A/N: ...YES, by the gods, it's in the middle of night and half my brain is sleeping with the feathery fishes: TIME TO DOODLE~!

I do not own or profit from any of what Kazue Kato has created. And she does not profit from anything I have created. I think...?

Sometimes I wake before the alarm clock rings. I don't really know why that happens. It just does. And I think that maybe I should go up and make breakfast – I even had my feet into the slippers once.

I never do make breakfast when I wake early. If I go into the kitchen, I can't see Izumo when she's sleeping. She always braids her hair before she goes to sleep, you know? Ah, no, you wouldn't know… But it makes her look really pretty. Oh, but when she wakes up, I always pretend I'm sleeping, too. Only creepy people watch others when they're sleeping.

Creepy people…

I forget that we're the creepy people.

I was afraid we wouldn't be able to… ah, you know: to go on like this. We're so obvious – or, maybe that's what I think, because I'm used to it. Used to her. Used to us.

It's not really, um… that is, I don't really know when we… knew. You know…?

It didn't matter much back home. Our village isn't very big, and since that isn't very normal nobody really thought it would happen in such a small place. Nobody expected it, so nobody saw it. Sounds silly, doesn't it? It worked for us, though. It's a good thing that people expect their daughters to be… um… normal.

I was scared to come to True Cross. Not- not because of that – or at least not only because of that – I just…

I wanted to be with Izumo. I wanted to help her carry books, like I did when we were little. I wanted to go shopping with her and eating at cafés, even if we had to be more careful here. She promised she would look after me – she's really sweet like that. Not many know she is, but I do. And I know she would keep her promise. She always looked after me in Inari, when people started calling me things for being friends with her. She protected me.

I wish she would keep protecting me, always. She's my knight in shining armour – I still call her that when we're alone. She's so cute when she blushes.

…don't tell her I said that? Please?

I was scared to come to True Cross, even if I knew Izumo would protect me. You see, I… I'm not a fighter. I'm not an exorcist. I joined cram school to be with Izumo, but I realised that… I can't let Izumo protect me anymore.

I had nightmares when we came here. I always told her it was demons, when she woke me up; and she'd kiss me – o-on the forehead, just on the forehead – and whisper that I shouldn't worry. That she'd protect me.

I never told her that that was what I dreamt of. That she protected me against demons, and that she got hurt.

…it's a terrible feeling, you know? To hurt the one that matters most to you. But I don't regret quitting cram school, because I did it for Izumo. She was upset with me for quite a while there, but we made out- um, we made up. That- that's what we did. We made up.

We always do. No matter what.

I don't remember why I asked to help Izumo carry those books that day. I was a really carefree child, so I didn't think much of what I was doing or why – I just… felt like helping her. I sound a bit stupid now, don't I…?

I remember that look she gave me, though. When I said I didn't mind if people would talk about me, for being friends with her. I'll always remember that look. It never mattered what people said. It never will.

Even if… I never see her again… I will always remember… that look in her eyes…

Please, Shiemi. Bring Izumo back.

A/N: So, I was a little saddened by the lack of yuri in the fandom… especially since it's basically thrown into the readers' faces in the manga. Really, I refuse to believe I was the only one whose gaydar blared at 200 dB when this duo showed up. ^_^' In these latest chapters, when the Esquires depart to Inari prefecture and Paku pleads Shiemi to bring Izumo back ZOMFG I SHIP THAT SO HARD YOU ARE TOO CUTE TOGETHER! QwQ

Curious fact: Dimwit and her girlfriend are exactly the same height as Izumo and Paku, and had exactly those personalities when they were in school together.

I have a terrible feeling, though… That Paku might prove to be the other Illuminati spy. Because why would she befriend that one girl whom the whole school seemed to avoid? The girl that was the Illuminati's target all along? And give her phone number to Shiemi to "call her if anything happens", because it would be too risky for the Illuminati themselves to contact their spy about the situation, now that they've made their declaration of war?

...so this is what happens to my conspiracy-weaving brain when it goes into fatigued overdrive? Interesting.