The underground portion of the new hideout wasn't as bad as the outside gave the initial impression. If anything, Kaito's only complaint was that it was a little small. There were no rooms, only mattresses tucked into the corners with bed sheets acting as walls.
Kyo and Yuu were again engaged in one of their silent conversations – Do they ever actually talk to each other? – while Kiyoteru, Tonio, and Big Al began discussing future plans.
"We should probably start figuring out who's going to room with whom." That pink haired guy Kaito recalled was named Luki stood next to him. "Although I wouldn't suggest you get too excited picking your sleeping buddy. The tall brunette is mine."
"You can have her," Kaito didn't hesitate to respond. His eyes traveled towards the women to see Ona and that Meiko person whispering to each other and laughing between themselves at whatever was said. It was nice to see at least one person in the group was enjoying herself despite all the hell going on around them and in the world.
"Whoa," Luki grinned at Kaito in a way that wasn't as friendly as Luki probably intended it, "you mean to tell me you don't think she's a looker? Or do you got something against love, buddy?"
The girl I'm in love with broke off our engagement for a Juliet. Yeah, I got plenty against this so-called "love" of which you speak.
"I just have more important things to think about," was what Kaito actually said. "You know, with bringing down the Thorns and all that. What happened on the Cinderella Academy in the Equinox Continent was bad enough, and I would like to stop the Thorns before anything like it has the chance to happen again."
Luki tilted his head to the side. "What do you know about all of this?"
Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Kaito said, "I was at the academy nearly the whole time this happened. Frak, I was almost assassinated in my own district. What do you mean, 'What do you know about all of this?'"
"Not enough, apparently."
Kaito shot his gaze towards Meiko and stated, "This conversation does not concern you."
"Um, excuse me?" Meiko rose a slender brow. "Did you just say this doesn't concern me? I got news for you, little lord: This, the reason we're hiding out in a shack in the woods, concerns everyone here."
"Look, I don't know who you think you are—" Kaito cut himself off when he noticed that Meiko had taken off her gloves, possibly after entering the hideout. He couldn't see the whole tattoo, but he saw enough to know it was a cerulean butterfly that was etched onto her left wrist.
"An Alice, huh?" He made eye contact with Meiko. "Tell me, who do you think you are?"
Face turning beet red, Meiko calmly replied, "My caste is not a representative of my worth."
"Yes, it is. The Sisters foretold your worth in this world before giving you that tattoo. If you were born to do great things, they would have given you a silver crown instead."
For a moment, the Alice was struck speechless. Then, eyes narrowed, she charged forwards as she began, "Why, you little piece of—"
"Meiko!"
For a big man, Al was swift enough to get a hold of Meiko before she could pounce on Kaito. He was grateful for the bigger man as Meiko clawed and screamed in Al's grasp. No longer seeming human, Meiko acted as if she was no different from a wild animal.
It was then Tonio grabbed Kaito above the elbow and yanked him back so harshly that Kaito nearly fell over. Baring his teeth, Tonio hissed, "What are you thinking, angering a new comrade when you have only known her for a few hours? That's a teammate you want to save your life one day, not leave you for dead when none of us could ever know any better!"
Shaking out of Tonio's hold, Kaito sternly replied, "Alices belong in the kitchen or in a tailor shop. Barefoot and pregnant, if they're lucky. We don't need such simple women helping us bring down a rebellion when we don't know for sure if they would join our cause or also rise up to bring the system down."
Before Tonio could respond, Meiko shouted, "He doesn't know anything at all, does he?!"
Both men snapped their attention towards Meiko. Al no longer held her back, but he stood close to the women as if to catch her if she lunged again. Her arms were tightly crossed, and Meiko glared at both Tonio and Kaito as if she would personally tear them apart if only she was allowed.
"What do any of you know?" Meiko challenged, eyes traveling over Kiyoteru, Kyo, Yuu, and Ona. "Do you know who our real enemy is? Haven't you heard of the Benevolence?"
Kaito watched each of his teammate's reactions. Only Kiyoteru nodded as if he knew of what Meiko spoke. The others furrowed their brows, and Ona turned her attention towards Tonio and frowned at him.
"The Benevolence?" she simply questioned. Tonio had no answer for her.
Laughing without humor, Meiko continued, "Perhaps you should tell your people what our threat really is before they get in too deep and realize there's no turning back. My team was not betrayed for a silly Juliet rebellion that barely existed before now. We did not risk our lives to save Luki for a pathetic revolt. It's not your status that's at stake, little lord. It's all of Artemis. Men, Cinderellas, Alices, and Juliets."
With that said, Meiko spun on her heel and stalked out of the room. Kaito watched as the Alice stomped up the stairs and disappeared behind the doorway. Groaning, Al shook his head and followed after her.
After the two had left, the men on Al's team shuffled from foot to foot before all found reasons to excuse themselves. They did not speak with each other as they walked out of the room. Soon, only Kaito and his teammates were left.
Silence lingered in the air for a moment or two before Ona stepped forward and repeated, "The Benevolence?"
Kaito watched as Tonio looked at each and every person who remained in the room. Nothing in his expression gave away what he possibly thought. Finally, after his eyes traveled around the others a few times, he finally gave a defeated sigh.
"So," was how he slowly began, "how many of you believe in life out there in the stars?"
The stress had been piling onto Miku so heavily the past few days, she was just one inconvenience away from breaking down into a teary mess. No longer having a black dress that fit her almost broke that final thread, but Miku took a deep breath and pushed the tears back. If she was going to have an emotional breakdown, it was going to be after her mother could no longer watch her daughter as if Miku could not be trusted on her own for more than a minute at a time.
"We will have to stop by a dress shop before we meet with Luka," Miku told Rin after Miku finished inspecting every black and dark gray dress in her closet and came to the predictable conclusion that none of them would do.
"I accessed your tablet and searched for every tailor shop on the trip there," Rin replied as she put her so few belongings in her own bag.
Although Miku knew it wasn't meant to sting, she still winced at Rin's words. Almost without thinking, Miku touched her now soft belly. Although she had lost some of the weight she gained back when she binge ate to deal with the stress that built up as the school year came to its agonizing close, but there was still plenty of pudge left behind. Pudge for which Mrs. Hatsune did not fail to shame Miku. Pudge that reminded Miku of her faults and failures every time she looked at herself in the mirror.
While Rin mourned the loss of her friend, I ate. The words played in Miku's head like a demon who received joy in whispering these things to her. While Kaito and his family feared for their lives, I ate. While Mew was in a coma and we didn't know if she would ever wake up, I ate. All I did the whole time was eat, and look what good that did to anyone at all.
"Say, Miku," Rin began as she moved towards the window and pushed the curtains further apart, "perhaps we should go on a walk this evening? The weather should be cool enough by then for us to get some fresh air and not sweat to death while we do it. What do you say?"
Miku opened her mouth to answer, but her words caught in her throat when she saw Rin's back. The Juliet wore a simple white gown that barely counted as a dress. It was one of the few things Miku's parents would allow the forsaken Juliet to wear as long as she was within their estate.
Yet the reminder of the lack of appropriate clothing for Rin wasn't what stunned Miku.
With the fabric of the gown pressed against Rin's back as she stretched out her arms to hold back the curtains, the scars from the lashes she had received were visible through the slightly transparent material.
While Rin was being whipped for a crime she didn't commit, I ate.
Tears filled Miku's eyes, but she again forced them back down. Shortly after Rin's whipping, Miku alternated between binging and not eating. Never in her life had Miku, a Cinderella prophesized to do great things with her life, felt so useless.
"Miku?" Rin turned around and frowned at the Cinderella. Moving away from the window to walk forward, Rin reached out and took Miku's hand, the hand with which Miku had been holding her belly.
"Don't worry, Miku, the extra weight only means there's more of you to love," Rin said, misunderstanding Miku's silence. "I know it's hard to not let what your mom says get to you, but I hope you understand that she's wrong. For what it's worth, I think you're beautiful."
"I love her."
Rin's words repeated themselves in Miku's mind as Rin smiled at her and squeezed her hand. Unable to stop herself, Miku squeezed the hand back. Slipping her hand out of Miku's and walking away, Rin said something about going on that evening stroll, but Miku only half paid attention.
While the Juliet chatted away about fresh air being good for them and being out might help Miku relax and clear her mind, Miku watched Rin as if the blonde was some sort of exotic bird. Rin's delicate frame, dancelike movements, and voice ringing as if a bell sometimes had Miku doubting if Rin was even human. What was initially a fascination of Rin because of her tattoo slowly became a fascination of Rin as a person as Miku gradually got to know her former shadow. In a lot of ways, Miku craved Rin's presence on such a deep, intense level Miku never knew was possible. Even more, Miku knew that Rin loved her.
But do I love Rin in return? Bringing her fingers to her lips, Miku began to nibble on her nails as Rin packed the last of her few things away for the trip. Miku loved Kaito, and she yearned for him on physical levels, but it was a relationship never meant to last. Miku felt a stronger emotional attachment to Rin, but she never craved the Juliet in a similar manner. Not only was Miku unable to hope to begin to understand the feelings she had for two of some of the most important people in her life, but she was unsure what they could possibly mean for her relationships as time passed by.
"Miku?" Rin questioned, dragging the Cinderella back to reality. "Are you okay? You have been awfully distracted these past few days. Actually, you have been distracted since before returning home. Is there something that happened you need or want to talk about?"
Yes. What did you mean when you said that you love me?
"I suppose I have yet to fully process everything that has happened," Miku said, the response mostly true. "There's been so much in so little time. Now here we are, trying to catch up while the rest of the world still rushes forward."
Rin nodded. "I . . . I understand. It's still odd for me to wake up in your room, on your bed, instead of on that couch in your suite in the academy. For the first minute I'm awake, I'm terribly confused. Then it all hits me from out of nowhere, or so it seems. I'm not sure what I feel most days, nor do I know what it is I should feel. It's all so . . ."
Shaking her head, Rin didn't finish. Her eyes were locked on the window as she brushed her bangs out of her eyes. With sunlight from the outside shining through the window and onto Rin, the blonde appeared as if she was a painting. Miku desperately tried to capture the memory to paint later. Rin looked so beautiful and mysterious at the same time, the very picture of the complexity of mankind.
"Rin," Miku began softly, "I have noticed that I'm not the only one who has been distracted as of late. Tell me, what has been weighing so heavily on your mind?"
Visibly swallowing, Rin continued to stare out the window. It was only now Miku wondered if Rin even remembered confessing that she had feelings for her. Perhaps Rin had always intended the words to be her last, or maybe Rin only said them because it sounded romantic in her dying moments. It wasn't until now Miku realized she wanted to hear Rin say those words again. Miku wanted Rin to look her in the eyes and confess her love, not because she thought she was going to die, but because she wanted Miku to know.
Miku then hated herself for being so selfish. She should not want Rin to repeat those words if Miku herself didn't know if she returned the feelings. However, perhaps Miku wanted the confirmation before she decided to fall into these complex but surely present emotions she felt towards the Juliet. It might have been too soon to fall in love after suddenly breaking off her engagement, but Miku didn't deny her lack of heartache over the ended relationship. As much as Miku loved Kaito, it wasn't until after the fact she realized that she had never been in love with the lord after all. She had been in love with love the whole time. Not that she didn't love the man, but it wasn't the kind of love for marriage. Ending the relationship was the better decision for the both of them. Kaito was no longer attached and free to find a woman who could truly love him in return, and Miku was now able to discover what it was she felt for the woman standing across from her.
That was why it disappointed Miku when Rin finally replied, "I'm afraid there's too much going on inside my head to dwell on only one thing."
It took a lot of Miku's self-control to not call Rin out on her lie. It was unlikely Rin would have nightmares if there wasn't something in particular haunting her. Something happened that day of the attack to upset Rin, and no matter how long it took for Rin to confess it, Miku was going to find out.
That was why Miku took a deep breath and smiled a genuine smile as she stated, "Then I suppose an evening walk will do us both good to clear out our minds after all, huh?"