"Miko, congratulations!" Miki exclaimed, and pushed a brilliantly purple potted orchid, still wrapped in cellophane, into Miko's unexpecting hands.
Miko's look of confusion was genuine. The rivalry between the two of them was strange, but she had believed it to be mutual. Miko always strived to become better and beat Miki, while Miki remained sitting pretty, arrogantly. Miki, however, was puzzlingly cheerful and kind. Her behavior left Miko guessing, and this was just another twisty turn to throw the demon inside of her off track.
"You came in first in the race! I'm so proud of you." Miki beamed at her, and Miko almost grimaced from the pep. "I've heard you liked flowers, so I went out and got you this as a gift. Great job!" Miki gave her a thumbs up, delivered with a sincere smile, before turning back and sprinting the way she had come. Miko remained outside her lobby doors, struggling to think of an excuse that could possibly why her sworn rival had congratulated her on her victory (and Miki's defeat!). But when her mind only drew up blanks, she sighed heavily and pushed open the glass doors to bask in the relieving AC.
Did she really enjoy gardening? Since possession, she really had only one real focus in life: beating Miki. Her passions began and ended there, to the point that even eating and breathing seemed secondary. Mounting the stairs up to her apartment, she contemplated the flower clutched against her chest. Perhaps it was a peace offering. But if Miki thought that a puny plant would end the competition between them, then that must mean she was finally scared of losing. Miko considered this with a sneer on her face, but it soon faded. Miki had been happy for her. That wasn't laying down arms.
The girl continued to drive her crazy. Miko huffed again and let the door slam behind her. She gently set the orchid on her windowsill, and removed the cellophane. It was pretty. It might have even awoken some kind of instinct in the back of her mind from pre-possession, because she instantly returned with an ice cube to lay on the potted soil. A foreign thought floated up through her mind like a bubble in a murky pond, and some part of Miko did agree that it was kind of Miki to give her something. And it was a thoughtful gift. Miko only scoffed again, and fell upon her bed. These thoughts were confusing her. For a second, it even felt like her pure hatred for the other girl had suddenly melted into something different, strange. It was a warm feeling, but also unnerving, like how her stomach felt when she rode a rollercoaster. She growled, and put her hands up to her face in frustration.
No, it had to be hatred. That was the reason she was here now, after all. Though the tingly feeling in her chest begged to differ, she could only roll on her side and curl up on her bed like she had a stomachache. But she could see the orchid, beautiful and alien, and another questioning feeling prodded her mind.
Miko didn't know what to do when she was in love.
