Author's note: I do not own Katawa Shoujo or its characters. Story based on Act 1 demo and contains elements that may be contradicted by the full release.

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Hamburgers, Nightlights, and the Event Horizon
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Hanako froze in place, with her lips hovering a half inch above Lilly's. She wondered how much more encroaching Lilly would tolerate. First, she agreed to let Hanako share her room. Then she agreed to let Hanako move her futon right up next to hers. She didn't object when Hanako spent a good twenty minutes creeping from her own futon onto Lilly's. She didn't withdraw when Hanako grasped onto her hand and intertwined their fingers. Now, asleep, she would be unable to resist the logical conclusion of Hanako's campaign of intrusion.

Would it really be the conclusion? Would a mere kiss placate the evening's efforts, or would it merely embolden them? Noting the gaps between the buttons in front of Lilly's nightgown and how the hem line had ridden up her thighs over the course of the evening, Hanako wondered just how far she could go without Lilly waking up. Perhaps this was far enough. A light kiss was one thing, but there was no way Lilly would sleep through being felt up.

...But what if she does wake up while being kissed? Would she take it as an innocent kiss between friends, or would she be horrified that another girl would violate her? Knowing Lilly, she wouldn't be mad. Not obviously anyway. Lilly wouldn't fly into a violent rage. She would just carry on being as polite and nice as ever, but with an air of solemn sadness around her. Even while wearing a pleasant smile, Lilly would simply wither from confusion and despair inside.

With a shake of her head, Hanako dismissed all her perverted intentions and plopped back down onto her own futon. This was no way to treat her best friend. Even if Lilly knew how she felt, it would be unfair to expect reciprocation. Only a sicko would repay kindness and hospitality with assault. Friendship has been good enough so far, and it will just have to do for now. It might not feel like enough, but what they had already was far too precious to throw away so foolishly.

Hanako looked around what she assumed to be Lilly's old room. It was just as sparsely decorated and un-homely as the rest of Akira's apartment, looking to be stuck in a state of having just been moved into. Or perhaps it was a state of having just been vacated. Several cardboard boxes labeled "Lilly's Room" were stacked against the walls. Absent were Lilly's bed and dresser, which must have been stored elsewhere. Aside from the dim nightlight, the only source of illumination was a table lamp temporarily placed on the floor. Trying to slow her pounding heartbeat, Hanako closed her eyes and imagined how the room must have looked before everything was boxed away, before Lilly moved to Yamaku. The rain outside picked up in intensity and filled the room with a pleasant white noise.

"Hanako... are you awake?" Lilly murmured, apparently awoken by the sound of rain. Perhaps it was a good thing that Hanako didn't kiss her.

"K-Kinda."

"Oh my, it seems that tomorrow's beach trip might get postponed." Fully awake, Lilly sat up and pointed an ear at the window.

"Y-Yeah..." Secretly, Hanako hoped that the beach trip would be canceled outright. She wasn't looking forward to Akira teasing her for wearing a long-sleeved shirt and pants to the beach instead of a swimsuit, or for not getting in the water.

Above all, she definitely didn't want to see strange men pick up on Lilly, no matter how handsome, wealthy, or charming they were. The assumption that Lilly had a whole town full of potential suitors lining up at the door to snatch her up was already keeping Hanako's stomach in a knot. If she had even a remote chance, Hanako wouldn't be resorting to such underhanded attempts at stealing intimacy.

"I'm sorry, it's beginning to appear that our summer vacation isn't going to be very much fun after all."

"T-That's not true. I'm glad that you invited me to come along. I h-had a lot of fun already."

"Really? You enjoyed the long car ride, listening to my sister share embarrassing stories about my childhood?"

"I-I liked the one where you first tried doing your hair..."

"Oh no..." Lilly laughed with a blush. "I hoped that I could live the rest of my life without hearing that story again... What about that "home cooked" dinner of ours?"

"I... thought it was good. T-they don't have any hamburger stands like that by school."

"I'm glad you approve. I just worry that Akira actually lives off of "hangover cures" like that instead of actually eating meals cooked at home."

"H-hey Lilly. Do you have a lot of friends back here?"

"Well, I haven't really kept in touch, but I suppose there's a few people I'd like to check on. Would you be okay if we did that sometime this week?"

"Y-yeah." Hanako didn't follow up, instead she emotionally braced herself for a question that she's been too afraid to ask until then. "Um... Do... you... Did you have any b-boyfriends waiting for you out here?"

"Huh? Boyfriends?" Lilly was taken aback. "Well, now that you mention it... I do have someone special."

"Oh." Hanako withdrew further away from Lilly, practically falling off her Futon. She felt like she just had the breath kicked out of her chest. "A-are you and him happy?"

"Hm? Well... I guess I am happy with this person. I think we're in love, but... I don't know. We're at a point where I'm at least sure of how I feel but I don't know if the feelings are mutual."

"W-why don't you ask him how he feels?" Already defeated, Hanako downgraded herself from hopeful lover to supportive friend.

"Its... complicated. I'm worried that my family and friends would disapprove of our relationship. They would probably just tell me that these feelings aren't real and I would forget about everything when I'm an adult."

"Y-you don't believe that, do you??" Even though it went against her own agenda, Hanako was dismayed that anyone would hinder Lilly's desire for happiness. "Love is love and it's never something you should just forget or t-take lightly. Y-you should just confess your love and worry about the consequences later!"

"You really think so?"

"I know so." Replied Hanako, determined as ever. As a longtime subscriber to publications such as Yuri Strawberry Girl-Love Z, she was sick and tired of unrequited love and romance stories with sad endings. She wasn't about to let Lilly's life become a clichéd comic book romance. "F-First thing tomorrow, we'll go look up this friend of yours and you're going to make a confession and you're gonna ask him out on a d-date. I-I can back you up for moral support."

"Oh my... tomorrow?" Lilly responded, somewhat startled. "Well, I guess we could do that, but the thing is..."

Lilly groped at Hanako's direction and upon getting a hold of her wrist, pulled her in close enough to feel Hanako's breath against her lips.

"The thing is... I don't think I can wait until tomorrow."

"Wh-wh... I d-don't understand." Hanako had conditioned herself against getting her hopes up for so long that she refused to believe that her dreams were coming true.

"Feel this." Hanako's hand was guided into Lilly's unbuttoned nightgown so that she could feel her heart racing. "You do this to me."

"I..I had no idea." she began feeling woozy, realizing that a whole night, in fact, months of beating around the bushes when it came to feelings could have been avoided if she had just confessed to Lilly long ago. "But... Why m-me?"

"Because I love you, that's why." This was the truest, most honest answer. In depth dissections of her attraction could wait for love letters. "Do you not feel the same for me?"

"I-I do love you. I really do. I'm so happy right now..."

"Then why did you stop yourself from kissing me earlier? I've been waiting all night, no... all year for that."

"Really? You were? S-so you're okay with a girl... with someone like me?"

"Only if you're okay with someone like me."

"T-then I won't hold back this time..." Hanako said as she closed in on Lilly's face, finally putting to rest all the scenarios that played through her daydreams and fantasies. Faces locked together, she only withdrew when she felt tears that weren't her own pooling between their lips.

"A-are you okay" Hanako asked as she regained her breath.

"Yes... I'm just glad that it's you." Lilly continued, "Since it seems that we've both been going about this the wrong way for so long, is there anything you would like to do to make up for lost time?"

"Well... Umm... there's... Nah. I want to but... is it too soon for us to, you know..."

"I do recall a girl telling me to throw caution to the wind and worry about consequences later." Lilly felt around for a moment and began unbuttoning Hanako's pajamas. "There are many things I would like to do, but only with you."

"W-well... Okay."

Disoriented, Hanako's sat up and strained her eyes to get a look at her surroundings. Just a moment earlier she was admiring the way Lilly managed to stay elegant, even half-asleep, with her hair a matted mess, and with her skin shimmering with post-coital sweat. The storm outside brought a blackout to Akira's neighborhood and the nightlight had flickered out. Stewing in the warm humidity of a rainy summer's night suddenly without air conditioning, the two kicked their blankets onto the floor where their clothes were.

"Hanako...?" Lilly asked, concerned with Hanako's sudden restlessness. "Are you okay? Does it hurt?"

"N-no." Hanako kissed Lilly's hand in reassurance. "It-it's just the lights went out."

Taking the persisting darkness as a cue to finally go to sleep, Hanako nestled her head against Lilly's shoulder, who wrapped her arms around Hanako in kind. Soaking in her girlfriend's warmth, she reflected on that most satisfying evening. Shameful and confusing feelings were replaced with sensations of ecstasy and bliss. She had gone through what seemed like a lifetime's worth of experiences in a few short hours and was elated that she shared it all with someone she truly loved.

The bedroom door creaked open, and a harsh white light shone onto Hanako's face.

"Hey, is the power out in here too...Waaaaugh!!" Akira jumped back into the hallway and slammed the door, almost dropping her flashlight.

"Um... Sorry to interrupt." Akira stammered from beyond the doorway. "I-I'm leaving a flashlight for you right outside the door in case you need it. O-O K-Kay, Hanako...?"

"T-Thank you, Akira."

"N-No problem. G-goodnight, girls."