A/N: AN EXTRA LONG UPDATE FOR AN EXTRA LONG WAIT! Have fun~ *throws sparkles*


Cinder stood shocked, her grip on Peony's hand tightening. Her sister's lips were dry and cracked, but she moved them to speak, and Cinder leaned in to listen.

"Cinder...is it really you?"

Cinder blinked, surprised to find tears already collecting in her eyes. Peony's voice was so soft, so far away...even next to each other, Cinder could feel the distance. And she was helpless.

"It's me, Peony. I came as soon as I..." Cinder gulped.

Peony smiled, but Cinder saw that tears were rolling down her cheeks as well, staining the plain white pillow beneath her head.

"You...came for me?"

"Of course. I'll always come for you. You're my...You're my Peony. I need you."

Peony's hand slipped from Cinders, and her eyes closed, but the tears that continued to fall proved that she was still awake.

"You came for me..." Peony whispered. "After...everything..."

Cinder wanted to say something. She wanted to bundle the small girl into her arms and carry her away, far away. Peony didn't deserve this. Peony didn't deserve anything but happiness. Peony deserved to live.

No words came out. Because some things were not describable in words.

Then the door opened, doctors pushing past her, and Cinder stepped back, shaking.

"Please wait outside," a doctor told Cinder, and one second she was there, next to Peony, and the next she was out with the door closed.

Iko ran up, breathless. "What's going on? I was walking down the hall and then—"

"Peony opened her eyes," Cinder said. "And woke up."

"She what?" Iko's grip on her hospital salad weakened, and only a steadying hand from Cinder kept it from falling to the ground. She placed it on the ground beside them. Iko's eyes were wider than Cinder had ever seen them before.

"She's awake. Her voice...was so weak."

"What did she say?"

"She didn't say a lot," Cinder said, tilting her face to hide her expression. When she looked back up, she found Iko's lips wobbling, eyes glistening. Iko leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Cinder, pulling her into a tight hug.

Iko cried into Cinder's shoulder, and Cinder patted the back of her head. Iko sobbed harder.

"It's been s-so hard, Cinder," she said, shaking in Cinder's arms. "Without you, sometimes I felt like I was a ghost in that house, as if I-I didn't exist and then Peony was sick and..."

Cinder's stomach dropped. She loved being free from Adri, but she hadn't considered the pain she'd caused by leaving.

"I don't even have anyone to talk to in Portuguese anymore," Iko sobbed. "It's like p-part of me was gone when you left."

Cinder pulled back, watching Iko's tears still falling. She brushed one of Iko's braids away from her face. How long had Iko been holding this in? How long had Iko kept this contained?

"I didn't want to leave you," Cinder said. "That was never my goal. My goal was to leave them, to even leave who I used to be. I wanted to start over. I know that makes me selfish, and I can't expect you to forgive me for leaving you behind." Cinder let her hands drop and squeezed Iko's hands. "But I'm here for you, and I always will be, and when you leave too, I hope I will be the first one you turn to. Because you are my sister, always will be, and..." Cinder shook her head. "I don't know if I've said this to you enough, but I love you, Iko. And I always will."

Iko hiccuped and buried her head once more in Cinder's shoulder.

"You're so damn sappy," Iko said, laughing even as she kept crying. "And I love you too."


It was over an hour later by the time Cinder texted Kai to pick her up. He'd almost been expecting the worst—why else would she spend an hour without a word? But no, when he reached her in front of Peony's hospital room, Cinder looked okay.

Kai recognized eyes red from crying, but Cinder smiled and waved when she saw him. Iko was next to her, and they were both sitting with their backs against the wall, sharing earbuds plugged into Cinder's phone.

Kai smiled back, relieved, and stood in front of them with his jacket folded over his arm.

"How are things?" he asked. Cinder snatched the earbuds from their ears, stood up, and helped Iko up next to her.

"Peony woke up," Cinder said. "She seems to be stable still, so that's is a good sign. They still won't let us see her, though, and..." She glanced at her phone. "It's getting late. Iko hasn't been sleeping enough. It's okay if Iko stays in our hotel room tonight, right? I don't trust her to get eight hours of sleep without me keeping an eye on her."

Iko rolled her eyes. "She's being overprotective. Cinder, I'm fine."

"Yeah, and the bags under your eyes are a figment of my imagination. It looks like you haven't slept in a week."

Kai couldn't help but agree. Iko's eyes were red, her hair was frazzled, and her eye bags were severely prominent.

"It's completely fine with me if Iko stays," Kai said. "I don't know if the hotel is fine with that, but it's not like they need to know."

Cinder smirked. "Leaving the Bay Area is making you rebellious."

Kai shook his head. "Maybe you just didn't know me well enough before."

The hotel room was uncomfortable for Kai. The main lights were off, but Iko and Cinder were sitting cross-legged on Cinder's bed playing with a deck of cards. They were giggling and laughing and chatting and they were not sleeping. He guessed he couldn't have expected anything else, considering how long the two girls had been separated.

For some reason, he'd been under the delusion they'd actually sleep when Cinder accused Iko of staying up.

He groaned and rolled over, back now to them. Renewed laughter came from the bed.

"Want to join us?" Cinder asked. "Egyptian War is more fun with three people anyway."

"You know what I want to?" Kai said, turning back to face them. His eyes were only half open. "I want to sleep."

Iko tsked. "Haven't you ever—"

"Wanted to—" Cinder picked up.

"Know what it's like—"

"To go to a teenage girls' sleepover?" Cinder finished, and the two laughed and high-fived, the bed bounding with their movement.

"First of all, only one of you is a teenager, though you're surely both acting as ones. Secondly, I'm glad you're both so happy. Truly. But could it be at any other time besides 2:30 in the morning?"

"There is no time like 2 am," Iko said, holding a finger up as if this were a deep observation.

"Nope," Cinder said, gravely, shaking her head. "No time compares to 2 am."

"Except 3 am," Iko added.

"And 4 am."

"But not 5 am," Cinder said, making a disgusted face. "5 am is a gross hour and should not be allowed to exist."

Kai groaned again and rubbed his forehead. "If I join you, will you promise to go to sleep at 3:30?"

Iko and Cinder made eye contact.

Cinder shrugged. "Sure. 4 am isn't actually that good anyway."


Kai wasn't sure how they ended up playing truth or dare. Even less, he didn't know how it ended up being 3:50 am with none of them anywhere near sleep.

They'd played Egyptian War for a full hour, though it was more like Cinder and Iko played for an hour. Kai had never played before, and while they had taught him how, it was clear the two of them a lot more practice and pretty soon he was out of cards with no hope of getting any back.

The final battle had been intense, with plot twists, excited cheering, and sabotage. Kai wasn't sure if they were even playing by the rules anymore, but he didn't mind because the night had made him drunk and he found himself amused by each new development.

Of course, he soon discovered he was just as bad at Truth and Dare as Egyptian War.

"Truth or dare?" Kai asked Iko, having no clue what he'd say if she picked either one.

"Dare!" she said with confidence, raising her head in a challenge. Iko thought choosing anything other than dare was to wimp out. Cinder thought the opposite. Kai wasn't sure what to think yet.

"Umm," Kai said, closing his eyes. "Uhhh..." Cinder and Iko snickered. "Why don't you...sing your least favorite song loudly?"

"You cheated. That's a truth and a dare."

Cinder shook her head. "No, it's not."

"Yes it is. If you're going to have that as your dare, you're going to have the specify the song yourself."

Kai groaned. "Why can't I be vague? I'm no good at this game."

"Then just give her an easy dare," Cinder said. "They're all easy anyway."

"At least they're not truths," Iko said.

Kai had seen them childish before, but this was the first time he'd seen them act like this. He wasn't sure he liked it, but he wasn't sure he disliked it either. They seemed so comfortable, so happy, even if they were only going to be together another day before Cinder and Kai had to drive back.

"Alright," Kai said. "I dare you to count to three hundred and not say any other words until you've finished."

Cinder oohed dramatically and Iko made to open her mouth before she closed it again, remembering the rules of the dare.

"One," Iko started, under her breath. "Twothreefourfivesixseven—"

"What was that?" Cinder said. "Hmmm...5? 9? 23?"

Iko cursed.

"You spoke!" Kai said. "Start over!"

Iko growled and started over. Once she was in the forties, Cinder talked over her again, saying random numbers out loud to make her lose count. Kai soon chimed in, and by the time Iko had reached 300, Cinder and Kai were out of breath from laughing and Iko was ready to murder.

"You're jerks. The both of you," Iko said, crossing her arms. "Maybe you're suited for each other after all."

Cinder was still wiping tears of mirth from her eyes. One of Kai's arms was loosely around her shoulders, though neither of them remembered when it'd gotten there.

"Your expression." Cinder huffed, trying not to let her laughter bubble up again. "Priceless."

"You know what's going to be priceless?" Iko said, still sulking. "Your screams of apology when you realize just how awful you both are."

Kai was chuckling again. Cinder had never seen him laugh so much in her life; it must have been the early hour. They were all more vulnerable, in every way possible.


Iko and Cinder made up not long after, but Cinder knew Iko was planning something behind those golden eyes of hers. Iko did know how to forgive.

She also knew how to get revenge.

So Cinder was not the least surprised when Iko chose Cinder to ask, "Truth or dare?"

Before, Cinder hadn't so much as paused before declaring "truth." But that's what Iko was assuming she would pick, right? So there was no way Cinder could fall into her trap. She could think of at least four questions that would ruin her life if asked, or at least make her die of embarrassment, and Iko probably knew at least half of them.

"Dare."

Cinder only realized her mistake once Iko's eye glint grew maddening bright. Oh no. Somehow, Cinder had walked into her trap anyway.

Iko's voice was smug as she opened her mouth, crossed her arms, and said the two words that made Cinder want to dive under the covers and never see anyone ever again.

"Kiss Kai."

Cinder pushed her panic down. Iko couldn't see exactly how scared she was. Cinder was pretty sure this was much worse than any counting could have been, even if they did tease her. Leave it to Iko to take revenge to the next level.

She was suddenly very aware of the arm Kai still had around her shoulders. She didn't dare look at him, though at the same time she wanted to see his expression.

"That's easy," Cinder declared. She took Kai's other hand and only hesitated moments before lightly pressing a kiss to his knuckles, dropping his hand the second her lips left his skin.

"Nope," Iko said in a sing-song voice. "Doesn't count."

Cinder groaned. "It's your own fault for not specifying."

"No, it's not. You didn't give me a chance. I was about to."

Cinder threw her hands in the air. "Fine."

"If it's not on the lips, it doesn't count," Iko said.

"Any other ridiculous rules for me?" Cinder said, trying to keep herself from visibly shaking.

"Nope," Iko said. "Except you have to do it within the next five minutes, or you'll owe me big time."

Cinder finally looked at Kai. He seemed oddly pensive. She couldn't tell if he was blushing, but she knew she was. She only hoped her face was just as obscured by the light as his.

She gripped her hands together, wringing them.

"Iko, this is...you know I've never—" Cinder stopped mid-sentence, realizing what she was about to admit in front Kai. He didn't know she'd never kissed anyone on the lips, or that she'd never even been on a real date. No, he did not need to know that.

By the evil way Iko was smiling, it was clear she knew what Cinder was thinking.

"You've never what?" Iko said.

Cinder took a shaky breath. She felt warmth leave her and found Kai had removed his arm from around her.

"You don't have to," Kai whispered. "The worst thing that can happen is you lose."

Cinder wasn't very competitive, except when it came to Iko. She couldn't lose to her sister. Not that way.

"I can't lose," Cinder said. "But I also can't…I don't think I…"

Slight hurt flashed in Kai's eyes, but it quickly hid behind more understanding. Stars, this guy was going to be her end. Did he have to be so nice, even now?

"Iko, this is stupid," Cinder said.

"You know what's stupid?" Iko said. "Not completing an oh-so-easy dare. And look! You have three minutes left!"

Cinder faced Kai. She could do it. She licked her lips cautiously and looked at his face, at his beautiful eyes and hair and nose and lips and cheeks and stars above, she almost wanted to kiss him, dare or not.

But that made it worse. Because if she kissed him...would he be able to tell? That maybe, just maybe, there was more behind it?

"Two minutes," Iko said, clucking her tongue.

Kai leaned forward, but not to kiss her; instead, his lips were by her ear, whispering.

"Honestly, Cinder, you don't have to do it if you don't want to." He leaned back slightly, letting her see his eyes.

Cinder shook her head. "I'll do it. I just...don't know how." Cinder could almost swear he smiled at that.

"One minute."

"Are you sure you want to go through with this, Cinder?" Kai asked.

She gripped her hands tighter, but she nodded. He leaned back farther.

"Ten," Iko said. "Nine. Eight."

And then Kai leaned forward again, took her face in his hands, and kissed her.