Also on AO3.

"Alright, this should be good."

Marie spoke to herself as she finished arranging taiyaki on a plate. Out of every sweet snack she'd sniffed out since becoming a yokai, she never expected to wait this long before being asked to find the fish-shaped treats. She placed the plate on the tray, the tea set rattling as she made her way through the school. The infirmary was in sight before long. Standing outside the door, she reached for the handle—

A sniffle came from the other side.

Stilling, Marie strained her ears. The only sound she could hear was a woman's voice, presumably coming from the TV. Was that all it was? Unless (by some miracle) someone else had come to visit, Higanbana should've been the only one inside. Perhaps it wasn't a sniffle at all; it was possible she'd simply moved while on the bed.

Sniff.

No, that was definitely a sniffle. Maybe she'd sneezed? Slowly opening the door, Marie instantly searched for Higanbana. She sat on the bed, head down, hands clenched in her lap. "Higanbana-san…?"

Turning her gaze towards Marie, Higanbana wiped her eyes. Her cheeks were wet. "…Don't give me that look. Just hand over the taiyaki."

Marie stared for a moment before racing to Higanbana's side. "A-Are you okay, Higanbana-san?"

"I'm fine," snapped Higanbana. She took the tray and wedged it between them, turning away from Marie as she shoved taiyaki into her mouth.

"But I've never seen you like this before…" Marie moved to face Higanbana. "Did something happen?"

"No." Higanbana poured herself some tea and took a sip. "You can stop talking now. The commercial break's over."

"But—"

"Seriously, stop."

Sighing, Marie took a seat next to Higanbana. Only the occasional sip of tea and crunch of the taiyaki interrupted the anime they watched. Something about teenagers with the ability to fly using a large machine attached to their arm. As two girls fought each other in a simulator, Marie couldn't help but glance at Higanbana from the side of her eye. It was entirely possible that nothing of note had happened; if anything, she'd probably just gotten worked up over something in the anime. Regardless, the fact that Higanbana had cried at all made Marie's stomach clench. She had imagined situations like this far too often, wondering what she might do in the astronomically low chance that Higanbana did tear up in front of her. And now that it was actually happening? Her mind blanked.

Another commercial break. Though she no longer sniffled or had a wet face, Higanbana remained silent. Had it been anyone else, Marie would have thought she was giving her the cold shoulder. Whatever had upset her, it probably wasn't something trivial. If Higanbana refused to talk, however, then Marie knew she wouldn't be learning the reason for her tears. Her heart ached; isn't there anything I can do?

"No, there isn't." Higanbana looked at Marie and frowned. "Forget about what you saw. If you do, I promise to—"

Marie wrapped her arms around Higanbana, pulling her close. She froze; it was unexpected even to her. There were no friends she had hugged back in life. Yet, the action felt entirely natural as Marie squeezed Higanbana tight. She pulled away a few seconds later.

Higanbana gaped, unmoving as her teacup fell to the floor. "…You…I…what?"

"Ah…I'm sorry." Marie clasped her somewhat clammy hands together. "But…I couldn't sit there and do nothing. I don't want my friends to be sad."

Continuing to stare, Higanbana blinked before cackling. Her laugh rang loud and long through the infirmary. "Teeheeheeheehee, is that it? Why, out of everything you could have possibly done, did you go for a hug?"

"Because it felt like the right thing to do," said Marie. "And…I wanted to."

"I see." Higanbana smirked. "Foolish Marie…yokai don't hug. It's a dangerous game in our world. Under normal circumstances, letting your guard down like that is practically begging for death. Especially when it comes to a cruel, brutal, nasty yokai such as me, the Dancing Higanbana. To think that anyone would want to hug me..." She shook her head. "You truly are a dunce, Marie."

But you let me do it, thought Marie. You didn't resist at all.

"Don't think too hard about it," said Higanbana, rolling her eyes. "I merely let myself go a little because you're the one who did it." She paused, then spoke quietly. "Those arms of yours are powerless without a door, after all."

A smile crept onto Marie's face. "Higanbana-san…you liked it, didn't you?"

"What do you mean?" Higanbana crossed her arms. "If you're trying to tease me, it's not going to work. It had no effect on me whatsoever."

"Then you wouldn't mind if I hugged you again, would you?"

"Well…" Glancing around before looking back to Marie, Higanbana shrugged. "Do as you please. I won't stop you."

And with that, Marie hugged Higanbana again. Her body was freezing; yet, the coolness against Marie's own warmth filled her with a sense of comfort. It only took a few moments for Higanbana to slowly bring her own arms up and hug back, gently resting her head on Marie's shoulder. So much for yokai not hugging.

The hug continued for nearly a minute, ending only once Marie let go. "How was that? Do you—"

"Did I tell you to stop?" Higanbana narrowed her eyes and tightened her grip on Marie. She kicked the tea tray off the bed and lay back, pulling Marie down with her as she rolled onto her side. "Don't let go until I say so."

Marie bit her lip to hold back the laugh that threatened to burst out. She once again brought her arms around Higanbana, cuddling close to her. As they lay together, Marie felt her heart warm. Higanbana could be incredibly rude and mean at times, but in moments like this, Marie found her quite endearing. It made her wonder what their relationship would be like if they were both human. She would've liked them to have been lifelong friends. Going to school with her, hanging out after school, going to middle and high school together, maybe even living together and adopting a pet afterwards…it made her heart beat a little faster. Her mother had always told her that when she was older, she'd find a husband and spend the rest of her life with him; the idea never appealed to her. Though it would probably be exhausting at times, the idea of spending her life with Higanbana was far more exciting then getting married to some boy.

Her eyes began to droop. If only she could marry Higanbana…

Marie's thoughts trailed off. The few remaining sounds were Marie's slow breaths, the hum of the lights above, and the ED playing in the background.

Higanbana's head snapped towards the TV. "Seriously?" It had been a new episode. Now she had to wait another five days for the rerun. Nobody else in the school had a TV, so it wasn't as if she had to worry about someone spoiling her. Even so, she'd been waiting for this episode for what seemed like forever! Marie was really going to get it once she woke up.

…Although, if there was any reason to miss it, this was one of the few acceptable ones. She stared at Marie's sleeping face, chuckling quietly at the strand of drool dripping from her mouth. "Completely passed out…you really are adorable, Marie. But I can't pinch your face like this…it's a pity." What exactly had Marie meant by her last thought, though? Sure, "Marrying Higanbana would be fun" was as clear as one of Kyou's mirrors, but was she serious about that?

…She sighed. Of course she was. This was Marie, after all. Higanbana felt an unusual sensation in her stomach. It was…strangely hot? She recognized her elation, but there was something else she couldn't quite put her finger on. "Teeheehee. And I thought I was done learning about emotions." Was she feeling delirious? No. Excitement? Yes and no. She wracked her brain until a single word stood out:

Love.

Higanbana nearly laughed at the thought. The Dancing Higanbana of the Third Ranked Seat of School Yokai, feeling love? What a stupid concept. And yet…somehow, it seemed like the most appropriate way to describe the way she felt. Thank god nobody else was around to read her mind.

Love certainly explained it well. Why else would she have she allowed Marie to catch her in tears? Why else would she allow Marie to ruin her anime night? Why else would she let anyone hug her? The range of emotion she felt while spending time with Marie was practically unparalleled. She never imagined that she'd feel so strongly about someone to the point where she wondered how life would be without them. Combined with the frustration and anxiety of having these feelings, it was only natural for her to react the way she had.

After all, why else would she have cried in the first place?