Blissful Memories WIP (Blazblue) (Patreon)

Nine let out a heavy sigh as she planted her hands on the edge of the desk she was slaving over. She was on a time limit but for some forsaken reason, she couldn't make any progress on Requiem today. Everything was going so smoothly and so quickly over the last few weeks, that it almost seemed like there was very little chance for her to fail at this. And deep down, she knew that she wasn't going to fail in this mission. She couldn't fail in this mission, no matter how much of a strain it put on her, Nine knew that failure was not an option.

So why was she struggling so much after everything was going so well? Why was she looking at all this machinery in front of her, at a loss of how she wanted to put it together and make things go as she needed? Why she was struggling to even find the basic pieces to get this together? Why was it a struggle even putting two and two together?

She slammed her hands on the top of her desk once again, frustration clearly growing inside of her as her mind raced with possibility after possibility of to just what could be going wrong right now.

"I don't understand! I need to get this done. Just how can someone like me be at a loss?!"

Silence began to fill the room around her as she started to backtrack her steps. Maybe, just maybe, if she could find where she diverted in the creation of Requiem, she could realize what to do next. As if she didn't already know. But maybe just mentally finding the answer would let her actually do it.

It made no sense in her mind that she was struggling like this. And it made equally less sense that she couldn't put her process together in her mind. What was going on with her? Was she tired? Was she overthinking things and just needed to take a step back? Trinity would always tell her that when she was stuck, it was smart to look away for a bit.

Unfortunately, that reminder of Trinity's advice brought another thought of her best friend. One that made Nine even angrier that she was unable to continue this important project that she was working on. "This isn't just for Celica. This isn't just for me. Trinity, Jubei, Kokonoe..."

"Even now, you struggle to actually listen to my advice, Konoe?"

The all-too-familiar voice broke Nine from her focus, prompting her to place her forehead against her desk and let out a heavy sigh. "I understand the situation that you are in and I can't do anything about it. But if I'm hearing you, I know I'm going crazier than I actually am, Trinity..."

"What do I keep telling you to do when you get stuck and lost?"

Trinity's gentle voice brought a faint smile to Nine's lips, causing her to think back to all the advice that her friend had given her during their years of friendship. "Depends on what I was stuck on. Usually, you'd try to pull me away from it." Nine couldn't stop herself from letting out the lightest chuckle as she thought back to the dozens of ways Trinity would pull her away from her work while the two of them were still in their studying days.

"Sometimes you would say you needed help with your projects and needed someone well-versed in magic like myself to give you another opinion. Other times, you would tell me you were lonely and demand I keep you company for a few hours. And if I remember correctly, there were even times you would sneak up on me while I was working."

Nine's mind flooded with memories of her time together with Trinity, reminding her of just why she was struggling so hard with Requiem in the first place. It wasn't just her and Celica's life she'd be fixing. There'd be dozens, hundreds, millions more that she would correct. But only if she could do this right.

"Atta girl. And do you remember what would always happen when you would try and force yourself to go back to work?"

That gentle voice once again pulled memories through Nine's mind. Memories of when Trinity would pin her onto the bed in their dorm to keep her from moving. Memories of when Trinity would just cling to her and refuse to let her leave. Memories of when Trinity would steal Nine's affection and cause her mind to stop functioning for a moment so that she wouldn't try and leave anymore. And as these memories rushed through her mind, the sensations that came with all of them began to rush to her body.

The feeling of Trinity's fingertips against her skin. The feeling of Trinity's lips against her own. Even the feeling of Trinity's breath tingling against her neck as the two were in a very intimate moment. All of it came flooding back to her. And all of it caused her heart to race in her chest.

And it was at this moment that Nine realized just what was going on. She wasn't actually hearing Trinity, but her subconscious was forcing her to stop and remember everything that she could do to pull herself away from her current focus. Of course, when she realized this, Nine couldn't stop herself from chuckling once again. "Thank you, Trinity... Even if you're not actually here, you're always right by my side."

"And you by mine.~"