A/N: Surprise, I wrote a version from Aki's point of view with her own kind of physical and emotional pining for Sherry. Just as a heads up, I wrote Aki as trans. If you don't like it, leave.


The night breeze swept through the clean apartment, dancing over clean hardwood floors and into every open door. The showerhead in the bathroom held onto a shuddering drop of water before releasing it into a damp tub, the droplet disappearing into the drain before it could make a sound. The quiet pop of a moisturizer bottle interrupted the silence for just a moment.

Aki dabbed the cream on her face and rubbed it into her skin with her fingertips, stifling a yawn as best as she could. She made a final check around the apartment and put her purse by the door while checking the locks. It had been over a decade but she still felt paranoid of being found by the Arcadia Movement.

She closed the bedroom door and got under the thin blanket, her mind racing. Tomorrow, she had only one scheduled appointment at the clinic: Sherry Leblanc. Aki curled her fingers into a fist, the blanket clenched between her palm and fingers. She had to be professional about this. No feelings. No slip ups.

Aki fell asleep to the sound of water missing the tub drain.


Aki awoke in darkness and sat up. She was on the right side of her mattress. Usually, she slept in the very center to avoid… certain thoughts. Having an empty side of the bed gave her an uneasy feeling and her mind would fill the space with a certain someone.

A shadowy figure sat on the left side of the bed, their back turned to Aki. The doctor cursed under her breath when she recognized the outline and the familiar strong shoulders that once carried a world of worries. The darkness melted away and Sherry remained, her back still turned to Aki.

"No. Not again," Aki thought, lying down and turning her back to Sherry. The blonde laid down on the mattress next to Aki, her front facing Aki's back. She couldn't do this. Sherry was her friend. The redhead wanted to wake up, to run away from this phantom in her mind.

Sherry hugged Aki from behind, strong arms pulling Aki flush to her. This warm strength was… unfamiliar to her. She'd only touched Sherry's arms once or twice during physical examinations. She'd never been embraced like this before. "Sherry, please go away," Aki whispered. "I have to see you tomorrow. Don't do this to me again."

There was no response. Sherry nuzzled into the crook of Aki's neck and pressed a soft kiss on her skin. The doctor forced herself to remain in place but her skin was on fire as Sherry caressed her hips and left more kisses on her neck. "I feel pathetic every time I see you, either in the office or outside of that space," Aki said aloud. "You're incredibly beautiful and strong. And I'm supposed to be a medical professional but I ogle you every chance I get."

Sherry put a hand on Aki's shoulder, squeezing gently. The redhead covered her face with her hands. "You're the only person I've ever met who wasn't scared of my powers. You looked me in the eye and announced your interest."

A quiet laugh escaped Aki's lips. "When we're alone nowadays, you never look me in the eye." Sherry's fingertip traced lazy circles over Aki's shoulder. "Do you not like me, even as a friend, Sherry?" The redhead turned around to face Sherry.

She didn't respond. She never did. Aki looked down past Sherry's collarbone and she felt her face go hot. "You're naked," Aki said, stating the obvious. Sherry pulled away from her and sat up on the bed, gesturing for Aki to follow suit. "I'm not… sure of what you look like fully naked. I know you have a scar here." She stroked her fingers across Sherry's bicep and her fingertips left a thin trail of scarred tissue in their wake. "And one here." She pressed her palm on Sherry's hip and the faded path of a stray bullet revealed itself.

Aki sat up finally and hugged her knees, leaning against Sherry for support. "No matter how many Riding Duels we've had, no matter how many late nights we spend talking, a portion of your heart has always been closed off to me." She looked up at the taller woman, staring into those beautiful emerald eyes that wouldn't meet hers outside of this dream. "I watch all of your duels and tournaments when I can. To try and glean off of your opponents what's locked so deep in your heart no one else can see."

Sherry took Aki's hand in hers and kissed her knuckles. Of course her brain would make an ideal Sherry. Someone who would love her no matter how much she pushed them away. Aki sighed and decided to let herself have this. She was already lonely enough. She could let herself have something nice, even if it was temporary.

Aki laid back down on the bed and put her arms out towards Sherry. "Come here, Sherry." The blonde laid her toned body over Aki's, her heavy weight comfortable to the redhead. This weight really was nice. Sherry's thighs were flush with her own, dense with muscle but soft to the touch. And her breasts were really soft. Aki wouldn't mind spending the rest of this dream like this, blanketed by Sherry's body.

Sherry propped herself up on her forearms and kissed a trail down Aki's collarbone. She squeezed the redhead's left breast, massaging the soft skin with her fingertips. More wet kisses on her chest, on her stomach, on her hips, going lower and lower. Aki looked down at Sherry lowering herself further and further down Aki's body. Feeling a chill on her groin, Aki closed her legs, earning a confused look from Sherry. "I don't want to see you... doing that to me," Aki whispered. Sherry scooted back up the bed to lay down beside the doctor. Aki shut her eyes tightly in embarrassment.

Aki had made her mistake for the night. If this kept going, she would just replay the dream in her head the entire time she was giving Sherry her physical examination. She'd see visions of Sherry kissing her and touching her. Despite closing her eyes, despite her worry that this would taint her relationship with her friend, Sherry's strong hands pushed her legs apart and reached down. Long fingers wrapped around her penis. Aki felt her face heat up in embarrassment. She'd done this to herself before but never had anyone else touch her like this.

Sherry kissed her neck and shoulder slowly, dragging her hand up and down. Aki dared to peek out from behind her eyelids and closed them shut once more. This was embarrassing. Sherry kissed Aki on the cheek as a good-bye, sitting up to straddle Aki's right leg. It had to be a more comfortable position. Aki's eyes widened when Sherry lowered her head and kissed the tip of Aki's penis. Too much, this was too much. Yes, Aki was guilty of thinking about this on many many occasions but this was different. She had the power to stop this dream but she wasn't exercising that power.

Aki closed her legs again and Sherry made an annoyed grunt. The blonde was pouting at her. "Sherry, I like this but..." Aki saw the brief flash of confusion on her face. "Let's stop here. Okay? I feel really embarrassed." Sherry crawled back up and lied down on her side, pulling Aki into her embrace. The doctor let out a sigh of relief. She turned towards Sherry. This warmth was hollow but she ignored it, wrapping her arms around Sherry's midsection.

"Sherry, I want to hug you in real life too," Aki whispered, her fingertips digging into Sherry's upper back. Aki felt her body trembling. "I want to tell you how I feel with courage and pride. I want you to know how I feel." Warm tears trailed down her face and onto the bedsheets. Sherry pulled away ever so slightly to brush a stray tear from Aki's cheek. "I wish I was more like you, Sherry. You're always so bold and honest with your feelings. Maybe if I had more courage, I could tell you I love you in real life."

Sherry gently clutched Aki's left hand and kissed her knuckles once more. "I love you too, Aki."


It was dark when Aki woke up for the second time. The thin blanket was crumpled in her fists, her face was covered in dried tears, and her body was trembling. She let out a shaky breath as she absorbed the details of her surroundings. The clock at her bedside said "4:56 AM" and the glass of water she'd left by it had collected condensation at its base overnight. She forced herself to take slow and even breaths, calming down the rapid thoughts flying through her head.

She'd really said it. Even though it was a dream, she'd really dared to tell Sherry how she felt. "Maybe if I keep practicing, I can finally tell her some day," Aki thought.

Just before Sherry finds someone else, a dark voice in her head piped up. Who knows when that will be?

Aki knew she shouldn't listen to that voice in her head but today, she didn't have the strength to fight against it. Her heart filled with ice and she slept for another hour before getting ready for work. While she put on her coat, she couldn't help but look at her bed one last time. The vision of Sherry's naked body assaulted her vision and she immediately turned away and headed for the door. The ride to work was rough. Sure, Aki was on her D-Wheel but the early morning traffic was unbearable. The city really had to fix the infrastructure problem at some point.

"Good morning, Doctor Izayoi," the desk attendant greeted as she clocked into the clinic. No other words were exchanged. The attendant had taken a quick notice of Aki's shaky demeanor and decided not to press further. Aki chugged her hot tea from her thermos and set up her office and documents for Sherry's check up. God this was making her too nervous. She curled one of her bangs around her pointer finger, teasing with it while she waited impatiently for her friend to arrive.

The door opened and in walked Sherry who looked a bit worse for wear. Her eyes were slightly puffy but Aki chalked it up to stress from her job. Being a professional duelist was difficult after all.

"Good morning, Sherry," Aki greeted, throwing up her friendliest smile. Sherry wasn't looking directly at her, focusing on the trash bin at the corner of her desk instead.

"Morning, Doctor. I'm here for my physical examination." Aki took this moment to excuse herself from looking at Sherry. They were sitting too close, even if the distance was just a foot.

"Let's take a look at your blood pressure first." The woven brace wrapped around Sherry's muscular bicep (Aki felt her fingers tremble a little from feeling how solid the muscle was) and Aki recorded the numbers the instrument gave back to her. "Looks good. Your blood pressure is in a healthy range. The nurse already took your height and weight so no need to measure that."

Aki felt her tongue grow heavy at the thought of the words she had to say next. She mentally slapped her cheeks, steeling her nerves. "I'll be checking your lungs and heart now. Please unbutton your shirt, Sherry," Aki instructed, wishing her tongue would fall out as soon as she finished saying those words. Yes this was a real part of the inspection but it felt like she had ulterior motives.

The doctor bit her lip at the sight of Sherry's exposed chest and then mentally scolded herself for staring. The blonde was wearing a really nice looking bra though... She put the stethoscope on and put the diaphragm on the left of Sherry's chest.

"Your heart is beating quite fast today. Did you run to get here?" Aki stuttered out, counting Sherry's heartbeats and listening for any unusual noises. Sherry's heart sounded strong but it was beating very quickly.

"No. I'm just nervous." Sherry still refused to make eye contact with Aki.

"You? Nervous? You're one of the most confident people I know," Aki countered. Sherry nervous? The world had to be ending if she of all people was nervous about anything.

"You'd be surprised. There's something that's been on my mind for a while but I think I'm going to give up on resolving it." Aki's brows scrunched in thought. What could be worrying Sherry? "It's stupid, don't worry."

"It can't be that stupid if you worried about it for a while. Why don't you tell me about it?" I want to know more about you, Sherry. Please tell me more, Aki thought, praying that Sherry wasn't a mind reader.

"I…" Sherry paused. "I love someone."

Aki's hands froze and she felt her brain halt. Sherry loved someone else? She had no chance in the first place. She was still checking Sherry's lungs. Strong lungs that were barely letting out any breaths. "But I don't think they love me back. I had a dream about them last night and they said they loved me but I think it's pointless."

I had a similar dream, Aki wanted desperately to say. She noticed the forlorn look on Sherry's face and her heart melted. If Aki was going to be a good friend, she had to encourage Sherry, even if it was the last thing she wanted to do. "I'm sorry, Sherry. Perhaps you should tell them about your feelings anyway." Aki felt her heart bleed. "Better to let it out than to keep it in." She removed the stethoscope and pulled Sherry into a hug, her eyes stinging from tears that wouldn't fall. I'm just hugging you as a friend.

Aki let out a short breath. "I'm going to update your medical records now," she managed to say, averting her eyes when Sherry buttoned her shirt back up. She typed out her report on Sherry's health. Positive signs all across the board. No signs of lung or heart damage.

"I..." Sherry began. "I um..." This was uncharacteristic for Sherry. She was always sure of what she wanted to say. It was cute that she seemed lost for words. "I love you." Aki didn't quite process the words that came from her friend's mouth. She must be dreaming still.

"I love you too, Sherry," Aki replied in a whisper, her eyes focused on the medical report on her computer. Wait, what did she just say? Her hands slapped the keyboard underneath as her face heated up. Oh God, she messed up and let it slip. "Th-that wasn't supposed to… I… I'm very sorry. You were obviously practicing for when you were confessing to your crush. I should not have replied like that." She was fumbling so bad.

"I'm sorry too. That must've surprised you. But I do love you. I don't remember when it started but I…" Aki was screaming mentally, screaming in celebration, in glee, in excitement. She covered her face with her hands. This was too much to bear. "Aki?"

Her fingers parted to show her eyes. "I love you too, Sherry," she stammered, her rich brown eyes looking directly into Sherry's emerald eyes. Aki buried her face back into her hands in embarrassment. "I have to refer you to another doctor now..."


A/N: Please leave a review. I get the feeling I'll write something more tooth rotting sweet for them in the future. For now, have suffering~!