Takami Chika: Come onnn, Riko! Come out with us tonight! You haven't hung out with us in forever!

Sakurauchi Riko: I don't know, Chika. I was going to stay home tonight.

Takami Chika: You've said that every time I've asked you. Pleeease? We miss you!

Sakurauchi Riko: Alright alright, fine. I'll come out with you two. I'm not going to stay out too late though, alright?

Takami Chika: Great! See you tonight!

Riko sighed and dropped her phone next to her on the bed. Chika was right: she hadn't gone and hung out with her and You for quite awhile. Both of them knew why, but Chika had enough tact not to mention it. Things had made a lot more sense back when she thought she'd never even have a first girlfriend. Now life was just so much harder to live after her first breakup.

For awhile, having a girlfriend had been wonderful. She was the most beautiful, elegant girl Riko had ever seen, and she was so starstruck every time she laid her unworthy eyes on her. That seemed to be a problem, as it would turn out. Not the starstruck part, but the unworthy bit. Her shyness and self-pitying words, things she couldn't help but say, didn't really help her in the relationship, and before she could even comprehend what had happened, it was over.

After that, she fell into a deep depression that she made no efforts to pull herself out of. Unhappiness permeated every aspect of her life, and things just seemed so empty now that she'd tasted the thrill of having another person in her life that could be so close to her. She wasn't even angry at them. Rather, she was disappointed in herself for being a terrible girlfriend. Sure, that was the same attitude that had cost her the relationship, but it was so easy to fall into thinking like that.

What was worse was that she'd been ignoring her friends all this time, so wrapped up in her own self-loathing. That wasn't fair to Chika or You, who'd done everything possible to make her feel better. All their efforts wasted on someone who wasn't worth their time. She was going to force herself to go out with them, though, if only because she'd feel really bad after already agreeing.

She ended up taking a three hour long depression nap, which as the name implied, didn't make her feel any better. Not that she expected it to, anyway. While she had slept, Chika had texted her what time and place she needed to go to, so she finally got up and prepared herself. She didn't bother to get all dressed up, or put on any makeup. That time needed to be spent mentally preparing herself to leave the house.

When she finally began driving down to the bar, she couldn't keep herself from tapping on the steering wheel nervously. She wasn't able to listen to any music that reminded her of her prior relationship, so she had to settle for a radio station playing weird hipster jazz. While driving, she continued to prepare herself, wanting to make sure that she didn't spend any time thinking of her failed relationship, if she could help it. She owed it to Chika and You to at least try to have fun.

When she reached the bar, she parked her car and got out, swallowing her reluctance down and making herself walk inside. As soon as she did, she kept herself rooted to the rug by the front door, looking around for any signs of Chika or You. It didn't take her long to find Chika, nor for her to be discovered either. Chika had been sitting at the bar, and she was looking around as well. When she noticed Riko standing there, Chika excitedly waved her over.

"Riko! I'm glad you could make it!" Chika wrapped her in a tight hug, which she reciprocated without as much energy. "I thought maybe you wouldn't come, since..." She hesitated, not wanting to bring up the reason that they both knew. "Ya know..."

"Ahaha, yeah, I'm sorry about that. I said I'd be here though, so here I am." She really did feel guilty about not being there after everything her friends had done for her. Tonight, she'd try her hardest to not be a wet blanket. She wouldn't spend time thinking about her ex or wallowing in self-pity. Instead, she'd try to have fun and enjoy herself, even if it was hard.

Chika immediately whisked her towards the bar, sat her down, and bought her a drink. Normally Riko didn't drink a lot, but she figured it was better than sitting there and being sober. 'Whisky on ice...' Chika chose a strange drink for her, but she wasn't going to complain. She took a sip of it, almost recoiling from the taste. "Hey, where's You?"

"Huh?" Chika looked next to herself, then around the semi-crowded bar. "She said she needed to use the restroom, but that was ten minutes ago. The hell'd she go?" She stood up as if she was going to look for her, then she suddenly looked back at Riko and hesitated. "Hey, will you be okay here while I try to find her?" 'Ah...' Riko felt even more guilty for having to make Chika worry about her well-being.

"I'll be fine, Chika. I'm sure it won't take long." Chika gave her a grateful smile, then disappeared into the crowd, leaving her drink behind. Riko watched it to make sure it wasn't tampered with, taking another sip of her drink. It was still too strong. Ah well, she'd still keep nursing it. She didn't want Chika to have wasted her money on her along with her time.

Another five minutes passed by, and Chika still hadn't returned. Had she gotten lost with You? Riko sighed, bored and lonely. She decided that she might as well go try and find both of them now. Maybe if she was lucky, she'd get lost too and end up at her house again. She grabbed both hers and Chika's drinks, then went off in search of them.

It didn't take her long to find them. Near the restroom, she saw the two of them standing together, talking with another pair of women. Her jaw dropped and the drinks nearly dropped with it. By some twist of fate, Kanan and Mari were both in the same bar, and it seemed that they must have crossed paths with You. Now the three of them - plus Chika - were talking rather animatedly, smiles on all of their faces. All Riko could feel was dread, though. Why couldn't they have stayed in that night, of all nights?

She could hear the door opening from across the bar. It wasn't even that loud: imperceptibly quiet, even. Maybe she just knew the door was going to open at that moment, so she turned automatically, knowing what she would see but regretting every look she gave. When she laid eyes on the one, the only Dia Kurosawa, she felt like she was going to throw up. Of course she couldn't go out one time without seeing her ex.

Like a brave, confident woman in charge of her own destiny, Riko ducked into the crowd, bumping into several people and spilling a bit of drink - she wasn't sure which one - on her shirt. She didn't pay it any mind, though, mumbling 'sorry' as she hid herself away from the potential of coming face to face with her ex. It was something she couldn't bear. She'd just die in misery.

When she reached the bar again, she was on the opposite side of where she'd previously been sitting. She set both of the drinks down and hugged herself, whimpering softly. Her first instinct was to leave the drinks and run out. She certainly wasn't above the legal limit for intoxication, so she could easily get in her car and drive away without anyone noticing.

What about Chika, though? And You? They had invited her, and now she was just going to abandon them - and Chika's drink - without a word? Well, they had kind of abandoned her, right? They had gone and began conversing with Kanan and Mari without even telling her. Thinking that the two of them had done her wrong made her feel even worse. She knew them: they would never do that to her on purpose. What kind of friend was she to think that?

"Oh, is that drink for me?" That familiar voice froze her, only allowing her to turn comically slow in order to come face to face with Dia, who was looking at her with a slight smile. Yup, she was going to throw up.

"Y-Y-Yes, h-here you go." She practically shoved her drink into Dia's hand, who took it with a gracious nod and sat down. It left Riko little choice but to sit down as well, and when Dia took a sip of her almost-full drink, she felt obligated to do the same. 'Sorry Chika...' She wondered what Chika had ordered- Oh. It was whisky on ice too. Great.

"I'm surprised to see you here, Riko." Dia took a larger gulp of her drink, and Riko nearly choked trying to emulate her. "I never considered you much of a drinker."

"I-I could say the same about you." It felt so strange to be talking to her again, but at the same time it felt normal. She wasn't sure how to understand the conflicting thoughts. The aura of confidence that surrounded her ex just drew her in, and made her want to drop to her knees and give up every ounce of autonomy she had, which admittedly wasn't a lot.

Dia giggled, making Riko's heart flutter. She hated how easily she could fall back into needing the woman who had broken her heart. "Fair point. I got dragged here because Kanan and Mari said I didn't 'have enough fun'. I'll guess the same reason is why you're here.

"Y-Yes. Chika and You invited me out." She ran her finger along the rim of her glass - well, Chika's glass. Hopefully Chika would accept an apology and another drink as payment. "I-I didn't expect to see you here, though."

"Nor did I expect to see you." They kept drinking until their glasses were empty, making Riko feel a little dizzy already. Dia ordered them another round, and though she wanted to protest that she couldn't stomach another glass of whisky, she didn't dare correct her. Not like she ever did that in their relationship either.

As they drank, they began to talk, with their conversation becoming freer as they got more drunk. Eventually they started speaking about their previous relationship, which obviously wasn't going to make Riko feel that great. She wondered where Chika was, and if she was going to save her from the train wreck that was her life. Whether that was truly necessary or not, no one came over and interrupted them.

"You haven't cut your hair recently, have you?" Dia's question came out of the blue, stunning the less-than-sober Riko.

"Uh, no, I haven't." There hadn't been any reason for it. She just hadn't felt like going out and bothering with getting it cut. Who was going to bother commenting on it anyway? Well, apparently Dia was. She reached over and suddenly ran her fingers through Riko's hair, rooting her to her barstool.

"I like your hair long like this. It makes you look more mature." It did? She certainly didn't feel very mature at the moment. No words would even leave her mouth, and if they did, she was sure they would end up sounding like a high-pitched squeak. She settled on just nodding, feeling like she should do something, like move her arms or something. Instead, she just grabbed her drink and gulped down the rest of it. It still burned her throat, but she was getting too drunk to care.

Had Dia always been leaning in that close? Now her hand was on Riko's, the one that was next to her empty glass. Maybe their fingers would've entwined together if the bar hadn't been in the way. This and the alcohol was causing Riko to feel very lightheaded, and while her worries weren't evaporating, she felt comfortable with Dia showing her affection again. She had missed it so much.

"Do you want to get out of here?" Dia's voice came out as a whisper, yet it was loud and clear, even in the talkative bar. There was a sultry edge to it that she hadn't heard in so long. Even in her drunken state, she knew where it would lead, and it certainly wouldn't lead to anywhere good. When had she ever said no to Dia, though? "We can go back to my place and enjoy each other's company in a more quiet area."

"What about our friends?" She mumbled pathetically, the only thing she could think of saying to try and stop herself from making what was certainly a bad decision. Maybe Dia wouldn't want to abandon them and disappear without any word.

"They won't mind. I'm sure they're busy talking with each other. They won't even notice we're gone." Without waiting for Riko's acquiescence, Dia stood up and left some bills on the counter to pay for the drinks. Then she stared down at Riko, her eyes showing that she wasn't going to take no for an answer. "Well? Shall we?"

"Y-Yeah." Of course, she gave in, like she always did. She stood up, shaky on her feet as she followed after Dia, head hanging like she was walking to the gallows rather than Dia's car. It was odd for her to be acting like this, since she obviously missed Dia so much. Hell, she thought about her every second of the day. This just seemed wrong, though. She had gone to out to forget Dia, not get drunk and fall into her arms all over again.

When they went to Dia's car, she almost brought up two more points. Should either of them be driving after they had just consumed alcohol, and what about her car? When Dia looked at her with those gorgeous eyes, however, the questions died in her mind. She just shuffled along after her, getting into the passenger seat and struggling with the seatbelt.

Dia got in and started the car, appearing to be none worse for the wear after their drinking. They drove in silence, which made Riko feel even more uncomfortable. She tried to just stare out the window, but she kept looking over at Dia. Even under the influence of alcohol, she looked the exact same: beautiful. Simply beautiful. How had she gotten someone so amazing and hot to even give her the time of day?

"I know I said when we broke up that I didn't like the way you had no self-esteem, and that it was tiring to try and pick you up all the time when you were determined to keep yourself down. However, over the past few months, I've been thinking about that, and how our relationship ended." Dia didn't once look her way, but Riko kept her eyes glued to Dia. "Since then, my feelings have begun to change somewhat."

"Th-They have?" She couldn't remember Dia ever changing her mind on something. Once she determined something to be right, it was just about impossible to push her away from it. She had thought that to be one of her charms: her steadfast determination and belief in herself. Everything that she personally lacked. "In what way?"

"Well, maybe it's not for me to choose how you feel about any one thing, including yourself." Her voice was so calm, yet there was a hint of something that Riko couldn't quite place. "If that's how you feel about yourself, and I know you still do, then maybe there's a different way I can help you."

"Y-You can help me?" Even with how much she still believed that Dia could do anything, she was skeptical. They'd tried so many times, but Riko was never able to stop hosting her own public pity party. If Dia couldn't change her back then, what made things so different now? "How?"

"Just wait. I'll show you when we get to my place." So they lapsed back into silence, nothing but the sound of the car rumbling on the road bringing any noise to their ears. The entire drive, Riko wracked her brain to try and think of how Dia planned on changing something that was as inevitable as death and taxes. On top of that, though, was another thought. One that made her feel a warmth that she thought had disappeared forever: Dia wanted to be with her again.

When they got to the house, Riko got out of the car and followed Dia inside. Miraculously, they hadn't gotten pulled over or anything. Then again, what cop could pull over Dia and give her a ticket? Riko certainly wouldn't have been able to. Maybe she was just incredibly weak. Walking into her ex's house after all the heartbreak probably gave credence to that thought.

The overall look of the place was the same, though she knew that a few things had been moved. She didn't want to think about how she could tell each and every thing that was different in Dia's house. It seemed so pathetic. She became distracted when Dia sat down on the couch and beckoned for her to sit down as well. Of course, she complied without any hesitation.

"As I was saying in the car, I've been thinking about our prior relationship. I was considering your issues with self-esteem, and there were some... things that I wanted to try out." Was she blushing? There was definitely a slight but noticeable hue of red on her cheeks that hadn't been there before. It seemed like it was more than just the alcohol causing it. "I wanted to try them out with you."

"Does that mean you..." She hesitated to say it, as if voicing it aloud would make the opportunity vanish. "... w-want to get back together?"

"In a way, yes." Dia stood up and offered her hand to Riko, who took it gratefully. "I've decided that I don't want you to change. I want you to be exactly as you are."

"I-I don't understand. You... want me to be self-loathing?" Riko didn't understand, but clearly Dia did. She smiled and leaned in, so close that Riko could smell the alcohol on her breath.

"I want you to do everything that I tell you, Riko. In our time apart, I've learned of something called 'petplay'. At first, I found it rather distasteful, but it's started to grow on me. Even then, I couldn't imagine finding a person who would be willing to perform it with me to the fullest extent, but then I remembered..." She cupped Riko's chin, tipping her head up. "I have you"

Riko shivered, unable to tear her eyes away from Dia. It would've been nice to pretend she didn't know what petplay was, but her sometimes unhealthy enjoyment of doujins exposed her to many different kinks and fetishes. Petplay was certainly no exception, though it hadn't been a kink that she'd thought about too much. Now she was being forced to consider it, as that was exactly the kind of relationship Dia wanted them to have.

"If you do what I say, I'll reward you. Fail, and I'll punish you. You'd be such a cute little puppy, Riko." She ran her fingers through Riko's hair again, then down to her shoulder and across towards her breasts. "I've even got a collar picked out for you. I went out and picked up a few things, because I knew we would meet again." Her smile morphed into a dominant grin. "I made sure of it."

"I..." In the back of her mind, she knew that she should say no. After all the heartbreak due to her self-pitying tendencies, now Dia wanted to get back together because of those same tendencies? This surely couldn't be healthy, and she'd just be putting herself through another round of pain again. She knew this, and yet she was still thinking of what she would gain from this. All this time, she missed Dia more than she'd missed anything in her life. Now the opportunity presented itself for her to get Dia back. Wasn't that worth being degraded and treated like a family pet? Rather than finishing her sentence, slowly she nodded, which brought a big smile to Dia's face.

"Excellent! I knew you would say yes. You've never been able to say no to me, have you?" Her laugh was so pretty, Riko couldn't even be upset about what she said. Not to mention that it was a hundred percent true. "Now, why don't you take off your clothes and join me in my bedroom?" Hating herself all over again for being so weak, Riko just nodded and started to strip for her master. After all, she had what she wanted, right? Dia was back in her life, filling that Dia-shaped hole that had been left in her existence. All she had to do now was obey every command she was given.

Was that really any different than how things were before?

When Riko woke up the next morning, she groaned and rolled over in bed: a bed that wasn't hers. Memories of the previous night came rushing back into her mind, and she blushed heavily with shame. Slowly her hand reached up to her neck, where it was stopped by a leather collar. So it all really had happened... Sighing in resignation, she slowly got out of bed, nearly crumbling to the ground as a headache started to pound on her forehead. It must've been the hangover kicking in.

The bed was empty once she exited it, meaning Dia had gone somewhere. Where, she didn't know, but there was a clue on the nightstand: a note. When she picked it up, she could immediately tell that it was from Dia due to her neat, precise handwriting.

Pet, I've gone to see my father about certain business opportunities for the Kurosawa family. I want you to stay here until I return. There will be severe consequences for leaving the house. Any food or drink in the fridge can be indulged in, but do not touch my leftovers. Your clothes have been folded and placed in the living room, and you are allowed to get dressed again. Do not remove the collar. Love, Master.

So she wasn't allowed to leave the house, not even to go home. Then again, her car was still at the bar. How would she get home anyway? In the short note, one thing really stood out: Love, Master. Despite the situation, it made Riko's heart swoon against her will. Dia loved her again. Setting down the note, she walked out into the living room, not even thinking of trying to remove the collar. Dammit, she really would do anything for this woman.

Out in the living room, her clothes were on the couch, neatly folded like Dia had said. Suddenly feeling a sense of shame by walking around naked with Dia not being there, she hurried to put back on her clothes. Then she pulled out her phone, realizing she'd missed six texts and two calls. Both calls and all but one of the texts were from Chika.

She dialed up Chika, waiting until she got a response. "Riko? Where did you go, Riko?! I tried to get over to you when I realized that Dia was in the bar, but Kanan kept pulling me back into the conversation. Please tell me you didn't go home with her."

"Ahahaha..." There was no need to tell the truth. Both of them knew it without any words being spoken. "I'm sorry, Chika..."

"Don't apologize, Riko. It was my fault. I shouldn't have let Kanan keep me there when you needed me." She was making Chika feel remorseful again. No wonder she was in this position. All she did was make people feel bad about themselves. "I saw your car was still at the bar, and I'd just hoped you had walked home... Do you need me to come pick you up?"

"No, I... I can't leave. Not until Dia comes back."

"What? Is she keeping you hostage?"

"No! That's not it! I... I'm choosing to stay here. Well, she told me to stay, but I know I could leave. I just... I don't want to. We talked about our relationship, and she wanted to get back together. I couldn't say no to her, Chika. I've missed her so much."

"Oh Riko..."

"I know, I know how bad this sounds, but... I love her. I love her so much. She even asked me personally to continue our relationship, and..." She once again touched her collar, gently stroking the material. "... I think this time it's going to work out."