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Dissonance

Event IX

Melody

How many years did she know Hibiki now? How long has she spent hinting at things, pointing subtly in the right direction? All the while she knew that the cheery girl would never realize her feelings. Maybe it was on purpose. Maybe she wanted to be able to tell herself she was making the effort while she didn't want to risk their friendship.

A life without Hibiki had become an image of horror for her. A source of nightmares. The times they fought, the times they reconciled, the times they had fun or were sad together. She didn't want to miss any of these, didn't want to let go of the life she had.

Why couldn't she be content with things the way they were? Why did she have to fall in love with another girl, with her best friend of all people? Even now, she wasn't quite sure how and when it happened.

It had to be sometime after they cleared up their stupid misunderstanding. An error that had cost them a whole year of friendship. Once they made up, a spark was lit in Kanade's heart. It was so tiny, so fragile in the beginning that she didn't even notice it.

But as they fought and made up, again and again, the spark grew. And before she knew it, it was consuming her from the inside. A fire she couldn't control, she couldn't put out. There was no way she wouldn't notice.

That she wasn't looking at Hibiki the same way she used to. That the way she saw her changed from someone that was simply her best friend to someone she wanted to be with. Helpless and not knowing what to do with those feelings, she locked them away.

But with time, they grew stronger. So strong, that they broke out of the box they had been locked in, refusing to be locked away again. Secretly, she was looking at Hibiki with eyes of passion, eyes of desire. And that never changed again.

She turned sixteen and her feelings for Hibiki were like a wild fire. No matter how many hints she gave, no matter how much she tried to make Hibiki aware of what she felt, it was all fruitless. The girl had no interest in romance at all. Hibiki saw her only as her best friend.

Deep down, Kanade was both happy and sad. Nobody would take the cheery girl from her if things stayed like that. But could she truly be content with how things were? Just seeing Hibiki in a swimsuit drove the red to her cheeks. Thinking of Hibiki at night when she attended to her own needs. Talking to Hibiki made her painfully aware of her beautiful lips, her eyes, her skin. She wanted to jump at her and kiss her.

But she couldn't. The one thought that held Kanade's heart tightly in it's grasp was the fear that Hibiki might reject her. Might leave her life. It was weird to like another girl, and even weirder to like the one person you spent half your life with.

"Hibiki..." Kanade was in her own room, curled up inside her bed. The words Sunshine had spoken earlier rang true, no matter how much they hurt. If she didn't get her act together now, she would lose her chance to be with Hibiki forever. And there was nothing in the world that she feared more than that.

But how would she do it? Talking to her face to face, saying 'I love you'. Could she really do that? Would the words really come out of her mouth when she needed them to? She... had to. Sunshine would not sit around and wait for her to get her act together.

And there it was. The fear that Hibiki might turn away. Look disgusted. Leave her alone. Choose someone else. That she might have to spent the rest of her life without ever talking to Hibiki again. Living with the knowledge that she was with someone else. That she ruined the most important friendship in her life.

Just staring at thin air, the other end of her room, Kanade opened her mouth. "I lo... lo..." Why were those three words so hard to say? Was she really that weak? No, that wasn't really the reason. She was insecure. She didn't think it was possible for Hibiki to feel the same way. She didn't think Hibiki could accept her.

Risk everything and confess or let things stay as they are and keep quiet. It came down to one choice or another. Both paths held the potential for a horrible bad end. But only one of them had her suffering regardless. Her choice was made.

=== Dissonance ===

Hibiki wasn't quite sure what she was supposed to say. Woken up in the middle of the, supposedly, night by Kanade, who didn't even seem surprised in the least to find her sleeping right next to Itsuki.

And now, they were standing out in one of the many hallways, Hibiki yawning constantly. Kanade was facing Hibiki. Her heart was beating like a jackhammer, her throat was dry and she was unable to keep her hands from moving unless she put them together and kept them on her back..

"Hibiki." Kanade figured she had to start somewhere. Having gotten the pink Cure's attention, she tried to breathe calmly, which failed spectacularly. She was quickly turning pale.

"Kanade... are you okay? You're acting kinda weird." What else was she supposed to say? She didn't really want to explain her situation with Itsuki to Kanade. It would be really awkward.

"I'm fine." Kanade wasn't fine at all. After having asked Hibiki out here, she couldn't pull out. She had made her decision. "About... Sunshine. You don't mind she's a woman?" And still, she couldn't get straight to the part she needed to say.

"I don't really think about that... I like her, it doesn't really matter if she's a woman..." Hibiki couldn't say it without looking away. It was quite embarrassing to talk with Kanade about things like that.

"So... if you like a person you don't care if they're a guy or a girl?"

"I don't think it matters. It may be a little weird but... yeah, I think it doesn't matter. Why are we talking about this Kanade?" Hibiki really didn't feel comfortable talking to Kanade about her love life.

"Because... I..." Her throat refused to let go of the words, refused to let her say it. She was still afraid. Her resolve was shaking, about to fall apart. She couldn't do it. She couldn't risk Hibiki.

"Can't we talk about this tomorrow? I'm really tired..." Hibiki walked towards Kanade, eager to go back to bed and leave the awkward discussion behind. But she was stopped by her friend.

Kanade grabbed Hibiki's shoulders and looked right at her face. "Don't go." There was more than just a trace of desperation in her voice. "Don't leave me."

Hibiki could only watch in bewilderment as Kanade seemed to swallow something poisonous. "When I see you, my heart skips a beat. When I talk to you, I feel happy." Gritting her teeth, eyes twitching and her lips forming a crude smile. "And I am jealous when I see you with Sunshine."

"What... are you saying?" Hibiki looked at her friend with big eyes.

"I love you," Kanade said as a single tear rolled down her cheek.

"What?" Hibiki blinked twice and took a few steps back. She must have misheard. "I think I'm still asleep... I'm hearing you say weird things."

"Don't make me say it again!" Kanade turned around, her back facing Hibiki. "Is it really that odd a thought for you? That I might think of you as more than just a friend?"

Hibiki didn't know what to say. It was too much. First, Itsuki took her heart, and now Kanade was telling her that she was in love with her? She couldn't process it. All she managed to say when her mouth opened were stuttered fragments of disbelief.

"I'm so scared to lose you. When I noticed that you and Sunshine were always together, I got jealous and really scared. I thought she would take you away from me. So..." Kanade lowered her head. Her voice became a little muffled. "I told you how I feel. I want to be with you Hibiki. Not just as your friend. Not even as your best friend. I want to be your partner, I want to be with the person I love."

Hibiki felt her heart ache. It was a pain she had never felt before. She was already with Sunshine. "But... I'm already..."

"With Sunshine? Don't you get it Hibiki? I want you back. I want you at my side. Not at hers. Leave her and be with me." Once she had said the first few words, everything she had stored up was just flowing out. There was no going back after those words, it was all or nothing now.

"I don't want to be alone. I won't ask you for an answer right now but... please think about it. Think about me, us." Kanade felt like she was about to cry, unable to deal with the emotions she kept hidden flowing out. If she was rejected, her relationship with Hibiki was in tatters. But she had to try. She had to try instead of regretting it for the rest of her life.

"You're... not joking, right?" Hibiki had an instinctive feeling that Kanade would never joke about something like that but she needed to make sure.

"Who would joke about this?!" Kanade shouted and turned around, facing Hibiki again. Her face was dominated by a deep blush, a fire lit in her eyes.

"Then... you really..." Hibiki looked on the ground. A lot of things made sense all of a sudden. Just thinking about it made her realize that there had been signs all along. Subtle, hidden signs she only noticed now that Kanade told her what she felt. "Since when do you feel like that?"

"What does it matter?" Kanade looked to the side. Her stubborn streak was coming through again.

"It matters to me! Tell me, how long have you felt like that?" Hibiki had to know just how long she had been ignoring Kanade's feelings.

"Before Ako joined us as Cure Muse." Kanade's voice was timid, almost a whisper. She stated it like a simple matter of fact but she could see the reaction on Hibiki's face from the corner of her eyes.

Hibiki couldn't say anything. Over two years had Kanade kept her feelings hidden from her, trying to make her aware of what she felt. And she had been oblivious to it all that time.

There had been moments in her life when she felt terrible and hated the world for being unfair. But right then was the first time she felt truly miserable because of guilt. Lowering her head, Hibiki hid her face from her friend. "Why didn't you tell me..."

"Isn't that obvious?!"

"No. It's not. I don't get it. I don't get it at all. So tell me Kanade." Hibiki raised her voice and shouted the next few words. "Why didn't you say anything?!"

"Because I was afraid I'd be rejected, stupid! I was scared you'd leave me all alone! Think a second about how I felt!" Kanade shouted back.

"I'm thinking about it right now. And just thinking about it makes me angry. You must have felt terrible all this time. And you didn't say anything because..." Hibiki made a meaningful pause. "Because you were afraid I'd stop being your friend?"

Hibiki walked towards Kanade and right past her. "I need some time alone." She needed to get out of there before she said something stupid or started to argue with Kanade.

Leaving behind her best friend, Hibiki only walked around the corner, stopping briefly, only to start running as hard as she could. What was she supposed to do now? Her head was hurting, her mind in total chaos.

She ran and ran until her face was flushed, her legs refusing to listen to her, her breathing rapid and heavy, her lungs hurting, her throat dry. Leaning against a wall, she had to catch her breath, had to rest her body. Even she knew very well what was asked of her.

To turn Kanade down and stay with Itsuki. To leave Itsuki and be with Kanade. One way or another, there was no good outcome. And of all people, she had to make that decision.

She liked Itsuki. She always spoke her mind, always said things in a way Hibiki would understand. No subtle hints, no round about way of doing things. She was beautiful too, an adult that made her realize the pleasures of romance, of love. Hibiki couldn't tell if she really loved her. There was no dispute over liking her or not. But loving someone and liking someone had to be different things. It was hard for Hibiki to put her thumb on exactly what she liked about Itsuki beyond these things.

And for Kanade... the more she thought about her, the less clear her image of Kanade got. Did she really only feel friendship for her? Hibiki's heart stung when Kanade confessed to her. She felt both happy and shocked. It was different from how she felt about Itsuki, completely so.

"What do I do..." She couldn't think. If only she had her piano so she could play. It helped her to put her words, her thoughts, her feelings into something she herself could understand. Standing up and slowly getting back to her room, Hibiki longed to play the piano even more.

How much time had passed since she ran from Kanade? Since she was faced with a decision that couldn't possibly end well. And never mind the decision itself, she wasn't even able to figure out her feelings for either Kanade or Itsuki at this point.

Did she love Itsuki? Did she have feelings for Kanade beyond friendship she just didn't know about? What if both of these were true? What if she loved Itsuki and yet had feelings for Kanade? Her stomach was turned upside down and her head felt like a swarm of bee's were using it as a nest.

She was exhausted when she finally got back to her room, hoping to be able to fall asleep right away, able to forget about the situation at hand. But that was a futile hope. The second she laid down, memories of her days spent with Kanade dominated her mind.

The times they fought Noise. The times they had fun together, fought, made up, played music. How did Kanade feel during all of that? How horrible must it have been for her to just sit there, right next to the person she loved, without being able to say anything. "Kanade, you idiot..." Hibiki covered her eyes as she laid on her back.

Her resolve to not cry broke when she realized just how much had happened since then. How many days Kanade had spent with a fake smile, how many nights she must have spent feeling lonely. And despite all, she never said anything. Kanade wanted her to figure it out by herself. "I guess I really am dense..."

Turning over, she noticed the bowl filled with coins. She had completely forgotten about that. For fighting in the last battle, she had gained some favor. She didn't need to think twice about what she wanted. Grabbing the bowl and leaving her room again, she headed into the depths of the labyrinth of hallways and rooms, until she found a wide open space.

"How did this work again?" Hibiki tried to recall. "Close your eyes and wish for it... I think." There was only one piano she really wanted. That very same one she had practiced on with Kanade all that time. The one she protected and loved.

With a golden flash, more than half of the content of her bowl vanished and in exchange, an exact replica of the grand piano she loved so much appeared before her. Her eyes were shining, her heart jumping as she looked upon it. It was exactly the same. Even little scratches, tiny marks from years of use, they were all there.

Unable to wait, she sat down, testing the sound of it. And it too was just like she remembered. How she had missed that familiar feel of ivory and black wood under her fingers. The smell of the aged wood the piano itself was made of. The feeling of power to produce beautiful sounds at her fingertips.

But as quickly as her mood that risen by getting her Piano back, as quickly it fell when she remembered the reason she had wished for it in the first place. But now things were different. Not succumbing to her feelings, she played the first note from a song she remembered well.

The main theme of a famous musical. She had heard the song once on a recital and ever since then practiced it. While slow and with a hint of sadness to it, it was a beautiful melody that moved one's heart. The piano version of the main theme of Fairy Tail, a musical that told a story of magic and friendship.

She could play the song with her eyes closed. With every note she played, every key she hit, every minute, she calmed down more. So much even, that she didn't notice she had gained a small but appreciative audience.

After playing the song so many times that she had lost track of time, Hibiki finally stopped and took a deep breather, looking down on the keyboard with fond eyes.

"I've never seen you perform this song so beautifully Hibiki." Her audience stood up and walked up to her, having spent most of the performance hidden behind her.

"Ellen?!" Hibiki was surprised to see one of her closest friends in the middle of the night, so far out there.

"I was playing something myself when I heard someone play the piano. I thought right away that was you. But why are you playing this late at night?" Ellen sat down on the chair next to Hibiki, leaving her guitar on the ground.

Hibiki didn't say a word for almost a minute. A silence that felt like days for Ellen. For that cheerful Hibiki to act like that, something had to be wrong.

"Say, Ellen... what am I supposed to do?" Hibiki played a series of unconnected notes, displaying how worried and confused she was. "Kanade told me she loves me... how am I supposed to respond to that?" Hibiki trusted Ellen. Hiding what had happened wouldn't get her anything. "I'm... you know... I'm with Sunshine right now." Hibiki blushed a little but that was overshadowed by her sorrowful gaze towards the piano.

"I don't know what to do. Kanade wants to be with me... and I don't know what I feel for her. She looked so sad... I could tell she went through a lot because of me. But I don't want to just leave Itsuki like that... if only Kanade had said something sooner."

"Do you love Sunshine?" Ellen wasn't sure what she was supposed to say. She was stuck in a pretty bad situation herself, although fundamentally different from Hibiki's.

"I don't know! She's the first person to ever actually treat me... you know. Like I'm the one that needs to be protected. With Kanade, that's just not there. I like her a lot too but... I can't tell if I love her. I'm so confused..."

"So regardless of what you do, one of them is gonna be sad..." Ellen was a little distant, partially because she couldn't relate to the moral dilemma Hibiki was facing.

"It feels like the more I think about this, the more I move away from a solution." Hibiki sighed and played a few more random notes.

"Want me to accompany you on the piece you played just now? I could use the distraction." Ellen offered her help but Hibiki declined by shaking her head slightly.

"No, it's fine. I think I'll just go and get some sleep. Thanks anyway." Hibiki stood up, her hand moving over the top of the piano as she walked past it. "I'll just leave it here. This room is really nice for playing." Grabbing her bowl with favor, Hibiki turned around to face Ellen. "Good night."

The fight, Kanade's confession, the running and then playing piano. Her body was reaching it's limits, even as a Cure. No matter how worried, how confused she might be now, sleep would eventually catch up to her.

Reaching her room, Hibiki found someone waiting for her.

"She got over herself and told you?" Itsuki could guess just by the face the pink Cure was making. "I just want you to know that I'm not angry or disappointed. I think it's wonderful that she managed to jump over her shadow and tell you what she really feels. Not many people can do that. I know you have a difficult decision to make."

Sunshine walked up to the girl she liked so much and patted her head. "No matter who you decide to be with... I'll still be your friend. It'll be awkward for a while if you chose Kanade, but you need to follow your heart in this matter Hibiki." A subtle pointer. She liked the girl, but she didn't want a friendship of years, a love of years, to be ruined because she followed her own desires.

Sometimes, it was necessary to make a little sacrifice. Making sure that Hibiki made a decision by following her feelings and not doing what her head told her was one of these sacrifices. She didn't want to stay with Hibiki if it meant to rob the girl of her chance to make a fair decision she wouldn't regret.

"I'm old enough to deal with being rejected if it comes down to that. I like you enough that I want you to be happy. And it's you who has to figure out what makes you happier." Itsuki showed a gentle smile to the girl and turned around. "Sleep well. I'll see you tomorrow."

Hibiki found herself to be even more confused than before. If only she could handle things as well as Itsuki did. Mature, composed, in charge of things. But that was only the surface.

Itsuki held true to her ideals and still, she didn't want their relationship to end. She treasured the time she spent with Hibiki so much, she enjoyed talking, laughing and playing with her. Even without hearing it straight from her mouth, Itsuki knew that if she should be rejected, it would hurt.

Because she was already hurting. Acting mature and like an adult was the right thing to do, but it was not what she really felt. She was scared of Hibiki choosing Kanade over her. She didn't want things to change.

"There I go saying all those things... I know it was the right thing to do. I guess I understand now what people mean when they say that sometimes, you don't want to do the right thing. Life is complicated..."

=== Dissonance ===

"We won the last round, but this time, we'll be narrowed down to just a few people. Who will do negotiations? We should take votes for the exile after that. And most importantly, where is everyone?" Honoka was looking at the only other residents that had shown up for breakfast, Miki and Inori.

"I'll do the negotiations. I have no idea where the others are. Love is probably still asleep." Miki was emptying a bowl of rice with some miso soup and natto. Not her favorite type of breakfast, but they couldn't be picky until they got a kitchen. "Honoka, I think we should get a kitchen before we do anything else with the teams favor. We have over seven-hundred right now, that should suffice for a decent kitchen.

"People could take turns cooking. I think I'll stick to helping out though, I usually eat at my parents house. I don't have a lot of practice." Inori had already finished her breakfast and was just as curious as White as to where everyone was.

"We'll create the kitchen as soon as we have approval from the others. I have no problem with you doing the negotiations, Miki. Lemonade was going to leave after Rouge. Where is she?"

"Just finished a shower in case they don't have one over there." Speaking of the devil, the yellow Cure entered the room and sat down on the table. "I stand by my word, I'll run for exile. No matter what, that leaves you with four people that are unable to leave and the rest is part of teams. I'm not really looking forward to collecting votes after the next battle." Urara had her own view of things.

"So you will leave? That makes things easier. I'm not looking forward to meeting you in the arena though." Honoka had seen a bit of how the witty Cure fought. It would be a real problem to take her out by usual means.

"That argument goes both ways. Regardless, the exile run is not for another few hours, so I'll rest for the time being. Looking at Kurumi really scares me. I don't want to get stuck there." Urara ate her food in a perfectly relaxed manner. Keeping a poker-face was essential in keeping up her reputation.

In truth, she was really scared of getting stuck as exile and experiencing whatever Kurumi went through. And there was something she had to finish up before she left.

One after another, people who were being talked about entered the room. Kurumi showed up, looking very tired and a little depressed. Considering what she went through in the last seventy-two hours, that was pretty understandable.

"Morning." She still tried her best to put on a smile and greet the people present. With the sole exception of Urara, she didn't remember any of the others. And she didn't exactly know a lot about how the life of her former teammate had went.

"You look terrible Kurumi." Urara treated her like she treated everyone else. With brutal truth and not exactly a lot of respect.

"Fits with how I feel then." Kurumi rolled eyes and sat down at the upper end of the table. Awkward silence dominated the room. Urara didn't expect an honest answer like that.

"Honoka." Hikari showed up and looked rather confused. "Why is Nagisa wrapped into a blanket and wriggling across the floor?" She stopped briefly next to the white Cure.

"She woke up like that. And I woke up feeling pretty cold. So I left her like that." Completely nonchalantly, Honoka took her cup of tea and had a sip, paying no attention at all to Hikari's awkward expression. White could be pretty cruel when Black did something wrong. Not that it was hurting Nagisa, but it was pretty amusing to watch.

Walking up to Kurumi, Hikari sat down. At roughly the same time, the whole room could hear a weird sliding sound, like someone was dragging a huge bag over the ground. It took a few more seconds before they could see an orange tuft poke out from the corner. "Honoka... forgive me already... this is embarrassing!"

=== Dissonance ===

"Dark." "Pitch Black." The two Kiryuu's, Egret, Rouge and Moonlight were the first to wake up and get breakfast but none of those were talkative by any means that early in the morning. And so, the Kiryuu's were bored again.

"You two should get yourself some kind of game to play. You're way too fixated on other people." Mai commented as she munched away on toast, fighting a headache. "Curse you Honoka... I can still feel it." Rubbing her cheeks, the purple haired girl was surprised to see Kaoru up and well. "Kaoru, are you feeling alright?"

"Got a headache. But I'm fine. Thanks for asking." Kaoru actually smiled and leaned on the table, bored to hell. "Is Saki still sleeping?"

"Taking a shower. I already took one before I came here." Mai was wearing a specific type of smile on her face. Kaoru didn't need another hint. They must have spent either the early morning or the night together. Sometimes Kaoru wondered if she could enjoy things like that with her sister.

"I'm surprised how similar things are on this side. I suppose I'm not allowed to give any details about the team constellation and things, but I guess telling you that we have about the same facilities just a little better is not breaking any rules." Rouge commented over putting away her third toast. For some inexplicable reason, she felt as hungry as a bear.

"It's to be expected. A bathroom, showers, a table to eat, chairs to sit. The next step would be a kitchen, but I guess we're a little short on money." Michiru replied to the new face.

"Money? I don't think it's right to call it that." Mai interjected but found herself thinking that it was actually pretty accurate.

"They're coins we trade in for things. I'd say that's as close as you can get to money." Rouge shared Michiru's opinion.

"I don't think it matters. More importantly, what do we do about negotiations and the exile? Do we have any volunteers?" Moonlight interrupted their conversation.

"I'll do the negotiations if you don't mind." Mai looked at Yuri but there was no tension between them. The older Cure nodded briefly to acknowledge Mai's request.

"We can't vote..." "...for Dream yet," The two sisters said. It was the obvious choice. Nobody else was resiting the fighting that much.

"Considering probably half of our team is on the other side, maybe it is time for us to leave." Yuri knew that it would be difficult to get people to agree with that. She was one of the three that had assumed the role of the leader.

"Morning. Ah that felt good." Saki had finally finished up her shower and showed up in the living room. Sitting down next to her partner, she looked briefly at everyone. "What were you talking about?"

"The next switch." Rouge explained. "Considering that Rhythm, Dream and I can't be voted out, and from what I can tell, it doesn't make sense for one of the four people combo over there to leave. That doesn't leave a whole lot of candidates."

"I don't think anyone from the Suite team will leave, but we should ask just in case. I'll do it after breakfast." Yuri took another cup of coffee. She really wanted to have a full night worth of sleep. She wasn't exactly in any condition to fight or negotiate.

=== Dissonance ===

Hibiki was facing the ceiling in her room, deep in thought. It was until then the hardest decision she had to make in her whole life. Even deciding to not become a professional pianist had not been this hard on her.

While she might have been a little dense about some things, she now knew what both girls felt. Dragging the decision with her would only make everyone involved feel miserable for days.

First, she thought about Itsuki, Cure Sunshine. She was tall, beautiful, mature and always said what she thought. No subtle hints, no roundabout way to talk about things that were embarrassing. No matter what happened, Itsuki always told her things in a way that she understood them.

And then, there was the one thing that drew Hibiki to her more than anything else. The reversal of what she was usually like. With Kanade, with anyone else, she was the one to help out. She was the one to set things straight. The leader, the one that protected others. Having never experienced what it was like to be on the receiving end of that, it lit a fire on Hibiki's heart when it happened.

Itsuki was stronger, more responsible and mature, more experienced than her. It wasn't Hibiki who protected Itsuki but the other way around. An alien, a completely new sensation for her. To feel like someone treasured her safety, to feel that someone led her on. It felt good to be cared about in that way. It felt so incredibly good to know that someone cared enough to take her into their arms, hold them close, like something fragile.

They shared many interests. Martial arts, sports, their sense of humor, even the way they thought about romance. Before Itsuki came into her life, she had never spent a single thought about what it would be like to kiss a guy or girl. It just didn't seem to be related to her at all.

And Itsuki just came into her life, took her by storm and made her part of her own life, even if it was only for a short time. If Kanade had never confessed, she would have stayed with the yellow Cure. It was impossible to say for how long, but things would have continued the way they were.

Itsuki took her first kiss, her first night. While Hibiki didn't care much about these things, she would always remember her gentle touch, her soft lips. That fiery night where they first slept with each other rushed past Hibiki's eyes as she thought about it. Itsuki's smooth skin, her large breasts, her silky hair, golden eyes and gentle lips.

Just thinking about it made her face flush. There were no words to accurately describe how much she had enjoyed that night. How much she had enjoyed being with Itsuki.

And then, there was Kanade. Her best friend for so many years, she couldn't remember everything they did together, everything they experienced together. She fought with her at times but always made up with her. She knew Kanade's dreams, her ambition and fears. What she liked, what she hated. Her favorite style of clothing, her favorite and least favorite food.

She could go on and on, because she knew everything about Kanade. Until just a few days ago, there had been no secrets between them. Kanade was a gentle and caring person, who could just be a little scary when she got angry. Hibiki trusted nobody in the world more than her.

But that was Kanade her friend. Things had changed. Right now, she was thinking of Kanade as someone she wanted to be with. To kiss and sleep with her. Who wanted to be that one special person in her life. In a way, Kanade already was special, but not the way she wanted to be.

She had hidden her feelings for so long, Hibiki felt guilty about never realizing the way she really felt. But she couldn't let her guilt influence her decision. To compare Kanade with Itsuki wouldn't be fair. Kanade was beautiful too, even though Hibiki found it hard to think about her that way.

In her head, Kanade was still her friend. In her heart, that had already changed. Realizing the way Kanade felt for her, Hibiki looked at herself, looked deep into her heart, exploring the depths she never dared to touch before, because they might reveal things about herself she didn't want to know. And deep down, she found something that made her hate herself.

Feelings for Kanade. She didn't know when or how, but she must have locked them away unconsciously, scared about the same thing Kanade had been so scared of. Rejection. The ruination of their friendship. It only made her feel worse about not realizing what Kanade felt.

What purpose was there to Kanade being scared, to herself being scared, if they had both felt the same way about each other all this time? It was so stupid, she could cry.

Kanade was someone she couldn't imagine to be not a part of her life. She literally couldn't imagine it. The year she spent without Kanade by her side seemed like a bad dream. The thought of losing Kanade scared her.

"Looking at it just from that way, it feels like a real no brainer... but..." Hibiki turned over in her bed, talking to herself, in need of venting her thoughts. "I don't want to lose Itsuki either. If I hadn't met her, I probably would have freaked out completely when Kanade confessed... and I really would've turned her down."

"So what do I do? I hate this... I realize this isn't a game, where I just bring victory to one team and the losing team sulks for a bit and get's over it. Either I break Kanade's heart, or Itsuki's heart." Hibiki covered her eyes and bit her lower lip.

"Picking Kanade will make things really awkward between me and Itsuki... she said she'd still be my friend, but it'll be different from now. Picking Itsuki... I don't know how Kanade would react. I don't even want to know."

"It feels like I'm moving in circles. Leaving Itsuki scares me, leaving Kanade scares me too. I don't want to hurt either. I'm never going to make a decision like this." Hibiki turned over again and buried her face in the pillow.

"'Make your decision with your heart, not with your mind.' she says. But how am I supposed to do that? I can't just ignore the consequences. I'm not a child anymore." Hibiki punched the mattress and sighed.

"If it was so easy to decide with your heart, I would've done it already... I'm not stupid. I know Itsuki will be hurt if I choose Kanade. But that's the only decision I can get to... Kanade has been part of my life for almost a decade... and now that I know how she feels, I get to realize that it's been mutual. I really suck... She must think I'm the worst."

"I wonder if Itsuki knew I'd think things through like this... it wouldn't surprise me. She always seemed to know what I was thinking. Differently from the way Kanade and I get along but... Ah, my head hurts!" Hibiki ruffled her hair and got up. Her stomach was growling, but she didn't have an appetite.

Leaving her room regardless, Hibiki confirmed with herself that she had the worst possible timing. Itsuki was walking past her just as she stepped outside. Only glancing in her direction, Itsuki smiled and continued to walk towards the living room, only to collide with Kanade, who just left the showers.

The two of them glared at each other for a moment and entered the living room together. Now, that room had suddenly become the place Hibiki wanted to be the least. Walking off towards labyrinth, she wondered what it must feel like for either of them to wait for her decision. What would their reaction be?

"The more I think about this, the further away I get from actually deciding..." Hibiki wanted to feel sorry for herself, but just thinking about how Kanade and Itsuki must feel stopped her from doing so.

"I guess I understand now what it means when they say that love can be painful..." Having never bothered with romance before, Hibiki had been completely oblivious to the dangers and emotional pitfalls involved. And now she was right in the middle of it all.

=== Dissonance ===

When Erika came to, she wasn't in her own room. And she couldn't move her arms or legs. "Finally come to, sleeping beauty?" A voice she recognized. Lemonade's voice. Looking to the right, she saw the woman sitting on the edge of the bed she was laying on.

"That was quite the rude interruption from your friend last time. But I doubt she'll try and burst into my room." Urara had a devilish smile on her face, moving her left hand to her lips, licking the top of her index finger seductively.

Erika tried to move her arms and legs again, only to find them tied by golden chains. "You can stop trying. Nobody can break those." Urara moved on the bed, kneeling over the blue Cure. "I don't like tying people up for sex but I had to make sure you won't run away in the middle of it."

"You had your fun with me already. What more do you want?" Erika wasn't particularly happy about getting involved into some weird bondage play.

"Like I said, I wasn't done last time." Leaning down, the former actress' face was only centimeters apart from Marine's. "If you play nice, you'll get to enjoy this too. Otherwise, I just might to have use a little more force."

"Raping me sure is a nice thing to do. Why wouldn't I enjoy that? Oh sorry, was my sarcasm too much for you?" Erika tried to get her arms free, but they were tied with golden chains at her wrists, the chain itself extending into the wall. Her ankles were tied together as well, again, the chain extending into a wall. She couldn't move at all.

"That's rich, coming from the girl that sneaks up on others in the shower and gropes them." Lemonade stuck out her tongue, leaned further down and briefly licked the side of Erika's neck. One of her hands on the mattress to support herself, the other slowly moving up Erika's smooth legs.

"You're a little short but you got a surprisingly big chest for your size. And a really nice figure. Good genes or hard work?" Urara kissed and caressed Erika's neck with her lips and tongue, her hand moving from her legs to her skirt to her waist and finally her stomach.

Trying to resist seemed really pointless. Lemonade wasn't hurting her despite tying her up. And she seemed pretty gentle, which surprised Marine even more. "I guess it runs in the family. I'm the only one that's short though."

"It adds to your charm," Lemonade said as she backed up a little, moving to sit on Marine's waist. She was pretty light herself, so there was no problem in doing that. With a single yellow flash, Urara got rid of most of her outfit. All that remained was the chest piece and the skirt. Moving one hand over the stomach of her prey, she grinned when she noticed that Marine was blushing a little.

Standing up, Lemonade clicked with her fingers and the chains loosened just enough for Erika to turn over if she wanted to. "Want to do it yourself or should I flip you like a pancake?" There was only playfulness in her voice, not even a hint of anger or thirst for revenge. She was genuinely amused by what she was doing.

Rolling over, Erika could feel the chains tighten again, restricting her movement. She could feel Lemonade part her long cyan colored hair over her back, revealing the almost bare back of her outfit. "Fancy. I always wanted to design my costume like this, but that seems to be beyond my abilities. You got nice sense."

"Well I am a fashion designer. Of course my outfit needs to look good!" Erika boasted only to realize that she was further falling for Lemonade's scheme. It still felt wrong what she was doing to her but at least she wasn't treating her rough. Yelling for help would only complicate everything and the next time, she wouldn't be treated that well. It was best to endure... well... get it over with at this point.

Erika felt the four strings on her back snap. She couldn't tell what Lemonade was doing, but her outfit lost most of it's support. It became pretty loose. If she stood up like that, it would be bad.

"Your breasts are bigger than mine, despite me being taller. I'm jealous." Lemonade sat down on Erika's back, leaned down and kissed her neck again, her tongue drawing a thin, wet line downwards over Marine's back.

The blue Cure felt herself get turned on quite a bit by that. Forgetting about the chains, Lemonade seemed like a real romantic when it came to sex. It seemed so very out of character for the otherwise cynical woman. "I'm surprised you're not just having your way with me... you're pretty gentle. I didn't expect you to be."

"You enjoy rough play? I really don't like that, but if you insist I could do it some other time." Lemonade had reached the lowest part of the back cut in Marine's outfit and sat back up. Pulling off her chest piece, the only thing remaining was her skirt. Throwing it on the ground, Urara shivered slightly before she laid down, pushing her breasts against Erika's bare back.

Erika was actually thankful that she didn't have to look at Lemonade's face right that moment. Then she was blushing quite heavily. Groping someone was one thing, having fun with Tsubomi another. And then, there was what Lemonade was doing to her right now. She was getting really horny just from the way Lemonade touched her.

"They're not as big as Karen's or Komachi's, but they feel nice don't they?" Urara had no problem setting the mood for what she was doing. She wanted to be an actress for a long time, so things like that would flow right out without a hint of embarrassment.

Rubbing her breasts on Marine's back just a little, she could tell that it didn't make much to excite the blue Cure. Her breathing was becoming irregular and faster, she was blushing and her body was getting warmer. Getting up and standing over Marine, Urara clicked with her fingers.

Loosening the chains again, Erika was allowed to turn over once again. Looking at the almost naked yellow Cure, she couldn't hide how horny she was feeling. Her nipples were poking through the white cloth below her ribbon. She was starting to feel pretty uncomfortable wearing her whole costume.

Kneeling over Erika, Urara crawled slowly to the lower end of the bed and sat down next to Erika. Clicking her fingers a third time, the chains around her ankles moved, separated, tying each leg loosely to the wall by itself. Lifting the left leg of the blue haired girl, Urara slowly pulled down the white stocking with two of her fingers, watching Erika's face from the corner of her eye.

The chain moved briefly to allow Lemonade to take off Marine's stocking together with her half boot. Lifting her leg to her face, Urara kissed her ankle, licking it in excessive slowness. Erika watched with a bright red face as the older Cure caressed her skin.

Repeating the play with Marine's right leg, Lemonade secretly loosened the chain enough so that Erika could move her legs about a little. She didn't want her to suffer from the binding. Just as she put the second stocking and boot aside, completely exposing Marine's legs, Lemonade sat down on Erika's waist, smiling seductively. "Want me to take off the rest too?"

Erika didn't even see it as punishment anymore. She was the one that fooled around with people, and she was a lot more crude than Lemonade was now. She really started to enjoy their little game, even though the binding was still annoying her a little.

Getting closer to Erika, Urara knelt over her chest and leaned down, her face so close to Marine's that she could feel her hot breath. There was no doubt that she was excited, both from being touched and seeing her exposed chest. She was excited herself too, so it fit well together.

Leaning down further and moving just a little to the right, Lemonade's lips reached the left ear of the younger Cure. Pinching the ear with just her lips, she heard Marine gasp and let out a surprised moan. Her left hand moved to the girls forehead and further up, taking off the small ribbon in her hair.

Only the wrist gloves remained and Erika was quite excited already. "I'll take the rest off myself...!" She gasped and a blue whirl engulfed the two, the outfit completely vanishing, leaving Marine naked, with Lemonade laying right on top of her.

Urara smiled and the chains that tied down Erika vanished. She was able to set a single condition for just a few chains at a time. Finally free, Erika didn't even think about running away. As soon as Urara tried to get up, Marine grabbed her cheeks, pulling her face closer.

The blue Cure had her eyes already closed, finding the soft and wet lips of the blond Cure by instinct. A fierce kiss, not gentle or reluctant, but full of passion and desire. Marine almost broke off the kiss when her partner groped her left breast. Using the brief confusion, Lemonade slid her tongue into Marine's mouth, intensifying the kiss even further.

Their tongues fighting each other in a wild struggle for dominance, Marine moved her arms and laid them around Lemonade, pulling her closer, pushing the songstress body against her own, feeling the bare, hot skin. Unable to see but feeling it, Lemonade's skirt vanished completely.

When they finally broke up the kiss and Urara emerged victorious, the yellow Cure was breathing just as heavy as the girl she had caught. "Enjoying it?"

"Shut up and kiss me." Marine tried to turn her captors game against herself but found herself unable to do so. A single finger put on her lips silenced her.

"No need to be in such a hurry. We barely started." Lemonade grinned as she backed up a little, both of her hands moving slowly over Erika's sides, drawing circles, tickling her just a little, finally coming to a stop on her breasts. They were just a little too big to fit whole into Urara's hands. "Enjoy this, Marine."

=== Dissonance ===

Two Cures stood on a large tower, the central one that was the largest of all. The tower that Sunshine destroyed was still broken. The platform they were on was separated by a large glowing barrier.

"There isn't much choice for the next battle. There is a maximum of four people participating. And we're getting to the point where we will end up fighting former team mates regularly now." Egret was opening negotiations. She was facing Berry, who didn't seem especially pleased to see her.

"I hoped Moonlight would come out for the negotiations but oh well. Regardless, most of us have gotten used to the situation at hand for the bigger part. Those who still refuse to accept the situation at hand just have to learn it the hard way. All four that didn't fight should fight this time around. A four versus four. The last battle was huge and a mess, so I'd like to postpone the battle until tomorrow. We only need to have one every two days after all. Hopefully, the arena will have changed by then," Miki said while she walked up and down in front of Egret.

"I see a problem with the rules in this case. What if one of the four on our side that didn't fight were to switch to your team and someone that fought from your side to ours? We would be stuck with three people that haven't fought, you with five." Mai assumed that was how things would go down.

"I assume there is no problem as long as they didn't fight for your side at the time. If someone comes out of exile or switches from our side to yours, they should be able to fight just fine, without violating the rules." Berry tried to apply logic.

"I hope so. Just to be on the safe side, let's make it a three versus three battle. Regardless of who switches, both sides should be fine then." Mai was satisfied that the other side had enough brain to send someone rational to do negotiations. She would have preferred Honoka, but there was nothing she could do.

"I don't like switching from my plans but it wouldn't hurt to play this face I guess. Three versus three it is then. What about the arena? I only heard about the state it is in, and I am not eager to send anyone fighting in that mess."

"It's chaotic, true. I suppose we should delay the next battle until tomorrow in hope of there being a shift in the structure. It'll be bad enough for the exile runners to get through at this point." Mai took a deep breath. It was time to wrap up negotiations.

"Participants, three." Mai looked at Berry who confirmed with a nod. "Participants. Three."

"Time, in twenty-eight hours." That was the latest possible time for the next battle to be scheduled. "Time. In twenty-eight hours."

As the number of participants and the time was set, the two Cures faced each other for a few seconds in silence. "You are coping well." It wasn't her style to make useless small talk, but Berry was surprised how well thought out everything Egret said was.

"So are you. Greet White for me when you see her." Mai turned around and stood in the middle of a glowing circle. Berry did the same.

=== Dissonance ===

Hibiki's fingers were sore from playing. Playing almost every song she knew by heart, how many hours had she spent at her piano now? Losing track of time was nothing new for her, but at least this time, she hadn't lost herself entirely in thought.

Her decision was made. Thinking about it, going back and forth between the two girls that wanted to be with her, debating who would react how and trying to gauge just how strong her feelings for each of them were, Hibiki had done everything she could to make it a fair decision.

In the end, it was still the one she had first thought about. The one, her heart had told her to pick. After traveling down the road of what if for a long time, she knew it was the right choice. A choice she wouldn't regret making. Of course she, and her, would feel terrible for some time, but that was a given, regardless of who she picked in the end.

"Hibiki." The orange haired girl turned around and saw Ellen slowly walk up to her. "I'm going to switch. I thought you wanted to know before I went. The exchange is pretty soon, so... there is something I wanted to show you."

"You're not going to ask me about last night?" It seemed like the first thing anyone would do in that situation.

"We're not kids anymore Hibiki. I trust you to handle your own problems. There is something I want to show you before I go. Watch this." Ellen took a few steps back and focused, closing her eyes, breathing in deeply.

Hibiki watched with big eyes when a blue sphere deployed around Beat, swarming with notes. She stood up and she noticed that something was wrong. Hitting a single note on the piano, she confirmed a hunch. There was no sound.

And then Ellen opened her mouth. But instead of just her voice, music started to resonate thorough the room, engulfing Hibiki. She had never experienced something like that. Instead of her guitar, Ellen was strumming the very notes that floated around her. They formed a melody, formed a rhythm and beat, a symphony on it's own.

And then her voice hit. It sounded so alien to Hibiki, a language she didn't quite grasp, and yet she fully understood the meaning of the words. They weren't just there for her to hear. They went through her, filled the room, elevated her to a different place.

"Faura yewe murfan anw sol ciel. Faura sonwe murfan anw sol ciel ee." It was repeated twice. "Ridalmae sol ciel yanyaue manaf. Presia yasra lusye enclone anw omnis." A beautiful, serene song that was soothing to the soul. Hibiki could feel her body almost float. The sphere was extending with every verse Ellen sung. But as she continued, something felt off. Something was lacking. "Faura selena anw Metafalica." She repeated the verse twice. The sphere increased with a burst and it changed from soothing to tensing up. Ellen was silent during the change.

The sphere broke apart seconds later as the music tried to change into a new, much more powerful version. Ellen was panting and sweating. "This is something I heard about in Major Land a long time ago. The 'Hymns of Symphony'. They're like the melody of happiness or the melody of sorrow, just that they have no score. They're soul songs. I just sort of... did this last night after I talked to you. It just came up inside me and I had to let it out. But I don't think I can do this on my own." Ellen was not as oblivious to such things as she had been in the past.

"I've never seen anything like that. It was completely different from the melody of happiness. I felt really calm for a moment and then it changed to... I can't quite describe it. I... sort of understand what you were saying, but what language was that?" Hibiki was so taken by what she had just seen, everything else could wait for a few minutes.

"I don't know. Maybe they're some ancient language that was spoken in Major Land a long time ago. I wanted to show this to you before I leave. I wanted to show it to Rhythm and Muse too, but Ako was off with Moonlight according to Egret and and I couldn't find Kanade either." Ellen sighed.

And it finally sunk into Hibiki what Ellen had said. "You're going to leave? Why? We four finally got to be together."

"I'm going after Passion. I need to talk to her." Ellen didn't want to give the full reason of why she was going after the red Cure.

"You already decided you'll go?" Hibiki walked up to her friend and took her hands. "I think we should stay together... but if you're set on going, I won't stop you. You seem like you have your reasons."

"I'm not going far away Hibiki. We might end up fighting each other, but we'll be on the same team again eventually." Ellen smiled. She didn't like leaving her friend behind either, but she couldn't just ignore the way things were between her and Setsuna. "Did you want me to ask you about last night?"

"I made my decision. It won't help anyone if I think about this for days and days, so I went over everything and made up my mind. I have a horrible headache now though." Melody smiled.

"Then you should go and tell the two. I'm sure they're waiting. The exile exchange is still a few hours away, so maybe I should try and find Ako in the meantime. She's the queen-to-be of Major Land, I'm sure she knows something about these Hymns."

"Don't leave without telling me! I'll see you off." Hibiki grinned and stretched her arms out, feeling a little sore from playing for so long.

"Don't worry about that." Ellen turned around and walked in the general direction of their rooms and the facilities. Hibiki joined her side quickly.

"But it was a really beautiful song. I knew you could sing really well, but when did you learn singing like that?"

"Now look Hibiki, I was once supposed to sing the Melody of Happiness and the Melody of Sorrow. I'd be disappointed if I couldn't sing at least this well. I just... don't really sing stuff like that for my fans or anyone really." Ellen was a little sensible about her pride as a songstress.

"I wish I could sing like that..." Hibiki could play the piano extremely well but she had never really bothered to learn singing the way Ellen did.

"When we all sung for Otokichi, you weren't bad at all. You just need some practice." Beat praised her friend, pointing with one finger to her throat. "It's all about practice and stamina. Singing burns a lot of energy. And calories."

"I'm already playing the piano, I don't really want to spent so much time learning how to sing. We have you for that. Ako is singing really well too, but I don't have the talent."

They reached the hallway, the two of them walking towards the living room. Hibiki felt anxiety grow in her chest. She had made up her mind alright, but she felt sick approaching the moment she had to actually say it out loud.

There was no way for such a situation to be pretty or nice. It would hurt her and there was no way around that. At the very least, she wanted to have a quiet moment with the two to tell them.

Hibiki was slowly losing the color in her face when they stepped into the living room. Kanade and Itsuki were both there, glaring at each other from across the table. Ako and Yuri were there as well, which was Beat's cue to leave Hibiki to her own devices. She was old enough to not need her holding her hand.

Hibiki walked up to the two, now the center of their looks. Everyone else had the decency to ignore the obvious trouble the three were having. Hibiki was grateful that nobody was asking any questions or making a scene."Kanade. Itsuki. Can I talk to you for a bit? Alone." Despite all, her voice and she herself were trembling.

=== Dissonance ===

"That was amazing..." Erika was laying on her bed, her long hair covering her breasts, her lower half hidden under the blanket. "I thought you were a real sadist. I was pretty wrong."

Lemonade was sitting on the edge of the bed, combing her hair with what looked like a really expensive and nice comb. The two twin-tails fallen apart, her long golden hair was flowing down her back like a waterfall.

"I seem to give that impression a lot. I tied you up because you'd have run away without me doing anything. Don't misunderstand though. I did this because you groped me in the shower. I don''t intent to date you or anything. You were really nice, but I think I'd prefer a girl with less spunk to her personality." Looking over her shoulder, Lemonade grinned. "You're one hell of a wild girl."

Erika blushed heavily as Urara said those words. She had lost herself a little in the moment back there and got a little too excited. Thank god Tsubomi really didn't come bursting in. "Do you do this a lot? Just sleeping with one girl and then leaving her? I... could tell you were... experienced."

"Not all the time, but sometimes, yes. If there's a really cute girl among my fans, I take her backstage. I also sleep with Rouge, if you care to know. We're not in a relationship though, so if you want to take a shot at her, go ahead. I think she'll literally burn you though." Urara finished combing her hair, canceled her transformation briefly and transformed again, a brand new set of Cure costume on her body.

"I'm fine since I don't sweat easily, but you should take a shower sometime soon." Lemonade stood up and looked at Erika. "Get up, I'm heading out and I don't want anyone in my room while I'm out. At least nobody conscious." Urara grinned and watched Erika give her a hot look before she did the same thing as the yellow Cure and spawned a new set of clothes.

"I think you shouldn't tell your friend you slept with me by the way. This might just be my hunch, but I'm pretty sure she's a little interested in you." Urara waited for Erika to walk past her before she too left the room and closed the door.

"You mean Tsubomi? I can't imagine her being interested in me... she liked Sunshine a while back, but nothing came of that." Erika just couldn't imagine Tsubomi being romantically interested in her. The more she thought about the idea, the more she seemed to like the perspective of being with her though.

"I could be completely wrong but it won't hurt to keep this a secret. It was supposed to be punishment too, but I can't help it if you liked it."

"If only punishment for missing deadlines was this nice." Marine shrugged and sighed, getting a laugh out of Lemonade.

"See you around. Most likely in battle. I'll be leaving for the other team in a few hours," Urara said seconds before she took a turn and walked towards the labyrinth, away from the living room.

Erika could hear that something was going on in the living room and headed over there. From the looks of it, they were holding some sort of meeting. Everyone except Lemonade was there, herself not included.

"Marine is here. We already taken votes and ten out of twelve are in favor, so we'll proceed with it. Just in case, do you have any objections to the team using the accumulated favor to get a kitchen? We're sick of ready-made meals." Berry turned to the blue Cure that had just joined the room.

"Sounds good to me." Erika was instantly approached by Tsubomi, when the pink Cure noticed her friend.

"Erika! Where were you the whole time? I've been looking for you since this morning! What's that smell? Did you run around?" Tsubomi couldn't get closer than about a meter of Erika. There was some kind of sweaty smell coming from her that wasn't quite like actual sweat. It was much sweeter and had a bit of an actual fragrance.

"Yeah, I was running around, looking for something. I wanted to see if there's a way to get to the other team. I was curious." Erika didn't like lying to Tsubomi, but she followed Lemonade's advice in not telling her she had spent the morning passed out in the yellow Cure's room and the noon by sleeping with her.

Honoka walked past Erika at that exact moment, stopped briefly and gave her a knowing look. She knew that fragrance, that smell. It was the exact smell that stuck to Nagisa and herself after a fiery night. She didn't say anything, only smiled.

=== Dissonance ===

The two blond women had followed her in silence. Leaving the hallway, they made to an empty room not too far away from the rooms. The two of them looked at Hibiki, standing a few meters away from each other. Hibiki could tell that those two didn't like each other for reasons even a blind man could have seen.

"I... decided." Hibiki had thought about the way she would say it. Had thought about it so much that she had prepared a dozen different ways to say it. And now, all of that preparation burned away in the heat of their expectant faces. There really was no easy way of turning someone down. But she felt that the two of them deserved the truth.

"I hated making this decision. I hate the way this whole situation came to be. Because it's all my fault. Blaming myself won't make this any better though, so I won't bother."

Itsuki gave an approving nod while Kanade seemed pretty unfazed.

"I thought about it a lot. I tried to think about it with just my heart, then with just my head. Neither really worked. I had to use both of them to finally make a decision." Hibiki intuitively beat around the bush a little.

"Itsuki." She turned to the older woman and forced a smile. "You showed me what romance was. How nice it feels to be with someone you care for. You made me feel like someone who wanted to be protected. Like someone who wanted to have all of your love. You even made me aware of some of my faults."

Hibiki felt her throat dry up. She couldn't really delay the inevitable any longer. Taking a deep breath, a single tear ran down her cheek.

"That's why I'm sorry... I like you, but Kanade is who has been in my life for longer than I can remember. When she told me last night she loves me... when I realized how I've caused this whole situation by being dense... I found something buried deep within me. Feelings I had locked away without me ever knowing. I loved Kanade and was afraid of the same thing she was. Rejection."

"I can't imagine a life without her. And while I like you a lot... Kanade is more important to me than anyone else in the world. I don't just want to be with her, I need to. This might sound really unfair and hard to you... but... I tell you the truth exactly because I liked... love you. I did fall in love with you. That's why you deserve the truth." Hibiki turned to Kanade and lowered her head. "I'm sorry Kanade. I'll... need a little time to let go of Itsuki before I can be with you."

"I'm actually happy you managed to tell me this straight out what you feel. It hurts to be turned down. It hurts a lot. But I can live with it because you were honest. I think... I'd have never talked to you again if you had just lied to me or used some excuse." Itsuki closed her eyes and looked at Kanade, who seemed to fear she would jump at her any second. "Treat her well. If you don't, I'll take her back."

"I don't even need to answer that, do I?" Kanade exhaled deeply and looked at Itsuki. "I might have never gotten over myself and tell Hibiki if you hadn't been there. For just that, I'm thankful."

"I'll want to be alone for a bit." Itsuki turned around and walked up to Hibiki, whispering a last few words. "I'm happy you love me. I love you too." Then she was gone, leaving behind Hibiki and Kanade.

"I'm.. so sorry about this whole mess Kanade. If only I'd have realized sooner that this feeling was mutual... but I was just as scared as you in the end. I must have sounded like a total hypocrite last night." Melody couldn't face Kanade anymore.

"It's not going to make anything better to regret it now." Walking up to the girl she loved, Kanade put a hand on her cheek. She knew that kissing her right now would probably cause problems, so she didn't even try to. "I'm happy you feel the same way. So incredibly happy." Hibiki looked up and saw Kanade shedding tears of joy. "I wouldn't have known what to do if you decided to stay with Itsuki. I was so scared..."

"Kanade..." Hibiki laid her own hand on the girls cheek. "Don't cry. I won't leave you ever again. We can be really together this time."

=== End of Event IX ===