Since the break of dawn, Ruby had been trying to sing alongside Leah, as they had promised to once they met again, just the two of them, away from the watchful eyes of their sisters, and there she learned to her sorrow that she couldn't rap.
According to Leah, she had failed failed sixteen times in a row, which sounded to Ruby like an overly exaggerated count, but she certainly wasn't the one keeping track of it, what with her continued struggle to not pass out as she sang. She did her best, but her best was completely inadequate.
"It's too much," she said, leaning against the wall of her bedroom. "It's too fast, it's too hard."
"It's too fast, it's too hard," Leah mocked her complaints. "It's just a matter of breathing. It's all about making an effort. If you try hard enough, then there's no way you'll fail again, once you're well practiced."
"Well, then, how the heck do I breathe?" Ruby asked. Leah snickered. She tried to be discreet about it, but failed utterly. "D-Don't laugh at me!"
"Sorry, it's just… Pfft… You just don't swear, do you?"
"My sister says it's unbecoming of a lady to swear," Ruby said, with a measure of pride.
"Well," Leah began, and a maddening arrogance came to her eyes, "my sister says a true lady must know how to defend herself, not only physically but verbally, and sometimes that includes telling someone to go fuck themselves and die in a ditch."
"S-Sarah says that?" Ruby wasn't sure she believed it.
"She taught me a lot of important things. Not that you'd know what it feels like. Dia doesn't seem like she teaches you very much. She didn't teach you how to breathe while singing."
"She taught me well enough!" Ruby raised her voice. It made Leah smile. "She taught me all there is to know about idols, she taught me how the industry works and she taught me what's expected of school idols and she taught me to dance and she helped me with sewing a lot when I started out and-"
"Ruby," Leah covered her mouth with a finger. "Breathe. You're getting red."
"Heck yes I'm getting red! Don't talk about my sister like that. I never said anything about about Sarah."
"Sorry, sorry," Leah said, vaguely ashamed. "I just wanted to confirm something," she sat right next to Ruby, and stretched her arms. "When you talk about Dia, when you defend her, suddenly you can spit out words like you're a machine gun."
"N-No I don't," she blushed. Leah seemed determined on turning her into a tomato. When Ruby was with Leah, she found that her cheeks were always warm, that she was always either blushing or arguing. She liked the blushing quite a lot, but the arguing, not so much. "A-And if I do, then you're just the same with your sister."
"I am," she said. "I'd like to say that's my secret, that's why I'm so good, but of course Saint Snow's songs weren't about my sister. But… What if…"
Leah got up, suddenly serious. She stepped up to the middle of Ruby's bedroom, which the two had cleared up so they'd have the space to practice. Dia was away, and so were their parents, so Ruby and Leah had the house all for themselves. Ruby was thankful for it. If someone heard her pathetic attempts at rapping, she'd have died of embarrassment.
"Ruby. I want you to sing about Dia."
"W-What?! No, that's too much…"
"Look, you're clearly a rapping disaster, and if we're gonna try to make our new group work out, you're gonna need to be able to keep up with me. Your sewing is top-notch, but if you can't sing, then we'll have a problem."
"I can sing just fine! I just… Can't rap. That's never been a problem before, so why is it now?"
"It doesn't have to be," Leah shrugged. "If you're okay with limiting yourself. But you've told me that with Aqours you always had the chance to step out of your comfort zone. Why not do it with me, as well?"
Ruby sighed. Leah had a point, she supposed. She was a bad teacher, though. It was just eagerness, Ruby could tell, she just really wanted to sing alongside Ruby and enjoy herself with her. Of course it disappointed her that Ruby could not keep up.
"We can keep trying," Ruby said. Leah was relieved to hear that, and relaxed. "I just don't know how. It's hard, and I'm not used to it. I always lose my breath, and then I get scared, and screw up everything…"
"If the problem is holding your breath," Leah crept closer to Ruby, "I might be able to help."
"Do you think so?" Leah got really close, so Ruby took a step back, but felt the wall right behind her. "An exercise?"
"Kinda," she grinned. Her face was right in front of Ruby's now, and though she was shocked at first, she had to admit she enjoyed being so near Leah.
She felt now as she did when their hands brushed up against one another, or when Leah tripped and Ruby was there to break her fall and help her get up. But, she realized as Leah's hands were on her chin and cheeks, this was not like the other times, a mere happy accident that she felt guilty for enjoying so much. This was not like that. She wanted this. She returned Leah's touch, enclosing her with her arms and pulling her closer.
"So you do feel this way," Leah declared as if it was a grand discovery. "Is this alright with you?"
"Yeah," she said. Leah lifted herself up, a little bit, so that she and Ruby were at the same height. "Please."
Clumsily, and slowly, Leah's lips touched hers, giving them a small peck. Ruby felt warm from both the happiness and her embarrassment. But I have no reason to be embarrassed. When she told herself that, only the sweetness remained, and she felt ready. Ruby kissed and felt her slowly, unsure of what to do, uncertain of what was right, but not caring. Leah didn't know either. Ruby felt Leah's tongue, and the surprise made her not know how she should feel. It wasn't bad, but, then again, she didn't know enough to tell if it was good. It just was. It was Leah, it was the girl she loved, and as of now that seemed to be all that mattered.
When they stopped, a thin trail of saliva falling awkwardly from Leah's lips, Ruby just stood still, and took a deep breath. She couldn't go any farther than that. Leah wiped her mouth with her sleeve, and gazed upon Ruby, her eyes fixed upon her and motionless, her mouth agape.
"I liked it," Ruby said at last, when she understood how she felt. It hadn't been anything incredible, or at least she presumed it wasn't, but when she looked at Leah, when she saw how close they had gotten, so slowly and so naturally, she only wanted more. To continue being closer. "I like you, you know."
"I…" Leah seemed bewildered, or at least her open mouth made her seem that way. "Yeah, I figured you like me. You're always staring at me, which I notice because I'm always staring at you…" She took Ruby's hand. Ruby held tight, and she shivered when she felt Leah's fingers on her. "Is something wrong?"
"No. No, nothing, it's perfect. Touching you is…" She didn't finish her sentence. She just rubbed her cheek against Leah's. She didn't want to let go anytime soon. "Leah."
"What is it?"
"I think we should practice some more," she said. "I held my breath for a while there. But I want to try again. I feel like I can last longer this time. And do better. A-And I do need more breathing practice, you know…"
"You know you don't have to be so roundabout when asking me for a kiss, right?" Leah asked. "A-And, besides… I'm not letting you slack off! I came here to practice with you! Not that I'm not totally fine with this, but… Argh!" She let go of Ruby, and, huffing, crossed her arms. She almost looked convincing, and Ruby almost believed that she didn't want to spend the whole day kissing. But Ruby would indulge her. "Ruby, come on! Let's try again! You're gonna rap a whole stanza for me! We're only kissing when you're done."
Leah looked crushed by her own words, but her commitment was admirable. Ruby loved that about her, so she'd make sure not to disappoint. She thought of the lyrics, she thought of the promise of another kiss, and so she chose to leave her comfort zone, and as she did so, she felt like she could do anything now.