Sina hears footsteps approach her, and for a second she hopes that Chishiya has come back, maybe to apologize or to put things right. How much she could use a hug right now!

But it's not the white hoodie she sees while wiping the tears out of her eyes. Which might not be a bad thing in the end, because she honestly looks wrecked with her reddened face and running nose.

The person sits down next to her and Sina recognizes Kuina. She still looks sleepy and wraps her jacket closer around her chest to withstand the nightly temperatures. Sina doesn't quite understand why Kuina is here, because they have never talked with each other before, but she is giving her an honest smile and that's exactly what Sina needs.

"Wow, you look bad." Kuina says, and Sina exhales a desperate laugh.

"I feel bad."

Kuina reaches into her pocket and pulls out a chewing gum cigarette, offering Sina one too, but she declines. "Not a smoker here", she smokes with a wink.

"Is it because of Chishiya? I've seen you two talk together earlier."

Sina nods, running her fingers through her still wet hair. It probably is a total mess by now, but that just fits her current mood perfectly. She pulls her knees up to her chest and rest her head on them, watching how the stars reflect on the surface of the water.

"You can talk about it, you know."

But can she, really? Can she pour out her heart in front of that woman that she barely knows? Sina doesn't want her to run to Chishiya and tell him how whiney she has been, but Kuina doesn't seem to be such a person. And besides, it can't be bad to talk about one's feelings for once. Maybe she will understand, and at least she most likely won't call Sina pathetic or stupid.

With another sigh, she starts talking. And soon enough, the words just pour out of her mouth while the tears start to run again.

Sina tells Kuina how she slowly developed such feelings for Chishiya, and how she has tried to approach him several times mostly without success. But then there has been the car scene and the hug on the roof. Sina tells her about the hopes she has had for this night, no matter how rightless they've been. And how those hopes have been crashed in a mere second.

"How are you supposed to love a person that cold and condescending? And how are you supposed not to? I feel so helpless whenever I am near him, and it only gets worse when he's not here."

Since she doesn't have anything else, Sina wipes her nose with the arm of her jacket and suppresses a sob after she has finished talking.

Kuina examines her with pity in her eyes, but there's also understanding. She doesn't say anything for a while, but when she does, she also put her hand on Sina's shoulder and squeezes tight.

Out of all the people here, you had to chose Chishiya… That's tough. Though if you ask me, you can be quite proud of yourself that you already got so much from him! At least you're not nobody to him."

"But I don't want him to hate me either."

Removing her hand, Kuina slightly shakes her head and the dreadlocks swirl around her face. "I don't think he hates you. It's just… have you ever visited a zoo?"

Startled by that weird question, Sina just nods.

"Take a look at the wild animals. In their habitat, it's not impossible to approach them. But as soon as they're caged, they become aggressive and want to break out. I think Chishiya isn't much different. He needs to be the one winning the game, and therefore he needs to be in control – of all things and all the time. And when you take that from him…"

Never forget who you're playing with.

Chishiya's words don't leave her mind, and maybe Kuina is right. Maybe he doesn't hate her, and maybe Sina can get some warmth again if she approaches it his way. She still wants this man so badly after all, but in those rare and tender moments they share, she forgets that he is different, and that's the problem.

"I just want to hug him again…" Sina murmurs, and Kuina chuckles next to her.

"Whew, you're definitely lost." She slides closer to Sina and gives her a warm grin. "I can't tell Chishiya to do anything, but I can give you a hug – if it helps."

And it does. Kuina puts her arms around Sina and holds her tight while her body is still shaking from the last sobs. It's so different than Chishiya's halfhearted touch, and only now Sina realizes how much she needed some honest affection.

Kuina gently caresses Sina's back while making some comforting noises, and after a few minutes, she's ready to let go.

"Thank you. I… that was necessary."

"No big deal!" Kuina says with a smile. "Just come to me if you want to talk. Of if you want to rant about a certain stubborn."

Her words raise a smile from Sina, and while her eyes still burn, there are no more tears to come.

"Who knows how many times I'll have to take that offer in the future."

Kuina takes out her gum cigarette and nods towards the water. "Looking forward to it. Wanna go for a swim?"

"Nah", Sina says, "I'd rather try to get some more sleep." And she has definitely had enough water for now.

They both say goodbye before Sina grabs her jacket and finally gets up. Her legs hurt after being in a sitting position that long, and she stretches her body to ease her muscles. Night is already waning and the sky is turning red, and before Sina goes to bed, she wants to watch the sunrise. Her mind is still too upset to sleep, and a nice and peaceful sunrise will certainly help her calm down entirely.

Just as Sina's about to enter the main hall, she catches something from the corner of her eye and she stands still to see what it is.

A sudden gasp escapes her mouth as she sees Chishiya, standing in a dark corner and watching her with his hands tucked inside the hoodie. While she can't decide if she should be upset, angry, longing or just all of it, Sina wonders how long he has been standing there. Has he been able to overhear the conversation she's had with Kuina? Is it possible that he hasn't left the pool area at all?

Sina hurries to get inside so she won't do anything stupid (like start to cry again or beg him to give her another hug), but she can't remove his image from her mind.

How he just stares at her with his smirk and those eyes that rarely show any emotion.

And he doesn't even blink.