DGA Season 1 Aftermath: Hoshi

Another Aftermath OVA, starring Hoshi. Enjoy.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Hoshi, sweetie, are you hiding under there again?”

Hoshi peers out from the view of her knees to catch a glimpse of Chihiro hunkering down to match Hoshi's eyeline as she sits, burrowing herself under the desk in the dorm's lounge.

This has happened a thousand times over, and will happen a thousand times more, and every time Hoshi only ends up more uncomfortable than when she started.

“N-no... I'm not...” Hoshi mutter in a futile attempt to turn attention away from herself. It doesn't matter how supportive Chihiro tries to be, she hates being known as Crybaby Hoshi. Of course, she'll always be known as Crybaby Hoshi, because that's who she is. She's a crybaby, pure and simple.

She doesn't mean to. Nobody means to be weak and scared. But she is.

Chihiro gives a comfortable smile as she leans in, invading what little space Hoshi created for herself under the desk. “What's bothering you this time? Do you want to talk about it?”

Hoshi slowly shakes her head from side to side.

“Well, I can guess...” Chihiro sighs. Of course, Hoshi's current crying bout has been brought about by something that effected not just her, but all of the class. Chihiro especially.

Hoshi feels guilty for refusing to talk. This isn't her problem alone, Chihiro is perfectly capable of empathising... in fact, she should be taking this harder than Hoshi is.

Chihiro shakes her head. “If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine. I'll still be here if you-”

“I miss Ryoji,” Hoshi manages to squeak out finally. Chihiro stares at her, surprised. Not once has Hoshi ever actually told Chihiro about the thing bothering her. Of course, in this instance it was obvious, but she still brung herself to saying it.

Chihiro gives a small, comforting smile. “Come on out of there, sweetie. I'm going to make some tea, we're going to sit on the couch, and we're going to have a nice long talk. Is that okay with you?”

Hoshi hesitates for a moment, before nodding her head. “Yes... it is.”

Hoshi crawls out from under the desk on all fours. Even with Chihiro being the only one around to see it, she feels incredibly embarassed. She sits down on the couch and waits, wiping her eyes clean until Chihiro approaches with a mug of hot tea.

“Here you are, for the sweetest, and prettiest girl in the whole school!” Chihiro smiles.

Hoshi blushes. She knows Chihiro isn't being honest, but she appreciates her being nice. “T-thank you...”

“I'm serious!” Chihiro exclaims. “I just don't understand why the boys aren't chasing after you! Perhaps I'm missing something... are you and Hiro having a secret romantic affair?”

She gives a playful wink causing Hoshi to blush once more. “N-no! That's not true!”

Chihiro laughs. “Oh, I see... maybe you're more into the brooding type. I'm sure Raiden could use a girl in his life! Or maybe Seishiro, I think he'd be eager to give you your first kiss-”

“I already had my first kiss,” Hoshi interjects. “At the camping trip, remember? You d-dared Ryoji to kiss me...”

Chihiro tilts her head back. “Ah yes, how could I forget! Tell me, was he good?”

“I... I...”

“You don't have to answer that,” Chihiro giggles. “I can already tell that Saki is a lucky lady! Well... she would be, except...”

Chihiro's smile begins to fade. As she looks away, Hoshi notices the sadness in her eyes. The facade is beginning to fade away. “Chihiro...” Hoshi mutters. “Are you okay?”

Chihiro gives a short, uncomfortable laugh. “It's funny... it's been a week now, and every morning I wake up, I expect to see my Aunt curdled up by my side, and I expect that I can barge into Ryoji's room and catch him... possibly engaged in some affair with Saki as he yells at me to leave. It hasn't truly sunk into me yet that they're gone.”

Chihiro hangs her head low, as Hoshi leans forward and places a hand on her shoulder. “They aren't gone,” Hoshi smiles. “We'll get them back. Saki said so.”

Chihiro sighs. “Well, I wish I had Miss Kobashi's optimism. I know you look up to her a great deal, but I don't think she can save Ryoji or my Aunt as easily as she says...”

“It's not going to be easy...” Hoshi replies. “Of course not... but there's still a chance. And... and isn't that really all we need?”

“Hope...” Chihiro mumbles to herself. “I suppose hope is enough... and I need plenty of it. I lost three very important people to me that night.”

“T-three?” Hoshi asks. “Who's the th-”

“Sayeka is dead to me,” Chihiro mutters, her tone one Hoshi has never heard from the white-haired beauty before. For a moment, Chihiro's lilting voice was filled with hate and spite.

Chihiro shakes her head, putting the statement past her. She clearly doesn't want to upset Hoshi. “Anyway, I hope you enjoy your tea, sweetie! Are you feeling any better?”

“A little...” Hoshi nods. Chihiro smiles and claps her hands together. “Excellent! It's not right to see you down in the dumps!”

Hoshi can't bring herself to bring up the main point that was bothering her to Chihiro. Of course she missed Ryoji, he was kind to her and helped her many times when she was frightened... but ultimately, Hoshi felt ashamed of how useless she was. During the entirety of the Endless Night, Hoshi was left cowering on the sidelines, not able to help in anyway, just a weak little girl who served as a burden to the friends who had to protect her.

She can't let this continue. Despite her fears, she has to find a way to make herself useful. To pull her weight within the group. But she isn't strong like Akio, she isn't fast like Rei, she isn't a leader like Saki, and she certainly isn't brave like Ken. She can barely handle a sword, or a spear, or a gun, or a bow, or an axe, or any weapon she's ever tried to hold. So what? What can she possibly do?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“You're going to do what?!” Nariko exclaims. “But that's not possible!”

Hoshi shakes her head. “I've already made my decision. I... I'm going to try to learn magic. It's the only way that I can become useful.”

Nariko scratches the back of her head. “But you know how magic is! It's supposed to be incredibly difficult and take years of preparation! Otherwise everyone who was awakened within the Darkworld would be doing it! Yuji's the only teacher who knows how to cast a few spells, and he's been practising since he was a kid!”

“Maybe it would be better if I started sooner,” Hoshi admits. “B-but this is my last chance! It's the only thing I haven't tried yet! And if someone as terrible as the leader of that order could learn magic... t-then I can too!”

“I just think you're kinda setting yourself up for failure,” Nariko sighs. “And I know you don't handle failure well...”

“Do... do you really think I'll fail?” Hoshi sniffles, tugging at the sleeves of her shirt.

“Aww, this is exactly what I meant!” Nariko groans. “Hoshi, you can do whatever you want. Me and little Daisuke will be behind you all the way, giving you all our support! Just... don't take it too hard if it doesn't work out.”

Hoshi nods. “I'll try... but I just need to find a way to be useful. To be an important part of the group.”

Nariko gasps. “But you are an important part of the group! You're our Hoshi!”

“I... I don't understand,” Hoshi states. “Is... is that a role?”

“You're the little sister type!” Nariko explains, wagging her finger as if she's a teacher giving a lecture, “You serve the purpose of being the cute little girl in need, who will motivate the rest of us to train more so that nothing bad ever happens to you! We have to get stronger, so we don't lose out precious Hoshi! Simply by curling up all sad and defenceless, and doing that thing where you look up at us and bat your watery eyes with a teeny-tiny little smile on your face, you're acting as the ultimate morale boost to all of Class 2!”

“Oh...” Hoshi mumbles, raising her eyebrow. “Thank... you? I... think?”

“No problem!” Nariko exclaims, ruffling her hair.

Hoshi sighs. “Still... I want to be useful in a more tangible sense. I want to be able to help in combat.”

“And what's brought on this change, anyway?” Nariko asks. “I thought you were perfectly content as you were... well, not 'content', you were always cowering in fear... but why the sudden determination?”

“It's not sudden,” Hoshi explains. “Nariko... for the last month now I've watched Saki push herself to the brink of death trying to get Ryoji and Alice back... Saki's my friend, and she's always looked out for me... it's about time I repaid her. I have to get better, for her sake.”

Nariko gives Hoshi a smile. “I have to say, you're definitely determined, but I don't know if pushing yourself is-”

“Excuse me, Nariko?” Hiro grabs their attention as he enters the room. “Can I talk to you for a minute? In my room?”

Nariko glances at Hoshi, then back to Hiro. “Uhh... sure...”

Nariko follows Hiro into his dormroom, leaving Hoshi to wonder what it's about. Hiro isn't the type to invite a girl to his dorm as a romantic action, so it must be something important, and very secretive. Hoshi shakes her head, clearing it out of her mind.

As Hoshi turns to walk down the corridor, she bumps into another member of the class unexpectedly. She stumbles back a bit, managing to keep her footing, as does he.

“Gah, watch where you're going, idiot!” Reiji grumbles, as Hoshi notices he dropped a stack of books.

Hoshi bites her bottom lip nervously, and tries to stammer out a shaky apology, as Reiji realises who he just yelled at. He adjust his glasses and sighs. “Oh, Hoshi... sorry about that. I didn't mean to startle you, I... I've just been... frazzled lately.”

“Oh... anything I can help with?” Hoshi asks.

“I doubt it,” Reiji replies. Hoshi knows he isn't trying to take a shot at her own abilities, but she begins to feel a little self-conscious anyway.

It's likely that which led to Hoshi blurting out, “I'm going to learn magic!”

As Reiji lifts the last of his book, he gives her a confused look. “You're... what?”

“I... I'm going to learn magic,” Hoshi repeats, a little less sure of herself this time.

“Magic, huh?” Reiji asks, taking an interest. “That's pretty tricky, you know. Technically, all awakened humans have the ability to learn it, but it's takes so much focus that very few can carry it out properly.”

“I know...” Hoshi mutters, “But I'm going to try anyway.”

Reiji lets out a low hum, before placing a finger up. “Give me a second, I'm going to fetch something from my room.”

Hoshi waits in the corridor as Reiji runs into his dormroom, coming out again with a black book in hand. “What's that?” Hoshi asks.

“It's a spellbook,” Reiji explains.

“A... you have a spellbook?” Hoshi asks. “W-why?”

“To learn spells,” Reiji replies in a matter of fact manner. “The Order had an incredible interest in magic, as you'd expect. They had a huge interest in anything that came from the Darkworld. This book right here features few incantations recovered from cave walls found within the Darkworld itself and deciphered.”

“So... d-do you know magic?” Hoshi asks.

Reiji shakes his head. “Try as I might, I couldn't get past anything other than the most basic of techniques. But, if you're serious about learning, we can try out your ability to perform some of these.”

Hoshi ponders over it, then nods. “O-of course! I'm r-ready!”

Reiji goes for the door. “Okay then. We're going to need a wide open space when testing these, so let's take it outside.”

The two step out into the courtyard outside the dormitory. Hoshi recalls the huge fight that took place here against Yamato and Class 3 when they were under his control... another battle that she did nothing in other than sit and watch.

Reiji looks around, before approaching a nearby tree and tearing a branch off of it. He places the branch on the ground a few feet away from Hoshi, as her skims through a few pages in the book, before landing at the desired page.

“Okay Hoshi, let's start with the easiest spell in here,” Reiji states. “Right here on page 28. If performed correctly, it will allow you to levitate small objects, like that twig over there. Just read the incantation as you focus on that tiny branch, okay?”

“Okay...” Hoshi mutters.

Reiji hands Hoshi the book and stands behind her, offering words of encouragement. “Don't worry if nothing happens the first time. Even the simplest of spells can take weeks to do properly. This one alone took me over a fortnight of trying.”

Hoshi isn't usually the type to be impatient, but hearing how long it can take feels like a kick in her gut. She needs to get more powerful, powerful enough to help Saki, to save Ryoji and Alice. And she needs that to happen now.

She takes a deep breath and looks down at the page, learning the phrase, burning it into her mind as she focuses her attention on the tree branch. She stares at it with focus and intensity, ready to put all of herself into this first attempt. When she feels she is truly ready, she raises her hand and points a finger at the branch, before shouting at the top of her lungs, the loudest she's ever spoken.

“CONBURET IN IGNE!”

From the tip of her finger shoots a huge fireball, one twice the size of Hoshi's head. It shoots to the ground, hitting the branch and burning it up as the flames crackle and spit all around. Hoshi meanwhile was taken off her feet from the sheer force of the blast she caused, landing on her tailbone and wincing in pain.

Reiji uses his arm to shield his eyes, a ghastly expression on his face, as Hoshi rubs her back and begins to panic. “Ahh, s-sorry!” She exclaims, waving her hands frantically. “I must have read the wrong one! Oh, I'm so stupid!”

“Hoshi...” Reiji gasps. “How... the incantation you read... that's a fairly powerful one. I couldn't perform that even after a full year of practicing. You... you did it on your first try...”

“I-is that good?” Hoshi asks, clutching the book to her chest.

“It's astounding!” Reiji exclaims, a hint of excitement in his voice. “Nobody has ever done that before!”

“Oh...” Hoshi mutters. “B-but is that good?”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Hoshi my child, you have a gift.”

After the incident outside the dormitory, Reiji and Hoshi decided to pay a visit to the history teacher, Yuji. After all, he was the only one in the school with any real knowledge of magic, and the only one who could tell them about the anomaly of Hoshi's ability. What Hoshi soon learned from him was a lot more than she bargained for.

“I... I don't understand,” Hoshi mutters. “What kind of gift?”

Yuji smiles as he reaches under his desk and begins to fiddle through several scrolls. “Let's see, which one is the... a-ha! Here we are!”

He pulls out a brown and faded scroll and places it upon his messy desk. “Now, where are my glasses...”

“Sensei, you don't wear any glasses,” Reiji sighs. Yuji was always a strange teacher, his mind was never all there. Perhaps he wasn't the best person to go to concerning this matter.

“Ah yes, thank you Ryoji.”

“Reiji.”

“Yes, my apologies... Reiji,” Yuji squints, questioning if Reiji is in fact the correct name. He shakes his head before finally rolling out the scroll. “You see, there is a documented case of one awakened human learning magic at this incredible rate. She dates back several hundred years ago, during the initial invasion of the Darkworld. Her real name unkown, she was referred to as The Star, and her power is believed to be what helped drive back many of the demons during the early incursions. In fact, there are documents to suggest that it was her magic which sealed away the Darkworld for a temporary amount of time.”

“I s-see,” Hoshi mumbles, somewhat relieved. “So, it's happened before. I'm not special...”

“Ah, but you are!” Yuji exclaims. “You see, The Star never truly died. On this scroll, a member of the town's militia documented her last moments. Here, she is described as having performed an incantation on herself, causing herself to fade away into dust, in the hopes of being reincarnated into a new body many years later. Hoshi... I believe that you are that reincarnation.”

It's a lot to take in, especially for Hoshi. Moments ago, she was unsure is she could make a twig levitate, and now? Now she doesn't know what to think. “You're saying I might be the... the reincarnation of a great ancient wizard?”

“It sounds insane,” Reiji mutters. “But it's hardly any weirder than anything else we've encountered. How bizarre...”

“B-but... me?” Hoshi asks. “How can I be this... this...?”

“Hoshi my child,” Yuji states, “I know it may seem strange and confusing to you. This new revelation, and so sudden, I'm afraid I may have turned your world on it's side. But once you get past your initial shock, you must realise something. You have been given a great gift. You just might be the second coming of the greatest wizard this world has ever known, with a natural mastery over the mystic arts. You are The Star, and with that you hold a great power. It was The Star who helped banish the Darkworld the first time around, and it may lie to you to do it again.”

“And here I thought I could just teach Hoshi a basic spell. This is starting to sound like some kind of Chosen One prophecy...” Reiji mutters.

“In a way, you're correct!” Yuji laughs. “Of course, Hoshi isn't quite there yet, but she's shown that she is capable of learning magic at an astounding rate. If she keeps this up, she could match the level of the original Star in a very short time indeed. And if she can live up to the legacy of the original, then that means...”

Yuji gives a proud smile, as he places his hands on Hoshi's shoulders. Hoshi lets out a nervous as he does. “Hoshi, at the risk of sounding cliché... you are the chosen one, destined to one day banish the Darkworld.”

Hoshi stares blankly at her teacher. “Oh... that's a lot of pressure...”

As Hoshi and Reiji exit the classroom, Hoshi leans against the nearest wall and begins to breath heavily.

“You okay?” Reiji asks.

“D-do I look strange?” Hoshi asks, still worrying about appearing weak.

“Well, you look just about exactly I'd expect someone to look after being told they might be the reincarnated spirit of a several hundred year old wizard destined to banish an entire realm of demons from our plane of existence. Do you want to talk about it?”

Do you want to talk about it? Those seven words have plagues Hoshi her entire life. Seven words she's developed such and aversion to, seven words she avoids like the plague. Every time she ever felt down or scared or nervous, someone would ask her that question. And every time she was asked, she would only shrivel up more and refuse.

Not this time. This time, she has to talk about it.

“There's... been a mistake. That can't be me!” She exclaims frantically. “I can't be s-some all powerful sorcerer! I'm just Hoshi! Crybaby Hoshi! The little girl who can't do anything!”

“I wouldn't say that,” Reiji replies. “You burned that twig up pretty good. That's really all the evidence you need. Maybe not the reincarnation, that's pretty out there... but you're clearly powerful, Hoshi. More powerful than you could have ever thought.”

“That power... it doesn't mean anything if I'm still weak!” Hoshi fires back, clenching her fists. “What good is it if I still ball up at the first sign of danger, if I'm constantly hiding away, if I can't handle someone raising their voice to me without tearing up? This power... it went to the wrong person! I can't handle this! I'll never be able to fight my fears, I have far too many! I'm just a little scaredy-cat baby who's never been any use to anyone!”

No stuttering, no hesitation. Hoshi needed to get that all out, to have it out in the open. She was tired of keeping her emotions bottled up, her feelings of self-loathing stored inside her, hidden behind a veil of frailty. She finally needed to say it, just to hear those words.

“You know Hoshi, I was just like you no too long ago...” Reiji mutters. “Hell, who am I kidding? I'm still like you. I get scared all the time, and I'm pretty meek. I've been meek my whole life. I let two monster masquerading as parents push me around and try to mold me into an immoral freak like themselves because I was too scared to do anything else. I joined a crazed order dedicated to worshipping demons and I spied on all of you for them... because I was too scared to do anything else. But thanks to people like Ryoji... I learned how pointless it was in letting my fear overcome me. I learned to fight back against everything that scared me. You can do the same, Hoshi... I know you can.”

Hoshi looks up and gives a faint smile. “You... you're right, Reiji. I'm sorry for unloading on you, I just needed to hear those words... so that I could finally realise how ridiculous they sound.”

Hoshi lets out a light giggle. “I'm going to do it, Reiji. I've finally found a way that I can be useful, that I can help others, and I'm not going to squander this gift. I don't believe in what Yuji said... I'm not The Star. I'm not part of some strange prophecy. I'm just everyone's little sister Hoshi... and there's nobody I'd rather be.”

Hoshi looks out the window in the corridor. The sun is beginning to set, and the first star of the night has already appeared in the sky. Hoshi stares up at it and smiles. It's going to be tough, she's not going to overcome all her fears at once, but with her newfound ability, and the friends who have always supported her by her side, she's going to make the most of her gifts.

It's time for the crybaby to grow up.

THE END