"Sakura, I wish for you to have a council with me." Yugiri approached her body language was tense and formal. The courtesan was in a serious mood and that was a rare occurrence.
"What?" Sakura blinked not sure what to expect.
"You're a good listener and you help everyone when they have problems. So you might be able to help me through mine."
"Sure, what's wrong?"
The older woman hesitated, a blush entering her discolored face. Sakura had never seen her act this way before. It both interested her and sent a bit of fear down in her spine. "I fancy someone..."
"Eh?" It took a while for her words to really compute in her brain. "That's wonderful isn't it? Who's the lucky person?"
If possible she blushed harder than before. "Lily."
"...?" The redhead wore a blank expression. Since she didn't speak the courtesan continued.
"I like the feeling I get when I'm with her."
"Lily is twelve..."
"So?" She cocked her head to the side slightly. "I was eleven when I got my first blood. I was considered a woman then."
Sakura frowned. "Time was different back then, I guess..."
"Besides I don't have any ill intent with her. I had enough of that when I was alive. I much prefer singing and dancing as forms of entertainment."
Subconsciously Yugiri's arms wrapped around her body. The redhead couldn't help but wonder if they were all painful memories for her. When she mentioned them in passing, they never seemed too horrible. Really it must have been hard. "What would you like me to say exactly?"
"I believe the modern world has different courting practices and I wish to learn of them. Is a dowry still needed for parental bribery?"
"Parental bribery? You can't really do that…" The redhead trailed off. The fleeting picture of Yugiri bribing Kotaro flashed in her head. "I'm not sure I'll be much help. I've never had firsthand experience with this."
"I see." Yugiri sounded a bit disappointed. That made Sakura frowned a little. She didn't like not being helpful to her friends. "Perhaps I should consult our leader?" The taller woman muttered to herself but the egghead over heard. Sakura momentarily thought if going to Saki was a good idea. Once the older woman turned to leave, Sakura exhaled with a bit of relief.
It was easy to locate the blonde. One of her favorite places was just sitting outside. "Leader."
The biker offered a friendly smile. "What can I do for you, sis?"
"I wish to pursue someone in a romance. How do I go about doing that?"
"Take them on a date." Saki replied without hesitating. She continued speaking before the brunette could ask what a date was. "Go somewhere fun and just spend some nice time together."
"That's not too different from what I thought. Is a chaperone still required?"
"Chaperone? God no."
"Do you have any other advice?"
The biker hummed and thought about it. "I don't think so."
"Thank you for you input." Saki nodded and watched her walk off.
Thinking on the advice the courtesan absentmindedly walked into the home. Junko and Ai were sitting on the couch enjoying a cup of tea and chatting. Their attention turned to the older woman who walked in. They greeted her warmly.
"May I ask a question?" To get more opinions wouldn't hurt her chances.
The girls shared a glance. "Sure, what is it?"
"In this time, how do you show someone you're interested in them?"
Ai looked a little surprised but Ai outright blushed and outward stuttered. "W-why are you a-asking us?" The Heisei idol gently tapped her side with her elbow. The action immediately made her mouth shut and eyes avert.
"Congratulations, I assume you haven't told them?" The younger girl asked taking a small sip of her cup.
"No, I was wondering what I should present to her to win her favor."
"Flowers are nice..." Ai turned to the shy voiced Showa girl. Her eyes were glued to her cup. The younger girl smiled warmly her words duly noted. The fair haired zombie was an old fashion girl after all.
Flowers? They were a popular sentiment of feelings even back then. Ai turned back to Yugiri. "You don't always need to give a physical gift, you know. The best gift in the world would be your time and affection, don't you think?" The girls on the couch glanced at each other again sharing the most innocent of smiles.
"Well, yes." The woman thought about it. It's just that giving favors meant you're a wonderful provider. Then again as a zombie she didn't have anything to give anyway. Would Lily truly even care about material possessions? Her eyes drifted towards the idols. Whether it was subconscious or not they both leaned into each other, their shoulders touching. It was a subtle action but it made them beam at their intimacy. Yugiri really wanted the type of tenderness and familiarity with Lily. She thanked them for their input and left.
With the beginning stages of their courtship she wanted to present Lily with something fantastic that would show her love. Since flowers were still a popular gift and with her knowledge or arrangement and flower langue concerning them. Lily would surely be impressed!
The flowers that grew around the house weren't anything special. Bland weeds mostly. Flowers were shockingly expensive nowadays. Kotaro didn't really pay them either. Most of the income went towards 'makeup' and other necessities. A brief thought crossed the prostitute's head. While the price of everything went up the quality of makeup went down. The texture hardened on the skin and didn't feel like the stuff she was use to putting on.
Well, the brunette wouldn't let that stop her. The closes thick patch of nature where wild flowers grew untouched wasn't that far away. Feeling determined she told Sakura she would be going out for a long walk.
The walk was a few miles. At her slow comfortable pace it was forty five minutes to an hour to reach the beginning of the field. While walking Yugiri considered what types of flowers were Lily's favorite. Her favorite color is yellow so anything with the color should be fine. Wild lilies grew everywhere but all where the same type.
Orange with black dots. Tiger lilies. They are indigenous to Japan but didn't really mean anything she wanted to give her friend. The idol walked through the thick patch of plants. Among the tiger flowers was one smaller white lily. Around the base of the petals was a small amount of yellow. It looked completely out of place among the grass. Her red eyes brightened. The plant let out a nice fragrant scent. It was perfect.
Carefully and skillfully the auburn haired girl pulled the stem out without much damage. Wetting the roots would help them survive longer. What could really be down with a single flower? It should be simple to find a small pot and replant it. That's nothing special. Maybe she should do a full arrangement. However, what would a beautiful arrangement do with a pot looked bland?
Walking deeper into the field she reached the base of a small woodlands area with much more variety of plant life. She picked a few of them and even some small pieces of bamboo. The sun fell in a blink of an eye. Every fiber in her being told her it was time to leave. The courtesan shouldn't have been out after sundown especially by herself. In her days of life this was just a dangerous thing to do. Finally feeling satisfied at her finds Yugiri started the trip back.
As she walked in the dark her foot brushed up against something stopping her instantly. Bending down she felt around the ground for what didn't feel like a natural piece of nature. The lack of light made it hard for the zombie to see and whatever it was. She lifted the item and held it to her face trying to use the moons light to see.
It felt like a small oval container. Her nail tapped against the material. It was plastic but it was a lucky find. With a smile she continued back towards the civilization. Once the living dead could see the street lights a rush of relief hit her.
Once under the light she looked at her haul. The small black dish could pass as a suiban.
It probably looked weird. To see a woman on her knees under the street lights putting together an Ikebana. She lined the bottom of the container with the smoothest smallest rocks she could find. The copper haired woman tried to that keep them as unison as possible. With the rocks she could keep the flowers standing upright. She used much more than just flowers using even leaves and other greenery. "Perfect." She wiped her forehead and admired her handiwork.
Now the last thing to add would be a bit of water. The closest water fountain wasn't too far away. The brown haired girl cupped her hand and transferred handfuls of water to her arrangement. She only put in enough to see the water through the rocks but not cover them. Now, to carefully get this home.
The trip home was longer then the trip out. Once the view of their home was in her eyes a flood of excitement and anxiety hit her. Once inside the first one to see her was Sakura. "Where have you been? Everyone was worried. Saki and Ai went out to look for you some time ago. We came close to telling Kotaro you were missing. Wait, why are you covered in dirt?" The redhead threw questions left and right. She didn't mention the flowers in her hand but surely the last one was rhetorical.
Yugiri glanced down at herself. The courtesan didn't realize how dirty she was. She couldn't present anything covered in grime. "I'm going to bathe now." She stated without answering any of Sakura's questions. The younger girl said nothing as she walked towards the bathroom.
The zombie only stayed in long enough to clean the muck form her skin. She didn't want to prolong anything nor did she want Lily to go to bed before handing her the present. The idol didn't want her nerves stopping her. Also the flowers were still fresh after all.
Lily sat on her futon her head was buried in her favorite heavy machinery magazine. A flush appeared on her cheeks as she stared at Lily's unwavering smile. Pure. It was the one word that entered her mind every time she saw that smile. It was such a warm sensation. The feeling swelled in her chest warming her normally cold body.
Taking a deep breath she entered the sleeping area, holding the flowers to her body. Only being noticed when she stood right beside her bed. The child put down her magazine. "Welcome back."
"Y-yeah, I'm home..."
"I unfolded your futon for you. I figured you'd be tired after your walk." Lily continued not picking up on Yugiri's unease. The brunette daintily kneeled down in front of Lily presenting arrangement.
"I made this for you in hopes you would accept my feelings for you. Over the last few months I have felt myself became quiet amour by you. Right now, the only thing I have to prove my feeling is this ikebana. Will you accept it?" The courtesan bowed low and waited for a verbal response. She didn't have to wait long but it still felt like forever.
"I love you Yugirin." The older women's head shot up. Lily, of course, was giving her the warmest of smiles. Seconds later the taller woman felt her cheeks light up again. This feeling was so new to her. Her dead skin felt warm and un-beating heart felt alive. How was the child able to invoke such emotion in her just by smiling? Her hands flew to her cheeks as if to help her calm her emotions.
After a few moments relief washed over her body. Uncharacteristically the prostitute flopped to her futon face down. "Thank goodness." Escaped her lips muffled by her pillow, she wasn't sure if the smaller girl heard but she didn't care. Her eyes closed happily. Seconds passed then she remembered nothing else.
Lily had yet to move her eyes away from the other woman. Even after she knew Yugiri was fast asleep on top of her covers. That outing had wiped her out completely.
Her eyes shifted towards the arrangement. You could see the time and love put into every little detail. It was truly beautiful and she loved everything about it. Especially, the fact that it was made from the lovely brunette. Plucking a small white lily out of the arrangement she secured it in the auburn hair she admired so much. The younger girl slipped the covers out from under her body and covered Yugiri correctly. The taller woman snuggled into her bed in a subconscious action. "See you in the morning."
A/N: When they held hands in episode two I was blown away by the cuteness. Also when they all cuddled together. I regret nothing. I can kinda picture Yugiri fawning over Lily like a shy little girl. I don't care how out of character it would be for her.
LILY White - Virginity; Purity; Majesty; It's Heavenly to Be with You