As the days drew on, Lily slowly began to feel more comfortable in her bathtub. While everyone else splashed and chatted in the big bath, she would be further away for modesty. And Yugiri kept her word the whole time. She didn't use her shower nozzle so that Lily had more privacy, and showered quickly so that Lily didn't get lonely bathing by herself.

Still, it wasn't really the same as bathing with everyone. But Lily didn't think she was ready for the big tub just yet. Maybe, instead of her getting in the big tub…

"Woo!" Saki huffed, stretching and popping her neck. "That was a real workout!"

"The new dance moves are pretty intense," Sakura agreed.

"Feels like Kotaro sped'em up or something," Ai sighed, leading the group toward the bath house. "We'll need to be careful practicing the steps. No need for us to overwork ourselves and lose a limb."

"You would know, wouldn't ya?" Saki snickered.

Ai gave her a wry smile and bumped her side. "It was one time! I've gotten better!"

They all laughed as they made their way to their showers. As usual, Yugiri stood off to the side to wait her turn. Lily looked over to her and bit her lip. She'd never get used to the big bath if she didn't at least try.

Finishing her shower as fast as she could, Lily headed over to her smaller bathtub. Even though she knew the others respected her privacy, she still couldn't help making sure none of them were looking before getting in. Now, all that was left to do was wait.

Yugiri ran the nozzle over her hair. Washing was always a process, but she had promised Lady Lily she wouldn't take too long to shower. Setting the showerhead back in place, she wrung out the excess water from her hair and stood. She made her way to the big tub but stopped when she found Lady Lily motioning to her. Usually, Yugiri stepped in from the opposite end and made her way over so that she didn't take Lady Lily by surprise.

Walking around the big tub, Yugiri came to stop beside Lady Lily's tub and cocked her head. "Is something wrong, Lady Lily?"

"No, nothing's wrong, I just…" Lily trailed off. She wasn't sure how to ask this. She couldn't get into the big bath just yet, but there was plenty of room in her bathtub… "Will you get in with me?"

"Beg your pardon?" Yugiri blinked at her in shock.

"In my tub." Lily motioned to the water around her to clarify. "I don't wanna get in the big one yet, but maybe we can share? Just until I'm more comfortable being… around people."

Yugiri blinked at her again. "Ah, I see." She gave the small girl a reassuring smile. "Very well. I don't see a problem so long as you're okay with it."

Lily's shoulders relaxed in relief and she scooted over in the bath. Yugiri carefully stepped in, keeping her eyes away from Lily until she had fully settled into the bath. It was just big enough for them to sit side-by-side. From this angle, they could both watch their friends have fun in the larger tub.

Yugiri kept herself perfectly poised the entire time. She kept a few inches of space between herself and Lady Lily so that she didn't accidentally brush up against the small girl and startle her. And she meticulously looked a little higher than Lady Lily's eyes when they spoke so that her friend wasn't uncomfortable with her gaze.

Lily appreciated the effort Yugiri was going through to help her. It felt a little weird, being in the tub with someone else. But if she was going to make it to the big one, she needed to start somewhere.

She cracked her neck and Yugiri looked down at her. "Are you alright?" the courtesan inquired.

"Yeah," Lily sighed. "The others weren't kidding. Those new dance moves are really hard."

"I'm sure if you asked, Lady Saki wouldn't mind giving your neck a massage once we're finished bathing." Yugiri glanced over to where Lady Saki and Lady Tae were once again wrestling. "She seems like she would know a thing or two about muscle strain."

Lily frowned. "I… think I'll ask Ai instead. Saki might kill me. Again."

Yugiri chuckled at that. "True, she is quite the aggressive type. Lady Ai it is."

"Hey, you two!"

Lily instantly stiffened, covering herself as Sakura made her way closer. Sakura noticed the move and carefully kept her gaze at Lily's face. "What's up?" she asked.

"We were just discussing the new moves for our performance," Yugiri informed her calmly. "We were wondering if Lady Ai wouldn't mind giving Lady Lily a massage once our bath is finished."

"A massage would be great," Sakura sighed. She smiled over at Lily. "I'm sure Ai wouldn't mind if you asked her. She probably understands the strain of dancing more than the rest of us. Except maybe Junko."

"Yeah," Lily replied. Some of her tension dissipated as the conversation turned to the different kind of dances Iron Frill used to do. She hadn't been expecting someone else to come over so quickly, but Sakura was polite about her privacy. She kept her eyes above the water and made sure not to look too directly in Lily's direction just yet.

As the bath drew to a close, Sakura made her way back to the others. Yugiri watched her carefully, noting the way her body relaxed as she rejoined Lady Ai and Lady Junko. Likely, Lady Sakura returned to the rest of the group so that there were less people around when Lady Lily climbed out. Clever move.

"Shall we head out then?" Yugiri asked Lily.

"U-uh, yeah." Lily took a deep breath. She could do this. It was no big deal.

Taking the initiative, Yugiri stood first, grabbing up both of their towels. With her back turned, Lily was able to climb out without being too self-conscious. Yugiri handed Lily's towel back to her and wrapped her own around her body.

As the group made their way back to the house, Lily tugged Yugiri's hand. The courtesan stopped and glanced to her.

"Thanks," Lily mumbled, not quite looking up. "For, you know, not laughing at me or anything."

Yugiri blinked down at her. "Lady Lily, there's no need to thank me. As I said before, you do what you are most comfortable with. We are your friends; we won't laugh at you."

Lily nodded and they continued on their way. As she snuggled into her sleeping hoodie and settled in for bed, Lily thought about how her bath had gone that day. It hadn't been a complete nightmare. Yugiri and Sakura were both really nice about her modesty, and the conversation never once went to her going into the big bath. Eventually, she'd make it in there, but right now, she liked how things were going.

Small steps slowly turn to bigger steps until you finally reach your goal, whatever that goal may be.

Remember, sneak peeks and updates are available on my tumblr, gothalbinoangel-fanfiction. Where you can also ask questions. I just opened up commissions, too!