Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Kira was furious.

Or anxious, maybe, her hands in her lap about to lose the last string of steadiness.

She was waiting by the window of her room at the summer house, her father kept his word and invited her—Yumeko— to spend a week with them.

Kira and Yumeko hadn't talked at all since the last encounter at the party.

They weren't enemies anymore.

But they certainly weren't friends either.

They did define how to call it, but Kira had started to doubt the title she set herself.

Partners.

Too generic yet so specific and grounding.

Partners, but what for?

The council president wasn't bothered by the fact that Yumeko was going to spend a week there. No, she was mad that Yumeko, her so-called partner, had vanished all summer.

While she felt pathetic for most of it, she knew why.

That kiss.

It still stung on her tongue, a sting that had nothing to do with the poison in it. 

It was her first, even if she hated to admit it—and she didn't. No one knows about it, not even Yumeko.

—

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a car engine parking; she looked out the window. Yumeko was there, getting out of the car surrounded by five of Kira's servants. Hands behind her back, the servants handled her baggage as she walked, confident and gracious in the most terrifying way.

A knock on the door. Riri.

"Yumeko has arrived. Father wants you downstairs," her sister announced in her whispery voice. Kira remained silent, humming ever so slightly to let her know that she understood, and Riri walked away.

She looked at her reflection in the window before walking down the stairs.

And into the chaos she had started to miss, somehow.

-

The awkward greetings were over, and Kira's father dismissed himself.  The servants led Yumeko upstairs to show her room for the week, the one beside Kira's. Kira followed after a moment so that Yumeko wouldn't notice. Walking upstairs, she looked at the flawless posture of the girl just a few steps ahead. She noticed how her hair had grown a bit in these months, how the warm brown of it had turned lighter, just enough to be seen. She wondered if Yumeko had noticed her changes; she wondered if she had changed at all. Kira didn't have time to wonder, as a small cough brought her to reality. They were now alone; the servants had left, and Yumeko stood at the door of her room.

"Lovely here, so...calculated," she commented, looking around, trying to break the ice. Kira just nodded.

"You look lovely too, Kira-san," the girl added after a second, her tone lowered, her smile wider.

"Thank you," Kira replied with a fake smile.

"Truly, it's been a while, but your beauty stays untouched and remains hard to forget," remarked Yumeko, grinning and playing with her hair.

Kira didn't flinch, didn't smile, but her heart did skip a beat.

"I see time hasn't changed you," she said coldly.

Yumeko ignored her comment and walked inside her room. Kira didn't dare to follow.

"Anyway..., it's so hot here. Can we go swimming in the pool?" Yumeko asked, childlike, as she knelt down to take her bikini out of the luggage.

"You're not here to play," Kira said firmly.

"Aren't I?" Yumeko chuckled and stood up again with the bikini in her hands.

Kira rolled her eyes. She couldn't handle her right now.

"Do what you want. Just don't cross any lines, and especially, don't bother me."

Yumeko laughed again, softer.

"So that means you won't come?"

"I'll see you at dinner."

The president turned and left, walking into her room. She sighed; she didn't know what to do, and it scared her. Yumeko is here to plan the death of the board, not to spend a friendly week at the pool, and what scared Kira most is that she wouldn't mind that option.

-

Staring out the window or checking as she would define it, Kira looked at Yumeko swimming in the pool, idly, casually, like she owned it.

She looked pathetic in Kira's eyes, there, all alone, like an abandoned fish left to live out its days caged in a space it could not escape from.

Her skin started to feel warm, and so she decided to walk outside from the sunbathing seats to the poolside.

Yumeko noticed. She did even before Kira stepped out of the house, and so she swam to the poolside, resting her arms there, and her chin on the back of her hand, looking up at the blue-lipsticked girl.

Her wet hair was sticking to her forehead and cheeks, framing her in a way Kira thought nothing could improve.

Yumeko, waiting for a word, didn't speak, but Kira's words were stuck. Lost for a moment as Yumeko's sparkling eyes sank in her gaze.

Because Yumeko looked, like really, looked at her.

Kira in a thin robe, underneath it, her blue bikini, Yumeko could spot some pale skin, and so she felt vulnerable.

"I thought I'd see you at dinner." Teased Yumeko.

"You see me when I want to." Replied Kira firmly.

"Ohh, and to what do I owe the pleasure?" Yumeko asks playfully.

"Nothing you're worth hearing."

"Damn." Yumeko chuckles and pushes herself backward with her feet, floating in the crystal-blue water.

"Come here." Kira commanded, and Yumeko raised her eyes, intrigued, so she swam back to the poolside.

"Yes, President?"

"Get out, Yumeko, I want to swim alone."

She doesn't want to. She doesn't even want to swim. At this point, she just wants to bother the peace Yumeko has because, on the other hand, her state is far from peaceful. It's turmoil.

Yumeko sighed but, weirdly, obeyed.

She lifted herself up with her hands from the pool. Her long hair gleamed, her body curved perfectly, and Kira had to turn around. She took off her robe to keep herself busy, now only in her bikini.

That was just what Yumeko wanted. She giggled to herself and lifted the pale girl into her arms, effortlessly, before jumping back into the pool, not without a dramatic scream from Kira.

Kira resurfaced with Yumeko's hands still wrapped around her.

She wanted to scold her and push her away, but at that moment, she found it impossible.

Yumeko laughed. Kira didn't, but she smiled.

"If we go down, we go down together, right, partner?"

That word, again. Kira moved away.

"The one dragging us down is you, though." She commented, coldly, again.

"You talk like we failed last time. We didn't." Yumeko scoffed.

"Because I handled it."

"And I always knew we were in good hands!" Yumeko smiled widely, grabbing Kira's hands underwater. Kira didn't swat them away.

"You're insufferable."

"Yet you invited me here."

"My father did."

"Touché."

"You're enjoying this more than I do." Kira sighed, annoyed.

"So that means you are enjoying it." Yumeko's grin widened.

"Shut up." Kira pushed Yumeko's head underwater, and Yumeko let her. Plus, she swam down and hooked herself between Kira's legs, lifting her up on her shoulders as she resurfaced. Kira panicked at the movement, firstly because of the position, and then because of how high she felt.

Yumeko laughed like she always did.

"Put me down!" Kira scolded her.

"Oh, president, this is to let you know that I can drag us down, but I can also put you back up." Yumeko pointed out.

"Oh, cut it! Down, now." Kira commanded.

"You could just fall back." Yumeko giggled while spinning in the water, as fast as friction permitted.

"Yumeko!" Kira warned her for the last time. And she listened, in her own way. She pushed Kira's legs up hard enough to let her fall backward in the water.

"You, bitch. I'm gonna drown you. You're gonna die here." Kira spit, angry.

"Mhh, and I'll hold you down with me. It wouldn't be the first time we risk to die together." Yumeko teased, her hand moving to keep steady Kira, resting casually on her bare waist. That made the president shift slightly.

At the moment, Kira felt like she, too, was a caged fish, abandoned to die in that spot. She looked at the girl in front of her and smiled at the thought, because she didn't feel alone.

Maybe they were meant to be caged, maybe each other's company was freedom. But they were too busy drowning each other to even bother to think about it.

—

Inside the house, someone was watching, admiringly intrigued. Riri witnessed the scene from afar and wondered what kind of alien had replaced her sister.  Guilty, because that moment wasn't meant for anyone else's eyes, she felt relieved in some ways, terrified in many others. Yumeko is a wild card, a jester, a dice rolling down a rough surface. And Kira was used to counting the cards, to cutting them precisely.

—

Now they were lying down, sunbathing—at least Yumeko was; Kira was too pale to even try. Yumeko made fun of that.

"This is going to be a great week," hummed Yumeko, and Kira smiled without needing to hide it.

Chapter Text

Dinner was...interesting, emotionally tiring. Kira couldn't stand the look in her father's eyes; her sister's silence felt obligatory even when expected, and Yumeko behaved weirdly. Too grateful and contained, it was unbearable.

Luckily that evening, Arkadi Timurov had important plans, which also included Riri.

That left no spying ears for the two girls to finally discuss their plan; to set the scene for what they had agreed on months ago—to kill the board and bring Kira back to her throne.

They sat on the carpet in Yumeko's room, as Kira had wished that afternoon but hadn't said it aloud. Surprisingly, they were chatting, or playing table tennis with their words, but it was something, and Kira enjoyed it. Both were fresh out of the showers after swimming in the chlorinated water. Yumeko wore black shorts and a loose red tank top; her hair was still slightly wet, but she didn't care to dry it. Kira was dressed slightly more intent, And the robe she wore before was draped over her shoulders. It was odd enough for her to be sitting on a carpet.

"Gosh, I should have drunk the whole antidote!" Kira joked, replying to something unhinged Yumeko had said.

"Mh, but you didn't. You played fair..." Yumeko smiled softly, far from eccentric.

"If I'd won my life cheating, I guess it wasn't really worth living... right?" she said, then asked uncertainly. Yumeko kept her smile and moved her open hand close to Kira, wanting a high five. Kira bumped it with her fist instead, and Yumeko chuckled, closing her hand around it.

"So, what's the plan?" Kira asked to change the topic, moving her hand away.

Yumeko smirked, mischief and excitement shining in her eyes.

"You suggested I needed more scotch, so I got more scotch..." She grinned widely; she wasn't, of course, talking about real scotch.

"It didn't work efficiently last time," Kira commented, a laugh escaping her breath, the memory of what had happened flashing in her mind for a moment.

"Because I had you against me. And I did kill him in the end," Yumeko remarked.

"Are you planning on kissing anyone else with that poison?" Kira asked impulsively, as if her words slipped out, as if that were the most important detail in the whole story, and maybe, maybe it was.

Yumeko grinned again, a genuine grin, empty of mischief or madness. She shook her head.

Just then, Kira realized she was holding her breath.

"It was a great move, but it's predictable now, isn't it?" Yumeko purred playfully.

"To who? No one knows..." The president asked seriously, but hid it under a soft chuckle.

"To you, Ms. President." Yumeko purred, tilting her head to rest it on the bed.

Kira just looked at her, raising her eyebrows.  It made her feel a bit foolish, but she would have admitted that if she kissed her again, she would be as surprised as the first time.

Their discussion continued for a few hours. The sun had completely set, and their masks were slowly removed and placed on the nightstand.

Yumeko surprised Kira with a "gift", a thanks for letting her stay with her a week, maybe a little help to make it to the end of it.

"Oh, Suki saw them in your room once, Blake told him they were tomato flavored...he almost threw them in the bin for you." Kira shared, a little smirk plastered on her face.

"Let's say I made those at home and changed the recipe a little bit." Yumeko smirked and opened the box.

"Yeah? You wanna poison me again, Kawamoto?" Kira asked, leaning forward just to look at the sweets inside the box.

"Someone told me not to play an ace when it's not needed," Yumeko hummed, referring to Kira's words at the party.

"Plus, I don't kill for fun; I do like to die for fun...you see, flour isn't the only white powder I made these with." Yumeko grinned excitedly and whispered the last part, leaning closer to Kira's ear.

"You want me to get high? Pff." Kira leaned back.

"I want to get high with you; come on, it will be fun!"

"We're not friends, Yumeko."

"And? Partners don't get high?"

Again, and every time, too generic and too grounding.

Partners surely get high together,

Work partners don't,

Study partners maybe,

But partners in crime? Do they?

Kira didn't reply; she just took a piece of that weird candy and ate it.

And so it went on, one by one, some knowledge questions thrown there to decide who would eat next. Laughter filled the room, filling the house, which had never heard this sound so loud before.

They wandered through the hallways and garden, sure that no one else would have stopped them, and if they tried, they didn't care.

Kira had never felt more free, relaxed, and light.

And that, deep down, still scared her to death. Yumeko hadn't commented on it; if she had, Yumeko knew Kira would have gone into paranoia, and every bad feeling is dangerous when amplified.

So Yumeko talked and talked and talked, so that Kira wouldn't have time to think that all of this was wrong and against her own rules.

They sat on the poolside, their legs swinging idly in the water, their heads up, looking at the clear night sky.

In some August days, shooting stars are plentiful. They both knew that, but they didn't remark on it.

They made a bet on it, because that's what they do best.

Whoever sees more shooting stars in an hour gets to push the other into the pool.

It was dumb, Kira thought; no one could declare how many shooting stars had passed, or if they lied about seeing one.

But that's what's funny about gambling with Yumeko; Kira knew she would play fair.

Kira saw the first one, Yumeko smirked when she saw Kira pointing at the sky, maybe the most dreamy and childlike she had ever seen, and probably will ever see the president.

Yumeko followed her pointed finger and saw it too.

"A wish, Kira." Yumeko whispered. Kira sighed softly.

"I wish...that everything will end up well for us."

Us.

Yumeko noticed, she didn't tease the girl beside her.

Yumeko thought that Kira must be high to say those things, then she remembered that she was, in fact, high and so she laughed to herself.

By the end of the hour, Kira beat Yumeko 7 - 3, she didn't know though, that even if they both played fair, Yumeko lost because she would focus on Kira's profile and lose herself in thought.

Her eyes were brought back to the sky by Kira's pointed finger.

Yumeko was high, more than Kira; she made sure to get every answer right once she saw Kira starting to get lost. The president admitted that she had never gotten high before, and Yumeko acknowledged that.

Kira won, of course she did, and for the first time, she felt truly happy about it—not for the school, not for her father, just for herself and the thought of pushing Yumeko into the pool.

The defeated girl stood up, ready for her punishment.

Kira placed her hands on Yumeko's shoulders, watching her before pushing her into the water.

She grinned, satisfied. She sat back down, watching the girl swim up.

Yumeko placed her arms on the poolside, resting her chin on the back of her hand, just as she had that afternoon.

When Kira again saw how Yumeko's hair framed her face perfectly, she couldn't help but speak.

"You look pretty..." she confessed, blushing.

Yumeko laughed, feeling mocked.

"It's not funny," Yumeko whined, because she didn't understand it wasn't a joke.

She gently grabbed Kira's wrist, pulling her close; her hand was cold from the water.

Kira closed her eyes for a moment before opening them again.  Her nose brushed gently against Yumeko's, and Kira inhaled deeply.

"Kira, I don't feel so good," Yumeko admitted, her voice slightly shaking.  In that moment, Kira sobered up. She helped Yumeko out of the water and walked her inside the house; they reached the bathroom in Yumeko's room.

"You need to take these clothes off, Yumeko," Kira said, and Yumeko nodded. The president turned around to turn on the shower while Yumeko took off her clothes. Kira didn't want to look, couldn't.

She heard Yumeko stumble trying to pull down her shorts.

"Gosh, this was your idea!" Kira complained, but she wasn't really regretting the night.

"Sorry," she heard from Yumeko, but wasn't sure; the girl's voice was barely a whisper. Kira sighed.

"I'm... I'll stay here and wash your clothes, okay?" Kira asked as Yumeko stepped into the shower. She sat there, warming up, her knees drawn up close to her chest.

Kira didn't wait for an answer; she started to wash Yumeko's clothes. The servants weren't at the house at night.  She placed them in the washing machine and turned it on.

She sat on the pavement, her back to Yumeko.

"If you feel the need to throw up, please tell me," she asked seriously, but in a soft tone.

"Okay," Yumeko hummed.

—

Luckily, she didn't throw up.

Kira helped her out, wrapping a bathrobe around her. Yumeko felt better but her mind wasn't functioning yet, the moment she got better, even Kira's mind loosened back.

Kira helped Yumeko dry her hair, brushing them. And then Yumeko managed to put on her night vest.

They sat on the bed in silence.

"I think i'll go to sleep." Kira broke the silence.

Yumeko murmured something Kira didn't understand but she felt her hand on her shoulder, so she turned around.

Yumeko leaned and kissed Kira's cheeks, slowly.

"Thank you." She whispered, her voice like a caress, like a dart hitting the center of a target.

Kira was blushing, Kira Timurov blushed, for the first time in her life probably. She stood up.

"Good night, Yumeko." She said trying to sound composed, Yumeko said it back and Kira didn't need to tell her that she could call her if she needed anything.

Yumeko, somehow, already knew.

Chapter Text

Kira woke up because of the sun piercing through the blinds she had forgotten to close properly. Her head still ached from the night before, but she remembered everything that had happened.

She showered and made her bed before walking downstairs. She didn't bother to wake Yumeko; she knew Yumeko was probably more tired than she was.  She stepped into the living room; the table was already set, and breakfast was already served by the servants. Her father sat at the head of the table.

"Good morning," Kira said composedly, her slightly hoarse voice betraying her. She sat a few seats away.

Her father just nodded; he wasn't paying attention to her, just reading his journal.

"Where's Riri?" Kira asked as a servant poured coffee into her cup.

"She's handling some business. They'll bring her home when she's done," Arkadi said, his accent prominent, his eyes never leaving the paper.

"Why her?" Kira asked recklessly, perhaps still a little high.

That's when her father looked up at her.

"Because I said so. She's handling some family business," he spat, like a final sentence.

"I could have done that too, better, and you know it," Kira retorted, and her father stood up. Kira almost flinched.

"Doubt my decision again, and you won't be able to even try to regain what you think is your place," he affirmed coldly, bitterly, harshly.

Kira gulped.

"Папа—"

(Papa)

That word earned her a slap from his hand across her face, rough and intentional. He didn't look back. He walked away, leaving his daughter alone. Kira looked down, her cheek red, a different shade than the one from Yumeko's kiss. This shade was sharp, defined, and bloody.

Kira remained still; her plate was white, its emptiness feeling out of place on such a full table. Her coffee was now cold, so she demanded another cup, and she received it. 

She drank the hot beverage, the dark liquid sliding down her throat, quickening her heartbeat and raising her pulse. She felt sick, a sickness that wouldn't be cured by pills or syrups. Her chest felt tight, so she breathed out to calm herself.

The coffee turned cold; she didn't ask for more.

—

Kira left the kitchen and returned upstairs. She passed Yumeko's room to go to hers. The door closed, no light showing from the space between it and the frame.

She thought to walk in; she wanted to.

So she did.

She opened the door slowly, peeking inside. Yumeko was lying in bed sleeping.

Kira stepped in, closing the door behind her. She walked a few steps forward before Yumeko opened an eye, playfully, her grin already in place. That scared Kira for a moment; she wasn't expecting it.

"I see you trying to kill me on the first morning," Yumeko laughed softly, stretching her arms like a cat. Her voice was lower than usual, less forced.

Kira scoffed.

"It's late," she said.

"Missed me already?" Yumeko grinned, pulling the sheets down to her feet.

Kira noticed how her nightgown had ridden up her stomach during the night. She moved her gaze away after a millisecond.

"Breakfast is served," Kira said, without acknowledging Yumeko's teasing, and then she walked away.

—

After a few minutes, Yumeko made her entrance into the living room.

No one was there.

Yumeko sighed under her breath; she gazed at Kira's seat as she ate a croissant mindlessly.

She noticed the clean plate and wondered if the servants were that good in this house or if Kira hadn't had breakfast.

Just after a while, a familiar figure walked by.

Kira, in another thin, see-through robe, wore it over her white bikini.

"Breakfast is served already!" Yumeko mocked Kira's voice as she passed the table.

"I already ate," Kira lied.

"Well, it's rude to let me eat alone," Yumeko smirked, wanting to annoy the president.

"You could have woken up earlier," Kira replied bitterly; her father's hand often poisoned her with those emotions.

Yumeko rolled her eyes.

"Come on, please!"

But Kira didn't want to get close; her cheek had started to bruise, and she surely didn't want Yumeko to notice it.

She regretted not putting makeup on.

"I'm going to the sauna," Kira said and walked away, exhaling once out of sight.

"Of course you have a sauna!" Yumeko exclaimed and clapped her hands.

—

Yumeko ran to her room once she finished breakfast. She put on a red bikini; she didn't have anything to wear to walk around the house decently, so she walked into Kira's room and took—borrowed—the robe she wore yesterday.

On the stairs, she met Riri.

"Good morning!" Yumeko greeted with her usual squeaky voice.

Riri checked her out; Kira's robe was the first thing she noticed.

Weird.

"Where's Kira?" Riri whispered; she sounded almost preoccupied, but Yumeko let it slide; Riri always sounded like that to her.

"Oh, she's in the sauna; I'm going there... can you tell me where it is?" Yumeko tilted her head to scan the hallway, trying to decipher where to go. Riri stopped her, placing a hand in front of her.

"Kira doesn't like company in the sauna," she stated, authority filling her words.

"She'll throw me out if that's the case," Yumeko giggled and walked past Kira's sister.

"So, where is it?" Yumeko asked again, smiling.

Riri didn't argue; her sister would have handled it.

"Down to the left; you'll see it," she stated and walked upstairs.

Yumeko followed her concise instructions and found the sauna at the end of the left hallway.

She entered without knocking.

Kira sighed heavily at the intrusion, her eyes closed, her body leaning backwards on her hands, a thin layer of sweat covering her pale skin.

"Yumeko," she said. She knew it was her; no one would have dared to walk in like that.

Yumeko grinned, staying anchored to her place.

"Yes, Ms. President?" She purred playfully and took a step closer, then her eyes fixed on Kira's face.

Yumeko opened her mouth to speak but then decided against it.

Kira noticed the silence and opened her eyes, looking at the intruder.

"You're wearing my robe." She stated, furrowing her eyebrows, her voice firm yet slightly amused.

Yumeko just smirked and took it off, hanging it on the wall beside her, remaining in her bikini.

Kira's eyes wandered down for a quick moment, and then she closed her eyes again, leaning her head back.

"You're such a pain in the ass, Kawamoto," She breathed out right after.

Yumeko giggled and made herself comfortable in the sauna.

"Sure,"

"Riri told me you wouldn't have wanted any company. I guessed she was wrong."

Kira's eyes shot open.

"Riri's back?!"

Yumeko nodded but didn't bother to speak.

"Did she say anything else?"

Yumeko shook her head.

"No, she just wanted to know where you were."

"Oh, okay."

"Why, something wrong?" Yumeko asked, knowingly.

Kira shook her head to the sides softly, which made the bruise more visible in Yumeko's eyes.

"Kira," she called. Her stomach was starting to be bothered by the view.

"Don't... please, Yumeko," Kira whispered because she knew Yumeko noticed.

At that, Yumeko hummed, accepting Kira's request. She leaned backwards as well, beside the president. Her pinky casually brushed Kira's.  The Timurov girl didn't move. That touch felt safer and more grounding than any her parents gave her.

"I still don't understand why you came here," Kira said, expressing her doubt.

"In the sauna? Or at your house?" Yumeko asked, grinning.

"Both."

"So demanding,"

A small laugh escaped both their lips.

"Well, I'm here in the sauna for many reasons. Many include the use of it, but especially, I still wanted to thank you for last night," Yumeko affirmed softly.

"You don't have to. It was payback for when you held my hair back as I threw up," Kira dismissed her.

"I mean it," Yumeko insisted.

"You already thanked me yesterday," the blue-eyed girl countered.

"Did I? I don't really remember," Yumeko giggled, and Kira nodded, recalling the soft kiss on her cheek. She cleared her throat.

"And why at my house?" Kira asked.

"I was getting bored at mine, I had no reason to say no," Yumeko started, and Kira scoffed.

"Let me finish," the brunette giggled.

"I knew you were the only one who couldn't bore me. I think... I needed to stay near such a freak," Yumeko finished, still laughing.

Kira let out a soft chuckle.

"Takes one to know one."

"You're a cowboy like me, and I'm never gonna love again," Yumeko sang.

"You didn't just quote Taylor Swift."

"Oh, I sure did," Yumeko laughed, and Kira laughed along. That's what was craziest about all of this.

They kept talking for a while.

At one point, Yumeko's hand was almost completely covering Kira's.

"Can I see it, please?" Yumeko asked, unsure.

Kira sighed but didn't refuse. She tilted her head so the brunette could see her bruised cheek better. Yumeko cupped it, her touch like a ghost's. Kira's blue eyes pierced Yumeko's with the intensity of her gaze. Yumeko moved her gaze from the cheek to Kira's eyes.

"I'm gonna kill them all." Yumeko affirmed, her voice barely a whisper, her lips curving into a small smile.

"Bet on me, I will."

Chapter Text

Yumeko didn't sleep that night. She stayed up on the balcony, planning the board's downfall. She wanted it badly; she wanted it to be quick. But most of all, she wanted to find her mother, and this was the only place worth searching at.

The brunette girl sneaked out of her room. She felt stupid for not doing this the day before when neither Arkadi nor Riri was home.  Yet, she just wanted to spend time with Kira.

She moved through the house, her eyes squinting for any clue about the past. Yumeko found Arkadi's office. She checked for any cameras or alarms; luckily, the man was too full of himself to think he needed them.

She opened drawers and looked through files. The air felt thick, even though she had convinced herself nothing bad would happen.

—

Kira didn't sleep that night either.

She was lying in bed, replaying the day's events. 

She could still feel her father's hit on her left cheek. It pulsed like a newborn's heart; it felt like a new life forming within her, or perhaps it had always been there, only now beginning to split.  For once—when she felt Yumeko's hand on her cheek—that pulse slowed, and the one in her chest felt more alive. These pulses had begun to operate by their own rules.

The blue-eyed girl heard a nearby door open and someone stepping out. The wild card. Kira feared Yumeko as much as she was attracted to her, so she followed—like a narcissist diving into water without knowing how to swim, just to follow his reflection. Stealthily, like someone who had done this many times before, because she had. She was curious to see what Yumeko would do. She would have been happy even if she had found her in the kitchen drinking water. But Yumeko went further, so Kira's interest increased.

—

Yumeko heard steps in the hallway approaching the room. She panicked, just enough to find a spot to hide. Her final choice was under the desk.

Kira's face stiffened when she saw the room Yumeko had entered.

Is she crazy? 

She thought.

Her father would have killed her if he had found out. Kira herself wasn't sure if she should have entered. But she did, because she wanted to know what had brought Yumeko to do such a reckless thing.

When she stepped in, she saw no one. Just some opened drawers. Looking down, she noticed something reflecting the very small bit of light that was in the room on the wall near the desk: Yumeko's mirror fiche.

Stupid.

Kira stepped forward and then sat on the desk, her legs dangling.

Yumeko opened her eyes to see who had entered. She held her breath until she saw the dangling legs.

It could only be Kira. Yumeko sighed in relief. She almost laughed when she saw Kira's blue bunny slippers.

"Why are you here?"

Kira whispered, swinging her legs idly.

"You followed me," Yumeko replied, and Kira could imagine the exact smirk on the brunette's face.

"Answer me," Kira ignored her remark.

Yumeko remained silent before standing up from under the desk.

"It's about...Gabriel," Yumeko affirmed, her voice low.

"That's all you need to know," she finished.

Kira's eyebrows furrowed slightly.

"You can't be serious," she said, ready to laugh at Yumeko breaking her facade.

But if there was something Yumeko needed to do alone, it was finding her mother.

It was too risky to place such information in a Timurov's mind.

"Kawamoto," Kira pushed herself off the desk, her night hair wild enough to frame her face.

Her bare blue eyes were tired, but angry and hungry for knowledge and control.

"What are you here for?" she asked again.

Yumeko smiled sweetly, her eyelashes blinking slowly.

"I got lost," she replied innocently.

Kira didn't believe it, and that was evident on her face.

"I'll go back to my room," Yumeko smiled and ran her hand over Kira's shoulder.

For the first time, Kira swatted it away.

Yumeko walked past her to the door.

Kira wanted to warn her, to tell her not to mess with her father, not like that, not while she was already in his house.

But she didn't.  Her pulse quickened in anger.

Partners right?

Is that what they do? Caress your cheek and then keep secrets?

Kira understood.

Yumeko hadn't come to her house because she was bored, nor because she wanted to spend time with her.

The blue-eyed girl felt pathetic, like a fool and that made her angry.

She had thought to leave the drawers open, just for her father to notice the intruder.

But that was something she would've done in a blink of an eye when her father's will commanded every part of her.

Now the pulses were in conflict, Kira hesitated before choosing to close the drawers and fix the chair under the desk.

Because as much as she hated to acknowledge at that moment, Kira needed Yumeko to complete their plan.

Truth is: Kira had begun to change. That began after she looked into the eyes of death.  Looking at those cards, those fiches, waiting for Mary to turn them for Yumeko, waiting for the cards to decide who lived and who died. She looked at death and laughed in its face when Yumeko's cards reached 22. And maybe that wouldn't have changed her at all, just like that. What hit her was realizing that they could both live, that to exist they didn't need to eliminate each other. And maybe that was death laughing back at her.

Then life, or what she had defined life to be, slapped her face.

She didn't know what it meant, but something told her it was a warning.

Life remarked that she had reached death's attention because of how she had been living, because of how she chose to exist.

Kira never loved literature, in any form or language, but her grandma, who had always been religious, read to Kira The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri.

Kira always wondered by what sin she would have been punished. Dante didn't matter to her; the damned souls were the only thing that captured her attention.

But in that moment—her head spinning from poison, antidote, and a slap—she saw what Dante meant by the dark forest; she knew what it meant to drown in her own sins.

And then Virgil—Yumeko—held back her hair as she threw up, sat her down, and talked her out of that darkness for a moment, just as Virgil had protected Dante, distancing him from the wolf; Yumeko distracted the blue-eyed girl from her greed. Yumeko—maybe her guide out of hell. No one could have led the way better than someone who had stayed there, in the Limbo.

A place in hell that gathered everyone who didn't have a choice but to be there.

A place of suspension and unfulfilled desire.

Because timing had been wrong.

What Kira didn't know is that Virgil's—Yumeko's—only goal wasn't to bring Dante—her—out of hell and into heaven.

No, Yumeko was searching for a soul there, without knowing for what sin that soul died, or should have.

Do you think that Virgil hadn't hoped, even for a second, to reach Heaven? To reach it alongside Dante, who just thanked him and left him to walk back underground? Because, realistically, Yumeko, out of this "partners'" deal, could only earn her current state, one where Lucifer—Arkadi—didn't know what souls birthed her, the one where Lucifer didn't know that one of them had escaped.

Kira hadn't asked herself that. She was only annoyed that her partner was keeping secrets from her. Because maybe she could have helped.

But once in Heaven, Dante only mourned their parting. He didn't try to bring him there. And if Virgil had mentioned that someone escaped death, wouldn't God or Lucifer try to fix that?

Kira didn't think of that because she didn't know what Yumeko wanted. So maybe it was no one's fault if they didn't understand each other. It didn't change that it was an obstacle for both of them.

—

They went back to bed, each with their own sins to solve.

Kira thinking of her father and angry at Yumeko.

Yumeko staring at a picture she found in the office; a bunch of people, none of them matter but a father and son: Gabriel and Micheal.

She understood that he needed him to find her mother.

So she had to find a way to earn his trust back.

Chapter Text

The following days passed slowly; they said time flies when you have fun, so that must be why.

Kira and Yumeko barely talked after their encounter in Arkadi's office.

Riri noticed; she could see how her sister's gaze had become stoic, how the halls upstairs fell quiet.

She didn't know what to do or if she should have done something.

It was normal, after all.

The laughter, the smiles, Kira's softened gaze-that was the anomaly.

Yumeko's stay at Timurov's house was almost over.

It's not like she was counting down, but she did want a perfect plan before they all returned to school.

She could see, though, how Kira looked at her every time their paths crossed in the halls or living room.

Yumeko couldn't understand her and wasn't really trying to.

She knew that if Kira had something to say, she would have.

But Kira couldn't.

For the first time, Kira didn't know how to act around Yumeko.

For the first time, she felt like she couldn't catch her attention, and that stung like a needle on her collar.

The blue-eyed girl almost felt like an intruder in her own house, as if she wasn't supposed to be there, not like that, not with her.

One evening, when her father wasn't home, she knew Yumeko would have returned to his office.

She didn't try to stop her.

Kira sat outside, bathing in the moonlight, a bottle of Russian vodka beside her, a half-empty glass stained with her blue lipstick, already in her hand.

Looking up, after a while, the stars began to look like spaceships, or maybe some shooting stars were still falling late.

She didn't wish on them.

She didn't know if they were real.

Her phone lit up, a notification from the council group chat. Kira sighed and opened the message; it was from Suki. He had finally finished his TikTok about the party, saying he was late because "divas don't work on their holiday." She watched it just to approve it.

"Oh! The new girl is running after our beautiful president; wasn't a draw already enough?!" Yuki screamed, following Yumeko as she searched for Kira in the bathroom.

The blue-eyed girl scoffed, seeing the hint of worry in Yumeko's eyes.

"She just closed the door in my face!" Suki exclaimed, looking at the camera.

Once finished, Kira didn't reply immediately. And no one dared to express their opinion before her. So Kira started texting what he had to change. She was about to send the message when another one was sent before it.

Yumeko: We looked awful while playing blackjack 😹

Everyone behind their screen was gagged.

Kira looked down at the message she was about to send; in the list of what should be: limiting the frames of her playing against Yumeko.

She sent it, ignoring Yumeko's comment. And so the others felt free to text back.

Dori: Do you all think Kira sent someone to kill Yumeko already?

Suki: Gosh! I really want to see it if she did!

Kira rolled her eyes; she didn't have time for their childish jokes.

Yumeko replied with a selfie, making a heart with her fingers: Chill, everyone! She could kill me herself<3

Yumeko was in the living room, drinking a glass of water. Kira wanted to kill her; now everyone knew they were together. Everyone recognized that living room.

Mary: YUMEKO WHAT ARE YOU DOING THERE? RUN GIRL

Chad: hot

Kira turned her phone down as the chat began filling with messages.

She drank all that was left in her glass and poured another one. She couldn't stand it, how Yumeko had started to act like the owner of something that only ever belonged to Kira. The power of surprising and leaving everyone open-mouthed, the power of having all the attention.

Kira wanted it back, badly.

But her father taught her not to beg for anything. She had to do something that would bring her back up on a pedestal.

She drank until a quarter of the liquid was left in the bottle.

She stared at Yumeko's picture and wondered why she was in the living room, why she wasn't in the office, sneaking behind her back.

Kira walked back in, the bottle under her armpit, the glass in one hand, and the phone in the other.

She stumbled slightly as she walked, and the bottle risked falling several times.

Sitting at the table, waiting, was Yumeko. She didn't open her mouth to speak; she just stared at Kira moving around.

She noticed the bottle, and that made her want to speak.

"You kept the fun all to yourself, huh?" she teased.

But Kira ignored her; she didn't even look at her.

"You backed me up the other day; I appreciate it," continued the brunette, but the silence continued to fill the room. Kira distracted herself by rinsing her glass in the sink, her grip on it already tight.

Yumeko giggled, sitting on the counter next to the sink.

"That was very 'partner' of you," Yumeko teased.

At that, Kira couldn't control her grip on the glass, which shattered in her hand. She let it fall.

The tips of her fingers bled.

Kira turned to face the girl who hadn't reacted.

She pointed her finger at Yumeko's chest, staining her skin. In that moment, she realized the dress Yumeko was wearing was the same she had worn at the gala.

Her gaze fell on the V-line of it; she gulped. The vodka heightened her senses, but she managed to look back up into her eyes.

"You need to stay in your lane," she whispered. Yumeko smiled, amused by the words and Kira's gaze.

"Or what, president?" Yumeko purred as she stood. The weird tingle she felt the first two days was back now that Kira was close to her again.

"You already know, Jabami."

Yumeko's eyes widened for a second, just like her grin. She stepped forward, never breaking their eye contact. She reached for the almost empty bottle and poured it into the glass in which she drank water, then brought it to her lips.

"Threatening me, partner?" She giggled softly and then took a sip of the pure vodka.

Kira's hand curled on Yumeko's chest, blood lines marking her like claws.

"And here I was about to give you something."

"We're not partners. And I don't want anything from you," she stated, and Yumeko could smell the toxic poison in her words.

So she drank more of it, too.

"No?" Yumeko asked innocently, placing her hand on Kira's on her chest.

She licked her lips as her gaze moved from the bleeding hand to Kira's piercing eyes.

And Kira hesitated because she felt the need for something.

She didn't know what, though.

"I'm here to help you."

Kira shook her head, her jaw clenching.

"No. You're not here for me."

The tension could be cut with a knife. The ticking of the clock in the living room felt almost like a bomb ready to explode. And then it hit 00:00.

All the lights went on, and confetti burst into the room. People started to gather around them, loudly.

-

Yumeko realized after a moment that she had sent the message to the wrong group chat.

Suki had created another group chat with the council, excluding Kira, for her birthday.

Yumeko was unaware that Kira's birthday was approaching until that chat was created.

And the council did not know she was already at the party.

She chuckled, reading the messages they sent in the other group after she had sent her selfie to the group with Kira.

Suki: Why the hell are you there already? Are you trying to mess up my awesome surprise?

Mary: Seriously, Yumeko, why are you already there?

-

Yumeko turned her around for a quick and confused moment.

She cleaned her hand with a cloth on the sink.

"Happy birthday," She whispered and placed a small box in her injured hand.

-

From the moment Yumeko knew, she felt excited to do something.

She suggested they surprised her at her summer house.

At first, everyone was scared to death to even walk in there unannounced, but Yumeko persuaded them to believe it wasn't a problem. Riri helped.

She put aside her plan and started searching for something else; something that would help Kira, a gift.

She gathered all the most hidden information about Arkadi-all his connections, all the weak spots in his reign.

She hadn't spoken to Kira all those days, afraid her excitement would get the best of her and she would spill everything.

And Kira avoided her as well; it was weird, but that made it easier.

Riri offered to set the decorations and order the cake. She also made sure their parents wouldn't be home.

Kira didn't pay attention to her either.

She was totally lost in her own world.

-

"Happy birthday!" All the council exclaimed.

Kira turned around; she felt dizzy. She felt Yumeko's hand on the small of her back, keeping her anchored to the floor.

Kira looked around, noticing every little detail of the decorations.

A servant walked in with the cake and placed it on the table before quickly walking away.

Suki started singing the "Happy Birthday" song.

Kira looked at everyone, one by one. They were clapping their hands; Chad was offering a glass of the champagne they had when they entered.

The servants brought in Suki's DJ set.

Everything was happening too quickly, too chaotically.

The blue-eyed girl turned to Yumeko; she had a wide smile on her face as she hyped up the others, but she never left her side.

They met eyes.

"Riri prepared your outfit in your room, if you want," Yumeko said softly, just for Kira's ears. The birthday girl nodded.

Kira didn't ask Yumeko to follow her, but the brunette did anyway.

Once they stepped into the room, Yumeko closed the door behind her.

"You did this?" Kira mumbled dizzy, confused, turning around to look at her.

Yumeko nodded. The blue eyes sparkled at that piece of information.

Yumeko parted her lips to speak; she wanted to give some credit to Riri as well.

"We—"

Kira didn't give her time to speak as she crashed her lips onto hers.

The tension finally cracked, the ticking bomb finally exploded.

Yumeko stumbled back, taken by surprise. She noted in her mind that this move wasn't predictable at all.

Then her mind shut off, consumed by the vodka on Kira's lips.

The birthday girl cupped her cheek, breathing into her mouth like a smoking gun.

Her hand, instead, fell on Kira's waist. She knew the girl wasn't completely herself.

After a moment, the blue-eyed girl pulled away, breathing heavily, her mind spinning; now the effects of the vodka were doubled by the intoxicating feeling of Yumeko's saliva.

She had to rest her forehead on Yumeko's chest.

"Well...Riri helped me set everything up," Yumeko finally said, breathless as well.

Kira looked up, meeting the girl's gaze.

Yumeko laughed softly; the blood that was once on her chest, still fresh, now stained Kira's forehead.

The birthday girl couldn't understand why she was laughing; she felt offended. Seeing Kira's piercing gaze, Yumeko laughed more.

She walked, leading the president backward, her hand steady on her waist so that she wouldn't fall, until they reached the large mirror in her room.

Kira looked at their reflection; her forehead was reddish from her own blood; Yumeko's cheek was marked too.

Kira laughed; she laughed shamelessly, so much that tears formed in her eyes. She was completely intoxicated, and all of it felt surreal.

She laughed so much that she had to hold onto Yumeko's shoulder; the girl laughed along, matching Kira's.

That was probably the funniest thing she had ever seen Kira do.

It took a few minutes and sitting on the carpet without looking in the mirror to stop the laughter.

"Thank you," Kira whispered, her tone so low that Yumeko barely heard it.

"No need to, it's what partners...sometimes do," Yumeko replied softly.

She wanted to add something, wanted to ask if they still were partners, but she bit those words back before they could slip out.

Instead, she stood up, offered her hand to Kira, and said, "Come on, President, the party awaits you. Can you handle it?"

Kira scoffed and stood up, taking Yumeko's hand, stumbling slightly.

"Kira Timurov can handle everything."

That made Yumeko giggle softly.

"Oh, she sure can," Yumeko agreed.

-

After Kira got ready—she put on her dress, makeup, and sobered up a little—and Yumeko applied her red lipstick back on, covering the blue shade that someone else had painted there, they walked back downstairs.

Everyone approached the birthday girl; they gave her gifts, toasted, and danced.

Yumeko was approached by Mary.

"So, what were you really doing here?"Mary smirked, suspicious of her friend.

"Nothing," Yumeko smiled, and Mary raised her eyebrows.

"Now, now, don't focus on me; there's someone who wants to dance with you," Yumeko grinned and looked at Riri. She playfully pushed Mary in that direction.

She remained there, leaning against the table until the blue-dressed beauty pulled her into a dance, like she had done before, months ago, in those same two dresses.

"You look beautiful in this dress."

"You look beautiful in this dress, by the—"

They said at the same time, their tone less intimate than the giggles in the room, but still sincere. They smirked and said nothing else.

Dori was standing there looking at them, her head moving from side to side, trying to understand what was happening. "Excuse me, Yumeko, I want to dance with the birthday girl," she stated, her voice as insane as always. Yumeko smiled softly and walked back, her hands leaving Kira's arms to move up in the air. Kira almost sighed, but she didn't.

Dori took Yumeko's place; her dance was less formal and less intimate.

"So you're fucking Yumeko or Yumeko's fucking you?" She spat out like it was the most normal thing to ask.

Kira's eyes widened and she covered Dori's mouth.

"Neither of those!" She scolded and Dori laughed.

"Okayy, chill president." 

-

The time to blow out the candles and unwrap the gifts arrived.

Kira didn't say her wish aloud; Yumeko could suspect what it was, as she had heard one when they were high.

Then Kira unwrapped the gifts. Mary had gifted a lapis lazuli necklace, Dori a set of knives, and so on.

Yumeko's turn arrived, and Kira already had it with her. She opened it and saw a small paper.

'To my partner

Xoxo - Yumeko'

Behind it, a USB stick. Kira looked up confused, but Yumeko tilted her head toward the small box; underneath it was another paper.

'Trust me'

And a kiss.

The others all moved to see what it was.

"Ohhh, I bet there are some spicy videos on it!" she screamed, still firm in her belief.

Kira wanted to stab her with every knife in the set she received.

But she moved on to unwrap other gifts, her mind often wandering to that USB stick and the paper. Yumeko asked her to trust her, but until then, Kira felt like the one Yumeko didn't trust.

That wasn't the time or place to discuss it, though.

Chapter Text

At some point that night, everyone left, drunk, and probably sweaty. Only Mary, of the council, stayed; Riri had asked her to. It's not like they did anything.  They—Kira, Yumeko, Riri and Mary—all fell asleep in the living room.

Riri was sprawled over an armchair; Mary rested her head on her arms on the table. The cards from the night before were still scattered on it; Yumeko had thrown them in the air after she won. Then she sat on the couch, and that's where she fell asleep, leaning on the side. Kira was sitting beside her, but while sleeping, her head leaned to the side, resting on Yumeko's collarbone, while her legs curled to stay on the couch.

Riri's alarm went off and woke her up. She felt weird. That was the first time she had had that much fun, so much that she didn't have the strength to walk upstairs to her room. She looked at the three girls; she smiled under her mask, seeing Mary. She wasn't sure if she should have woken her up. Her sleeping position would surely have given her neck pain. She decided to move her to the armchair where she had been sleeping just a minute earlier. Then, she focused her attention on her sister and Yumeko. It took her a second to notice how they were sleeping; Kira's hair was all spread over Yumeko's chest. She didn't wake them up either. Riri called the servants to clean everything up without making a noise, or they would have paid the price if they had woken any of them. Meanwhile, she gathered Kira's gifts to bring them up to her room. Her eyes fell to Yumeko's gift. She wondered, like everyone in that room during the party, what was inside the USB. Rumors had already spread through the council members. Dori was still convinced that they had a homoerotic rivalry and that it contained "spicy videos"; Chad believed her. Mary dismissed the question, saying that she could expect anything from Yumeko. Suki thought Yumeko wanted to hack everything when Kira used it, and Runa agreed.

After a while, Mary woke up—she assured Riri that it wasn't because of the servants' noises—and Riri had already returned to the living room. Mary looked around. Firstly, she noticed that the spot she slept on had changed, and then she looked in the direction of her best friend. She laughed, seeing how Yumeko's mouth was slightly parted and how her bangs were all messy.

"Tell me I did not look like that while sleeping," Mary laughed—but in all honesty, Yumeko could do anything and still look beautiful.

"Well, no, you were alone," Riri replied in her controlled voice. She misunderstood what Mary was pointing at.

"Oop—" Mary chuckled.

"Well, I meant mouth open and messy, but I guess that works too!" She added, showing a thumbs-up at the masked girl.

Riri felt a bit shy at her remark but pretended nothing happened.

"Are they...like, allowed to do that?" Mary asked ironically, pointing between Kira and Yumeko.

Riri shrugged, and Mary kept staring.

"Aww, they kinda look cute together when they're not trying to kill each other," Mary commented, taking her phone from the table to snap a picture.

"Do you think so?" Riri whispered, looking at Mary.

Mary wondered for a moment.

"I mean, they're both hot. They do give that 'I hate you so much that I'm falling for you' vibe. But that happens only in movies," she giggled, and Riri hummed.

"I saw them playing in the pool the other day." Riri shared. She knew the council didn't know Yumeko had been there all week, but she could trust Mary.

"The other day?"

"Yeah, Yumeko's been here for five days already."

"You mean Yumeko Kawamoto, the kakegurui, that one? She has been staying with the council president for a little less than a week? And they didn't kill each other?" Mary whispered-screamed.

Riri nodded casually.

"Ohh damn, so...what are they? Like...why? Bro, that's so nonsense."

"Partners...that's what I heard them say." Riri affirmed, and Mary covered her mouth to stop a loud laugh threatening to escape.

"We're all fucked." She said recovering from the laughter.

"Please don't let Kira know that you know," Riri whispered, looking into Mary's eyes. Mary nodded, smiling softly at the masked girl.

The two girls decided not to wait for the other two to have breakfast.

—

Yumeko woke up first. She scratched her eye with her left hand, then felt the other one blocked by something—someone.  She looked down to see Kira's head resting on her collarbone, her hair messily spread over her chest, her nose barely grazing her skin. Yumeko stiffened for a moment, but then grinned widely. She didn't want to wake the blue-eyed girl. Her free hand found her phone, and she snapped a selfie.

"Put that thing down," Kira commanded, her voice hoarse and rusty—incredibly hot.

"Yes, ma'am," Yumeko whispered, putting her phone down, a smile still lingering on her face. She almost laughed when Kira went back to sleep.

"Are you awake or not?" Yumeko asked, moving her hand up and down in front of Kira's face.

Kira groaned and grabbed her wrist to stop her.

"I'm hangover," she admitted, pulling down Yumeko's hand but forgetting to open her grasp.

"Figured...how much, though?" Yumeko asked.

"Enough for me to be laying my head on you," Kira scoffed.

"That's a lot, yeah," the brunette chuckled softly.

"I don't even remember half the party," Kira admitted.

"Do you remember enough of it to not be pissed off at me anymore?" Yumeko asked, and Kira sighed.

"I remember...the gifts and um...the dancing and then Dori screaming some nonsense while Suki sang," Kira mumbled and started to raise her head slowly.

It came naturally to Yumeko to move the black hair out of Kira's face. Kira looked down; she saw herself in her blue dress and Yumeko in her red one. She realized she had slept on Yumeko's bare collarbone; the chain of Yumeko's necklace had pressed against Kira's cheek, leaving a faint mark. Yumeko saw it and laughed. Kira didn't argue, somehow; maybe she didn't have the strength to. She heard talking by the table and turned around, her head still spinning slightly. She saw her sister and Mary. Kira asked herself why she was still there, why she hadn't gone home like the others.

"They have something going on, you know?" Yumeko asked, sitting more comfortably now that Kira had moved.

"Pff, my sister having 'something' with someone?" She scoffed playfully and then saw how Mary put her hand on Riri's while laughing and how Riri didn't pull away.

Kira's jaw dropped, metaphorically.

"Oh my gosh...they do?" she breathed, turning to look back at Yumeko. The brunette smiled softly, looking at Kira's messy face.

"Yeah..." Yumeko hummed, fixing Kira's hair behind her ears.

—

"Oh, they woke up and didn't bite each other's heads off!" Mary exclaimed, but in a low tone of voice.

"I told you they...I don't know..." Riri tried to explain what she wanted to prove but didn't know what was going on.

"Have something going on?" Mary asked.

"Yeah, but it's hard to believe, honestly. It's like an alien meeting a mermaid—so weird that, of course, it could be." Riri said, and Mary laughed, placing a hand on hers.

Riri smiled under her mask.

They looked at the couch and saw how unbothered Kira was by Yumeko touching her hair.

"Damn..." Mary and Riri hummed at the same time.

—

Kira used Yumeko's help to stand up.

"Oh, and by the way, I was never angry at you," Kira lied and scoffed.

"You were; you probably still are." Yumeko bantered playfully, standing up as well.

"No, I just didn't want to acknowledge your presence," Kira affirmed, smiling coldly. Yumeko smiled back.

"Glad you didn't; you made it ten times easier to plan the surprise." The brunette purred playfully.

"You planned it?"

"Yeah, I told you yesterday before you—" Yumeko wanted to say "before you kissed me," but she thought that it could make things more complicated, and that after all, it didn't matter because Kira was drunk.

"—opened my gift."

"I told you I don't really remember what happened last night," Kira remarked, and Yumeko raised her hands in the air.

"I think I'll go change before breakfast," Yumeko said, and Kira checked her out—she liked seeing the brunette in that dress.

She didn't say that; she just agreed and said that she would change too, so they went upstairs, each to her room.

Yumeko put on some casual clothes. She noticed the robe she had worn days ago and decided it was time to give it back to Kira.

The brunette knocked on Kira's door.

"What do you want?" Kira asked loudly from the other side of the door.

"I have your robe; want it back?" Yumeko teased, and the door opened right after, revealing the blue-eyed girl in a tank top and shorts. Her hand motioned to take the robe, and Yumeko gave it to her.

"Your shirt is backward," Yumeko said, grinning, and Kira sighed, shutting the door in Yumeko's face.

"Should I wait for you to go downstairs?" Yumeko asked loudly.

"Fuck off." That is what Yumeko heard in response. She rolled her eyes and walked back downstairs, sitting beside Mary.

"Well, good morning," Mary greeted her, grinning, and her best friend raised an eyebrow.

"Good morning...?"

"I didn't know you'd be staying the night here, too," Mary said, taking a bite of her scrambled egg.

"I just fell asleep," Yumeko shrugged, smiling.

"Oh, did you bring a change of clothes just because you had space in your purse?" Mary insisted, and Yumeko rolled her eyes.

"You're so annoying."

"I don't care why you're here, or have been here; I just want to know if there's something between you two," Mary asked excitedly.

"You know Ryan would kill himself, right?" she added after a second.

"That guy is finally killing himself?" Kira—who was walking down the stairs—asked happily, and Mary raised her eyebrows in disbelief, a laugh almost escaping her lips.

"Ryan isn't killing himself," Yumeko said.

"Should I kill him?" Riri asked in a whisper.

"No!" Mary replied, laughing, and Kira scoffed, sitting across from Yumeko and beside Riri.

"Ryan's a good friend," Yumeko said, sipping her coffee, and Kira threw her a napkin, annoyed because it spilled on her chin; the brunette took it without caring too much.

"Yeah, he is a bit weird, but he's just Ryan," Mary agreed.

"I don't care; he just bothers me. I don't need a reason for that," Kira said ruthlessly.

Mary covered her mouth with her hand and mouthed to Riri, "Jealous."

Neither Kira nor Yumeko noticed; they were busy passing each other the milk and cookies. Yumeko didn't care what Kira thought of Ryan.

Yumeko didn't care about what anyone thought of anything, actually.

—

The sisters talked alone after breakfast, so Mary took the opportunity to annoy Yumeko, who was sitting on the couch watching something on TV.

"Sooo..." she started.

"Mary," Yumeko said, turning to look at her with a grin.

"What? I have every right to ask questions!"

"And I have every right not to answer them."

"Come on, you can't bluff me; I know there's something."

"There's nothing, I assure you. She barely tolerates me."

Mary shook her head.

"Nah, Yumeko, open your eyes! I know everything is a game for you, and you could flirt with a fly and make it fall in love, or even make someone fall in love with you without having any feelings involved, but...we're talking about Kira Timurov here."

Yumeko shrugged.

"Don't shrug at me," Mary said almost dramatically.

"Mary, this is not what you think; I'm not bluffing."

"Okay! Okay...boring." She whispered the last word.

"What did you say?" Yumeko asked, turning her torso as well.

"Nothing," Mary dismissed, smirking.

"Oh, no, you said I'm boring? Me?" Yumeko asked, ready for a challenge, and Mary nodded.

"Yeah, okay?" Mary said proudly, and Yumeko grinned mischievously before starting to hit her friend with a pillow.

"You're boring! You two are literally the hottest girls in the whole school; you have tension that was set between you before you even met, and you're both single, and you're telling me nothing happened when you've been here for like a week?" Mary kept pressuring, laughing at the friendly pillow hits.

"She kissed me yesterday!" Yumeko exclaimed to prove her point, wanting to win.

Mary's jaw dropped, not metaphorically. She moved the pillow away and sat straight up.

"No way. What?"

Yumeko laughed at her reaction; she thought she was overreacting.

"Yes, and?"

"And????" Mary asked, trying to lower her voice.

"Kira, the president Timurov, kissed you, and you don't understand what's insane about it? Kira probably never kissed anyone before; I'm pretty sure she hasn't!" Mary said the last part in a whisper; if Kira heard her, she would probably have killed her.

"Wanna bet?" Yumeko asked, grinning widely.

Mary furrowed her eyebrows.

"Mh...no, I think you know something I don't, and that would make you win."

"Mhh, but you do want to know..." Yumeko teased, playing with her necklace.

"Fine, alright, I bet Kira didn't kiss anyone before yesterday."

"I bet she did, and I win! I need a favor from you!" Yumeko clapped her hands.

"Okay, but now spill." Mary rolled her eyes, and Yumeko leaned to whisper in her ear.

"I kissed her at the party before summer started."

Mary's jaw dropped even lower.

"That party?! The one where you gambled? There? WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?"

"Because it wasn't important and it was surely not romantic, I did that to poison her; you know, the thing we were gambling on? That was the antidote," Yumeko shared.  She could trust Mary; she had asked her fiche that.

"Wow, all of this information is getting to my head," she sighed.

"So you kissed twice...and you're still alive...and you are at her house."

"Yeah, but that's it. Mary, you know I'm not one to fall in love, and she surely isn't either. I'm here because her father invited me," Yumeko said seriously.

"But she—" Mary started, but the sisters came back to the living room.

Silence fell into the room. Kira's eyes were dark, Yumeko noticed.

"Yumeko, can we talk?" She asked, her voice almost formal.

"Oh, she's going to confess!" Mary mouthed to Yumeko, but the girl ignored her and nodded to Kira, who started walking upstairs, so Yumeko followed.

Walking into Kira's room, Yumeko closed the door behind her.

"We have a problem," Kira said quickly.

Yumeko sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for the blue-eyed girl to continue.

"Riri handled some business with my father the other day...she found out something, about your parents..."

At that, Yumeko's ears pierced, as if that word was enough to bring her to a state of unconsciousness, lost in her memories. Kira sat beside her.

"Yumeko, my father is suspecting something, not about you—he doesn't know you're a Jabami, I assure you that—he suspects that one of them might be alive, and if that's the case, he wants them dead," Kira shared.

Yumeko knew her mother was alive. Yumeko had kept it to herself, and now Kira was sharing this with her. Kira wanted to help her in some way; that made her feel the smallest hint of guilt.

"Riri said that he noticed something weird with the bitcoin marketing, something only one of them could do. Or perhaps, someone more 'dangerous' than them; that's what he defined."

"Thank you, Kira," Yumeko whispered, stepping out of her state of mind.

"No, you don't need to. That's what partners do, right?" Kira asked, a bit more convinced, and Yumeko nodded.

"You should check out my gift. I searched for every piece of information that could be found about your father and the board."

They looked at each other and said nothing, but they both understood that they could trust each other.

Chapter Text

Kira and Yumeko hadn't left the room that day; they ate lunch there on the desk, leaving the house to Mary and Riri, but that wasn't their intention.

The partners had looked through all the contents of the USB stick, and Kira added every little piece of information she knew about him.

They worked on a plan to kill the board, really worked together—no games, no commanding, just pure collaboration because they had many things in common. But this plan surpassed all others.

They decided what to do: they would poison the air conditioning system at the next board party.

But it wasn't as easy as it sounds; they had to do it perfectly.

They created a map of the airways and considered every single person who would attend, catering and all.

"Wouldn't it be too obvious if they were the only ones to die?" Yumeko asked, and Kira nodded.

"We'd have to decide who dies or not..." Kira affirmed.

"Yumeko, that's death's work," she concluded, and the girl grinned excitedly.

"Isn't that exciting?!"

Kira looked down at their board plan, then up at Yumeko.

"We should... define this better," she said, tense, and that's when Yumeko saw the pure, bare humanity in Kira's eyes, when she understood that the blue-eyed girl wouldn't do everything to make it work.

Yumeko didn't understand, but somehow, she respected it—that was new; she would have probably called her a coward months ago.

"Okay, I trust you to improve this."

Kira nodded, appreciation could be seen faintly in her eyes.

After some moments she decided to witness the real elephant in the room.

"About your parents..." 

"There's something I didn't tell you," Yumeko interrupted, sighing.

"You know when I went into his office?"

"Yeah, you told me it was about Gabriel," Kira said, her jaw tensing as she remembered how annoyed that made her feel.

"It was, just not entirely."

"I figured," Kira lifted her eyebrows quickly.

"And now what? You're going to tell me the real reason? What changed in two days?"

"You," Yumeko affirmed without hesitation. Kira shook her head.

"You proved to me that you'd have my back, that you'd walk alongside me," Yumeko said, her eyes dreaming.

"Hiding your murder wasn't enough?" Kira scoffed.

Yumeko giggled softly because Kira was focusing more on her than on what she had to say.

"That was conventional, and you know that. I don't want to argue now, President. I just wanted you to know that...I trust you," Yumeko stated, her voice falling to a whisper at the end.

She wanted to add how hard it was for her to do just that, willingly.

How, for the first time, she didn't ask the casualty to decide for her, how she didn't throw the fiche in the air.

But that wasn't necessary; that's not the point she wanted to prove.

The blue-eyed girl didn't interrupt; she didn't even look at her.

"Kira, my mom is alive," Yumeko breathed out, her voice sounding as if she didn't believe her own words.

That's when Kira lifted her gaze to the brunette.

"Kira...my mom is alive...I-I need to find her..." She added, almost losing her breath as tears started to gleam in her eyes.

For a moment, it felt like she had given away her mother's life, served it on the enemy's plate, but then, looking at the icy blue eyes, she could only see an ally.

"H-how?" Kira asked in disbelief.

"I don't know...Gabriel told me before he died...Kira, I wasn't crying for him; I didn't care a damn bit for his life. I would kill him a million times again," the brunette confessed, her hands shaking from the adrenaline, and Kira stopped them, placing one on hers.

"Yumeko...we need to think," she said, fully turning to face her partner, but Yumeko was looking down, and tears started sliding down her cheeks.

"Yumeko," Kira cupped her chin, making her look up.

"I don't want to think...I just want my ママ." (mama)

Kira couldn't speak, not seeing the child in Yumeko who had seen her parents' car blow up, who had lived her whole life without them, who had been hunted by their ghosts.

Kira couldn't speak.

Because this part of the plan wasn't about power or money.

It was about love.

The kind of love only a daughter could feel for her mother, the kind Kira hadn't really felt.

Kira couldn't speak.

She couldn't because she couldn't understand; she could only witness how that kind of love could destroy mountains, drain oceans, and haunt people—haunt Yumeko.

Kira wanted to speak, but she knew she had to choose her words carefully because there was no cure for that curse, nothing she could say to break it.

And then she realized it wasn't her job, looking into Yumeko's eyes, she just wished she could make her feel better.

"We'll find her," she whispered.

But that whisper didn't break the silence; it only amplified it.

Until Yumeko smiled, the trajectory of her tears changing, following the lines of that smile.

—

Mary was right; in some way, Kira had confessed something.

Not how Mary meant, but in her own way.

—

"We'll find her," Kira repeated, now louder, mimicking Yumeko's smile.  Content, because she had done what she wished, hoping to hear what Yumeko was hiding.

"We will." The Japanese girl nodded, her smile widening; the tears were there just to illuminate it. She scrunched her nose, sniffling, and giggled. Kira squeezed Yumeko's hand unconsciously.

"You make me a mess every time," she said, wiping under her eyes with her fingers and then her cheeks with the back of her hand.

"Very satisfying," Kira smirked, brushing her thumb near Yumeko's eye to wipe away some loose mascara.

"I hate you," the brunette girl said, scoffing playfully.

"I hate you more," Kira replied.

"At least we're on the same page, partner," Yumeko smirked, and Kira hummed, looking down at their board plan. They sighed in unison.

"Pool?" Yumeko asked.

"Yeah, so I can try to drown you."

"Deal."

They went downstairs, already in their bikinis, to find Mary and Riri playing on their phones.

"Oh! They're alive!" Mary exclaimed, lifting her gaze.

"Mary..." Riri whispered, but the girl was too busy commenting on the two girls' return; then she looked back down at her phone.

"No! You made me skip my turn!" Mary said, scoffing, and Yumeko walked behind the couch, hovering over Mary, to see what they were playing: Uno.

"Don't you have the cards at home?" Yumeko asked Riri, who just shook her head.

"You don't have Uno at home?!" Yumeko asked, surprised, now turning to Kira, who just rolled her eyes.

"Riri is beating my ass either way; I guess I should be grateful she didn't play it before," Mary laughed.

"It's probably 90% luck and 10% logic," Yumeko remarked.

"It's not gambling, chill," Mary laughed, swatting away Yumeko's hand as she tried to see what card to throw next. Yumeko, mocking offense, swiped her finger on the screen, 'throwing' a random card down.

"Bitch!" Mary yelled.

"I didn't wanna put that one!"

"It's not gambling, chill," Yumeko mocked her best friend.

"Oh, shut up," Mary said, leaning her head back on the couch to look up at Yumeko, who leaned closer playfully.

"Make me," Yumeko whispered ironically. Mary giggled, thinking that Yumeko was probably death-wishing.  The Japanese girl didn't stop until their noses were an inch apart, both of them awfully aware of the two sisters' gazes, both giggling inside.

"Don't—!" The two sisters said at the same time.

Mary winked at Yumeko and mouthed, "Know you see?", but the girl shook her head, chuckling before leaning away.

"Yumeko and I are going in the pool," Kira stated, straightening her posture, and Mary raised a hand from her phone to say, "Sure, go." And that's what they did.

"I can't stand Mary," Kira sighed, taking off her robe and throwing it aside roughly.

"Why?" Yumeko giggled, taking off hers—Kira's—too, but calmly.

"I think she's playing with Riri's feelings," the blue-eyed girl affirmed, annoyed.

"She's not. She was just playing with me."

"She clearly has a crush on you," Kira scoffed, and Yumeko furrowed her eyebrows.

"I guess everyone has a crush on me," Yumeko said casually, testing the water temperature with her foot.

"Very humble of you."

"I never claimed to be," Yumeko grinned. Kira rolled her eyes and moved her hand to push the girl into the water, but the Japanese girl always had good reflexes, because of the martial arts she practiced, so she stopped her, laughing.

"Too predictable, President," she teased.

"You had a fly on your shoulder," Kira lied.

"Oh, for sure," she smirked, still holding Kira's hand, noticing that, she decided to jump in, dragging her in with her.

They fell. 

And the coolness of the water was soon replaced by a warmth. Kira had never felt warmer, as if her body matched her mind; it knew she was good, it knew not to make her shiver just to walk away.

When they lifted their heads out of the water Yumeko laughed and Kira had a stunned look on her face.

Somehow their hands were still intertwined until Kira threw herself at Yumeko, trying to push her underwater. She was trying seriously, but she had no true intention to hurt the girl; Yumeko didn't have to know that.  That's why, when she managed to lift her head up, Yumeko looked on fire; the challenge had already begun in her mind. Her eyes screamed "hungry." She started splashing water at the blue-eyed girl, who splashed back mercilessly, until Yumeko drank some water by mistake and started to cough. Kira smiled, satisfied.

Yumeko recovered after a few seconds.

"I thought I was going to die!" she laughed.

"You should have closed your mouth."

"And you should have done CPR if I stopped breathing!" she teased.

"You wish," Kira replied, swatting Yumeko's shoulder.

"Well, it would have been fun, no? A kiss for poison and a kiss for life," Yumeko teased, walking closer.

"You really can't get past our kiss, Kawamoto?" Kira mocked, placing a hand on her chest.

"I was just saying," Yumeko raised her hands and then slowly placed them on Kira's shoulders.

"Careful, Mary would get jealous," the blue-eyed girl warned. Yumeko giggled.

"Why? Just because I'm spending time with my partner? You think this is something to be jealous of?" Yumeko asked, giggling. Then she leaned forward. Kira held her breath in anticipation, but then Yumeko tilted her head to speak into Kira's ear.

"Mary doesn't have a crush on me. Ryan does, apparently..."

At the sound of that name, Kira scoffed under her breath.

"And?" Kira asked in a harsh whisper.

"And yet my first kiss, I gave it to you," Yumeko affirmed, giggling and leaning back to look at Kira's face.

"I don't understand what you want to prove now, Kawamoto. That was poison; you wouldn't have poisoned him in the first place," the blue-eyed girl bantered.

"It's true; that's not what I wanted to prove. Just know that if I kissed my biggest 'rival'—if you want to define it like that—instead of the guy who's apparently madly in love with me, there must be a reason."

"You don't like him."

"No, I don't, nor him, nor Mary, and you know why?"

Kira shook her head.

"Because someone reminded me how distractions can decide how a game ends."

"He had always been a jinx to you," Kira hummed, agreeing.

"Dramatic," Yumeko chuckled.

"It's not about the distraction; it's about the game I'm playing."

"And what game are you playing?"

"One where we can't lose."

"No distractions."

"No distractions."

"You know...maybe your father was right about something," Yumeko started.

"Oh, don't ever say that."

"Listen first." The Japanese girl giggled.

"Maybe we really should learn from each other."

"If you actually think so," Kira scoffed, not because she didn't learn anything from Yumeko, but because she wasn't really sure the girl could actually learn something from her.

But Yumeko didn't catch that, so she chuckled.

Mary and Riri walked outside.

"Are we interrupting something?" Mary asked loudly, teasing the two girls as she held a volleyball.

Kira took that as jealousy, so she rolled her eyes.

"Yes, actually." She lied, mimicking Yumeko's hands and placing hers on the half-Japanese girl's shoulders, sliding over the wet skin. Yumeko chuckled under her breath and Mary almost burst out laughing. Riri was stunned.

"Great!" Mary exclaimed and entered the pool, Riri followed behind.

Mary was wearing a white bikini while Riri wore a black one piece.

"You are unbelievable." Yumeko whispered to Kira.

"I was just making sure." She spat before pulling away from Yumeko's body.

"Well, thank you for your service." The Japanese grinned and then swam to play with Mary.

"Ohh she's whipped." Mary laughed and her best friend shook her head.

"It's just a game." 

"And who's winning?" Mary asked.

"We're on the same team."

Chapter Text

Mary went back home that evening.

The sisters' parents hadn't come home yet; they had just texted to say they would be away longer than expected. Yumeko spoke to Mary before she left.

"You told me you needed a favor," Mary said.

Yumeko hummed.

"Yeah, it's not necessary anymore, but I need more eyes. Keep an eye on Michael when we go back to school, okay?"

"Okay..." Mary agreed without asking more.

—

"Yumeko, I think we might be close," Kira said, looking at their board plan. They were in Kira's room again; Kira was sitting at the desk while Yumeko sat on the bed against the headboard.

"Kira, the poison works, but it kills everyone, especially if we use CO," Yumeko stated.

"So we need to make a selection," the blue-eyed girl replied.

"As if poison can be controlled."

"It can't, I know." Kira sighed, frustrated, but the Japanese girl didn't reply, leaving the black-haired girl alone with her thoughts for a few minutes. Her eyes scanned their board, her mind searching for a solution. Her eyes focused on the picture of the antidote they had drunk.

"Yume—Yumeko! If there's something to deactivate the poison...there must be something to activate it in only some people! Like a substance found in medicines...pills...anything!"

"Yume—" Kira called her and then turned around. The girl's lips were slightly parted; her body had slipped further onto the mattress, her head resting on the pillows. The blue-eyed girl sighed when she saw her partner sleeping on her bed, while she had probably found the perfect solution.

Kira didn't wake her up; she knew Yumeko trusted her to improve their plan, and Kira, for some reason, wanted to impress her. She did research and studied how the air would circulate through the air ducts. Kira was glued to that desk as if she couldn't move. She knew they couldn't put too much CO into the air or it would be suspicious, so she had to find something that would amplify the symptoms in the body, so that everyone would breathe it for only a few minutes, but only some would die.

And she found the right substance: a compound that inhibits the enzyme cytochrome c oxidase, making even small amounts of CO deadly within minutes—an anti-inflammatory called Celebrex. But that wasn't enough; that would work only in huge quantities. So they needed more, something rich people love to use at parties—so Kira just had to add some of that medicine to those cannabis brownies only the board members ate at parties because they were the only adults.

Kira thought that plan over and over until her eyes grew tired. She looked behind her; Yumeko was deep in her sleep on the left side of the bed, next to the wall and facing the desk. Kira was tired, but she didn't want to wake the girl up—she thought that, just for that night, her bed could be big enough for two, and that wasn't based on the bed's size.

Kira lay down on the right side, her back to Yumeko; they were facing the same direction.

—

Kira woke up; she had turned around during her sleep, and so she saw Yumeko's head curled under her chin. The blue-eyed girl smiled faintly and decided to close her eyes again. That was the last day of Yumeko's stay at the Timurovs' summer house. And Kira wouldn't have said it aloud, but she would have missed her presence there. After a few hours, they woke up together. Yumeko looked up at Kira, and the blue eyes met the brown ones. Their faces were inches apart.

"Good morning," Yumeko whispered, and Kira stiffened at the soft voice, so she leaned back. "Sorry if I fell asleep," she added, but Kira dismissed her.

"You missed the best part," Kira hummed, sitting up. "I have a perfect plan," she affirmed, looking down at Yumeko; the girl's eyes were already gleaming, looking up.

"I'm all ears." The Japanese girl grinned before yawning and covering her mouth with her palm.

"Come on, have a look at the desk," Kira said, offering a hand to Yumeko to sit up. But the brunette girl, instead of pulling herself up, pulled her hand down and shook her head.

"No, just talk," she whined, complaining; her voice muffled as she placed a pillow over her face.

Kira rolled her eyes and fell back on the bed. Then she pulled the pillow away from her partner's face.

Yumeko's bangs were all messy afterward, and the blue-eyed girl almost chuckled at the sight.

The Japanese girl fixed her hair with her fingers and then lay completely on her side to look at Kira. But the girl didn't look at her; she looked up at the ceiling as if she pictured her map up there.

"Okay, so... remember we need to be careful with innocent people's lives. Well, I thought that if we can deactivate a poison with the antidote, we can also activate the poison with a little help and not make it suspicious, without endangering everyone else," Kira started without taking a breath.

"So, you know when we thought to spread CO in the air ducts, we can still do that, but we need something more. Celebrex, it's anti-inflammatory; it inhibits an enzyme in the body that makes the effects of the CO amplified, leading to death in minutes, even with small quantities of CO, that would make everyone else survive.

Just a problem, we would need a lot of that medicine, and it's not efficient. That's why I thought of a tradition of the Board; they eat cannabis brownies at every party, as if they were stupid teenagers," she added, excited and gesturing with her hands.

"You may be asking yourself how that would help. Well, the medicine mixed with cannabis has the same effect as using lots of that medicine. In conclusion, we need to get our hands on those brownies and put the medicine inside, as if it were dust."

Kira finally took a deep breath and then tilted her head to look at Yumeko, who was staring at her, mesmerized, smiling excitedly, with sparkling eyes.

"Gosh, you're such a genius, I could kiss you now," she breathed out, and she meant it.

Their faces were inches apart again.

Kira just looked at her, her eyes firm on the girl, her body unconsciously turning to the side.

"So it could work...?" Kira asked, her voice low. Yumeko smiled, nodding.

"Yeah...I think it can," she whispered in her soft voice. Kira could swear it was a mermaid's singing voice, pulling her deeper into the water, and Kira let herself be pulled. Their noses almost touched.

"What is this for?" Yumeko asked, placing some hair behind Kira's ear. And it wasn't just a teasing question; she wondered what made Kira lean so forward since the last two times their lips met because of intoxication.

"This is nothing," Kira whispered without moving further, but she couldn't pull back either.

"This is my bed; I can lie where I want to," she said then.

"Okay," the Japanese girl breathed.

Kira hummed, squeezing the hand Yumeko was still holding.

"You know...you're tolerable."

The brunette smiled, her eyes wandering over Kira's face, how the morning sun complimented her features.

"I like being around you too, Kira."

"You do...?" the president asked, barely whispering and scooting even closer, the tips of their noses brushing.

"Yeah, when you don't try to murder my friends like Mary or...Ryan." Yumeko chuckled softly.

"I wouldn't waste my breath on that human being; I surely wouldn't use my forces," Kira rolled her eyes at his mention.

"He's a good guy."

"I don't care."

"I know. I don't care what you think about him either."

"Then why do you keep bringing him up?"

"Because it's satisfying seeing you jealous."

Kira scoffed.

"I just recognize when someone can't handle something."

"You think you can handle me?" Yumeko purred.

"I don't need to," Kira started.

"Anyway, I know he's just pretending to be your friend."

"And how would you know that, genius?" Yumeko grinned.

"Because he uses the good things he does for you as an anchor to keep you," Kira said, her eyes growing colder, her grip on her hand tightening.

"You think he wouldn't do that if he didn't love me?"

"No."

"And you? Why do you help me?"

Kira held her breath; she didn't know the real answer to that.

"I don't love you, if that's what you're wondering."

"I know you don't; I don't love you either, so why are you helping me?"

"Because when you're with me...I feel like I don't have to pretend to be anyone else. You...get me." Kira confessed, as if it were her last breath.

And so Yumeko's gaze softened. Her teasing and pressuring were just to hear the truth. Then she leaned her head closer.

Kira inhaled, feeling in a chokehold. "What is this for...?" she asked.

"Getting you," Yumeko purred, then filled the space separating their lips. Slow, tempting, electrifying.

Kira gasped as Yumeko kissed her, and she didn't pull back. Her hand moved gently on the brunette's cheek, soothing her skin with her thumb. Yumeko tilted her head to lock their lips, and she lifted herself slightly. Kira's head met the pillows, and Yumeko followed.

The brunette moved her free hand to the president's neck, her thumb tracing her jaw as their lips continued to explore each other.

Kira sighed softly and gently pushed Yumeko back. The girl looked down at her, her smile soft; she moved her hair out of her face.

Yumeko could see Kira's fear and confusion.

"It doesn't change anything," Yumeko whispered, and the blue-eyed girl pulled her back in as if she would drown without her.

The brunette released her hand to cup Kira's cheeks gently, placing a knee on the other side of Kira, hovering over her.

"You're so sweet," Yumeko whispered against her lips, and Kira wanted to hold onto her forever.

"Don't play now, Yumeko," Kira whispered—almost begged, pulling back again, but at every breath, their lips met in small kisses.

"It's fun," Yumeko grinned, letting Kira's lip go and the blue eyes turned slightly grey.

"But I'm not playing." 

"Then what are you doing...?" Kira asked breathlessly.

"Would you be scared if I'd say I don't know?"

"Terrified." 

They giggled, Yumeko leaning her forehead on Kira's.

"I still hate you." Kira hummed, smiling.

"That's fine." The brunette pecked her smile.

"You're pretty when you smile." Yumeko thought out loud.

"You're pretty..." Kira said.

"When?" The brunette chuckled, returning to lay on her side, and now it was Kira that followed.

"Always." Kira smirked and kissed the half-Japanese girl again.

The kiss was a tie between the two, a rope pulled by both sides, but neither ever gained a significant advantage. And when Yumeko pulled back, Kira didn't try to win.

After a few minutes, they stopped kissing because Yumeko needed to use the restroom. Kira rolled her eyes at this. The blue-eyed girl's gaze drifted to the ceiling. Her lips felt slightly swollen, her hair a mess, yet neatly arranged since Yumeko had a habit of moving her hair out of her face.

She wondered why she hadn't stopped the Japanese girl from kissing her, why she had gotten so close in the first place. Truthfully, Kira just wanted to. She wanted it because she knew this wasn't love, yet it was the closest thing she had ever experienced.

This wasn't love, it wasn't anything—yet Kira smiled, laughed, and kissed someone; that was new, too.

She was pulled from her thoughts when the brunette returned to bed and crawled back to her spot. She stopped when Kira's gaze met hers.

"What are you doing?" Kira asked, enjoying seeing Yumeko like that. Then she shook her head, and in that moment, Yumeko crawled closer.

"Are you playing 'red light, green light'?" The blue-eyed girl giggled, maintaining eye contact.

"I don't know...is it red or green?" Yumeko purred, grinning. Kira rolled her eyes, and Yumeko crawled closer, resting her head on Kira's shoulder since she couldn't reach the pillow.

"I won!" Yumeko exclaimed, settling in comfortably, her hand falling on Kira's other shoulder, caressing her pale skin.

Kira didn't pull away; she placed her arm around the brunette's shoulders, holding her close.

"So...this is nothing," Yumeko said, tracing patterns on her shoulder.

Kira hummed in agreement.

"And how do you stop nothing?" The Japanese girl looked up, and Kira met her eyes.

They both didn't know the answer to that.

"I guess you'll just go away today, and...and this won't become a habit," the black-haired girl said, her voice softer.

"It's so good here; I had fun; I don't want to go."

"You sound like a child," Kira smiled.

"No one has ever talked so delightfully of this place so sincerely," she said.

"Well, I wasn't talking about the place," Yumeko stated gently, her lips pecking Kira's cheek.

"Not entirely, no. I was talking about you. It gets lonely at home." The brunette chuckled, but she meant it.

But Kira didn't know how to respond, so she tilted her head to capture Yumeko's lips again; this time, she hovered over her, unsurely.

Yumeko let her because she knew Kira was just looking for some sort of control now that she had given away a lot of it.

"I don't want you to go either," Kira whispered against her lips; the kiss began to be more heated.

Yumeko let her and let out a small sigh, then smiled against her lips.

"I hate you so much," the black-haired girl said, pulling back and looking down at Yumeko. The girl's hair was spread over her pillow, framing her face perfectly; her slightly almond-shaped eyes were full of light, and her lips were reddish, not because of lipstick.

Kira almost lost her breath.

—

"I can't wait to see you at school, partner," Yumeko said, smiling at the front door.

Kira shook her head.

"Until then, Kawamoto," she said coldly because of the servants and Riri's presence, but she smiled under her nose.

The brunette girl walked out the door. Kira walked upstairs where they had shared something more than a "see you later" earlier. Kira looked out the window, just as she did when Yumeko arrived. This time, Yumeko knew where to look, so she waved at that window. Kira smiled.

And that was the last true smile on her face before she returned to school.

Chapter Text

Yumeko walked into St. Dominic, her luggage in her hand as she wandered through the hallways. She was excited about this school year.

Since she and Mary had managed to be in the student council, they had to change the dorm to a hallway dedicated to the top 10.

Kira was waiting for everyone at the end of it, by her room.

When Yumeko arrived, Suki, Dori, and Mary were already there.

Kira's eyes lit up a little when she saw the Japanese girl approaching—the others were busy doing other things; Suki was vlogging the school comeback, Dori was carving her name on a wall, and Mary was texting someone.

"Hi!" Yumeko greeted excitedly. Mary, hearing her voice, looked up and grinned, going to hug her friend.

"Gosh, I never saw anyone so happy to be back at school," Suki commented, filming the scene.

Dori whispered near Kira's ear.

"There's your fuck buddy." She laughed and Kira almost killed her with her eyes, but the girl with the bandage just shrugged.

Then Yumeko approached Kira.

"Hey, Kira-san." Yumeko smiled and bowed lightly.

They were both in their uniforms—both black now. Yumeko, obviously, tailored it to her liking, and Kira, under her invisible mask, had her blue lipstick on.

"Hi, Kawamoto," Kira replied, stoic and without a single feeling in her voice, but Yumeko smiled anyway.

"How do I look with this?" The brunette asked, running her hands on her black blazer, probably for the first time she had put the blazer on.

"Red was your color, sweetie." Suki said without even looking at her, and Mary scoffed playfully.

"We look hella good." Mary affirmed, then Riri walked in the hallway from one of the rooms.

"I put your things by the window; I don't like having too much light by the bed," The masked girl whispered to Mary, and Yumeko gasped ironically.

"Traitor!" She exclaimed. "You're not going to be my roommate?!"

Mary laughed and shook her head.

"Hey, it wasn't my choice!" Riri glared at her. "Although I don't mind it, but for real."

"I chose the pairs." Kira intervened, and Yumeko looked at her, smirking curiously.

"And who is my lucky roommate?" The brunette purred.

"Me." Kira stated.

"I need to keep an eye on you now that you wear that blazer." She added, but both girls knew that was just part of the truth.

Suki turned around in disbelief hearing Kira's words and made sure to have captured it with his phone.

"That's fine, Kira-san, I would never put shame on the council." Yumeko smirked, taking a step forward.

"May I put my things inside then?" She asked, thrilled to be Kira's roommate.

The blue-lipsticked girl just nodded, so Yumeko walked past her with her luggage.

She took a look at Kira's belongings, already so tidy. Her bed was the one by the window, but just because it was her, she wouldn't argue with that—for now.

In the meantime, the other members arrived and Kira told them their rooms, so they all walked inside.

When the black-haired girl closed the door behind her, Yumeko turned around; she was bent down making her bed.

Kira checked her out.

"That skirt is too short," she commented, with a tsk.

"But I bet it doesn't really bother your eyes," Yumeko grinned, sitting on her bed.

Kira rolled her eyes.

"Don't start, Kawamoto," she said, and the brunette laid back on her bed, legs hanging down.

"We're back to formalities?" she asked, her voice now more sincere.

"Yes. And it has to stay like this," Kira hummed, convincing herself more than she was convincing Yumeko.

"You told me you didn't have to pretend around me," Yumeko whispered; it was meant for herself, but her partner heard her.

"Yumeko...my father is getting suspicious," Kira admitted in a whisper, and the Japanese girl sat back up; Kira sat beside her.

"I guess I...talked about you too lively at dinner once."

Yumeko giggled softly, looking at the black-haired girl's profile.

"Yeah?"

Kira turned her head to look at her and smiled faintly, lifting her eyebrows to say "yes".

"And what is he suspicious of? That you have emotions?" Yumeko joked.

"Probably," Kira chuckled, but it wasn't truly funny.

"You don't have to worry," Yumeko stated, placing a hand on her partner's knee.

"Plus, I'm too stubborn to let us fall back into formalities; you're my partner."

She rubbed her thumb over her skin.

"I know, Yume," Kira whispered to herself.

"Yume?" The Japanese girl teased softly; Kira rolled her eyes and swatted Yumeko's shoulder.

"God forbid a girl is lazy."

"To say two letters?"

"Are you complaining now?"

Yumeko giggled and shook her head; she liked the new nickname.

—

The council reunited for the first time that year in the council room.

Yumeko was sitting a few seats from Kira, beside Mary.

She wasn't really interested in what the President had to say. Her chin rested on her hand, and her head was slightly tilted to the side, looking at the president as she spoke.

Kira met her gaze once, and Yumeko smiled softly.

Then someone snapped their fingers in front of Yumeko's eyes; it was Dori. The Japanese girl didn't flinch; she just straightened her posture on the seat and cleared her throat.

Hearing that, Suki commented, "You have something to say, newbie?"

"Oh? No, I think everything is completely fine." Yumeko smiled, and Mary hit her leg under the table, trying not to laugh.

"What?" Yumeko whispered.

Mary made a heart with her hands under the table, and Yumeko rolled her eyes.

"I'm just tired," the Japanese girl affirmed.

"We don't care if you're tired, Kawamoto. Everyone has to listen," Kira scoffed, catching the conversation between the two girls. Mary turned back to look at the blue-lipsticked girl.

Yumeko just nodded; she did want to make a witty comment, but it was honestly a fair complaint.

The meeting ended, and it was time to go to the canteen.

Yumeko returned to her room first and laid on her bed, scrolling on her phone.

The door opened, revealing Kira.

"Hi," the Japanese girl said, dropping her phone.

"Hey," Kira replied, reapplying her lipstick in front of the mirror.

Yumeko stood up and walked towards the girl.

"Why are you even putting lipstick on if we're about to eat?" The brunette teased, looking at their reflection.

"Why do you make your bed if you're going back to sleep?" Kira bantered, turning around to face Yumeko, who grinned.

"Touché," she said and rubbed her thumb over the line of Kira's lips to fix a little smudged spot.

"I put it on perfectly," Kira affirmed, and the brunette shrugged, ignoring her remark.

"You know, you might be the only one who can rock blue lipstick," Yumeko commented sincerely. Kira reached for her brush to brush her hair.

"Thanks," she hummed softly.

"Did you like the meeting?" She asked then to make conversation.

The Japanese girl nodded casually.

"Yeah, I mean, usual stuff, right?"

"Yeah...you didn't seem to be very concentrated though."

"I was."

"Dori had to snap her fingers to bring you back, and if Dori is more concentrated than you, then there's something wrong." Kira scoffed playfully; Yumeko smiled.

"I was just thinking."

"About?"

"You?"

Kira swatted Yumeko's arm.

"You won't get away with flattering." Kira affirmed, looking at Yumeko in the mirror.

"Does it flatter you, Kira-san?" The brunette purred, leaning to Kira's ear. The black-haired girl rolled her eyes.

"No, it annoys me because you should have listened." Kira sighed, running her hands over her blazer before she headed out the room; Yumeko followed her after a moment.

—

The brunette sat at the council table for the first time. Going from left to right were Dori, Runa, Chad, Suki, Kira—on her throne—Riri, Mary, and Yumeko.

The Japanese girl was chatting with Mary until a familiar figure approached the table.

Ryan walked over to them, smiling, and he placed his hands on the table.

"Well, hello." He greeted, his voice a bit shaky, his eyes lingering a moment too long on Yumeko—actually, he looked at Mary just once.

"Hey Ryan," Yumeko said, smiling widely, and he giggled anxiously.

"Hey, loser," Mary rolled her eyes.

And she wasn't the only one bothered by the boy's actions.

Kira was looking at him from her throne, throwing death glances in his direction.

"Y-you two should come to my room later; we need to catch up," he suggested, and Yumeko nodded.

"Yeah? Cool, um...I've got a few things you two have to see?"

"Are you sure it's us two, or just Yumeko?" Mary asked, teasing his friend, who finally looked at her.

"Both of you," he remarked, and Yumeko hummed, eating her steak.

"Yumeko is busy." That icy cold, firm voice intervened. Yumeko didn't turn around to look at her; she just smiled under her nose as she kept eating.

Ryan looked at Yumeko and then at the President, confused because Yumeko hadn't said that.

"Oh, when are you free, Yumeko?" He asked, and that irritated the blue-eyed girl even more.

"I spoke to you," she stated, and Ryan fully turned around, scared.

"Yeah, um, when is Yumeko free?" He asked, confused as to why he couldn't ask Yumeko that.

"Never, now move out of my way and don't put your hands on the council table," she spat, and everyone in the room went silent. Ryan walked away, confused and scared at the same time. Yumeko grinned at Kira's demeanor, and Mary almost burst out laughing; Suki had filmed everything.

After a few minutes, everyone went back to talking. Yumeko leaned forward and tilted her head to look at Kira.

"Kira-san," she called her, already grinning. The blue-eyed girl turned her head to look at her. They looked at each other but didn't speak a word; they both understood what that silence meant. Yumeko smiled, and Kira rolled her eyes.

Yumeko stood up to go and grab dessert; she decided to take two as an apology for not listening during the meeting. In line, she met Ryan.

"Why didn't you tell me you were busy with this whole council stuff? I almost had a heart attack," Ryan whispered, worried. Yumeko stood straight in line and smiled; she could've said that it was because she didn't know that herself, instead she said, "Oh, I forgot for a moment; I'm still new to this thing."

The boy sighed.

"But we can hang out like last year, right?" He asked.

"Yeah, of course," the Japanese girl smiled, and when her turn arrived, she picked two desserts.

Ryan blushed.

"Oh, you didn't have to—" He started, ready to take one of those.

"Huh?" Yumeko asked, confused.

"I- I said you didn't have to take me one..." He stuttered.

"Oh! No, this isn't for you!" Yumeko smiled, looking down at her hands.

Ryan blushed, this time embarrassed, but that wasn't Yumeko's intention.

"I'll see you, okay?" She said, and he nodded, so Yumeko walked away and instead of stopping at her seat, she walked by Kira's throne, the blue eyes already following her every movement, so she turned around immediately.

"Ms. President." Yumeko smiled and handled one of the desserts. Kira took it, a bit surprised; she thought the second one was for Mary.

"Thanks..." She said, almost disgusted, but under the mask, she really appreciated the gesture.

Ryan witnessed the scene, confused, as he sat back in his seat by the end of the canteen.

And on the other end, another pair of eyes watched attentively. Michael was scanning the room and analyzing every movement of the council, which included Yumeko.

—

Yumeko walked into her room again to take her cards. Kira followed behind and closed the door.

"Why did you give me that?" Kira asked.

"Was that illegal?"

"No, it's not, but in front of the whole school?"

"I don't get what's the problem, aren't you happy? They may be thinking that you tamed the 'dangerous and crazy Yumeko Kawamoto'." The brunette smiled, starting to shuffle her deck.

And Kira actually didn't think of that.

"So that's a plan you didn't discuss with me."

"It's not a plan, I just thought that now, I gave it to you to apologize for not listening to the meeting." Yumeko affirmed sincerely, and the blue-eyed girl sighed loudly.

"Okay...well, I accept your apology, but we really need to limit our interaction in front of other people."

Yumeko scoffed.

"Oh, just like you almost death-threatened Ryan because he was talking to me?" She laughed, and Kira took a step closer.

"He can't just walk to the council table because the girl he has heart eyes for is kind enough not to throw him in the trash." She stated angrily.

"And what if I had called him there?"

"You didn't."

"What if I did? Mh? Would you have found any other reason to make him leave?"

Kira's jaw clenched; she hated how Yumeko was capable of turning the tables.

"Yes." She stated firmly, and Yumeko's face turned from a frown to a wide grin.

"Gosh, you're so unbelievable." She examined, excited, and kissed Kira's cheek. The black-haired girl looked stunned for a quick second.

The red lipstick had probably left a mark on her skin; she rolled her eyes.

"You're so annoying."

"And you're so protective," the brunette grinned.

"I'm not; I don't care what you do or don't do."

"Yeah...but apparently now I'm busy," Yumeko went on.

"You can do whatever you want."

"Oh, but if people saw me just walking around the hallway, they would think that it's easy to disrespect Kira Timurov."

"Why are you saying these things? Last school year, you would've done that on purpose just to piss me off."

"Because I don't wanna piss you off, and maybe I am actually busy...you reserved this day to you now." Yumeko purred and placed the cards on a small table in the room.

"I still hadn't played since I walked back into this school; wanna play? Just for fun?" She asked, sitting down. And Kira sat down; she didn't have much to do anyway.

"What should we gamble on?" Yumeko asked. "I don't want money," she added, grinning.

"Then what do you want?" Kira wondered.

"Strip poker?" The Japanese girl suggested, her eyes sparkling and the tension filling the room. She moved her hand forward, wanting to shake on it.

"Define it better." The President demanded, not because she didn't know how to play, but because she had never played herself.

"We decide what to gamble on before any hand, who loses has to take off the piece of clothing they gambled on. Until the undergarments...or until one of the two quits."

Kira hummed; her heart was actually beating funny in her chest. She looked at the girl in front of her, and she thought that she had already seen her in a bikini before and vice versa.

"But that's not fun; we both know how our bodies look without many clothes." Kira remarked; she almost sounded like Yumeko. The Japanese girl's eyes lit up.

"Let's say that...the winner has to kiss the newly exposed skin. If the loser stops them, it counts as quitting." She added. Yumeko's hands shook from how much fun that was going to be; she didn't move her hand away.

"I accept your conditions, President." She affirmed, and Kira shook her hand.

Chapter Text

The room fell into silence; the two were too concentrated to even speak until Yumeko spoke.

"Shall we lock the door?" She teased, leaning more on the table.

Kira chuckled a little.

"No one ever enters here without permission either way." And Yumeko nodded, amused.

"Okay then, what piece of clothing are you gambling on for this hand?" The brunette asked, curious to see what Kira was going to start with.

"I'll go with the blazer." She affirmed, and Yumeko grinned.

"I'll do the same for this hand." She shared, then started to give the cards.

They both looked at their cards for a few seconds, then Yumeko asked.

"How many are you drawing?"

"Two," Kira affirmed, and Yumeko took her cards to put them on the back of the deck before giving her the two on the very top.

"Okay, I'm drawing one."

And so she did, now looking at her final cards.

"Raise," Kira stated. "Shirt off."

"Ohh, getting straight to the point, President. I love it, I call."

"Let's see," Kira hummed, and they both showed their cards to the other.

A straight for Yumeko and a full house for Kira.

Kira won; she smiled, satisfied by her hand.

Yumeko stood up and took off her blazer, slowly, never breaking eye contact with the blue-eyed girl sitting there. Before she took off her shirt, she reminded Kira of her own rule.

"Mh, you gotta kiss it." The brunette purred and walked towards Kira, the girl was trying to think of which inch of skin had revealed, a small part of her neck.

"I know," Kira remarked and tugged Yumeko down by her shirt. The brunette squealed excitedly, and the blue-eyed girl placed her lips on the base of her neck, leaving a blue lipstick mark. She hissed softly as Yumeko looked at her, and then she pulled away.

The Japanese girl wasted no time starting to unbutton her shirt, yet she did it painfully slowly. Her fingers gracefully took their time on each button as she was still bent toward the President, who followed every movement of her hands. Once the last button was undone, Yumeko opened her shirt tracing her own skin with her polished nails, revealing her red lace bra.

"Like what you see?" Yumeko teased, letting the shirt fall to the ground.

"It seems like you're enjoying this more than I do." Kira bantered, her voice low; it pierced the Japanese girl's skin.

"I always say that when you play for fun, you always win," she remarked and bit her bottom lip lightly.

"Well, I don't mind if you keep losing either," Kira whispered and then kissed the girl's collarbone. Slow pecks on its surface decorated the skin with a lipstick pattern. Yumeko held her breath—what Kira said was true, they had seen each other almost naked before, but this was a whole new experience.—although Kira didn't hold back, she placed her hands over the brunette's hips, lifting her back up, purposely avoiding her breasts. She kissed her stomach. Yumeko almost lost it at that, looking down at the powerful woman leaving a trail of kisses over her.

Then Kira looked up, and she felt drunk, as if something had woken within her. She stood up, and Yumeko stared at her, lips parted.

"Turn around," Kira commanded and maybe it was really time to lock the door, just in case, but she didn't bother to.

Yumeko obeyed and then felt the blue-eyed girl move her hair away from her back, letting it fall over her shoulder.

Kira, still holding Yumeko's hips, started kissing her back, with more urgency now. She trailed her lips down her spine without pulling away, Yumeko felt her warm breath and goosebumps started to form over her arms.

"Kira—" She started to speak, but didn't even know where she wanted to end.

"Wanna quit?" The blue-eyed girl asked as she kissed lower on her back.

The Japanese girl didn't reply, so Kira trailed her lips back up over one of her shoulders.

"Wanna quit, Yume?" She whispered near her ear, and Yumeko, hearing the new nickname, sighed slightly.

She shook her head.

"Good. Then let's play another hand." Kira grinned and walked back to her chair. Yumeko did the same; sitting down, she could still feel the girl's lips everywhere. She felt like a painted canvas. The black-haired girl looked her up and down, admiring every bit of blue left on her skin, while Yumeko had her eyes on the not-so-blue-anymore lips.

It was her turn now to deal the cards.

"I bet on my shoes." Yumeko giggled.

"I bet on my blazer," Kira affirmed.

Both of them drew two cards.

"Raise." Yumeko smiled. "I bet on my lipstick." And so the black-haired girl called, betting on her lipstick too.

"Interesting," she hummed.

"Of course, it's me you're playing with."

"You know, I don't understand if you're bluffing or not...since you seem to like losing very much." Kira teased, and Yumeko laughed softly.

"It's so fun to play against you when we're not on the verge of death," she commented.

"But actually...I'm not sure if we aren't," she added then, in a whisper.

"Raise."

"We have to see."

"I wanna raise, have a problem with that?" Yumeko purred. Kira shook her head, exhaling.

"I bet my bra."

Kira's eyes widened; she wasn't ready to risk that just yet.

"Fold..."

The brunette girl grinned, surprised; they saw, and Kira would've lost either way.

"Mhh," Yumeko hummed and waited for Kira to remove the blazer and the lipstick.

The blue-eyed girl stood up and took off her blazer, quicker than how Yumeko had done.

The brunette took Kira's hands and kissed her wrists.

Kira looked confused.

"What? They're exposed now." The Japanese girl affirmed and then moved her head to Kira's neck.

"You expected this?" She whispered and then latched her lips to the pale skin, now the lip marks were red.

Kira gasped softly, but the kiss didn't last long.

Yumeko didn't step back too far and Kira's eyes wandered from her face to her exposed torso, but the brunette wanted her to look in her eyes, so she cupped her chin and gently lifted her head.

"Want some help taking off your lipstick?" She whispered, a smirk plastered on her face.

Kira looked helpless in front of the girl, the way she looked at her, the way she sounded.

"Kawamoto," she said, trying to regain her composure.

"What? It's the game."

Kira moved her hand to Yumeko's cheek and pulled her in, closing her eyes.

The brunette kissed her gently at first, as she had done in her room weeks ago, but then she wanted to get revenge for the previous hand, so she bit Kira's lips playfully.

Kira hissed and pushed Yumeko away.

"Fuck..." The president cursed covering her lip.

Yumeko panicked a little and stepped closer again.

"Did I hurt you?" She asked, worried.

"Leave it, Kawamoto," Kira spat, turning around, but the brunette didn't let her, so she made her turn back around and took the hand that was covering her lips to pull it away. 

What she saw was worse.

"Kira, did I—"

"You did not," she sighed.

And Yumeko couldn't tear her eyes away from the purplish lips, not from the mixture of their lipstick shades; no, it was darker and less intimate. The blue-eyed girl's lips were freshly bruised. And Yumeko understood everything, immediately.

She cupped her cheek, looking into Kira's eyes; they were now spent.

"Kiss me, Yume..." She whispered to her partner.

"No, it's gonna hurt." The brunette remarked, shaking her head.

"It's the game." The president affirmed. "Please."

Kira wanted to be kissed.

She wanted it because she wanted to feel a touch on her lips that wasn't the back of her dad's hand, she wanted to have pressed against her something different than her father's fingers pressing against her mouth and face to humiliate her and put her back in place. Kira wanted to cover her bruises with something that wasn't her blue lipstick, she wanted them covered in the cherry red one the beautiful girl in front of her was wearing. 

She didn't just want it, she needed it.

All of this game, Kira just wanted it to end like that, with Yumeko's lips on hers again, back to when in her room she felt her lips being taken care of, the time when she realized that lips weren't made to be bruised. That week, when her father left her alone, when the pink lips had time to breathe.

And Yumeko was stunned, for the first time, really, since she met Kira. She thought the girl was just a mean girl who hated her father because he didn't give her power; now she saw the real reason why, and Yumeko had never been more ready to kill that old man.

"No one has to know." Kira almost threatened, but her voice broke.

"My lips are sealed." The Japanese girl whispered and kissed Kira again, slowly, gently, carefully not to press too hard.

"Why didn't you tell me?" She whispered.

"It didn't matter as long as you were the one touching them," Kira confessed and kissed her again, placing her hands back on her hips.

"Since—"

"Yume, not now... please."

"Yes, now Kira." Yumeko argued, pulling away and Kira sighed.

"Yumeko I don't wanna talk about it." 

"And you expect me to kiss some bruised lips as if they were perfectly fine?" Yumeko argued again.

"They are perfectly fine."

"They aren't, Kira, that's an insane amount of bruises, and it's...bothering me, I can't." 

Kira didn't reply to that, she just turned around and put the blazer on, taking the blue lipstick from her purse.

"Forget it." She affirmed. "Put your clothes back on."

Yumeko giggled.

"No, you don't get to treat me like that." She said seriously, walking closer.

"And you don't get to treat me like some broken thing!" Kira bantered harshly, but her eyes were filled with tears.

"That's not what I meant." The brunette tried to explain.

"Yes it was, I get it okay? It's not normal but that doesn't mean it can't be treated as much as lovingly!" She exclaimed, her eyes already looking in the mirror as she reapplied the lipstick.

But then a hand made her turn around, Yumeko cupped her cheek and kissed her like she would've kissed anyone else, but that was a lie because Yumeko didn't want to kiss anyone but Kira.

The black-haired girl's back hit the mirror and the blue lipstick fell from her hands.

"It bothers me because...yours are the only lips I've ever kissed, the only lips I've ever tasted and I—It hurts to see them like that." She confessed—but Kira deep down already knew, she just didn't want to admit it to herself because she was ashamed.

She rested her forehead on Yumeko's and chuckled softly with tears in her eyes.

"I hate him." She said out loud as a weight was being lifted from her shoulders.

"He's gonna pay for it." Yumeko assured her, and Kira kissed her again, softly. 

"How do you do that?" She asked.

"Do what?" The brunette asked back.

"Make me... like this?" 

"I never do anything, most of the time it's you who throws herself at me." Yumeko teased and Kira swatted her away, the Japanese girl fell on Kira's bed.

"Make some space." She demanded with her hand, so Yumeko scooted to the side and Kira took off her blazer again, before lying next to her.

"Playing fair, I see."

"It's just a blazer."

"And us? What are we...?" Yumeko breathed out, out of nowhere.

Kira scooted closer, lying her head on her shoulder then she looked up.

"Partners." She said, and it was the truth.

"Yeah, that's a pretty dope title." Yumeko giggled but her mind was wandering way too much. Kira laughed along.

"I'm sorry for ruining the game." The blue-eyed girl hummed, looking at the still visible blue marks on Yumeko's skin.

"You didn't, I'm glad we stopped."

"Why?" 

"Because you were hurt, because that wasn't what you really needed, in my opinion."

"And what do I need in your opinion?" 

"To just lay here and talk."

"I don't want to." She remarked.

"Okay... well I just like to talk to you, but if you want to keep kissing me I won't complain." Kira looked up at her, not knowing what to say, but she didn't need to say a word.

"You know, I might have some pomade to soothe the bruising," Yumeko shared.

"Yeah?"

Yumeko nodded and sprinted to their bathroom, then she crawled back onto the bed. Kira giggled seeing her so energetic; her chest felt warm too.

"Admit it, you chose me as a partner just for this." She joked, placing a bit of pomade on the tip of her finger. She sat over Kira's lap, the girl had almost forgotten that she was only in her bra up there, but Kira surely didn't, she almost froze when Yumeko sat like that.

The brunette noticed after a moment.

"Oh, don't act shy now you see these lipstick stains here? They're yours!" She laughed.

"Fuck, they are..."

Yumeko softly spread the pomade over the purplish lips, carefully not to press too hard on them.

"Thank you, Yume," Kira whispered as the girl was still taking care of her lips.

"You know, Yume in Japanese means dream."

"It's cute, doesn't apply very much to the person though." Kira laughed softly, and the girl rolled her eyes.

"You wanna know what Kira means?" The brunette asked, moving off Kira's lap but lying on the side to look at her; the president nodded.

Yumeko smiled.

"It's mostly associated with starlights, something sparkling, bright. That's what the repetition of your name means." She shared, moving some hair away from her face and behind her ear.

"Again, not very tailored for me." She scoffed a little.

"I think it suits." Yumeko admitted.

"I have nothing but darkness in me." Kira sighed.

"I don't think so." The brunette caressed her cheek, and Kira smiled softly, shaking her head.

"Dream suits you too... actually." She confessed.

"Sometimes I wonder if this is real." She whispered.

"Am I that good?"

"No, you're the worst." Kira said, grinning.

"But you manage to make me feel good."

"I make you a softie."

"Repeat it and I'll cut your tongue with my teeth."

"Hot."

Kira rolled her eyes, Yumeko pecked her lips, the pomade almost all absorbed.

"Mint taste." The Japanese girl chuckled.

"This is still nothing, right?" Kira whispered against her lips. Yumeko hummed without pulling away, too caught up in her lips.

"Yeah..." she breathed out when her lips moved to her cheek and then her jaw.

"Gosh, Yumeko." Kira sighed.

"I just want to feel you." And she did, she kept her kisses light and mostly innocent, Kira was being bathed in the softness of her lips, and at that moment, she wouldn't have asked for more than nothing.

—

"They're fucking." Dori said to Chad as they listened behind the closed door. Mary was there as well.

"Oh shoot, they're fighting!" She exclaimed whispering.

"Oh, no wait! Maybe they are fucking." She corrected herself.

"I heard the bed squeak chat." Chad said.

—

Yet, the two girls were just lying there on Kira's bed, by the window as the sunsets colours filled the room turning the light orange.

Yumeko slept with her head in the crook of her neck, and Kira let herself breathe.

Chapter Text

Yumeko was still asleep and it was almost dinner time. Kira was awake, keeping the Japanese girl close to her as she slept in the crook of her neck.

God, she's always tired.

Kira sighed, feeling the calm breath on her skin, slightly ticklish but a sweet reminder of how close the younger girl was, and the blue-eyed girl couldn't sleep because of it and because Yumeko still wore only her bra on her upper body. The president was scared because the last time she got so close to the girl, her walls trembled, and leaks of what's inside her got out.

She had talked to her father the night they came back; she had just said that she enjoyed having Yumeko over—nothing more, nothing less—but a hint of a smile betrayed her, because her father knew when a smile was made up or not. After all, he painted it every day.

That was real, and so it meant weakness.

—

Once they stopped hearing weird noises, the three members of the student council walked away in their separate ways.

Mary walked to the vending machines to buy some candies.

"Mary!" The familiar boy's voice said.

"Yeah, Ryan?" She asked without turning around as she waited for the machine to do its work.

"I thought y'all were busy with the council," he said, confused to see the girl there so casually.

"And why would you think that?" She asked, chuckling as she turned around.

"Well, because the president had made it very clear that y'all were busy." He said, remarking on the words. Mary laughed more.

"She said Yumeko's busy," Mary corrected him.

"Y-yeah, well, I thought you had a meeting or something?"

"Oh no, no, I just didn't accept your invite because I didn't want to come." She affirmed, opening her candies. The boy rolled his eyes.

"And Yumeko? Is she actually busy?" He sighed feeling left out. Mary couldn't tell him about what she thought was happening between their friend and Kira, but it wasn't a lie when she said yes.

"Yeah well, maybe I'll invite her to the gala we'll do this week."

"Ryan, it's been a whole summer already, you're still crushing on her?" Mary asked, sitting over a table. The boy motioned for her to lower her voice.

"Yes, okay? How could I ever stop?" He asked rhetorically, sitting next to Mary.

"Listen, I've been there, okay? I get it. Yumeko is just...wow, but once you understand that she isn't programmed for that, you'll get over it." The girl affirmed, patting the guy's shoulder, but he shook his head.

"I have to keep trying," he affirmed.

"Good luck, bud. I'll see you at dinner." Mary sighed and walked away.

Once the girl left, Ryan was left alone, but not for long; Michael leaned on the side wall with his arms crossed.

"Mary is right, you know?" Michael affirmed, stepping closer, placing his hands over the chair in front of Ryan.

"Ugh, I thought you had disappeared. If you want to argue over Yumeko, just...don't."

"I don't want to talk about that. It's in the past..." He said.

"You're getting over your father's death?" Ryan asked uncertainly, Micheal sighed sitting next to him.

"This summer has been tough to say the least, but my dad was an asshole, life hasn't changed much, he was never really there." He shared resting his arms on his knees.

"Do you still believe Yumeko did that?" Ryan asked. Michael rubbed his temple.

"I-...I don't know."

But Ryan knew, or at least he guessed when Yumeko got in his car after the party.

"Either way, you're doing great, man. I know what it feels like...to lose your dad." Ryan hummed.

"You got over it?"

"It still hurts sometimes, but...I guess the pain never really leaves."

They didn't say anything else; they just sat there contemplating nothing. Then Michael spoke.

"If you got over it, you can get over Yumeko, you know?"

Ryan sighed.

"Maybe I don't want to."

Michael patted his back.

"It will keep hurting if you don't."

—

"Do you think they'll skip dinner?" Mary asked Riri as they played UNO in their room, now with the actual cards.

The masked girl shrugged, having no idea of her sister's intention.

"Should we check on them? What if we find the dead bodies?" Mary asked dramatically.

"If we check, we'll be the dead bodies." She joked lightly, and Mary laughed.

"Come on, it will be fun!" Mary insisted, and Riri rolled her eyes, leaving the cards upside down on the table.

Mary clapped her hands excitedly as she stood.

They got out of their room and approached the last door of the hall. Firstly, Mary leaned her head closer to hear any sounds, but didn't hear any.

"I guess it's safe, or we'll really find the dead bodies." Mary joked and slowly opened the door.

Mary peeked inside; she saw the two girls asleep, or at least she thought. Kira opened her eyes; they were sharp. Mary almost had a heart attack; she turned to Riri and said,

"we're fucked."

"Shhh!" Kira exclaimed, her voice whispery; she didn't want Yumeko to wake up.

"Uh...we just wanted to ask if you'd come down to eat dinner," Mary said lower, but she was trying hard not to squeal, seeing her best friend all cuddled up with Kira Timurov.

"Go away," the president said harshly.

Mary closed the door immediately.

"She's going to kill me," she breathed out to Riri.

—

Kira covered her face with her hand, and she sighed, regretting not having locked the door earlier.

The blue-eyed girl looked down at Yumeko; she looked so peaceful and pretty, but she had to wake her up.

Kira tapped her shoulder and shook her lightly.

"Yumeko..." The girl murmured something before slowly opening her eyes. Yumeko stretched her legs placing one over Kira's.

"Mh?" She mumbled and looked up at the blue-eyed girl.

"You wanna have dinner?" Kira asked softly. Yumeko shrugged and ran her thumb over Kira's lips, the girl stiffened for a moment.

"Does it feel better?" Yumeko asked. The blue eyes softened, and she nodded.

"Good." The brunette closed her eyes again.

After a moment of silence, Kira spoke.

"Mary walked in; she saw...this." She hummed, placing her hand back over her face.

Yumeko giggled softly and opened her eyes again, moving her hand to pull Kira's away.

""It's Mary," Yumeko affirmed casually.

"Yeah, but you are like this!" She said, gesturing to Yumeko's upper body.

"Is this jealousy again?" The brunette teased, but the blue-eyed girl didn't laugh.

"No..., I just didn't like it." She affirmed, looking up at the ceiling; she took a deep breath, trying to push down the weight in her chest.

"Okay, I'll tell her not to intrude anymore, alright?" Yumeko suggested.

"I can do it myself." Kira shook her head.

"I know. You wanna do it?"

Kira nodded.

"We should go and eat dinner now," she said, looking down at Yumeko, who agreed and pulled herself up to look at Kira.

"You know..." she started, moving Kira's hair out of her face.

"What?"

Yumeko exhaled softly, looking into Kira's eyes.

"I know you can't help it, but...you don't have to hide your bruises behind your blue eyes, just like you do with your blue lips." She breathed out, caressing her cheek.

That left Kira speechless. The brown eyes met blue, and everything, everything underneath it.

And the ice melted; water rested at the base.

Kira closed her eyes and the melted ice fell on the surface of her cheek.

"Yumeko..."  She whispered maybe wanting to scold her because no one had ever told her anything like that and no one ever dared to comment how Kira should work.

Scolding herself more than she was scolding the brunette because it was all her decision to let the girl close.

"It's not that simple, I- it's hard not to."

She confessed, for the first time in her life. 

It weighted on her like it never had before because for the first time she knew how light life could be, she realized that was something worth more than power and control, something that made her chest warm. She found something to be scared of losing and it was all because of Yumeko. From the moment she laid eyes on her on the day she arrived at the school, on the battlefield—Kira had started to doubt what she had been fighting for.

She wondered what kind of poison her partner had actually injected in her that day, but it had effects that the antidote couldn't cure.

She opened her eyes again when she felt a gentle touch wiping her tears.

"You're a little star, Kira." Yumeko chuckled softly and the blue-eyed girl hinted a smile.

"What are you doing to me, Yumeko?" She asked.

"You tell me." She replied.

"I don't understand," Kira whispered.

"You wanna know what you're doing to me?" Yumeko asked, soothing the girl's cheek with her thumb.

"No, because you're gonna say some poetic shit again." Kira scoffed, the brunette laughed resting her forehead on Kira's.

"Alright." The Japanese girl hummed and Kira didn't insist, she was a bit scared to hear what Yumeko had to say.

Yumeko hid her face again, this time on the other side of Kira's neck.

"What are you? A koala?" Kira asked and chuckled softly and Yumeko laughed along shaking her head.

—

"Shall we go eat now? Feelings make me hungry." Yumeko grinned; the black-haired girl rolled her eyes and swatted Yumeko away from her, sitting up.

Yumeko put her clothes back on and fixed herself.

"Ready?" She asked Kira, who was looking in the mirror with her lipstick in her hand.

"Can I?" Yumeko walked closer, and the blue-eyed girl turned around and nodded.

Yumeko took the lipstick from her hand and cupped her chin gently. She put the blue lipstick on Kira's lips.

"Voilà!" She smiled and kissed her cheek.

And so they walked down to the canteen; people were playing and chatting. When Kira entered late, everyone stopped for a second. Kira had never been late; she had always been somewhere close to make sure anything was under control.

Yumeko, instead of walking to her seat, went straight to the line; feelings did make her hungry.

Kira sat on her throne, and she turned to face Mary and Riri.

"You don't do that." That's all she said, but the two girls understood immediately.

"I'm sorry, Kira," Riri said under her mask.

"We just wanted to see if you were okay; it's strange when either of you goes silent," Mary justified herself and Riri.

"It's none of your business," Kira spat, a bit too angrily, a bit too frustrated.

"I know, but it's good to know that Yumeko was sleeping," Mary affirmed boldly, showing a weak smile to the president, as she ate her tiramisù.

Kira raised an eyebrow, confused by her statement.

"Oh, Yumeko barely sleeps at night; she has...ugh, no, this is not my business..."

"No, no, go on; it's the least you can do since you walked into my room without permission," Kira said, her ears tingling with curiosity.

"When Yumeko and I were roommates, I remember she didn't sleep at all at night. I have a pretty light sleep, so I noticed. One time I asked her about it...she told me she gets nightmares every time of...her parents' death," Mary confessed and sighed.

Kira didn't reply because Yumeko walked to her seat with two trays.

She took them both to her seat and then texted Kira.

Yumeko: "Can I give the tray to you, or is it strange?"

Kira sighed.

Kira: "You didn't have to take it for me."

Yumeko: "I wanted to. So?"

Kira: "Depends, you chose the tiramisu or the cheesecake?"

The brunette giggled.

Yumeko: "I took them both; you can choose."

The blue-eyed girl smiled, shaking her head.

"Do they know they're obvious?" Dori asked out loud to Suki, who hit her arm to make her shut up.

The blue-eyed girl death-stared at them, and Yumeko ignored it, waiting for an answer and grinning when she got one.

Kira: "Tiramisu :)"

Yumeko: "Can I pass it? (ﾉﾟｰﾟ)ﾉ"

The president raised her eyebrows at the weird and complex emoji Yumeko used.

Kira: "Alright ':-0'"

She replied, putting effort into making a good emoji too.

Yumeko giggled to herself and passed the tray to Mary so that she could pass it to Riri, who could have passed it to Kira.

Kira: "Thanks."

Yumeko: "No problem, partner."

"So, how's the no-falling-in-love plan going?" Mary whispered near the brunette's ear, who laughed softly.

"It's not that..."

"I saw you literally cuddling with her half-naked," Mary remarked, still whispering.

"About that—"

"I know; your girlfriend already told me, sorry to you too," Mary anticipated her.

"She's not my girlfriend."

"What is she then?"

"My partner," Yumeko hummed.

"As in?" Mary asked, confused.

"As in we...um, don't bother each other."

"And cuddle, and kiss, and get jealous of the other?" Mary chuckled; Yumeko really couldn't bluff about Kira.

"It's not that simple."

"I know, I know; nothing is when it comes to you two."

"You care about her as if in...more than a friend?"

Yumeko sighed.

"We have never been friends."

"Guess why?" Mary laughed.

"I'll figure it out."

Chapter Text

Ryan, with a joint of courage, decided to text Yumeko while in the canteen, so that she wouldn't risk being scolded by Kira.

Yumeko looked down at her phone again and saw the text; it was a simple "hey."

The girl looked up and waved to her friend. She felt a bit sorry for not hanging out with him today, so she decided to apologize.

Yumeko stood up and walked to the table where the boy was sitting. Kira eyed the girl from her throne but chose not to say anything.

"Hey to you too!" The brunette exclaimed, sitting across from him.

"H-hey..."

"I'm sorry I couldn't hang out today." Yumeko apologized, but she wasn't sorry for what she had done that afternoon.

"Oh, don't worry...I get it."

Yumeko hummed and looked around, meeting the blue gaze, but it moved away from her quickly.

Ryan noticed where her eyes were looking.

"The president seems to be...as scary as ever," he admitted, and Yumeko giggled.

"Yeah, more than last year, right?" She joked lightly; the guy nodded, letting out a chuckle.

"Have you done something so bad that she has to keep an eye on you all the time?" He asked with a smirk on his face.

"Ohh, I just enjoy annoying her now that I'm part of the council." Yumeko laughed, and the boy followed. Then he remembered what he wanted to ask, so he cleared his throat.

"I was thinking that maybe, if—if we can't see each other that much, we could...uh...would you want to...come to the gala wi-with...me?" He stuttered badly but managed to finish his sentence. Yumeko grinned and looked again towards the President; she wasn't looking at them.

So the girl turned around.

"I'm not even sure if I want to go, you should know by now." She giggled softly, and he nodded, mortified.

"But, yeah, if I choose to go...we can go together," she affirmed. Then, he smiled.

"Great! I mean, great..." Ryan cleared his throat again.

"This time we won't play against each other," Yumeko chuckled.

"Even though last time was pretty fun," she affirmed right after.

"Last time you became a house pet," the boy remarked.

"Yeah! But now I'm in the council!" she exclaimed.

"Is it fun? Being in the school council?"

Ryan asked, looking at the members.

"Yeah...it's not bad." Yumeko smiled.

"You won't become like them though...right, Yumi?" He asked, then moving his gaze back to Yumeko.

The nickname rolled easily out of his mouth, as it always had last year. Yumeko noticed how different it was from the one Kira gave her; just a little letter, yet the meaning changed much.

Yumi means bow, but it's also a common girl's name, but the meaning changes because of the kanji used; it could represent beauty, origin, kindness, or truth.

"No..." She whispered because she knew what he was referring to; the cheating, the cruelty.

Yet Yumeko didn't feel so different from them, from Kira.

They chatted a little more about summer, about Mary and Riri—Ryan was curious about his friend's relationship. They talked so much that most of the students had gone away from the canteen, including Kira.

"I should probably go." Yumeko hummed, standing up, and Ryan agreed, walking out of the canteen with her.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" Ryan asked once Yumeko had to turn to go into the school council hall. The Japanese girl hummed and showed him a smile before she turned around and walked towards her room.

She stepped inside, trying not to make much noise, worried that Kira was already asleep, but she wasn't, yet she didn't acknowledge the girl.

"Oh, hey." Yumeko broke the silence, but Kira just nodded as she scrolled on her phone. The cards of their previous game were still on the table.

Yumeko knew how to catch the president's attention.

"Ryan—" That's all it took for Kira to look up; the brunette almost giggled.

"Ryan asked me to go with him to the gala."

Kira scoffed.

"Okay...and?" She asked as if unbothered by the information.

Yumeko sat at the end of Kira's bed, and the girl pushed her away playfully with her foot.

"Getting too comfortable," Kira commented; the brunette giggled but didn't move.

"Well, I said I would if I actually go."

Kira just hummed.

"Okay." She repeated.

Yumeko laid back at the end of Kira's bed; the black-haired girl sighed and rested her legs over Yumeko's lap.

"Unless you wanna go?" The younger girl breathed out, tilting her head to look at Kira, who met her gaze the second she spoke.

She shook her head.

"I can't...plus, you said yes to him already."

Yumeko ignored the last statement.

"Why?"

Kira shrugged.

"Is it because of your father? You're worried he'll take it as a...distraction to you?" She insisted, and Kira nodded, barely.

"That, and then people will gossip around; they always do, I know, but..."

"It would be something you...care about?" Yumeko asked tentatively.

"Yeah...you could say that." She admitted; the brunette grinned and sat up, Kira's legs still on her lap. She moved them off her and stood up, offering a hand to the older girl.

"What?" Kira asked, confused.

"Dance with me?"

Kira rolled her eyes and took her hand, standing up as well. Yumeko moved her free hand over her shoulder.

"Are we gonna put some music?" Kira asked, looking around.

"Wouldn't that disturb the others?" Yumeko asked, giggling.

"I don't care, I'm the president; if they want, they'll complain to me...but they won't." Kira smirked, so the younger girl took her phone and connected it to the speaker.

She tapped on a random playlist on shuffle, and "Iris" by The Goo Goo Dolls started playing.

"Didn't know you had taste in music," Kira said, wrapping an arm around Yumeko's back; the other was still holding the girl's hand.

"I have taste in everything," the Japanese girl affirmed, grinning. Kira rolled her eyes, but she didn't disagree.

"You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be!!!" Yumeko sang loudly, looking up and stepped over Kira's foot by mistake.

"Shit, sorry." She laughed, and Kira laughed as well, seeing the girl in front of her having fun.

They kept swinging slowly, moving around the room—Yumeko could say that it was double hers last year.

"I won't come with you at the gala if you step on my foot in front of everyone," Kira stated playfully.

"Then I guess we should dance every day, and I'll become a pro in time for the real event."

"That sounds like torture," the black-haired girl joked, and Yumeko laughed, nodding her head.

"A cute one, though," she added then.

"Is that a compliment I hear, Kira-san?" Yumeko asked playfully, her Japanese accent heavy on the name.

Kira rolled her eyes.

"Don't call me that, Yume."

Yumeko thought the nickname sounded nice coming out of her mouth; she decided that she liked it and that only Kira could've called her that.

"Okay, but it's not fair; you don't have nicknames!"

"Trust me, it's already a lot for me to be hearing someone say my name without fear," she affirmed, pulling Yumeko closer.

They kept dancing slowly; Yumeko pulled away her hand to hang both of them loosely around Kira's neck, and the black-haired girl took the cue and wrapped her arms around the shorter girl's waist.

"Did you put on the pomade again?" Yumeko asked softly, moving some hair behind Kira's ear, who shook her head.

"I'll put it on later before I go to sleep."

And Yumeko hummed, running her thumb on the girl's cheek.

"Why did you say yes to him?" Kira whispered, leaning her head closer to Yumeko's.

"He is a great dancer; at least I wouldn't fumble," Yumeko affirmed, smiling.

"I dance too, you know?" The black-haired girl shared, proud of herself even though she always hated it.

"I know now." The younger girl smiled, happy to get to know Kira better.

"What type of dance?" She asked, curious.

"Don't laugh," she warned.

"I won't laugh!" Yumeko promised, grinning already.

"You're already laughing!"

"I'm not!" She took a deep breath and made the most serious expression.

Kira smiled.

"Mh, okay, well, I do ballet..." She shared, looking everywhere but at Yumeko, who just smiled, her gaze softening.

"Yeah? That's awesome," she commented, and Kira sighed a little, relieved.

"Yeah, it's nothing special..."

"I wanna see you one day."

"No, no, never happening." They both laughed, resting their foreheads on the other.

"So...now that you know that I can dance, he has nothing special," Kira remarked, Yumeko nodding, enjoying seeing her trying to "win her over."

"You're so mean," she joked, leaning back.

"Ugh, just because I tell the truth?"

"I can always say no to him, you know?"

"You should."

"Only if you come with me? Come on, it's our last year!" She asked again.

"You always win, huh?"

"Is that a yes?"

Kira nodded, and Yumeko squealed excitedly.

"Didn't think you wanted it that much..." The black-haired girl said, seeing how excited the younger girl was.

"It's gonna be chaotic! I love it!"

"Yeah, yeah...now reject that guy's offer."

Yumeko smiled and sat down on the table, taking her phone. Kira stood between her legs to Yumeko's surprise.

Once she had texted him, she put her phone down, noticing how close they were.

"Done?"

Yumeko nodded, grinning, and Kira wanted to do something, to show the girl that she was happy to go with her and that she was enjoying this moment, but she felt stuck.

"I'll take a shower before going to bed," Yumeko shared. Kira stepped back, letting her down from the table.

"Sure."

Kira sighed when she heard the shower. Just a few hours ago they were cuddling on her bed, and now she couldn't even touch her leg—not that she wanted to!

Half an hour later, the younger girl returned to the bedroom, her hair damp, a loose shirt covering the shorts she was wearing.

In the meantime, the blue-eyed girl had already put on her pajamas and was sitting in bed with her phone.

"What are you always checking there?" Yumeko asked with a soft giggle.

Kira turned her phone to let her see Suki's TikToks.

"He sends me everything that remotely has to do with me so that I can approve." She affirmed, the thought making her laugh a little.

The Japanese girl sat next to Kira to judge the video for herself; it was a "diss" towards Ryan and how he shouldn't walk to the council table.

"Kira!" Exclaimed Yumeko when she understood.

"What? It wasn't my idea!" She said defensively, but Yumeko saw the message she was about to send.

'Perfect, you should just add more filters like the devil one you like to use.'

Yumeko pointed it out, and Kira scoffed, sending it anyway.

"It wasn't my idea!" The Japanese girl mocked her.

"I swear! I didn't do the same as the virgin bet!" 

Yumeko blinked for a moment.

"The bet was your idea?!" She asked incredulously and Kira shrugged.

"Yeah, why? It had nothing to do with him, I was dealing with the school council." She explained.

"It was so funny seeing Mary asking for your help, as if you would really do that." She laughed, but Yumeko remained silent.

"You know I asked him to do...it because of Mary? I had to help her." Yumeko confessed and Kira tilted her head, her eyebrows furrowing, her face screaming "disgusting".

"Y-you...you did that...with him?" She asked after a moment, trying to push a lump down her throat.

"No! No, gosh, I didn't! He rejected it, said he wouldn't have sold it..." Yumeko clarified and she wasn't really proud of that moment, but it's in the past.

Kira sighed, relieved, but then furrowed her eyebrows again.

"He rejected you?!" She asked in disbelief, Yumeko nodded.

"Yeah, because I told him I was there just for the bet..."

Kira laughed at the admission, she could almost imagine his—idiotic, stupid, ugly—face as Yumeko told him that she was there for the money and not him while he probably was about to explode.

"You're unbelievable, firstly because you wanted to sell yourself, and secondly because you would've done it JUST for the money and admitted it." The blue-eyed girl commented.

"Yeah...it wasn't the greatest move to try and sell my first time..." Yumeko hummed and the blue eyes widened for a second.

"First time, you?" She asked to make sure she heard right.

"Yeah... I told you you were my first kiss... at least a serious one. Who hasn't kissed anyone just to try when they were little, but yeah..." Yumeko explained.

"I didn't have time to bond with the students at my old school; I was always in detention because of gambling, so yeah."

"Oh—yeah, that makes sense."

There was a moment of silence that filled the room with unspoken tension as they were looking into each other's eyes, both waiting for the other to speak.

"So... today's poker..." Kira started, her voice whispery.

"It was all very much new."

"But you didn't stop it."

"I mean, the new part was the one with the kisses... the strip poker... gosh, you're going to kill me." Yumeko giggled.

"What?"

"I played with... Chad once."

"I can't believe you, what—" Kira wanted to push her off the bed; there was a strange ache in her chest she couldn't decipher, but it pulsed.

"I wanted to play not to be a house pet anymore, and he was the only one willing to! And I didn't even take off my shirt!" She tried to defend herself, but every detail made it worse. She could see that Kira was bothered by something; not even Yumeko knew what it was specifically.

""You don't have to justify yourself to me." She hummed, and on paper, it was true; Yumeko didn't owe anything to Kira.

"I know... but I wanted it to be clear, to be fair."

"Of course..."

"Yeah, then I'll let you sleep..." The younger girl breathed out, standing up and walking towards her bed.

Kira didn't say anything else. She put on the pomade, laid down, turned off the lamp by her nightstand, and then turned to face the wall. The blood was boiling in her veins; she wanted to beat up Ryan and Chad at the same time, but instead, she took a deep breath.

Yumeko turned off her light too, lying down, but knowing that she wouldn't sleep.

"Goodnight," she said softly.

"'Night."

An hour later, Kira still wasn't sleeping, and Yumeko wasn't either.

The blue-eyed girl sighed; she knew why the other girl couldn't, yet she was still bothered by what she had said earlier.

She decided to put her pride aside for a second.

"You're awake?" She whispered.

"Yeah."

"Aren't you tired?"

"Yeah."

"Then sleep."

Yumeko sighed, covering her face with her hands. She was ashamed to admit anything more that night.

Kira stood up and walked to lie down next to Yumeko, who turned around, surprised; they couldn't see each other pretty well because of the darkness.

"What are you doing?" The brunette asked, but Kira didn't know how to respond.

Yumeko laid her head on Kira's chest naturally, like she had done that evening.

"Thank you..." she whispered.