Akako was wrong. In all of her predictions, spellwork, soothsaying... she never predicted this. She was standing behind the equipment shed, holding hands with a teary-eyed girl, breathless after making the most difficult utterance in her young life, and the one thought racing through her mind was, "Yes, I do too." But, Akako was a brilliant seductress, master of hearts and the claiming of them, so she used the most powerful language at her disposal.
Akako kissed Aoko behind the equipment shed, and that was that.
Her lips were rough; she hadn't planned to kiss anyone today, but she just didn't care. Aoko's hands cupped her face and pulled them closer, their breath lost in the bitter cold. Akako released the girl's lips at last, looked into her eyes a moment, then wrapped her arms around Aoko's slender shoulders. They were cheek to cheek.
Aoko likes peach-scented shampoo.
"I'm so glad it was you," Akako whispered into her girlfriend's ear. "When I got the letter, I thought it be another boy I'd have to turn down."
"I thought that you were so far above me, that you're so popular, so mature…" Her voice was breathless and caught between a squeal of delight and a sob. "I thought you'd never give me a chance."
She pulled off her glove to touch Aoko's face, skin to skin. "But you're the popular one. Everyone loves you, goes to your parties, chats with you during breaks… I always feel lonely at school, and you're a shining light I wanted to get close to. I'm not really popular – boys just objectify me and the girls seem to all hate me for turning boys' heads. And on top of that, I thought that you were straight, that Kuroba and you were a couple…"
"Kaito?" Aoko made a face. "We've known each other since we were, like, babies. We're just about siblings!"
They laughed, releasing months of self-doubt and jealousy that had been gathering around them.
"Speaking of Kaito," Aoko said, grabbing onto Akako's hand. "I need to tell him that you're returning my feelings. He's been cheering me on all week!"
That didn't sound right. Akako felt a little sliver of sorrow and fear. As far as she had known, Kaito was head-over-heals for Aoko. "Are you sure he's ready?" she asked.
"He's waiting by the gym. C'mon!" Aoko danced ahead, pulling Akako by the hand.
They rounded the corner, and Akako was right. She had predicted this. His face lost its color, even though his smile stayed frozen in place. He was unable to speak, and his teary eyes locked on to Akako, barely hearing Aoko's excited chatter and thanks for his encouragement.
"Aoko," his voice was a little too weak, cracking under the strain. He cleared his voice. "Go on ahead for a moment, meet us by the gate. I need a word with Akako."
Her brow furrowed, but Akako nodded. They squeezed each other's hands and parted.
The moment Aoko was out of sight Kaito sprang forward. Akako suppressed the instinctual response to the cornered Kaito creature whose head-fur seemed particularly spiky to match his attempt at ferociousness. "I swear," he hissed, his fists clenched in his winter gloves, "If you dare hurt Aoko, if this is just another of your little flings..." he pressed in close, his foggy breath flying in her face, "if this is just some attack on me, you will regret it. I will make your life living hell, and you know I have the skills to do it." A flick of his wrist so fast she barely saw it produced an ace of spades pressed against her throat, and she swallowed heavily.
"Understood," she whispered.
Stepping back to a politer distance, she added, "If you wanted to date her, you should have confessed to her. Or is Kaitou KID too proud to confess his love to a girl?"
He flinched as though she'd slapped him, then invaded her space again. "Don't you dare tell her!" he snarled, baring his teeth.
This time Akako didn't back down. "What? That you're KID or that you're in love with her?"
His shoulders slumped, and his gaze fell to the sidewalk.
"Don't worry." Akako tossed her hair and held her chin high. "I won't tell her. You see, that would hurt her feelings, and I don't want to hurt her. So, you're safe."
She marched past him, toward the gate. He caught her arm, still not looking up. Was he crying?
"If I find out that you're just manipulating Aoko with your witch powers, I swear…" his voice choked itself to silence.
She could twist the knife. Get it through a few more nerve clusters and crush this boy's heart. But hurting Aoko's best friend would hurt Aoko. "My seduction powers only work on the Y chromosome. I couldn't enslave her that way if I wanted to."
She looked at him, at his reddening eyes and running nose, and felt pity. "Let's walk home together, the three of us."
He nodded, reluctance making the movement pained and clumsy.
And they did. Aoko greeted them cheerfully at the gate, Kaito pretended to be happy, and Akako started planning her coming out party.
There would be cake. And a new dress. And she'd get to go shopping with Aoko for a new dress. And she'd get to see Aoko trying on new dresses. And Lucifer would foot the bill.