"Kirumi, I'm fairly sure you've sanitized and sterilized this entire house at least four times already, and it isn't even noon!" Kaede smiled and shook her head at the aptly-titled Ultimate Maid as she began to scrub the floor yet again.
"One can never be too cautious, Kaede," Kirumi replied calmly as she continued to work. In reply, Kaede's smile disappeared.
"I mean it, Kirumi, you're overcleaning. All of… this?" the Ultimate Pianist gestured to the room around them. "It's unnecessary!"
"One can never be too cautious, Kaede," Kirumi repeated patiently, although she spoke with more force this time. "With Covid-19 being such an omnipresent danger, I must take all measures and precautions to protect you from it."
Upon saying this, the maid began to scrub the floor with renewed vigor. Kaede heaved a sigh, trying to choose her words carefully.
"I appreciate the concern," she began. "But it really isn't necessary. One deep-clean per day is enough. Four is just overkill!"
"I am sorry, Kaede, but that is a request I cannot take," Kirumi didn't look up from her floor-scrubbing. "It is my pride, honor and duty as your maid to care for, and serve you, to the best of my ability. If this is what I must do to fulfill that duty, then so be it, for this is my selfless devotion!"
Kaede heaved another sigh. She'd tried many times before to break Kirumi out of her one-track-minded devotion to being the Ultimate Maid, but after the Corona virus started, it felt like all of Kaede's work had just gone down the drain. Kirumi reverted to her usual slavishly devoted self only a few days after the pandemic began. Kaede was glad that Kirumi enjoyed a life of service, but surely there was more to her than just that, right? After all, Kaede was the Ultimate Pianist! But there was more to her than just music.
But try as Kaede did, driving even the smallest wedge between Kirumi and her identity as the Ultimate Maid was nigh impossible. And again, the Corona virus only made everything worse. Already, every plate and platter, and every piece of silverware, had been totally sterilized twice. And Kirumi did this before and after every single meal. Those meals were, of course, completely prepared by her, using only the freshest, safest, healthiest ingredients. And every piece of cloth in their house was thoroughly washed, dried and hand-pressed daily. From clothes to rags to towels to bedsheets to curtains, Kirumi did it all. And of course, there were the floors…
Kirumi had already swept, vacuumed and mopped them, but now she was on her hands and knees, scrubbing as well.
"Kirumi, please!" Kaede finally took a more aggressive approach. It worked, and Kirumi actually stopped cleaning long enough to look up at Kaede.
"Do you have a request?" she asked. It was a sincere question, but the wrong one to ask at that time.
"Aww jeez!" Kaede crossed her arms and pouted. "Like I said, I appreciate your devotion and care, and I'm glad you enjoy being the Ultimate Maid, but I'm not kidding when I say that the overcleaning is an issue!"
"Ah, there is no need for you to worry about that," Kirumi promised reassuringly, missing the point. "I've already taken that into account, so although I have been cleaning often, I have been using techniques to minimize the detrimental effects of overcleaning!"
"That's not what I mean!" Kaede cried. "I mean that you need to look after yourself, too! Not just me!" In reply, Kirumi's face softened.
"Kaede, I appreciate the sentiment, but you need not worry! I am taking care of myself. I know I must be in peak condition in order to serve you to the best of my ability, so I-" but that was as far as Kirumi got before Kaede interrupted her.
"That! That right there, Kirumi! It's both your best and your worst quality!" she cried. "You look after yourself, yes, but only for the sake of others! Can't you just, for once, take care of yourself for your own sake?"
"I do look after myself for my own sake," Kirumi replied, tilting her head in confusion. "Nothing brings me greater joy than being able to serve others, so in order to fulfill my needs, I look after myself so that I may look after others. Besides, you know I find cleaning therapeutic. Forgive me if my incessant cleaning seems superfluous, I can try not to do it in your presence anymore, but I do not wish to stop."
"No, no," Kaede heaved a third, tired sigh. There was so much to unpack there… "Kirumi, I'm sorry, you don't need to apologize. Nor do you need to make extra accommodations for me. I don't mind you cleaning, and I'm glad it makes you happy, I was just trying to get you to see that sometimes breaks are beneficial. Especially for you, especially during Corona and quarantine! I'm capable of caring for myself, you know?"
"Yes, Kaede, I do know that," Kirumi promised. "But even so, I wish to look after you. I have already promised to do my best, and to serve you with all of my strength and skill. I will not go back on that promise, ever. Your health is my utmost priority. If you were to fall ill while under my care, I will have failed you and myself. It would be an unforgiveable lapse in my Talent, and it would forever tarnish my pride and reputation as a maid. I cannot allow that! And more importantly, I do not wish for you to fall ill, so whatever I must do in order to keep you safe, I shall do it!"
Kaede only gave Kirumi a rueful smile. Even though part of her frustration was aimed at Kirumi, some of it was also aimed at herself. Maybe Kirumi considered Kaede her master, but Kaede considered Kirumi her friend and equal. Yes, Kaede was employing Kirumi's services, but that was only because Kaede wanted to keep her close. It was supposed to have been a friend thing!
Of course, Kaede was flattered that Kirumi considered her a worthy master, and had been willing to work for her, but it still made her uncomfortable to think that Kirumi didn't see them as equals, didn't see their relationship as anything beyond professional. It left Kaede feeling… unfulfilled. And perhaps a little guilty, since she saw Kirumi in one light while Kirumi clearly saw her in another.
"You are displeased." And there Kirumi went again, wonderful and annoying, able to expose all of Kaede's secrets just because of how observant she was. "Forgive me, I did not mean to overstep my boundaries. I do not know why I behave like this when I am around you."
"Behave like what?" Kaede's embarrassment turned into interest. Did Kirumi think she treated Kaede differently than other masters? But Kirumi winced, gritting her teeth and looking away worriedly. It was clear that she regretted letting that secret slip out, but it was too late to take it back, and she had no credible reason to deny Kaede an answer…
"I have served many excellent masters before, but none of them have ever made me feel the way you do," the maid admitted slowly, painfully. "I cannot explain it, but it feels… different, serving you. The pride and joy I feel is much more than a simple satisfaction. It's stronger, deeper, and more… personal and… intimate. I find myself drawn to you…" Kirumi's expression had grown thoughtful and pensive, but once she reached the end of her explanation, she winced again.
"I have already lapsed in my duties as a maid by revealing this to you, and yet, for some reason, I have no desire to stop. I know I should not be so open, and yet, I feel a great desire to bear my soul to you. I do not understand it. Do you? I know no maid should ask a client about such-"
"No, that's wrong!" Kaede finally interrupted. Now that Kirumi was finally opening up to her, all of her earlier frustrations vanished. "It's never wrong to reach out and ask for help when you need it! Besides, you may think your feelings for me, whatever they are, are harmful, but I disagree!"
"Hmm?" Kirumi tilted her head, a sad look in her eye as she gloomily awaited Kaede's explanation.
"Consider it like a melody and harmony!" Kaede began excitedly. "Harmony interacts with melody in a variety of ways! Sometimes it runs parallel, sometimes it overlaps and intertwines, sometimes it clashes to show contrast! But no matter what the variation it is, it always serves to improve the music, and the two always build off one another while working together, whether they're in agreement or not. Do you get it now?"
Kaede looked hopeful as she finished her analogy. Perhaps music and maids had nothing to do with one another, but in the same way Kirumi understood maid-ship the best, Kaede excelled at music. And nothing gave her greater joy than talking about music in any capacity! She just hoped the analogy would translate over…
"Are you saying my feelings for you are beneficial to both of us?" Kirumi asked, head still tilted, but now she looked thoughtful rather than sad. She raised a gloved hand to her chin as she continued to reflect upon Kaede's words.
"Yes!" Kaede cried excitedly, spurred on by Kirumi's pensive look. "I kept asking you to take breaks because I want you to take care of yourself, not because I was displeased with you. There, our harmonies clashed, but that didn't mean I was mad at you or that you did anything wrong!
"And you reminded me that cleaning is therapeutic for you, so that's why you wanted to keep doing it, not because you were overstepping anything. There, our harmonies clashed again, but it wasn't because you were trying to be difficult. You were just reminding me to respect your boundaries, which I thank you for.
"So we both wanted to help each other, we were just going about it in different ways. Our harmonies were just clashing! But again, that's not a bad thing. On the contrary, I think it just shows that we both have a lot we could teach each other, so that's why your feelings could be beneficial to both of us! Melody and harmony need each other, equally. They improve by working off of each other, back and forth."
"That is…" Kirumi murmured, eye slowly widening in understanding. "I never thought about it that way… Incredible… Kaede, you observe it from a different perspective…"
"Case and point!" Kaede cried cheerfully. "We have a lot to offer each other!" It took all her strength not to start cheering. Instead, she reached for Kirumi's hands, taking them in her own. The gloves were so silky and smooth…
Kirumi, meanwhile, looked startled, but she did not pull away. Instead, she only stared at Kaede's hands as they closed over her own.
"We are harmonious hearts, so to speak," Kaede murmured shyly, blushing now. "And I would like very much if you would be the harmony to my melody… Or you can be the melody and I will be the harmony," she added with a small laugh. "I'm cool with either."
For a moment, there was only silence, but then Kirumi finally opened her mouth.
"Kaede…" One word, so many emotions. Kaede had never heard so many in her voice before, and just hearing Kirumi say her name like that…
More silence, then Kirumi finally smiled, then she nodded. "I… would be honored to be your harmony…" Then she began to lift Kaede's hands…
Kaede's heart pounded faster than a metronome on its highest tempo, but the second Kirumi kissed her knuckles, her heart stopped and she was sure she'd died and gone to Heaven. If Kaede had thought Kirumi's gloves were soft, then her lips felt even softer. They were warm and sweet, and her kiss was gentle and caring, but insistent and loving.
Even though the kiss didn't last long, it still took Kaede nearly 10 seconds to come back to any sort of coherency.
"Are you alright?" Kirumi asked, but this time, she was smiling rather than looking concerned. Although she was no longer kissing Kaede's hands, she was still holding them tight. Kaede opened her mouth, but all she could do was smile in breathless silence. Kirumi giggled in return, but this only made Kaede's heart explode all over again. Kirumi had the cutest laugh and it made Kaede indescribably proud and happy to think that she was responsible for it! But the best was yet to come.
After getting Kirumi to open up about her feelings for Kaede, Kaede managed to talk her out of her overcleaning. At least for the rest of the day. Although Kirumi still took hygiene very seriously, especially during the pandemic, she was finally able to admit that some of her overcleaning had stemmed from an overprotectiveness for Kaede. But once her fears were assuaged, she seemed open to the idea of taking it down a few notches. And she would start by not cleaning the floor for a fifth time. Instead, she was going to take a break and listen to Kaede play piano!
While Kaede's fingers danced along the keys, she continued to steal glances at the woman sitting beside her on the bench. Kirumi's eyes were shut and she wore a beatific expression. She was also swaying gently to the music and it made Kaede beam with pride and joy. She was ecstatic to see how lost in the music Kirumi was, and it made her feel all the happier to know that she was the one who had led Kirumi into this state.
That was perhaps the best thing about Kirumi's little, impromptu confession: realizing that it meant that Kirumi felt the same way about Kaede that Kaede felt about her! And it was during this time that Kaede realized that she was swaying to the beat of the music too. In that one perfect moment, the two of them were truly connected, and it felt like Heaven. Harmonious hearts indeed!
AN: For Penguinlover611 again! I actually had A LOT of fun writing this!
So in the words of Kirumi, thank you for giving me such a wonderful request!
Also, yes, this is an AU where the Killing Game never happened.