Mei emerged from her dream torturously slowly. She could still see and feel Yuzu in her mind. Just Yuzu, smiling, or talking, or in class. Her mind did not recognize she was awake until her eyes blinked and all that was left was an afterimage. For several long seconds she just laid there and stared at the ceiling, eyes adjusting to the darkness of the room.

There was not a hint of sunlight through the window so it was probably still in the deep of the night. A glance at her alarm confirmed the time and Mei inwardly groaned. As she gained awareness of her surroundings she also became aware of how uncomfortably hot she was.

She peeled the blanket off of her burning form and sat up, her hands coming up to cover her face. She sighed into her hands and rubbed her eyes to hopefully force the lingering feelings of the dream away. After a few moments Mei looked over at her sleeping companion, who seemed to still be sleeping in utmost slumber.

Mei felt her cheeks heat up as her mind revisited what she remembered of her surprisingly innocent dream, starring the slumbering girl herself. She just remembered being happy. Happy together with Yuzu. If dreams were a simple projection of her unconscious desires, then… Well, these feelings were new. This probably would have been a lot easier to deal with if it had been an erotic dream. She could ignore base desires well enough. But this became a little more complicated when she wanted to actually be togetherwith Yuzu.

Mei brushed her hair behind an ear with an unsteady hand. She bit her lip, stomach sinking as she realized she was slowly and surely developing feelings for her sister. And it was not a stretch to imagine when and why that started to happen. She could feel it in the way her heart skipped a beat when Yuzu smiled. She recognized it in the way she couldn't hold eye contact or touch her for too long because if she did she would lose herself. And she saw it in her dreams like tonight.

But the actual experience of falling for the other girl… was terrifying.

Mei felt herself on the edge, and it would be so easy, too easy to simply fall head over heels for Yuzu… but she couldn't. She was frozen on that edge, terrified of the height. She did not yet have that ability to blindly trust someone, even if on some level she knew Yuzu had earned her trust.

Mei quietly slipped out of bed to clear her head. She went into the bathroom, not bothering to switch on the light and turned on the water in the sink.

She took a deep calming breath as she cupped the running water in her hands. So the real question she had to deal with was… how exactly was she going to approach these feelings? Mei bent over the sink and splashed the cold water on her face. The shock of it helped immensely and she repeated the process. Her uncertainty seemed to melt away as she refreshed herself, mind focusing. She turned off the water and looked in the mirror, barely making out her own reflection in the dark room.

She could either pursue these feelings, or let them die. It was pretty simple, wasn't it?

If she chose to kill her feelings, now would be the time to do it. When they were still young, just taking root and barely poking out of the ground. It would not be easy but she could still just squash and grind these feelings back where they came from. It would probably be for the best. What good could come out of a relationship outside the norm of sisterhood, anyway?

On the other hand, she could let the feelings grow. And then what? Well, Yuzu would probably be receptive. More than receptive. Because Mei recognized that Yuzu had feelings for her as well.

But… why?

Mei's eyes blinked in the mirror and her brows furrowed. Why did Yuzu have feelings for her? All at once the clear cut way she had been thinking about just a moment ago became muddled with that one question. What exactly did Yuzu see in her?

Mei could only guess it started when she first kissed her. Mei was pretty sure that had been Yuzu's first kiss, and she had taken it without a second thought. Her own question became more looming when she thought about how she had not stopped there. She had cornered Yuzu in the shower. She had pushed her down in their bed and molested her.

She had… molested Yuzu.

Mei's hands grabbed hold of the edge of the sink as her stomach lurched at the thought. This was the first time she had actually acknowledged that word. And the full extent of her actions and how she might have affected Yuzu. Oh god.

Mei's eyes continued to stare at her reflection, wide and clouded. Why did Yuzu want anything to do with her? Why? Why? She was overcome with the sudden urge to lash out at her reflection. She grit her teeth and blinked away tears of disgust, forcing herself to look down into the sink.

It was obvious. Yuzu only thought she loved Mei, because of some sort of misplaced feelings of responsibility and lust. She did not actually love her. How could she actually love her? Mei tainted her, tainted her feelings, and twisted something up that could have been beautiful into a convoluted mess of her own selfish actions.

Knowing that, how could she possibly bring herself to be with Yuzu? Mei angrily reached up to wipe at her face with a sleeve. She sniffed and met her own gaze again, more certainly this time.

She had to let these feelings go. Yuzu would undoubtedly flourish without her. It was the healthy thing to do. Mei closed her eyes and breathed out shakily. She could do this. Even after everything she has done, Yuzu was still a ray of golden light. She lifted Mei up even as Mei herself did her damndest to bring the other girl down.

A drop of water rolled down her chin and fell into the sink. Mei's grip on the sink loosened and she dried her face with a towel. She felt better with a decision in mind. She felt it was relatively safe to return to bed. With one last glance in the mirror, Mei set out to try and catch some semblance of rest this night.

She carefully got back under the covers, trying not to jostle the bed too much. Unfortunately though, she slipped and ended up falling onto the bed close to Yuzu. The blonde shifted, rolling over to face Mei and hugging her pillow tightly against her head. Mei froze in place and stared into the other girl's face. Yuzu looked very carefree and peaceful. And adorable.

Her eyes flitted to her lips and Mei unconsciously licked her own. It was something Mei tried not to think about too often; their unexpected shared kiss that stunned them both. That kiss was definitely haunting her, constantly in the recesses of her mind and trying to draw her attention. Whenever her mind went back to the frustratingly fresh memory, the heat in her body rekindled as if she was experiencing those sparks all over again.

Her lust was so much simpler to understand. And something she knew how to deal with. Yuzu was a beautiful girl. It was only natural to be attracted to her. Physical attraction was justifiable. And damn if Mei was not drawn into that beauty like a helpless moth.

Gulping slightly, Mei shifted closer, leaning in Yuzu's direction. She could feel her pulse picking up over her own actions, hoping she did not wake Yuzu up. Slowly, Mei closed the last few inches between their faces, bringing her lips achingly close…

"What are you doing?"

Mei shot back, nearly scrambling backwards off the bed at Yuzu's voice.

That was it, she had been caught. Yuzu would never let something like this go in a million years.

Goodbye, newly regained mental health.

Play it cool Mei, keep it together! "Sorry-"

"We need'ta get the… the totem…" Yuzu mumbled in her sleep, shifting onto her back. "And then… pony rides… err'day."

A wave of relief rolled over Mei, making her sink her face into her pillow to cover up a sound of mortification. Relief quickly morphed into extreme annoyance at herself. What had she been thinking? Was she going completely crazy? Kissing a girl in her sleep, like some sort of uncontrollable touch monster? Her face sunk deeper into her pillow until she could hardly breath. "I am disgusting…"

"Harumin~" Yuzu smiled doofily. "Your boobs… I want them."

Mei felt a much more acute pang of annoyance and before she could stop herself she used her pillow to smack Yuzu right in the face with it.

"Gweh!" Yuzu shot up, disoriented confusion written all over her face. "Haah? Bweh?" Her disheveled blonde head turned left and right, looking for whatever assailed her. Her eyes landed on Mei, who was lying very still with her back turned to her. "…Ghosts." Yuzu concluded to herself, a chill going down her spine.

Meh, probably a friendly ghost. Yuzu promptly flopped back onto her pillow and continued sleeping.

Mei's heartbeat eventually calmed down enough for her to think again. But all her thoughts lead to the same conclusion; these new feelings were going to drive her completely mad. And that it was going to be harder than she thought to completely destroy them.

Because for all her certainty that she had no choice but to let Yuzu go, she absolutely loathed the thought of Yuzu going to someone else.

Sleep refused to welcome her that night.

The next morning found the step sisters eating at the breakfast table. Breakfast being a bowl of cereal for Yuzu and a cup of steaming black coffee for Mei.

Yuzu's anxious gaze kept flitting between her bowl of cereal to the dark haired girl. Mei looked unusually haggard, with dark bags under her eyes and less than perfect hair. She kept sighing quietly as she nursed her cup. Yuzu wondered if it was her fault. The blonde's eyes widened self consciously. Did… Did she snore?!

"Mei, are you okay?"

"No."

"Is it my fault?"

"Yes."

Yuzu cried internally at Mei's dry tone. She stirred her cereal until it turned into a soggy mess, working up her courage. Eventually she cleared her throat and tried to catch Mei's eye. "Um, say," she started with a tentatively inviting smile. "I know you're usually busy, but I was wondering if maybe you wanted to… eat lunch together with me later?" Yuzu asked hopefully. "If you're not busy!"

Mei's glance drifted away from her and Yuzu's heart sank. Great, she was being shut out again. Again! After she thought they had gotten closer! Especially after that crazy kiss they shared! Yuzu had half a mind to just go and give up on life-

"I'd like that," Mei said quietly, a hint of red on her cheeks before she brought her coffee to her lips.

"Really?" Yuzu brightened considerably, unknowingly providing nutrition for Mei's budding feelings. "Okay. Okay!" Yuzu blushed happily.

Mei drank the rest of her coffee, heart tugging insistently within her chest. Maybe it was the complete lack of sleep, or the rush of caffeine, or maybe just the worst judgement of all time, but… She did not want to bring the boot down on these feelings. Or maybe she couldn't. It wasn't her boot to bring down, after all.

*cleaned up by Funnyach!