Sayaka didn't move.
Not at first.
She watched the last ripple vanish on the pond's surface, Reina swallowed by the silence beneath.
Her fingers twitched. Her breath caught.
A full ten seconds passed.
Then twenty.
The unease crept in slowly, like frost crawling over skin.
No splash.
No struggle.
No gasping breath.
Just… stillness.
A sharp pulse of dread slammed through Sayaka's chest. Her boots hit the edge of the pond as she lunged forward, eyes wide.
What have I done?
She dove.
The cold water wrapped around her like chains. The world turned black and weightless. Her eyes stung, her limbs cut through the dark as she reached out—searching, frantic.
Then she saw her.
Reina, drifting like a ghost.
Reina lost her coat in the water. Her white shirt exposing her skin, sayaka dove her and grap her to the waist, both chests touching. She push her to the ground, lay her down, and try to give her breath. She unbottles her shirt, removes the small clother wrapped around her chest, and tries to give her some air. She gives mouth to mouth. She is not moving still, so she sits on her and tries to give her CPR.
Her lips brushed Reina's—desperation.
One breath.
Another.
And then—
Reina gasped.
But not just for air.
Her eyes flew open just as Sayaka's mouth pressed against hers again—too slow to pull back.
For a heartbeat, they were locked—lips touching, breath tangled, too close. Then Reina shoved her away with a violent cough, crawling back, soaking wet and livid.
Sayaka stared at her, chest heaving. "You're alive—"
"You kissed me," Reina choked, voice raw, trembling with water and rage. "What the hell was that?"
"It wasn't—I didn't mean—" Sayaka ran a hand through her wet hair, breath catching. "I was trying to—CPR—"
"Save me?" Reina barked. "From what? You pushed me!"
Sayaka opened her mouth, but nothing came out.
Reina stood, clutching her soaked coat around her, eyes burning. "I don't know what game you're playing, but where I come from, people don't try to kill the ones they're curious about."
Sayaka flinched.
"I thought you were different," Reina spat, turning her back. "Guess not."
She limped toward the shadows of the trees, water trailing behind her like blood.
Sayaka remained kneeling by the pond, soaked and silent, heart pounding beneath her ribs like a war drum.
She didn't mean for it to go that far.
She didn't mean for it to feel like that.
But the taste of Reina's lips still lingered—and it wasn't because of water.
Reina pushed herself up, still dripping, clinging to her frame like second skin. Her hands trembled, knees wobbling beneath her as she took a step away from the pond—but her body betrayed her.
She collapsed.
Pain bloomed in her legs like fire. She cursed under her breath, fingers clawing the earth, struggling to rise again. Her pride screamed louder than the ache in her muscles, but her body had its own limits—especially after nearly drowning.
"Reina," Sayaka's voice was quiet, unreadable.
"Don't." Reina hissed. "Don't talk to me."
"You can't walk."
"I don't care."
But she couldn't stand. She collapsed again, this time hard enough to knock the breath from her lungs.
Sayaka moved.
Without asking, she slipped her arms around Reina and lifted her up, ignoring the resistance, ignoring the way Reina stiffened in her arms. Water dripped from both of them, painting a trail across the stone path as she walked.
"I said—" Reina started.
"You'll freeze to death if you stay out here," Sayaka said flatly. "You're injured. You need warmth."
"I'm not going to your—"
"You don't have a choice."
The tension between them hummed like a live wire.
Reina fell silent, her head resting reluctantly against Sayaka's shoulder. Her soaked clothes made her shiver uncontrollably, and her pride crumbled beneath exhaustion. Sayaka's grip was firm, unshaking.
She carried her through the quiet estate, past flickering lanterns and hushed hallways, until they reached Sayaka's quarters. She opened the sliding door with her foot, then stepped inside, placing Reina gently onto the futon laid neatly on the tatami mat.
The room was minimal—orderly, with soft lighting and a faint scent of sakura wood incense still lingering.
"Sit still," Sayaka said, walking away to fetch something.
Reina watched her through damp lashes, her anger still simmering—but dulled now by fatigue.
Sayaka returned with clean towels, a dark robe, and a small lacquered box. She knelt beside Reina, beginning with her soaked coat. Reina flinched when Sayaka reached for her, but didn't resist.
"You're burning up," Sayaka muttered.
She peeled away the wet fabric, careful with every movement, never looking directly at Reina's bare shoulders. Her touch was cool, practiced—almost too gentle for someone with hands made for the blade.
She wrapped a warm towel around Reina's back, then moved to her feet. "You twisted your ankle," she said, fingers brushing delicately against swollen skin. "You shouldn't move tonight."
Reina's voice cracked. "You're treating me like a broken doll."
Sayaka met her gaze for the first time in minutes. Her face was unreadable—but her voice was quiet, and guilt-laced. "You could've died."
"You were the one who pushed me."
"I know."
Sayaka dipped the cloth into a basin and gently dabbed Reina's face, her touch slower this time. More tender. Her thumb lingered beneath her jaw, where a bruise was forming.
Reina turned away. "Don't look at me like that."
"Like what?"
"Like you care."
Sayaka said nothing.
But her hands kept moving—cleaning the dirt from Reina's palms, drying her hair with gentle strokes. She didn't speak. She didn't apologize.
But every motion whispered it.
Sayaka turned to leave, her steps soundless, precise.
"You didn't have to jump out of your own window, you know," she said casually over her shoulder, a playful curve on her lips. "Not the most graceful escape I've seen."
Reina stilled.
Then she stood — slowly — letting the robe slip slightly from her shoulder, revealing the soft line of her collarbone down to the top curve of her chest. She took a step forward, barefoot on the cool floor, her wet hair clinging to her cheeks like strands of shadow.
"You think I did it for fun?" Reina's voice was smooth, low, like velvet drawn across the edge of a blade.
Sayaka turned back to face her — only to find Reina closing the distance between them, one slow step at a time.
"You think I care about grace?" Another step. "You think I'm just some foolish girl in white, stumbling around a house that doesn't want me?"
Sayaka's breath hitched — barely, but Reina noticed.
She was close now.
Very close.
Sayaka's hand twitched at her side, uncertain.
Reina leaned in. Her lips were a breath away from Sayaka's ear. Her voice dropped lower, warm against her skin.
"You think I didn't notice the way your eyes followed me since the day I fell into your arms like some helpless thing?"
Sayaka exhaled slowly, fingers curling at her sides.
"I didn't—"
"You did," Reina interrupted, voice a husky whisper. "You looked at me like you wanted to protect me... or ruin me."
Sayaka's body was motionless. But her eyes—her eyes flickered.
Reina stepped even closer.
Her hand reached up, and in a bold, deliberate motion, she trailed one finger along Sayaka's jawline. Her touch was feather-light, but it left goosebumps in its wake.
Sayaka closed her eyes for a moment. A long moment.
Reina leaned in again, close enough for their lips to graze—but didn't kiss her. Not yet.
"You don't get to tease me and walk away," she whispered. "Not when you were the one who kissed me first—remember?"
Sayaka's eyes flew open.
That accident.
That CPR.
That taste.
She hadn't forgotten.
Reina's smirk deepened.
"I didn't stop you then," she murmured, her hand sliding down Sayaka's neck, fingertips brushing the line where her robe dipped. "And I won't stop you now."
Sayaka's breath trembled.
But she didn't move.
Didn't close the distance.
Didn't run either.
She just stared into Reina's eyes — caught between desire and restraint, between instinct and control.
And Reina saw it all.
She tilted her head. "What's wrong, Miss Kiryuu?" Her voice was a dangerous purr. "You fight wars, but you're afraid to touch me?"
Sayaka swallowed. Her throat moved slowly.
"You're dangerous," she murmured.
Reina smiled—dark, beautiful, and sure. "And you like that."
For a moment, it felt like they would crash.
Like the air between them would ignite.
But Reina stepped back—just enough.
Letting the tension hang like a blade between them.
Just as their robes brushed and the air thickened with something unspoken, a faint creak echoed beyond the walls.
Neither of them noticed.
But someone was watching.
Beyond the door, hidden behind a lattice of shadows, a figure stood still—eyes fixed, lips parted, breath barely a whisper.
Inside, Reina leaned in, her voice a silk threat, "You're trembling, Sayaka."
Sayaka stepped back, heart pounding, trying to mask the storm in her chest.
Outside, the watcher clenched their jaw and disappeared into the corridor—silent, swift.
The night swallowed them whole.
Neither Reina nor Sayaka knew...
They were no longer alone.
(To be continued)