I own nothing

This is not you. Rosa Chinesis tells herself as she waits for Sei to show any sign of hearing her. This is not confidence, poise, and composure. Your breaking the rules. She decided not to listen to herself though when Sei adopts a pained look. Like it was hurting her to stand, to be there with her, like she wanted to cry.

It was only there for a second and might have been mistaken for a mirage but when it had been there it had said very distinctly 'Don't pity me, please, I don't want that.' Youko imagined how horrible that would be. If you loved someone and they pitied you so much they pretended to love you back. She wondered if perhaps that was what she was doing.

Then she remembered the way she had been afraid. Immediately she wanted to make her friend feel better. Wanted to touch her paleish face, see a real smile from her. Not the grin. The real soft smile that she let grace her lips only when she was alone. The one she knew only from stealthily watching Sei gaze at Shiori from afar. Then she took a step foreward and muttered,

"Please."

It was in that same small voice that didn't fit her and she reached out her hand as if fearing the girl sillhouetted in the deeply colored light that shined through the window was just a figment of her imagination. Or maybe glass, maybe part of the window itself.

She didn't know, but her vision was blurring as if she were crying but she wasn't because that would be uncalled for and cliche so she didn't do that. She wasn't looking at Sei as much now as she was looking at her outline, and the window, and the colors. Than she felt someone take her hand and she was pulled back. Pulled back to find herself in Sei's arms. Then she realized they weren't kissing.

That was wrong.

Even though she felt right in Sei's arms. She was being held tight around the waist and her cheek was resting against Sei's pale neck and she could smell her hair and that shampoo she liked using. Sei thought it was pity. Sei thought she was doing it for her. That she didn't care for her real feelings just couldn't live guilty. Maybe that was part of it too but that was the minority.

She needed proof

She moved a little and kissed ever so lightly the small hollow partly behind Sei's ear where her jaw and skull met and she felt Sei stiffen just slightly. She felt Sei's hope that it wasn't just pity, that she'd do it again. More to know that it was real than to appease Sei, Youko brought up her arms to wrap lightly around her friend's neck, fingers tangled in blonde hair as she pulled her down just a little.

Kissing Sei was right.