Sakura wsa tense and nervous and....everything. She was holding up something under her armpit. She got this for Yurei earlier the other day. Before the....before. This was just two normal ronin friends looking out for each other.

And not falling in love.

Wait what.

Maybe she's not here. I still have my spare key. Sakura inserted the keyfob into the mechanism, gave it the obligatory slap to make it function, and decided to just get it through. She opened the door with gusto...only for it to hit the fridge.

"Fuck."

Hotaru Sakura wrote: ↑

Wed Apr 20, 2022 5:31 am

Snip

Yūrei snaps awake, her hand fumbling for her sidearm through an empty plastic tub, a sock and a discarded copy of orbitals weekly before she notices it's Sakura.

"Oh, babe. You gotta be careful doing that...fridge-san's there now. You gotta kinda wiggle past him."
She smiles sleepily at the other girl, still not fully awake."

Yūrei wrote: ↑

Wed Apr 20, 2022 5:33 am

Yūrei snaps awake, her hand fumbling for her sidearm through an empty plastic tub, a sock and a discarded copy of orbitals weekly before she notices it's Sakura.

"Oh, babe. You gotta be careful doing that...fridge-san's there now. You gotta kinda wiggle past him."
She smiles sleepily at the other girl, still not fully awake."

Drat.

Sakura smiled shyly. "Sorry...babe, I forgot about your new roommate." She wriggles into the room with some difficulty, handling her package with great care. "Just wanted to drop something off that I got you and get out of your hai....r." She looked around the room. For fuck's sake.

She held out the package. "Here hold this for me Yu-chan."

Hotaru Sakura wrote: ↑

Wed Apr 20, 2022 5:36 am

Snip

"Whu?"
Yūrei yawns and sits up, taking the package automatically.
"What's up?"
She rubs at her eyes with her free hand.

Yūrei wrote: ↑

Wed Apr 20, 2022 5:39 am

"Whu?"
Yūrei yawns and sits up, taking the package automatically.
"What's up?"
She rubs at her eyes with her free hand.

"Just got you something from the expo." She replied absentmindedly, as she bent down and...started picking things up and putting them away. Using the tried and true Nose Test, she determined that the sock was indeed used, and threw it in the laundry bask...et.

"Where do you put the laundry? Where did the laundry basket go?"

Hotaru Sakura wrote: ↑

Wed Apr 20, 2022 5:41 am

Snip

"Awww, you didn't have to do that for me. You're such a sweetie."
Yūrei stands and stretches slowly before nudging a pile of dirty clothes with one foot
"Pretty sure it's in there somewhere." Smiling ruefully "I uh, haven't been quite as organised since you left."

Yūrei wrote: ↑

Wed Apr 20, 2022 5:43 am

"Awww, you didn't have to do that for me. You're such a sweetie."
Yūrei stands and stretches slowly before nudging a pile of dirty clothes with one foot
"Pretty sure it's in there somewhere." Smiling ruefully "I uh, haven't been quite as organised since you left."

Sakura looked up at her friend, her face bare of any make up or anything. Just good old Sakura.

"Yurei-chan...I tidyed the room and made you a chart when I left." There was some pain in her voice, but also some affection. She eyed the pile. "You." She pointed at a finger at hre friend. "Are taking that" the finger moved to the pile of old clothes. " to the laundry first thing after I leave." Her voice was stern.

She did throw the wrapping papers into the trash at least. "C'mon, check your gift if you like it while I straighten your futon, and I'm out of your hair." Your lovely, nice smelling hair.

She bent down and gently pushed Yurei onto Fridge-san's territory while she was tidying up her sleeping/living space.

In the package was a picture, depicting....Yurei, as a vengeful ghost from Toshigoku, standing in the city, all alone, except for the fireflies surrounding her. The details were quite accurate...it seemed Sakura was able to provide some pretty good notes to the artist. "I think it might fit onto the wall opposite of the entrance."

Hotaru Sakura wrote: ↑

Wed Apr 20, 2022 5:48 am

Snip

"Okay Sakura-chan, for you I'll clean everything, promise."
With a small smile she perches on top of the fridge, peering down at the picture.

"Wow! This is...I, wow." Rubbing some more sleep out of her eyes "This is amazing. Of course it's going on the wall. A little bit of you inside me."
She frowns slightly, her sleepy mind protesting...something.

"I love it. You're such a good fri-" Another memory stirs and she trails off, now looking a little more intently at the picture, her alone..except for fireflies.

Yūrei wrote: ↑

Wed Apr 20, 2022 5:53 am

"Okay Sakura-chan, for you I'll clean everything, promise."
With a small smile she perches on top of the fridge, peering down at the picture.

"Wow! This is...I, wow." Rubbing some more sleep out of her eyes "This is amazing. Of course it's going on the wall. A little bit of you inside me."
She frowns slightly, her sleepy mind protesting...something.

"I love it. You're such a good fri-" Another memory stirs and she trails off, now looking a little more intently at the picture, her alone..except for fireflies.

Sakura rolled up Yurei's stuff now, and seemingly satisfied with her work, straigthened. "Glad you liked it...had to borrow some money from Tsuyo-sama, but I'll give it back to her when I get my next stipend." She smiled positively, seeing Yurei's happy."

Noticing something was odd in her friend's behavior, Sakura felt it better to leave now before things get...complex.

"Umm..Yu-chan, I can't open the door with you sitting in there." Standing so close, she could feel Yurei's scent in the air, memories of the night flooding back. She longed to reach out and feel her warmth again...but it would only make things worse. Surely.

Hotaru Sakura wrote: ↑

Wed Apr 20, 2022 5:55 am

Snip

"Wait, hey."
She reaches out to gently grab one of Sakura's wrists.

"Shouldn't we, I mean. We don't have to but, there's some stuff we probably want to talk about. Or maybe we don't want to talk about, but we kinda need to talk about."
Smiling weakly at her friend.

"I've been thinking a bit."

Yūrei wrote: ↑

Wed Apr 20, 2022 6:00 am

Hotaru Sakura wrote: ↑

Wed Apr 20, 2022 5:55 am

Snip

"Wait, hey."
She reaches out to gently grab one of Sakura's wrists.

"Shouldn't we, I mean. We don't have to but, there's some stuff we probably want to talk about. Or maybe we don't want to talk about, but we kinda need to talk about."
Smiling weakly at her friend.

"I've been thinking a bit."

Sakura nodded weakly, and moved to sit down onto the bed.

"Sorry about....you know. I....don't want to ruin things between us. Or make things awkward. Or pressure you."
Her heart was beating like a drum.

Hotaru Sakura wrote: ↑

Wed Apr 20, 2022 6:02 am

Snip

"No no, not at all babe I-..I kinda worried about the same things too?"
Looking down not making eye contact.

"I mean, we've been friends for ages, really good friends. You've always been good to me, even if I ate the leftovers or slept through the alarm. And it never even occurred to me..I mean, we were doing everything as friends, right?"

Yūrei wrote: ↑

Wed Apr 20, 2022 6:06 am

"No no, not at all babe I-..I kinda worried about the same things too?"
Looking down not making eye contact.

"I mean, we've been friends for ages, really good friends. You've always been good to me, even if I ate the leftovers or slept through the alarm. And it never even occurred to me..I mean, we were doing everything as friends, right?"

Sakura let out a huge breath she wasn't sure she was holding. "I...I see." She wasn't the only one? Thank Benten!

"Yeah..." she thought back of the nights they spent sleeping next to each other, in other's arms. "At least we thought we were friends? I mean...looking back, we had very few boundaries." She replied philosophically.

Hotaru Sakura wrote: ↑

Wed Apr 20, 2022 6:11 am

Snip

"Absolutely, it's a small apartment. There's no heating...stuff like that just sorta happens? Friends do that, I'm pretty sure...I've heard of friends doing it. So that's what I thought we were. I mean, I like guys, right? So it was platonic, just two girls being friends."

Frowning slightly
"But, last night I thought you- I mean, I'm not sure. But it sounded like you said...."

Yūrei wrote: ↑

Wed Apr 20, 2022 6:15 am

"Absolutely, it's a small apartment. There's no heating...stuff like that just sorta happens? Friends do that, I'm pretty sure...I've heard of friends doing it. So that's what I thought we were. I mean, I like guys, right? So it was platonic, just two girls being friends."

Frowning slightly
"But, last night I thought you- I mean, I'm not sure. But it sounded like you said...."

Sakura started to think Yurei may not have had a lot of friends growing up.

Not that Sakura could throw any stones.

"I...I did. I...love. you. babe." The words seemed to have weight of tons.

Hotaru Sakura wrote: ↑

Wed Apr 20, 2022 6:21 am

Snip

Yūrei eyes widen so much they're almost all white and her breath catches for a moment.

"That's."
She looks up at Sakura
"I mean, love as...you know, love love. Not love as friends but you know, the other kind of love, the deeper one?"

Yūrei wrote: ↑

Wed Apr 20, 2022 6:26 am

Hotaru Sakura wrote: ↑

Wed Apr 20, 2022 6:21 am

Snip

Yūrei eyes widen so much they're almost all white and her breath catches for a moment.

"That's."
She looks up at Sakura
"I mean, love as...you know, love love. Not love as friends but you know, the other kind of love, the deeper one?"

It took a while for Sakura to recover from the thanks.

"Love as jn Inwamt to clumb you, taste you and never move from you." She replied for clairty

Hotaru Sakura wrote: ↑

Wed Apr 20, 2022 6:38 am

Snip

Yūrei just looks at Sakura as the silence draws on and on and one, almost painful. Finally:

"Oh shit. I think I love you too?"

Yūrei wrote: ↑

Wed Apr 20, 2022 6:40 am

Yūrei just looks at Sakura as the silence draws on and on and one, almost painful. Finally:

"Oh shit. I think I love you too?"

Sakura almost trembled in anticipation.



"You....think?"

A confusing ball of emotions. A fondness for typical Yurei behavior, a worry that what she was only saying that to appease her or something.