Another day, another tea.
Alice was preparing the table for her guest, guessing she'd be arriving soon.
The clock was ticking and ticking as the only sign of time passing by. A nice fire was burning in her fireplace and the steam coming from the kettle contributed to create the warmth that overflowed her house.
It was a chilly autumn day and she knew that her guest was weak against the cold, and so, she always worried about having everything warm for her visits.
At first, she didn't want any of those visits. Her guest came unexpectedly one day, saying hello and entering her house, completely uninvited, talking about this and that. She felt angry and uncomfortable, unused as she was to company. That was the whole point of living where she lived, the Forest of Magic. A place known for its depth and the dangerous creatures that lurked within. She chose that place specifically for the solitude that it assured her. Now that she had left Makai, the only thing she wanted was a place to be on her own, free to advance in her research as she pleased.
But things didn't go as she had expected them to.
A few days after she had installed herself in the little cottage, her guest knocked at her door changing everything.
Such a loud and rude person, her personality had clashed instantly with hers.
And yet…and yet…and yet…
And yet she was there, boiling water for tea, baking sweets and waiting for her.
Waiting for Marisa, the Ordinary Magician.
She chuckled, wondering who could've thought of Marisa as "ordinary". She was pretty far from it.
She reminisced about their first encounter years ago in Makai.
She was the only human living in Makai and she had the position of the only daughter of Shinki, the Infinite Being and the Creator. She lived there, amongst all the demons, creatures that she couldn't relate to and that couldn't' relate to her. Spending her time reading and practicing magic in her never ending efforts to become the greatest magician there ever was. Playing with her dolls and puppets trying to master the puppeteering techniques.
Life was easy. Life was peaceful.
Life was lonely.
She walked around Shinki's palace, like a shadow. She hid inside empty rooms and just sat there. Longing for something she couldn't name.
And then, one day, she came.
Marisa Kirisame.
They fought. She was defeated by the Black-White Witch. They fought. She was defeated again.
But still, she was happy. Because for once, she had felt real excitement.
And so, she had left Makai and the life she had known until then. Searching that same excitement, she had arrived at Gensokyo, the place from where Marisa had come.
Even if she couldn't admit it to herself, she was, deep inside, searching for her.
She traveled all around, looking for a place to settle, listening to anything related to a black-white witch.
She finally arrived at the Forest, fearsome for humans but she wasn't scared, for she wasn't human anymore. In her last encounter with Marisa, the immense power of her Grimoire had turned her into a youkai and as one, she didn't fear them.
Still, she remained with many of her human customs since she didn't turn into one the "regular" way.
With her dolls she had built the cottage and then, she was met with silence. She started missing the loud Pandemonium she had called home.
Truth was, she had been afraid of that moment, the moment she would realize no-one wanted to be near her. That was the reason she never interacted with anyone other than Shinki or her second in command, Yumeko. She didn't want to know that she wasn't liked.
She cried, with the stars as the sole witnesses.
The next morning, her research was interrupted by a constant knocking on her door.
And to her utter surprise, when she opened the door, the Witch she had fought in Makai was there grinning.
"Hey! I'm Marisa Kirisame and we're neighbors!"- she claimed before entering without asking for permission
Alice's heart beat hard and fast inside her.
What was that feeling?
She had acted irritated and told Marisa to leave. But somehow, the black-white got to stay, even have some tea with her. They talked and talked until it was dark.
The next day, she was washing her dishes when the knocking came. The day after, she was fixing her Shanghai doll when the knocking started. The day after that, she was reading, when she heard Marisa approaching. By the end of the week, the black-white stopped knocking altogether and just let herself, shouting a greeting.
Alice awaited her visits expectantly. Every moment with Marisa was special, unique. In that lonely and dark place, she felt accompanied.
But that day, she sighed nervously, was going to be the most special yet. She was finally going to tell Marisa about her feelings.
Alice wasn't sure how it had turned that way but she was sure it was true. There wasn't any other reasonable explanation for the constant pounding in her heart whenever Marisa was around. For the heat that crept all the way to her cheeks, making her blush. Her casual stuttering. And the way Marisa's casual touch felt like electricity in her skin. She knew it.
Could Marisa feel the same?
She yelped when she heard Marisa's voice, announcing her entrance.
"Yo, Alice!"- she said sniffing the air- "Ummm, smells nice! You bake something?"
The Rainbow Puppeteer appeared in front of her and nodded in greeting.
"Ah…yes…I did. Chocolate cookies..."- Alice mumbled
"Yay! My favorite! You always think of everything, Alice!"- praised the black-white
"Please sit. The tea is almost ready"- she said, going back to the kitchen
Once the tea was served, they started talking of the recent events of Gensokyo. Alice watched Marisa's ever changing expressions and body language. She was lively. And her presence filled the little cottage. Days were so different when she was around.
They talked about the old times, before they met.
Yes, life was so much different with Marisa in it. Before, she was always feeling lonely and misplaced, like she wasn't where she was supposed to be. Always wondering where home was, where could she feel happy? Was there even a place like that? And so, she kept brooding through the grand corridors of Mother's palace. Locked inside herself.
They talked about the present, about themselves.
It was dark outside already and the moon lighted up the magical mushrooms that were scattered within the Forest. They could see them through Alice's window, and they quieted, amazed at their glow. Marisa was particularly interested, since she was a mushroom collector. Not to say a freak, in Alice's opinion. She looked at Marisa's face full of wonder and smiled fondly at her. Her happiness was her happiness.
"You know, Marisa"- she said softly
"What?"- asked the witch, turning to face her
"I am really glad we met that day"- she said
"I'm glad too! You bake the greatest cookies in Gensokyo!"- smiled Marisa, munching on one
"Be serious, Mari"- she said frowning a little, but giggling nonetheless
"I am serious. About both things"- said the Magician- "I can't imagine how boring my life would be without you. You changed things, you know? Before, I was here, alone…and sure…I had Reimu and I always will…but…she doesn't understand me the way you do. Things are always easy for her, so she doesn't understand what magic means to me. But you do. And so many other things…I am really grateful I got to meet you, Alice"
Alice blushed quickly and muttered a 'thank you', knowing it was now or never.
"Marisa"
"Alice"
They both said each other's name at the same time and laughed a little at the coincidence.
"Ah go, on, Mari!"- said Alice nervous
"No, please continue!"- said Marisa smiling- "I didn't mean to steal your time!"
Alice sighed deeply and looked at her friend directly in the eyes.
"Marisa…I have something I want to tell you…well, that I've been meaning to tell you for a while now but...I guess I didn't have the courage to do so…"
Her blue eyes shimmered and Marisa seemed mesmerized by them, her heart beating in anticipation.
"What I want to tell you is that…is that…I love you, Marisa Kirisame, I'm in love with you!"- she ended firmly
Her eyes widening in realization she had finally confessed and she covered her mouth with her hand, blushing crimson red.
"Oh…"-she muttered with her hand still covering her mouth
Marisa took that hand off her mouth, smiling fondly at her. Alice looked at her confused and completely embarrassed.
"Ah, sorry…"-she said- "I…"
"Hey, it's ok"- Marisa assured her, still holding her hand- "I can forgive you… for taking the words from me"
"You don't have to forgive me…I can understand if you don't want to see me again"- started ranting Alice and then stopped, Marisa's words sinking in- "taking the words from you? What do you mean?"
Marisa chuckled, letting go of Alice's hand and standing up to come beside her.
"I meant what I said, Alice, you took the words from me"- she smiled
"But I don't understand…"- said Alice looking at her
"I think you do"- blushed Marisa, her golden eyes shimmering with emotion
Alice looked at her and Marisa stared back, both silent.
"I love you, Alice"- said Marisa breaking the silence- "I love you"- she repeated while helping Alice stand up
The Puppeteer was just as docile as one of her dolls, not being able to say anything back out of pure shock, Marisa's voice replaying and replaying in her head but the words never making any more sense than they did the moment they were said.
She loves me. She said she loves me. She said it. She loves me.
That was it.
She brought the Magician closer and clashed their lips together in a kiss that felt like there were fireworks all inside her body. Marisa was taken by surprise but kissed her back with the same enthusiasm.
Then they separated, unable to look at each other at first.
"Ummm…that was…"- started Alice
"That was…great"- smiled Marisa
"It was, wasn't it?"- smiled Alice back
They turned their attention back to the moonlit Forest.
"You know, Marisa…"
"What?"
Alice could hear the happiness in her voice. It made her heart soar.
"This is all I ever wanted"
"What is?"- the Magician asked turning to face her
"You"
That was Alice's answer before kissing her again.
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Hello there, people! It's Aminte! This is my first one-shot based on "Locked in Closets" by Solange. Hope you liked it as for the ones that are reading my fanfic Malice, be patient, I'm currently working in chapter 9 and it's been a pain. I'm in the middle of studying for a huge test so I can't take as much free time as I used to but even so I can't stop writing! Malice is my justice after all! I really hope you liked this. I might write another one-shot soon –just for fun, you know, trying to write a decent chapter is always hard-