valley. A stream runs through the bottom valley with a small, shallow lake at the head by your camp. She freezes upon peeking a corner and hides behind her boulder immediately. You close the gap, noting Uni’s thousand meter stare.

“Something wrong?”
Her voice quivers as she speaks.

“IF- IF is…”

You peek around the boulder.

IF is…

IF is- sitting with Compa, chopping something with a knife. She’s diligent but… what’s the problem?

“Uni, what’s wrong?”

Uni gulps.

“Look at her clothes!”

IF is wearing a skirt and a tank top? IF blushes so hard that you can see from a hundred meters away, Compa gives the girl a tremendous hug after clearly saying something to cause that blush. You get Uni’s attention.

“Let’s sneak up on them!”

Uni gets a mischievous grin before starting towards the pair. Crawling on your belly is surprisingly exerting, yet the moment you pop out of the bushes with Uni is worth it. IF squeals and shocks Compa, who is instantly standing with her syringe out.

“W-Why?!” shouts a startled Compa.

Uni points at IF.

“What’s that?” Uni says with a giggle, letting you follow.

“Did you steal Compa’s clothes?”

Compa looks at you with a sad expression. IF fled the cover of Compa’s back. You can hear rustling in the tent. You close the distance, Compa rapidly chastises you.

“Why’d you do that? IF is scared now. She’s super self conscious, you know that…”

You wait for IF to emerge, to no avail. Each minute feels like an hour in the nervous aftermath of that encounter. Uni looks a bit ashamed. She nudges you.

“Go say sorry, this was your idea dummy…”

“What if she’s changing?”

“Just… go… she’s been in there for a while now. Help him Compa.”

Compa peeks in first, pulling you along.
IF is laying on her sleeping back, face down.

Compa starts.

“I’m- We’re sorry Aiefu… I don’t think they meant to hurt you, they just thought it was funny…”

IF’s muffled response comes.

“I’m sure they thought I looked funny.”

Compa’s eyes have tears barely balling up in the corners.

“I-I didn’t mean that way…”

“Then what did you mean.”

You pipe up, trying to defend your wife.

“It was just a super uncommon sight, we-... we liked it.”

IF is special to you. She’s the closest thing to a normal friend you have in this world. She’s been there for almost all of your big days, smiling and laughing, or crying with you (sometimes separate). As Compa’s and your friend, IF has always been welcome. IF may muffle her feelings occasionally, but in the end, IF is a honest girl. IF may have her doubts, but she’s always the first to help.

You sit next to IF, bizarrely mindful of your presence. IF rolls over, her belly showing from the wrinkled and balled up tank top she’s wearing. Her voice isn’t nearly as pleasant is it normally is, hiding something under her tone.

“I want to talk to you, Uni and Compa both have their time alone with you. Give me some time.”

“About what?”

IF rolls away from you, Compa sits next to you.

“Is something wrong Aiefu?” Compa asks.

IF doesn’t seem to react. She sits up after almost a minute.

“Will you talk with me?”

What does IF want to say? What is it that she is hiding that she cannot say around her best friends?

“I guess, you want to go now?”

“Yes.”

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You and IF stand on the sunset lit banks of the creek. She makes a short turn, scanning for anyone in earshot. She gulps, looking aside. The pause is awkward and makes you suspicious. IF regains some of her strength before speaking.

“Don’t make fun of me for saying this. I-I don’t know what to do myself.”

You wait for her follow-up.

IF looks up at you finally, eyes pleading.

“I’m scared. I don’t know why I feel this way. I can’t tell anyone else.”

Something has to be seriously wrong for IF to be this straight-forwards about her feelings.

“I-I-I-... I’m in love.”

Ah. Finally, IF has found someone.

“Alright, what makes you so worried.” You say nonchalantly.

IF nervously gulps. Her eyes close, little stressed creases forming on her face.

“They’re married.”

What the hell.

“You love TWO people, both of whom are married?”

“That- That’s not the worst... “

You know what that look means.

“I- I love you. I love Compa too. I KNOW that I’m not supposed to feel this way. All of this… I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

The ever capable IF, the girl- no, lady, that supported you and your wife through everything. The same IF that was now telling you that she had fallen in love with you and your wife.

“I- I was going to tell you, so my mind could be clear before I left. I don’t want to stay here any more, around you guys. It hurts to see you two and-”

IF’s tears finally break through the dam, flowing freely. IF tries to turn away, you stop her by grabbing her wrist. You want to hug her, to wrap IF in your arms and tell her that everything will be alright. That is simply not the case.

“IF.”

The lady barely manages a whimper. IF hurts, on a level you won’t understand. To even have a proper perspective on it, you have to remind yourself of why this is happening. IF loves Compa, she said it herself now, but the two have been friends since childhood. If Aiefu loved Compa, you had stolen IF’s first love. As for yourself, IF has seen the way you treat those you love in a brutal proximity. You were also the only man to have shown her any real interest. IF growing a crush on you seems like a natural progression. With all of this in mind, a solution was far away from your reach.

“IF. I-”

IF wipes her tears away, letting her red eyes stay closed for a bit. She mumbles while speaking to you.

“I’m just an idiot for letting this happen. I never should have-”

“Don’t break yourself. I don’t know what you could have possibly done to avert this.”

IF gains a more irritated tone.

“I-I’m saying that I want to break your loving, stable marriage up for my own stupid, greedy reasons! Why aren’t you mad!?”

“IF, I don’t know. You said you would kill me if I made Compa cry, letting you go would do that.”

IF sits on the bank, throwing pebbles into the stream.

“I don’t care about what I said, you’re not making leaving easy.”

“That doesn’t sound like IF. No one wants you to leave, can you at least talk with Compa and I first?”

IF looks at you with glassy eyes.

“Can I atleast trust you to not run away while I get Compa?”

IF nods.

You run as fast as possible, taking no heed your tiring condition and explaining to Compa as you run back, her hand in yours. IF is passed out on the bank. She doesn’t wake up with a push. Compa demands you carry her back to camp.

With IF in your arms, you make the trip again, a fluttering feeling in your heart. Compa keeps you up until you fade in her arms.

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“Compa!” cried IF.

Plutia watched over the play room through dream tinted goggles, she would soon fade off again into a narcoleptic slumber.

IF tackled Compa.

“SEE! Now, I will use you as my offering to the Elder Gods!”

“I don’t wanna be an offering Aiefu~!!!”

Compa’s overshirt was velvet under IF’s fingers, taking her by surprise. With Plutia asleep therefore making IF alone, IF felt a weight missing from her existence, even at this young age.

IF rolled off her friend, taking her friend’s hand.

“You’ll be my friend forever right? I-”

Compa’s contagious smile emerges.

“Of course!”

IF sits next to Compa, hardly moving, face slightly twisted. Compa gets nervous, soon asking:

“What is it IF?”

“I was just thinking. Do you really mean it? You're gonna be my friend forever?”

Compa’s eyes become saucers.

“MARRIAGE?!?”

“Wha- WHAAA?”

Compa places a finger over her lips, motioning for silence.

“A super big promise like that is marriage right? I know girls can’t marry, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be like extra-best friends forever right?”
IF offers a pinky.

“I’ll swear it if you will.”

Compa has an extremely serious and contemplative look for a 7 year old.

“Extra-best friends share EVERYTHING, even pudding. Are you totally sure?”

IF nods vigorously.

With pinkies locked, the girls giggle for a bit before taking the others’ hand and running off to play. The entire time having never disturbed Plutia.

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IF is still passed out when you wake, Compa sits with you next to her practically lifeless form. Aiefu’s soft breaths punctuate the silence of morning. Compa can’t even smile right now, it’s just another part of this daunting situation.

“I-I think… I think Aiefu might be in bad condition, she seemed slow yesterday.”
Compa tears up, sobbing into your shoulder.

“S-S-She hasn’t been hungry… skipping meals. She hasn’t been sleeping. She told me after I teased her and got her to dress up.”

“Let her sleep. We’ll get her to eat when she wakes up.”

Patting Compa’s back doesn’t alleviate the pressure of now having another person who wants a slice of your heart. Even if you want to try and lie, there is still something in your heart for IF. Even though it’s wrong, IF was right. No one here knew why they felt this way, just that they felt wrong for it.

“Compa.”

Compa dries her eyes and looks into yours.

“I wanna help IF, I just-”

Compa’s eyes start to dribble again. She speaks with a desperate tone through the attempts at crying.

“Love… both of us. I don’t want to feel this way again. I think there’s enough of you to go around. All of this scares me so much, I don’t know what to do.”

“Compa…”

“I-I-I k-know… I know that this is dumb. You and Aiefu never let me down though...”

“Do you really think we can-”

“If it’s possible, you’re the one that can do it. You’re still my husband, after all… I guess you’ll just also be IF’s.”

With a sigh, you step out of the tent. Compa is still trying to work what she just said out in her mind as she starts breakfast. With hot food in hand, you journey back to talk with IF. The lady’s glassy eyes lock with yours for a moment before she realizes what's going on. Her tone is frustrated but eases, showing her own weakness.

“You two are too nice for your own good. I told you-”

“It’s crazy, yeah. I don’t know why we came to this solution but it’s happening.”

IF can’t escape, both of her hands are in captivity. Compa has one side, you have the other. Compa nearly presses her nose to IF’s.

“Extra best friends share everything, I’ll- I’ll- I’ll do really mean things, I-I swear if you don’t share good.”

Compa pulls you all together. With a diminutive lady under each arm, you lay back. Their soft hands meet over your chest. IF looks at you nervously. You kiss the cheek of both girls. IF gives a genuine, if fleeting smile.

“I’m starving. Would-”

“Would your new family help you with breakfast?”

IF turns bright red. Compa pays no mind and goes about starting some eggs in a pan over the fire.

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Reminder that this will not affect any of my other stories, and I will write an actual second Uni segment at some point because I enjoy that.