A/N: Hey, y'all! A lot has been going on in my life recently, and I have 1) not had much time to write on this story and 2) not been very inspired to write on it. I edited this chapter, though. Sorry that I haven't updated in the last bit!

•••

Knock, knock.

"Who is it?" Yui groaned loudly, rubbing her tired eyes with her first three fingers. At least she'd managed to get a couple more hours of sleep in.

"It's your mother!" came the gentle reply. "May I come in?"

"Yeah," Yui said tiredly, sitting up in her bed and looking towards her white, paneled door.

The brown, metal handle on the inside of the door shone as Yui's mother twisted its counterpart before entering. Oka-san poked her head in, and when she saw Yui, she smiled. "Good morning, Yui-chan!" she said.

"Good morning," Yui grumbled, stretching.

"Did I wake you?" Oka-san asked, eyebrows knitting. She stepped inside her daughter's bedroom.

"No," Yui mumbled. "I woke up just before you knocked..."

Oka-san laughed lightly. "Someone's still tired, isn't she?" She bent down and kissed her daughter's forehead. "Did you not sleep well, Chīsana Pinkunoyuri?"

Yui sighed. "Could you tell...?" She tossed her left leg off the side of her bed. She grunted as her ankle collided with the bedframe. "...did you come to wake me?" Her mother hadn't done that since childhood, and never during the summer.

Oka-san's eyes scanned the room. "Yes, and no. I came to wake you, yes, but there's also something else."

Yui rubbed her eyes again tiredly. "What's the other thing?"

Yui felt the empty bed-space beside her sink with weight, and Yui stopped rubbing her eyes, assuming that it was her mother who'd sat down. Of course it was, and Yui turned to face her mother. Yui's eyelids were heavy, and Yui struggled to keep them open.

Oka-san's face was tired-looking as well. Her wrinkles seemed more pronounced than usual today. Oka-san sighed deeply and rubbed her forehead. "I wanted to apologize for...yelling at you yesterday."

Yui blinked. In her tired state, she struggled to even recall the event.

"It's...natural that that would have happened," Oka-san sighed. "I thought that you were above average in all aspects, but I guess that you're still a teenager. You're still figuring out who you are and what's wrong and what's right. I can't really fuss at you about losing your virginity at eighteen...I lost mine when I was sixteen, after all," she said.

The cogs in Yui's tired mind accepted this information like it was just as mundane as the chemical formula for aspirin, and it was immediately stored at the back of her mind. "Yeah...," Yui said, kind of dazed. "Yeah..."

"I just wanted to apologize for...overreacting, I guess."

Yui blinked. "...okay. I forgive you," she said, and she tiredly opened her arms for a hug from her mother.

She felt arms envelope her, so she wrapped her arms around the warm body of her mother in return.

And like that she was awake, and she suddenly realized what had just happened. Her mother had just apologized to her- she'd just admitted her mistake. That never happened. Her mother was always as stubborn as herself. This was a huge step. It felt kind of like...acceptance. It was confirmation to what her mother and father had told her all her life: "We will love you no matter what."

With this realization, Yui felt her eyes well with tears, and she couldn't stop them from falling down.

•••

Balder looked at the clock adjacent Yui's room, then looked down at Melissa. "Are you certain that Yui-chan hasn't already went to the dining room for breakfast? We've been waiting for thirty minutes."

Melissa waved his hand in the air dismissively. "Don't doubt me, Balder. She never wakes up early or leaves early. She'll be out soon." Melissa paused. "Besides, it was your idea to station us outside of her room."

"It was you that told the times, though," Balder said gently, sighing softly. "I just wanted to be the first to speak to her and the one to escort her to breakfast."

Melissa scoffed. "Subtlty is the name of the game, Balder-san. You do realize that."

Balder sighed. "Subtlty has no place in a game where every move counts."

Melissa blinked. "You see this as a game?"

"Not a fun game. A game of strategy. A game like war. A game won in battles."

Melissa sighed. "...okay, then."

A door just down the hallway opened, and out stepped a tall, red-haired man, whistling a cheery tune as he carried a box out of his room. He shut the door behind him. It shut with a loud woomp.

Dionysus began to walk from his room down the hallway when he caught sight of Balder and Melissa, standing outside of Yui's room. He turned around, sat down his box, and walked towards them.

"Good morning, you two," Dionysus said, grinning as a greeting.

"Good morning, Dionysus-san," Balder said. His voice was kind of curt, as if he were in a hurry.

"What are you two doing standing outside of Yui's room?" Dionysus asked.

"Standing outside of...?" Melissa blinked, looking confused. He laughed after a moment. "Oh, are we? We weren't standing in any place in particular, kehkehkeh!"

Dionysus scratched his head at the odd behavior. He said, after a pause, "Well, if you two aren't busy, I could use your help."

"Our help?" Melissa asked.

Dionysus nodded, scratching behind his ear."Yeah. You two aren't busy, after all, and even if you are, I need help."

Melissa rubbed his round, cloth chin. "Help with what?"

"Something important," Dionysus said, smiling to himself as his mind went to the task. "Come on."

"Us doing nothing is really important," Balder said. "It is our time to...relax and unwind and think over-"

"Come on," Dionysus said again.

Melissa looked up at Balder, and he watched as Balder decided that protesting wasn't worth it. Balder looked down at Melissa, and with his eyes he said, Any more protesting would be suspicious.

Balder smiled gently. "Alright. I do not think that I should be in charge of carrying anything, though. I tend to trip a lot."

Dionysus laughed. "I entirely forgot what a klutz you are. That doesn't matter, though." Dionysus walked back over to his box and lifted it back up. "Follow me, you two."

Dionysus made his way down the hall, and Balder and Melissa shared a glance of defeat before following Dionysus around the corner and into the next hallway.

There was a short amount of time where no one exited their room. The hallways were still and quiet, and the only sounds were the soft tick, tick, ticks of the clocks scattered throughout the hallways.

The next door to open was Apollon's. He made sure to shut his door quietly so as not to awaken anyone that may happen to still be asleep. He looked around, seeing if there was anyone that he could walk with. He heard a door on another hallway open, so he walked towards the sound.

He saw that it was a tall, slightly pudgy woman exiting Yui's room.

Apollon smiled immediately and walked up to her. "Good morning, Oka-san!" he greeted, trying to keep his voice kind of quiet while still sounding cheery. He had to make himself sound cheery, though, and he knew as soon as the words came out of his mouth that they sounded forced.

Oka-san smiled gently. "Oh, good morning, Apollon. Are you feeling well this morning?"

Apollon shook his head slightly. "Not my best, no. Is it obvious?"

As the two of them entered the next hallway over, Oka-san said, "As obvious and as plain as the nose on my face, Musuko."

The hallway that Yui's room was on was quiet again for a short time. After that short time, a tall, tan man with white hair and a medium, tan man with black hair entered the hallway. The shorter of the two held an envelope in his hands and fiddled with its flap.

"Why are you so nervous?" the tall man asked, glancing down at the shorter man. "You are simply sliding a note under Yui's door, Anubis."

Anubis sighed. "Yeah, I know, but...but what if she rejects it, Thoth?"

"She won't," Thoth said. "I know Yui. She will not."

Anubis sighed again and said nothing.

The two of them stopped outside of Yui's door. Anubis drew in a deep breath and held it as he bent down, placed the envelope on the floor in front of the crack beneath Yui's door, and batted it with his hand until it was entirely inside of her room.

"Let's hurry up and get out of here!" Anubis whispered, and Thoth let out an amused puff of air as he walked after Anubis' running figure.

When they'd exited the hallway, Takeru and Tsukito entered it, chattering away.

A door on the hallway opened at the same time that they entered the hallway. A purple-haired girl emerged from the door. She began to shut her door.

Takeru was the first to spot her. He called, just before Yui shut the door, "Hey, Weed!"

Yui froze and looked in the direction of the sound. Her face immediately reddened.

Takeru walked over to her, and Tsukito followed. "Good morning to you," Takeru said, grinning.

"G-G-Good morning," Yui stammered, pulling the door closed the rest of the way.

Takeru saw that her hands were shaking. He laughed. "Why so nervous? Or are you embarrassed?"

"Are you feeling well, Yui-chan?" Tsukito asked.

Yui's voice sputtered. "G-I-Huhhhh-N...Y-Yeah!" She looked over at Tsukito, and her face turned an even darker red.

Takeru burst out laughing and ruffled up her hair, causing her to turn so red that she almost seemed purple. "I should call you Tomato, not Weed!" he laughed.

Takeru and Yui began to walk to breakfast, Takeru teasing Yui the whole way. Tsukito followed behind the two.

He noted Yui's posture. He analyzed her odd behavior. Something was off with her...

...and he'd figure it out.

•••

"Hey, where are Dio-Dio and Baru-Baru?" Apollon asked in the middle of breakfast.

"I dunno," Loki said, concern overtaking his face. "Balder never leaves with at least letting me know."

Out of the corner of his eye, Loki saw Yui's face relax. She released what seemed to be a sigh of relief.

He raised an eyebrow. "You dislike them that much?" he teased, though he noticed his slight irritation coming out in his voice. It was difficult to hide his irritation at her relief that his closest friend was gone.

Yui blinked rapidly, then looked at Loki. "H-Huh?"

"You sighed when Apollon asked where Dionysus and Balder are and I responded that I didn't know. You dislike them that much?"

Yui shook her head quickly. "Uh, oh, er, no! I was...uh...thinking of something else. Sorry."

Loki snickered and grinned. Even though he wanted to be mad that she was so relieved that they were gone, her adorable-ness wouldn't allow him to be. "You sure are a bad liar, Kitten," Loki teased. "I should teach you to be better at that."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Thor look over at Yui with an I'm sorry about my friend look. Loki caught Yui's eyes latching onto Thor's gaze, and he saw a I forgive you look in her eyes.

Loki's heart went cloudy. Damn, if that didn't make a man feel like shit, he didn't know what did- the woman that he loved just agreed to Thor's point. Well, he wouldn't let this stand.

Loki looked at Thor and said, "Thorry-kun, why are you staring at Yui-chan like that? Is it 'cuz you love her?" Loki teased.

Thor calmly responded, "I don't suppose that it really matters to you, Loki. It's too early to start teasing people."

Loki felt himself beginning to be riled up. He grinned. "Me thinkst thou dost protest too much."

Thor sighed softly again. "Loki," he said, voice a kind of warning. "You're just teasing me because you feel bad about something, aren't you? Was it the look that I gave Yui?"

How does he know that?! Loki thought. How could Thor call him out like that?!

Loki huffed. "Well, Thor, you're the one looking at Yui. You wouldn't know what made me feel bad in the first place if you hadn't done anything to make me feel bad. What even gives you the right to look at Yui, huh? You're only doing it because you can. You're just trying to rile me up," he grumbled. His eyes trailed off to look at Yui again.

He opened his mouth to grumble more when he caught sight of the choker around her throat. He closed his mouth. She was...wearing...his choker. The choker that he gave her.

That...meant that she didn't hate him or anything...or even that she thought that he was annoying or that his behavior should be apologized for...

He said nothing more.

"Why did you suddenly decide to shut up, Dunce?" Thoth asked. "Not that I am complaining that you did," he added.

Even this didn't rile Loki up. He didn't respond.

Instead, he just made eye contact with Yui and gave her a soft, gentle, genuine smile.

•••

As she left breakfast, Yui had told her mother quietly that she needed to use the bathroom. Her mother had asked her why she felt the need to tell her this, but Yui hadn't responded.

Now Yui stood before the mirror that was mounted on the medicine cabinet, staring at the envelope that she'd found beneath her door. On the front, there were four small pictograph- hieroglyphs, they may have been called: first was a reclining lion, second was a quail chick, third was a horned viper, and fourth was a vulture. She had no idea what it said, only that those things were ancient Egyptian letters.

She laid the toilet cover down and sat down on the toilet. She ran her hand along the pictures again. She could tell by how bumpy the writing was that it was written in dip-ink, not just a normal pen. Something about the writing mesmerized her...

She shook her head. She had to open it and stop staring at the letters on the front. She turned the envelope around so that it laid on the front and the flap was pointing towards her. She noticed that the flap was not flattened down, which meant that it hadn't been licked and sealed.

Which means that I can keep this envelope and put it on my corkboard...

She shook her head again. She needed to get her mind off of the envelope and onto its contents.

She could see the top part of a white piece of paper that reached the crease of the envelope flap. She stuck her fingers into the envelope and managed to draw the letter out.

She moved the envelope onto the sink, and she opened the letter up carefully.

Her eyes focused on each word individually. She had to read the whole thing before it registered in her mind:

Kusanagi Yui,

I'm so sorry that I forgot to ask you to a meeting or anything in my last letter that I wrote to you. I kind of forgot. I was in emotional distress. I am sorry.

To make that meeting up, I would like to meet you on June 24th and 5:00 at the Executive Garden. It's a restaurant that's in the city. I saw it when we went exploring, and I thought that it would be the perfect date spot.

I thought that it'd be nice to meet in the city, where we wouldn't feel the pressure of having others around and we could talk about whatever we'd like.

I'd love for you to accept my invitation, though I get it if you don't want to.

Yours truly,

Anubis Ma'at

Yui let out a soft gasp. This letter...

...was...

...Anubis...

...asking her...

...out...

...on an actual date!

She felt her confusion get kicked out of the way by excitement.

She'd just been asked out on her first date ever!

She stood up from the toilet excitedly snatching a Kleenex from the Kleenex box on the sink's edge and opening up the medicine cabinet. She reached in and grabbed the medicine log. SHe pulled the pen out from its spine and quickly and excitedly scribbled down her response: I'd absolutely love to go! That sounds great to me! I'm so excited! I can hardly wait!

She shoved the pen back in the spine of the log, threw the log back in the cabinet, slammed the cabinet door shut, yanked up the envelope from the side of the counter, thrust Anubis' letter into her pocket, put her own letter in the envelope, and opened the bathroom door. She ran to Anubis' room and kicked the envelope under the door.

It occurred to again her that this was an actual date, and she realized that she had nothing to wear to an actual date.

That meant one thing.

She rushed to the living room, where she knew that her mother would be since it was Oka-san's day off.

"Oka-san!" she called. "We need to go shopping!"

•••

Oka-san held up a cute, pink, floral skirt. "Ooh, this is adorable!"

"No thanks," Yui said, cringing slightly.

Oka-san huffed. "Chīsana Pinkunoyuri, why do you keep refusing my outfits?"

Yui sighed. "I don't like the new styles. I like old styles."

"Yeah, I can tell," Oka-san said, laughing as she picked up a t-shirt that Yui had chosen just a few minutes ago that screamed American 90's gear.

Yui laughed softly. "Don't patronize me, Oka-san," she said.

Once their shopping was finished, Yui's mother took her hand and drug her into a beauty salon.

"Oka-san!" Yui cried in surprise. "Why are you taking me in here?"

"You are getting a haircut and a mani and a pedi," Oka-san said, "and I am paying for it."

•••

The hairstylist spun Yui around once she was done cutting her rat-tail-like hair off and trimming her hair into a mid-neck-length bob.

Yui's eyes went wide when she saw her reflection. "Oh...wow..."

She hadn't expected to look this different with her hair cut. After all, it wasn't like the hair that she had had cut off was even visible most times. However, her hair looked entirely different now. Especially since it was straightened, Yui couldn't help cut compare herself to the pop idols that she knew. She thought that she looked even better than them.

Pfft, you're so full of yourself, she thought to herself in a joking voice.

She looked at the stylist and smiled happily. She prodded her hair with her hands, playing with it and squeezing it and puffing it and laughing lightly and happily when it went right back into place. "This is amazing! Thank you so much!" she said.

Her mom's eyes were teary when she turned towards her.

Yui laughed slightly. "Why are you so teary-eyed, Oka-san?"

"You just look...so...grown up," Oka-san said, sniffling.

The stylist took the plastic shawl off of Yui, and Yui stood and walked over to her mother. "Oka-san, don't cry; it's just a haircut."

Oka-san sniffled and laughed. "Yeah, I know." She wiped her eyes. "It's stupid of me to cry over that, huh?...let's go get your manicure and pedicure done."

Yui laughed softly and walked over to where the manicurist sat waiting for her. While the manicurist cleaned and cut and cleaned and cut Yui's nails, Yui looked at the color options on the wall. She couldn't find a single color that-

And then she saw it.

It was a glimmery, pearlescent, golden color. It shown in the harsh lights overhead as if the lights were chandeliers. It looked majestic...royal, almost.

When asked what color she wanted, Yui said, "Color G89, please," and the manicurist set to work immediately.

•••

Yui could not stop looking at her hands after they left the stylist.

She looked at her mother. "Oka-san, can we stop at the shoe store? I'd like to show off my pedicure, not just my manicure."

Oka-san smiled excitedly. "Of course we can!"

Yui laughed. She'd never really liked shopping or being styled or doing girly things, but today, it just felt right, and it made her so happy.

•••

Yui and her mother sat at the table at the small family diner at the outskirts of the city, looking through the menus as they spoke.

"Oh, this sounds good," Yui said, pointing to the number five special and laying her menu down on the table so that Oka-san could see it as well. "I think that I'll have it."

Oka-san read the description and said, "Oh, it sure does...I think I'll have that too."

Yui smiled, and the short, blonde waiter came to their table and took their orders.

Yui sipped her soda slowly and looked at her mother. "...Today was fun," she said after a moment.

Oka-san smiled. "I thought so too. It's been forever since we've gone shopping together."

Yui smiled softly. "It sure has. I think that what we chose ended up being absolutely adorable, too."

Oka-san chuckled. "Absolutely adorable, huh? I've never heard you use that phrase before."

Yui laughed gently. "Well, I've never realized that I haven't said it."

Oka-san laughed gently. "...I agree, though. Your old style turned out to be pretty cute when paired with my fashionable style. That cream-colored blouse is so cute. I can't wait to hear about the reaction of whoever it is that you're going out with when they see it."

Yui felt a small pang of guilt. Right, she hadn't told her mother that she was going out with Anubis, only that she was going out with someone...

She ignored her guilt and kept the conversation about the outfit going. "Yeah, and my bell-bottomed, plum pants and gold-and-green bracelet are the cutest things ever. Not to mention those golden sandals and that gold choker and gold earring." She paused, then laughed. "That's a lot of gold that I chose."

Oka-san laughed. "Now that you mention it, yeah, that is a lot of gold that you chose. I'm mostly stuck on the fact that you chose to get eyeliner and eyeshadow and blush and highlighter and lipstick on your own accord, though."

"Oka-san, it's my first date. I want to make a good impression," Yui said, smiling.

"I understand that much," Oka-san said, laughing softly. "It just seems that you're starting to actually care what you look like now. I'm glad that you're really recognizing your beauty."

Yui smiled. "Thank you." She found it flattering that her mother had said that, but her mother saying that made her realize that this was all happening because of the gods.

She was realizing her beauty and discovering herself because of the gods.

And something about that was comforting. Something about that made her feel warm. Something about that made her feel...

...safe.

•••

Yui and Oka-san returned home very late that night. As they came up the steps, they saw three other figures coming up the steps as well.

"B-Balder? Dionysus? Melissa?" Yui stammered in surprise as they walked into the light.

Dionysus seemed to be the first to hear her, and he turned and looked at her. He smiled happily. "Oh, Yui-san! It's nice to see you!"

Balder stepped further into the light and met Yui's eyes. Yui felt fear patter in her chest.

She forced a smile.

Balder smiled back. "How's your day been, Yui-chan?"

Yui felt her face pale a little, but she forced her smile to become brighter. "Wonderful, and yours?"

Balder's gentle voice responded, "My day was good as well."

Subconsciously, Yui's body relaxed. He seemed to be acting just as normal as usual. Hadn't he vowed to be threatening, pretty much?

Yui blinked as Melissa, Balder, and Dionysus disappeared into the door, followed by Oka-san, and as she watched them walk in, she couldn't help but wonder if she dreamt the promise between Balder and Melissa.

•••

Yui walked into her room, carrying the bags from the shopping spree. Sure, she had a lot to think about, but she didn't have the energy or effort left in her to think.

Almost as soon as her head hit her pillow, Yui was asleep and drifting somewhere in the strange world of dreams.

•••

The table was made of oak. It was odd that she could tell this, but she could, somehow.

The top of the table was beaten, scuffed, and scratched. It had no finish on it. It looked...sad in a way.

Despite its small surface area, the table's top held ten items.

The first item was a rock that glowed with the same intensity of a full moon. The rock made her feel as if the blood within her veins was being pulled in and out, just like the moon caused the tides to.

Beside the rock, there was a strawberry. It was a brilliant red color. The leaves at its top were the greenest green that she'd ever seen, and the seeds were a light yellow color. It reflected the light radiated by the rock in a way that made her salivate like a dog.

To the right of the strawberry, there was a small bottle of sea water. The bottle was clear, and the salt from the sea water had settled at the bottom of the glass. The water itself was a blue, blue color. A perfect, angle-less cork was stuck in the top of the glass, sealing the water away. The water reflected the light from the rock and the light from what was within the jar beside it.

The jar beside it held a beam of light. The beam of light bounced off the corners of the jar, dancing around within the jar as if it wished to escape yet wanted to stay put. It was blinding, and it left trails of purple in her vision as she looked onto the next item.

The next item seemed to be a song, penned by hand. The staffs on the paper had crooked lines, and the bass and treble clefs were hardly recognizable as bass and treble clefs. The words beneath the quarter and half and dotted eighth and thirty-second and sixteenth and whole notes were barely legible. Despite all of this, the song gave her a calming sensation. It soothed the buzz within her.

Beside the song, there was a scroll. The parchment of the scroll was yellowed so much that it was actually browning. The edges were cracked and cut, and she could tell that each crack and cut had its own story.

Opposite the scroll as a small animal scull. She could not tell what kind of skull it was. The bone was a beautiful, brilliant white, and the indentations on the skull only added to its strange allure.

Sitting just about a centimeter from the skull was a lighter. The lighter was steel, and it looked like it'd been through a lot. There were dents and marks and stains with scratch marks on them, as if the person who had had the lighter last had tried to get rid of them but had failed. It saddened her slightly.

Next to that was a tiny umbrella. It was so small that she had to squint to tell what it was. It was purple and looked wet, as if it had just been used. The handle to it was white and shone like it was brand new.

The final thing that her eyes went to was the small, small bottle of wine that rested on the upper left corner of the table. It seemed as if it were about to fall off. Judging by the lipstick around its rim, it had already been drank out of, but it appeared to be entirely full. The cork in its top had fingernail prints in it.

She took a step towards the table.

She heard footsteps approaching rapidly, but she could not look away from the table to check and see who was approaching.

She felt a hand wrap around her collarbone, restricting her movement so that they could hold a sword to her throat.

"Stop considering," hissed the voice of the person. She could feel their warm breath move her hair as they spoke. "Choose. Choose. Choose. Choose."

•••

Yui woke up at seven this morning, and she was wide awake when she sat up. She stretched and rubbed her eyes, then checked the clock. When she saw the time, she smiled to herself and said aloud, "For once, I'm waking up at a reasonable time."

"I didn't hear a thing out of you all night," said a guttural voice from her windowsill, and Yui looked towards the voice.

There sat her doll assistant, looking just as...plush as ever.

"Oh, good morning, Melissa," she said, and she felt a strange sense of fear grow in her that she knew was because of Balder and Melissa's deal.

"Did you have any dreams last night?" Melissa asked, jumping down from his spot on the windowsill and landing with his feet on the floor with a dull thud.

Yui thought about this for a second. Had she...?

She strained her mind, but nothing came into her memory. "None that I can remember," she said, her fear coming through in her voice.

She stood up, body stiff and movements almost robotic.

"Is something wrong?" Melissa asked. "You're awfully stiff."

Oh, he'd noticed...

Yui shook her head, picking out a t-shirt and sweatpants from her closet and disappearing behind her changing screen. "No, nothing's wrong," she lied. "I'm just tense because I...have a feeling that something bad is going to happen today."

Just before she pulled off her clothes, Yui remembered something that she needed to do. She picked up her clean clothes again. "I'm going to the bathroom, Melissa," she said.

Melissa began to move from where he sat on her floor. "I'll just come-"

"I'd like to be alone for a little while," Yui interrupted, though she felt a bit guilty for doing so. Before Melissa could chastise her and make her feel any worse, she left her room.

She walked briskly to the bathroom on the second hallway to her right. She knocked on the door, and when there was no answer, she twisted the knob and went inside.

She locked the door behind herself and sighed deeply. She couldn't believe that this had just now occurred to her.

She hadn't bathed in two days- no, three- no...four? Five? Six? Whatever. She hadn't bathed in a while. She'd wiped herself down and quickly rinsed and dried off. She'd applied perfume and deodorant and dry shampoo, but she hadn't actually bathed her whole body in a while.

She felt dingy now that she'd remembered.

She carefully took off her clothes and tossed them to the door. They made a very soft sound when they landed on the floor.

She quickly used the toilet, flushed, washed her hands, and then walked over to the bath-shower that she had. She turned it all the way on hot. She put her left hand beneath the faucet and used her right hand to twist the cold knob until it was just the right temperature. She put the plug in the tub.

She ran the water as she straightened up the messy counter in the bathroom. There were hairs of all colors all over the place, colognes everywhere, deodorants strewn about, toothbrushes in every place that they could fit, and dried toothpaste on the mirror and on the counter and on the everything. Yui sighed softly and tried her hardest to straighten the counter up just a little.

After a few minutes, she gave up and turned her attention from the messy counter to the bath. The water was three-quarters of the way to the edge of the tub, just how she liked it. She smiled gently and turned off the faucet.

She stepped in with her right leg first, and then her left, and then she held onto the edge of the tub as she lowered her whole body in.

She let out a long sigh of relief. Oh, there was nothing like a good bath.

Her mind wandered to the last time that she'd taken a bath...

Tsukito was the one who'd bathed her...

He was so careful with his washing. When his hands moved, they soothed her pain away. They cleaned the dirt and grime from her pores and from her soul. They supported her and promised her that they'd never be away. It'd calmed her, soothed her, and ushered away her pain for a little while.

She wanted to be able to do that to herself. She reached up onto the ledge in the shower and pulled the loofah off of it. She squirted a little bit of her rose-scented body wash on it, and she tried her best to rub perfect circles on her body, and she closed her eyes and tried to imagine that it was Tsukito that was doing it.

It didn't work to convince her. Her movements were too choppy. Not fluid, not calming. In fact, they riled up the thoughts in the back of her mind. Her regrets.

Her cutting her hair was the first thing that came to her mind. She'd gotten her hair cut!

She opened her eyes and touched where her ponytail used to be. Oh, what would the others think? What would her dad or her brothers think?

She shook her head. No, no, no, no! It's stupid to have such...stupid regrets like that.

From there, other regrets came to her mind. Every coarse word that she'd said to the gods. Every time that she'd made her mother frown. Everything.

She felt tears well in her eyes. Oh, why did her attempts to calm herself do the opposite?

There's only one way that she was sure that she could be calmed down again.

She softly whined, "Tsukito...Tsukito..." She repeated this, over and over again, trying to summon him. She wanted him here, to calm her down. To tell her that she looked beautiful. To soothe her...

"Tsu-"

She was interrupted mid-name her tenth time.

There was a knock on the door, followed by a gentle "Yui-chan?" The voice could only have been Tsukito's.

Yui's heart welled, and relief pooled in her throat. "Tsukito-kun?" she called back.

"I heard you calling my name," said Tsukito's calming voice. "Do you need me?"

"Y-Yes," Yui said, feeling the tears in her eyes pool even more. "Come in...T-The key to unlock the bathroom door is beneath the bonsai plant's pot. The one that's closest to the door."

There was rustling outside, and then a whispered, "There it is." This was followed by more rustling.

After a moment's wait, she heard the key jostle within the lock, and she heard the handle being twisted. The door slid open, and Tsukito entered, wearing a green and brown kimono.

He turned and looked at Yui. He said nothing, just looked at her.

This look was enough to drive her worries out of her mind. "Ts-Tsukito," she stammered, smiling gently.

A tiny, tiny smile brushed across his lips, and this smile drove Yui's tears over the edge. She burst out sobbing and sat up straight in the bath, hugging her legs to her chest and resting her head between the tops of her knees.

Tsukito's face went blank with concern, and his eyes filled with worry. He shut and locked the door behind himself, then rushed nimbly over to the bath and knelt by its side. He didn't ask what was wrong. He just looked into her eyes, brushed her hair out of her face, and smiled softly at her. He kissed her forehead, and then her cheek, and then picked up the loofah.

"It's okay. I'm here now," Tsukito said in his soft lull, and he gathered water in his left hand and lifted it. He twiddled his fingers so that the water fell from his hands and cascaded onto her back. He rubbed the loofah in a slow, fluid circle, then brought more water up to wash it off. He planted a soft kiss on her back where he'd washed.

He went about her whole back like this, washing a circle and kissing it, washing a circle and kissing it. He moved onto her neck, doing the same.

Yui could feel her tears subsiding with every kiss. When he reached her neck, she noticed how soft his lips were, how warm his body was, and how careful he was with every kiss.

Oh, no, now was the worst time for her to crave him, but she couldn't help it.

"Can you lower your legs?" Tsukito asked gently. "I need to wash your front."

Yui obeyed, and she scooted back so that her back was against the shower wall.

"Thank you," Tsukito said. His eyes told her that he saw this as both a task and an experience. His hands began to wash her collar bone, and when he went to plant a kiss there, Yui gently took ahold of his hands.

Tsukito looked up into her eyes, confused for a moment before he lifted up and planted a kiss on her lips, only half-closing his eyes to do so. He noticed how warm and chapped Yui's lips were, but this gave him an odd sense of comfort. He pulled back after a moment.

"Are you feeling better now, Yui-chan?" Tsukito asked.

Yui didn't answer, just blurted a request: "Get in with me."

Tsukito's eyes looked shocked. He made a small sound of surprise. "What?"

"You make me feel calm...and...safe. I...want you to get in with me," Yui said.

Tsukito shook his head. "I would love to, but the tub is not big enough for two people...the only way that I could fit in there with you is if we were to shower."

Yui pulled the plug in the tub. She stared deep into Tsukito's eyes as the water in the tub drained slowly. She saw the confusion and curiosity growing in Tsukito's eyes by the second.

When the last bit of water had drained from the tub, Yui stood. She face the knobs and turned the middle knob until she saw that it had clicked onto the shower setting. She turned the heat knob and the shower head kicked to life, spraying hot water all over her. She winced, and she twisted the cold knob until it was comfortable.

"Get in, please, Tsukito," she requested, giving him a gentle smile. She saw a slight blush on his cheeks, and she felt her own cheeks heat up. She pulled the shower curtains closed to keep her out of view.

There was a soft shuffling sound of cloth against cloth, and Yui knew that this was because Tsukito was disrobing. She faced the wall so that he would feel less awkward when he got in.

She heard the shower curtain slide, and she heard two soft, wet thunks as Tsukito stepped into the shower. She turned to face him.

She was met with the sight of his muscular back. He turned his head as far to his right as he could, and he looked down at her. "...I see that you got a haircut," he said, trying to make conversation. "I like the change." He gently ran his hand through her hair, but he didn't turn towards her. "It suits you."

Yui breathed softly. "W-Will you turn towards me?" She feels like she can hardly breathe, even just seeing his back. "I-I can hardly hear you over the sound of the water."

Tsukito paused. "Are you sure that you want me to face you?" he asked.

"Of..course I do," Yui said.

"You'd blush if I did," he said.

"Please...?" Yui asked.

Tsukito sighed softly. Slowly, he turned towards her.

Yui felt her face grow red and her body grow hot when she saw that his groin was aroused. Her throat was dry, and she struggled to swallowed. She'd never seen it...never seeeen it...

Tsukito looked down, and he tried to cover his sex with his hand. "I didn't turn towards you because I didn't want you to see...it...since you haven't seen it before..."

Yui's blush grew darker, and she stammered, "I-I-I-I-I-I-It looks d-d-differe-ere-erent in the li-light." Her eyes were wide with surprise and shock.

Tsukito blushed softly at her blush, and he changed the subject...kind of. "The other gods would kill me if they knew that I was in here with you right now...especially like this..."

"Wh-Why?" Yui asked, glad that he didn't want to dwell on how vulnerable, sexual, and raw this situation was.

Tsukito brushed his wet hair behind his ear with his left hand and brushed hers out of the way with his right hand. "The boys found out that we had sex...you told them when you were drunk..."

Yui's face became even more shocked and Tsukito continued. "They promised not to tell you that they'd found out if I promised to stay away from you. They also promised not to hurt me if I stayed away from you...but..." Tsukito looked into her eyes. "I don't want to stay away from you. I can't ignore you or stay away from you. I...I love you..."

Tsukito looked away, eyeing her chin and her collarbone and her shoulders. "I...haven't been able to...stop thinking of you...and...about the time that we spent together..."

Yui made an involuntary sound of surprise, and then she made a sound of relief. "...Me...me either..." She smiled gently. "I've...been...thinking about...it...a lot, too...I have hardly been able to stop...or control myself..." She didn't mention that she longed for Takeru when she thought of her time with Tsukito on his floor. In this moment, there was no one but Tsukito that she longed for. Takeru and the other gods were the furthest thing from her mind.

Her eyes scanned his body, catching on the subtle things. The indents of his muscles. The creases in his skin. The way that the soft water from the shower bounced off of his skin. How shiny it made him. The water droplets that rolled down his face. The V-line that led down to his...

Yui swallowed hard. It was making her feel hotter and hotter by the second.

She looked up his body and to his face. Oh, his perfectly-sculpted face...

Tsukito stepped forward. He smiled ever-so-slightly. He cupped her face in his hands, running his hand along her chin and brushing the excess hairs away. The water bounced off of his hands and into her eyes occasionally, since they were right beneath the shower head, but she didn't mind. All that she could do was stare into his golden eyes.

They stood there for the longest time, eyes sharing intimate thoughts and deep feelings.

Finally, Tsukito spoke. The corners of his mouth curled upwards as he said, "I'm glad that we are on the same page."

He bent down to Yui's height, his eyes shutting as he did, and he brought his soft, warm lips to Yui's slightly-chapped, gentle ones.

Yui, still the most inexperienced of the two, dance with Tsukito with her lips. She tasted his honey-sweet saliva, and despite how thick it was, she was glad that she was the one to share it.

Wet skin slid against wet skin. Fingers failed to grasp and tried again and again. They were slippery, both of them, and every single bit of them was slippery. They didn't care, though. They ignored the awkwardness of their positions, of their failed movements. They didn't care. They were in love, and they were expressing it, and they were enjoying it.

His strong hands guided her legs around his hips. His breathing was heavy, and his lips found her left ear as he pressed her against the slippery shower wall opposite the shower head. He wanted her to be able to hear him.

His body moved at a slow, calculated pace at first. He guided her arms to wrap around his neck so that she wouldn't lose grip. He repeated in a soothing voice how much he loved her, how much he loved her, how much he's learned from her, how much he loves her, how much he wants to prove it, how much he loves her. His ears rang with loud moans from Yui, but he didn't mind.

His body began to involuntarily pick up speed, and his soothing lines grew more and more desperate. His hands grasped her hips tighter, and his words were interrupted by Yui's and his own soft moans and gentle gasps and whimpers. He kept speaking, kept going. He felt deafened by the sound of her moans.

His words lost all eloquence the faster he got. Their bodies got closer and closer as they both approached the finish line. His slides became more like thrusts, like desperate thrusts. The movements were sloppy and raw and genuine. They were passionate and full of love. They paid no attention to form or care or anything of the sort, just pleasure and satisfaction. He panted and groaned deeply into her ear, whimpering her name and licking and nipping her ear. He was in such ecstasy that his ringing ears could only pick up Yui's loud moans and cries of his name.

He grew less and less careful with his movements, and he pulled away from her ear to rest his forehead on hers. The double image of her eyes was all that he could see, and it was all that he wanted to see. He squeezed his eyes shut and whined as he closed his mouth on hers, his lips far from gentle, tongue twitching as he felt her bring her time to a close around him. The final sound that he gave was a low-pitched, animalistic groan into her mouth as he buried his last thrust within her.

He pulled his mouth away from hers, panting heavily. He swallowed hard, and he looked at Yui, peering deep into her eyes and into her soul. "I love you, Yui," he said, voice raw from his final moan.

Yui smiled, eyes teary. "I love you too, Tsukito." She paused, and then she gave a soft laugh. "I'm sorry for being so loud...I hope that Oka-san didn't hear us."

Tsukito shook his head, smiling slightly. "There's no way that she could have. The shower is so loud that it would have covered it up." He paused, eyeing her beautiful face. "Do you think that you can stand?"

Yui thought for a second, and then she shook her head. "N-No, probably not."

Tsukito smiled gently and grasped her beneath the knees and in the middle of her back. He lowered her onto the floor of the shower.

He looked her over again, and then he planted a kiss on her forehead. Wordlessly, he picked up the loofah and began to wash her, taking extra care with her inner thighs.

•••

Balder Hringhorni stood, ear to his bedroom wall, fuming. Tsukito...of course he'd go back to her...

Daring that Tsukito'd do that right in the bathroom beside Balder's bedroom, hmm?

Tsukito is going to be the first to go.

Beginning to walk out of his bedroom door, Balder grinned. I know how to get him, too.

•••

Takeru was the last to leave the dining room after lunch, so this provided the perfect window of time for Balder to speak to him.

Just as Takeru walked out of the dining room doorway, Balder said, "Takeru-san."

Takeru stopped walking and looked at Balder.

"I need to tell you something," Balder said.

"Huh?"

Balder crossed his arms and walked closer to Takeru. "I heard Tsukito-san and Yui-chan in the bathroom this morning before breakfast."

"...Huh?"

"They were...enjoying themselves...together..."

Takeru blinked, and then it seemed to register with him. His face went angry. "What?"

Balder smiled his ditziest smile. "I thought that you may like to know," he said.

Yui shuffled by just as he said that line.

Takeru seemed to notice the odd way that she was walking. "Are you alright, Weed?" Takeru asked.

Yui stopped walking and looked at him. Her face reddened. "H-Huh?"

"You're walking funny. You alright?"

"I-I-I'm fine. J-Just sore," Yui said, and she staggered briskly out of the hallway.

Takeru's face grew furious, and he turned to Balder. He grasped him by his collar and yanked him down to his height. "Where is my brother?!" he demanded.

•••

Tsukito sat in his bedroom floor, practicing kanji on a pad of paper and dipping his brush in ink when he needed to.

He heard his bedroom door open, and then he heard very quiet pops. He didn't have time to react before he heard the door slam.

Tsukito turned to face the sound and his body was immediately knocked off its balance. He fell to his right, and he felt his face well with pain. He brought his hand up to it, and his brush touched his face as he did. The ink left a mark on his forehead. He rubbed his cheek.

He saw a shadow cast over the floor and he looked up. There stood his brother, looking enraged, fist clenched.

It occurred to Tsukito that he had just been punched, and he sat up straight. "Why did you just hit me, broth-"

He was interrupted by his brother falling to his knees beside him. Tsukito blinked in confusion and stared at his brother.

Takeru's body shook, and his hands trembled as he brought them to his forehead. "W-Why did you do it...?" Takeru asked, voice strained and cracking every word. "Why did you do it...?"

"Why did I do what?" Tsukito asked, putting down his brush and putting his hand on his brother's back.

Takeru looked up from the floor slowly to face Tsukito. His face was pale, and he had tears rolling down his face. One dripped off of his chin and onto the floor. Takeru grasped his knees and met Tsukito's eyes. "Why did you...sleep...with Yui again...? Y-You...promised..."

Tsukito brought his other hand up to his face and rubbed the spot where his brother had hit him. With his other hand, he rubbed his brother's back. "Yui is impossible to give up," Tsukito said. "No promise nor distance could keep me from her...and I'd've been foolish to hav etried..." He paused, and he looked up at the ceiling. "I love her...and no matter...how much I promise that I won't love her...I...can't help but...do it..."

Takeru let out a sound as if he'd been stabbed, and he gasped desperately for air, his eyes as wide as they could go. He looked down at the floor and began to sob even harder.

He banged his fists on the floor, and Tsukito looked at his brother's body. Tsukito began to rub his brother's back again, like his brother had done with him when they were children and Tsukito would cry.

"...I...if she...if...if..." It sounded like Takeru was trying to say something, but he was too overcome with tears and struggling too much for air to speak it.

Finally, he managed to get it out. "If...if...if she slept with you...again...t-then...then that can-can-can-can only m-mean that sh-she loves-s-s y-you back...," he sobbed, sounding defeated.

•••

"Kah!" Yui cried as she swung her sword to the right and then to the left. The sword seemed heavier today than usual, and she was struggling to control it.

Her abdomen cried out in pain when landed back on her feet, and she cringed. This aching is going to be the death of me..., she thought, and she lowered the sword and put her hand to where the pain was.

"Your form's gotten sloppy again, Weed," came a voice from behind her. Yui knew who it was, and because she did, her face reddened, but she turned to see who it was, just in case it wasn't who she thought it was.

It was who she'd thought it was. There was Takeru, smiling a smile that seemed a bit forced, eyes reddish. "You haven't been practicing much, have you?" His voice seemed crackly.

Yui ignored the question. "Are you okay?" she asked, concern replacing the initial embarrassment that she'd felt in his presence.

"Yeah, of course," Takeru said, but he didn't sound genuine. "I just wanted to...come hang out with you. I don't get much one-on-one time with you." He paused. His smile disappeared. He seemed to consider saying something, but then he blinked hard, as if physically wiping the thought from his head.

He smiled again after a moment, but this smile was softer and...sadder. "It seems as if everyone else is seeing you every second of the day," Takeru said, "but here I am, a freeloading houseguest who can't even catch time to get to know you better." He laughed softly.

The way that he said it broke Yui's heart. She shook her head. "That's not true- er...it's fine that you haven't spoken to me."

Takeru looked at her, and what she said seemed to cheer him up a little, his smile brightening... and then his smile became a bit sadder. "We didn't get to finish our sword lessons at the school."

Yui's face lit up with a brilliant idea. "We should continue them, then." Yui walked over to Takeru and clasped his hands in her. "We should continue them. I wanna keep learning from you." The pain from her moving so fast was also accompanied by a wet, sticky sensation that she knew was from the thought that she was going to get alone time with Takeru- gah, alone time with Takeru! She felt her face heat up slightly, but she smiled at him.

Takeru didn't even take time to consider the idea. He grinned immediately. He took his hand out from under hers and placed it on her shoulder. "Of course we should."