Hey there! I'm sorry I'm so slow, school just started and I have a lot less time on my hands. Then of course, there's the random things that happen over the weekend. We spent half of Sunday trying to save a baby squirrel... I hope it lives! Anyway, here's chapter 11!

Shiena

"Last one," Shiena said, yanking a few wires out of a final security camera. She would study them later to see if she could hack into the surveillance system. "We should have privacy now."

Kouko sat up straight on at the foot of her bed. "Did you check for any hidden microphones?"

A pile of metal to Shiena's left answered her question. "Just a few. If there are any more, we should be able to talk quietly enough so that they won't hear."

"Good." Suzu lay at the head of Kouko's bed, leaning on her elbow. "Shall we get started?"

Pushing the pile of debris under their entertainment center, Shiena crawled over and sat on a cushion she'd pulled from a chair. "We might as well. This isn't going to be fun for any of us, is it?"

The other two frowned to show their agreement. Shiena had been dreading this meeting all day. It was embarrassing to admit she had been a victim of bullying, and it tended to make people feel awkward around her. She never knew why people had made her their target. Who knew how the mind of a bully worked? They were cowards and weaklings to be sure, but good luck trying to tell them that. In the meantime, they had deprived her of all meaningful human contact by making her too wary to approach other people.

It was hard having no friends. Once a few people laughed at her, everyone joined in. Those who didn't said nothing. Her only friends were the few teachers who had time for her, and even they never took action until it was too late.

Eventually, Shiena had refused to go to school and locked herself in her room. Her hobby had always been hacking and computer science, so she devoted herself to it. Along the way she'd found a website for formerly bullied people and met a girl named Yukari.

Yukari had been the one introduce her to Collective Dismissal. She had also told her about the black class. In order to prove her worth, Shiena had resolved to win the black class game and get revenge for all of her new friends.

I'm stronger now, she thought, anxiously waiting for someone to speak. That's why I can do something like this. I don't want anyone mistaking me now for the me back then.

"Since none of us want to go first," Suzu sighed, "I will. If we're going to attack first, I might as well get used to it."

Shiena snapped to attention. She had wondered about Suzu ever since their train ride on the first day of class. The girl was kind and mature, but fun too. She seemed like she belonged in a different world.

"Sorry," Suzu said, smiling in spite of herself. "I'm worried you'll laugh at me."

"Why would we laugh?" Kouko asked, poorly disguising her eagerness to hear whatever this was.

"All right." She folded her arms. "Have you heard of Highlander's syndrome?"

Because she was in the room with a braniac and a geek, they both knew exactly what it was.

"No way!" Shiena cried, pulling her cushion closer. "You have it?"

The girl chuckled ruefully. "It's not as exciting as you think it is."

Kouko was still processing what she had just learned. "That's an incredibly rare disease," she said. "The chances of having it are one in millions."

Suzu nodded. "Well, I beat the odds."

"How old are you, then?" Shiena blurted out.

"It's not polite to ask a woman her age," Suzu joked. There was a wistful look in her golden eyes. "I don't even remember anymore."

No wonder Suzu had seemed out of place. She had grown up years ago, in an era none of them had ever experienced.

"My wish is to be able to age normally," she finished. "I don't want to watch the world go by anymore. I want to go right along with it."

Shiena wondered how many memories she had, how many people she had lost to the years. It was a sad thought.

"Wow…" she breathed. "If you're brave enough to say that, I guess I can go ahead and go next."

Suzu tucked some hair behind her ear. "It's not really bravery. I've had a lot of time to think about my values, and secrecy isn't one of them." She chuckled. "Isn't it amazing how something you've been dreading for hours can be overwith in seconds?"

Since Shiena had already agreed to go next, there was no backing out of it now. She looked both her new friends in the face and swallowed down her fear. They would understand.

"I've been bullied since I was a little kid," she said quietly. "People spread rumors about me, took pictures… I got beat up a few times."

The blue-haired girl lowered her head. "We thought that might be the case."

"What? How did you know?" Shiena cried in disbelief. "Do I look like that much of a target?"

It was Kouko who answered. "You said you ate in class with teachers, so unless you were in a student-teacher relationship, you must have not liked the other children."

"More importantly," Suzu added. "You said you were a member of Collective Dismissal."

Shiena sat there, baffled. "When did I say that?" Then she groaned. "Oh… on the train, right?"

"Yep." Smiling apologetically, Suzu began folding herself into some yoga position. "Though, I didn't tell Kouko-san that part."

"Actually, you just told me," Kouko pointed out.

How embarrassing. Suzu's secret had been exciting and different; Shiena's hadn't been a secret at all, apparently. "You two should be a detective team," she grumbled. "I'll bet you know all sorts of weird things about me."

"Hmm… aside from what you've already told us?"

"For all I know, I could've told you about a crush I had in second grade…"

"Let's not get off track," Kouko interrupted, looking decidedly uncomfortable with this form of small talk. "We still don't know Kenmochi-san's wish."

Oh yes, the wish. Shiena hoped it wouldn't go over too badly. "The idea was that I'd let the members of my group decide my wish, and we'd all get revenge on the ones who hurt us," she admitted. "I sound so petty when I say it that way."

Kouko's frown intensified (she was always frowning, after all). "Hardly. People who do bad things need to pay for their crimes. If they won't do it themselves, then other measures must be taken."

Shiena wondered for the tenth time if Kouko might be religious. Her views on life and her Spartan work ethic certainly indicated it.

"Honestly, I just want them to feel like I did," she grumbled, rubbing her forehead. "Once they experience my pain, they'll think twice before putting someone else through it."

Suzu responded from her half-lotus position. "It doesn't seem like that worked on you, Shiena-chan."

"That's different!" Shiena cried. "I haven't done anything wrong!"

"I'm not saying you have," Suzu said quickly. "But you might be about to do something you'll regret."

Of course Shiena had thought about that… even after her initial yes to Yukari, it had taken her weeks to build up the nerve to try and kill someone. When she had received her gun from a contact in their neighborhood, it had taken all of her courage not to drop the thing. The truth was, she hated guns.

No one should have the power to end someone's life in a second, she thought, fidgeting with the seam of her cushion.

Yet here she was, in possession of that very power. Last night she had tasted it for the very first time.

Its bitterness lingered in her throat.

Kouko was the first one to speak again. "I'm sorry, Shutou-san," she said in a low voice, "but neither you nor I have the right to say that to her."

"You're right." Suzu eyed Shiena with a hint of sadness. "Sorry, Shiena-chan."

The brunette sighed. "It's all right. This is a really hard decision for me. I made up my mind to come here and stand up for myself, but after last night…"

The other two perked up immediately. "What did happen last night?"

She clenched the covering of the cushion in her fingers. "I got my first taste of your world," she said. "I put a gun to someone's head."

Their eyes widened at that. Kouko leaned forward. "You… wait, which one of them?"

"Takechi-san."

Suzu chuckled nervously. "I don't know if I'd have the guts to do that. Did she hurt you?"

"No, because I got lucky. If there hadn't been something to distract her, I don't know what she would've done. More importantly," Shiena felt a familiar lump in her throat. "I don't know whether I could have pulled the trigger."

"That sort of thing takes practice," Kouko replied, her tone sympathetic. "It's hard to kill someone on purpose."

Shiena cocked her head. "As opposed to on accident?"

The black-haired girl visibly stiffened at that. "Accidents happen. That's all there is to them."

"Kouko-san, you'll hurt your jaw if you clench it that tightly." Suzu bent toward her and patted her hand. "Relax a little."

Taking a deep breath, her roommate relaxed as best she could, which meant a very slight curve in her spine and one fewer lines on her brow.

"I'm afraid of her," Shiena whispered. "Of Takechi-san, I mean. I can act strong when she talks to me, but I'm really terrified."

The other two had sensed that this was serious. Suzu unfolded her origami legs and lowered herself to the floor beside the brunette. "What do you think she's going to do to you?"

"Like I said, I don't know what she'd do to me. Sometimes she's kind and cuddly, sometimes she's nasty, and sometimes she has these outbursts." Shiena shuddered. "She flips out in her sleep. Last night was better, though."

Suzu and Kouko both tried to think of the right thing to say. As is always the case when everyone is trying to think of the right thing to say, no one said anything for a while. The silence settled over Shiena like a wet blanket.

Finally, Suzu spoke cautiously. "I'll tell you that she's no stranger when it comes to killing people."

"You know about her?" Shiena practically leapt forward. "What do you know?"

"The details aren't really important." Suzu caught her by the shoulders and managed a smile. "She's a neurotic psychopath who kills for fun."

Perfect. No worse than Shiena had expected, but still! "Why do I have to share a room with her?" she groaned, sitting back down and hugging her knees to her chest. "She's probably mad at me too!"

The other two girls glanced at each other.

"We'd let you stay in our dorm," Suzu offered. "Kouko-san's the dormitory rep, so she can lie about where you are."

Kouko winced. "I'd rather not…"

"Please?" Shiena clasped her hands together. "I can barely sleep in there."

Suzu joined in too, resting her elbows on Kouko's lap while holding her hands together in prayer. "Please, Kouko-san?"

It didn't take a genius to see that Suzu's pleas had far more of an effect on the girl. "All right, fine," she sighed. "But where are you going to sleep in here?"

"We can set up some blankets and a mattress on the floor," Suzu suggested. "I found some in our closet. Or I could sleep in Kouko-san's bed, to make things easier."

Said roommate suddenly needed to clear her throat. "I think the first option is preferable."

Folding her arms, Suzu climbed back onto the bed to continue her yoga. "I don't snore or anything. I just want Shiena-chan to have a comfy bed instead of a lumpy mattress on the floor."

"In that case, I can sleep on the floor and Kenmochi-san can have my bed." Kouko simply would not relent. It was kind of funny to watch.

It fell upon Shiena to end the debate. "I'd feel like I was intruding if I took one of your beds," she said. "The floor is fine for me. Thank you so much."

Maybe with Takechi out of the way, she wouldn't be so afraid of going after the target.

"Now that that's settled," Suzu said, "Kouko-san is last."

The black-haired girl said nothing, just surveyed them from under her perfectly straightened bangs. Her visage was struggling to portray whatever was going on in her brain.

No one had expected Kouko to be very open about herself. As a result, Shiena had looked forward to her confession the most. One had to work to be as hard to read as Kaminaga Kouko.

"I want to quit being an assassin," the girl said frankly. "That's all."

Leave it to Kouko to reveal the absolute minimum required. "We told you about our reasons," Shiena replied, a little hurt. "We're not going to think any less of you for giving us some context."

"If she doesn't want to say anything, that's her choice." Suzu smiled sadly. "There are plenty of things we left out too, right?"

"I guess… wasn't the point of this to confide in each other?"

"You chose to tell us about your past. She has her own reasons for keeping it to herself."

Great, they both knew what was going on, and Shiena was the only one without a clue. "So you get to know, and I don't?"

"I haven't told Shutou-san anything more than I told you," Kouko said quietly, refusing eye contact with either of them. "Trust isn't the issue."

Since she was outnumbered, Shiena decided to drop it. "As long as you trust me, I guess it's fine," she sighed. "The real question is how we're going to combine all three of these wishes."

"Hmm…" Suzu put her hand to her chin. "I want to age normally, Shiena-chan wants to get revenge on her bullies, and Kouko-san wants to quit being an assassin."

Kouko reached for the dorm rep clipboard, which she'd left near the foot of the bed. "Whatever our wish is, it will be complicated. I'll write it down."

"Do you need a pen?"

"No, I always carry two."

Suzu laughed. "Of course you do."

Shiena sat cross-legged, like she always did when she needed to think hard. "We'll have to make it into a scenario rather than a single wish."

"A scenario?" Suzu asked. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well, y'know, a scenario of what we want things to be like." Gesturing above her head, she tried to draw her jumbled thoughts in the air. "Like, I wish I were a wealthy merchant living in a castle where Kouko-san and her scientist team built me an army of robots."

The laughing that ensued was kind laughter, much to her relief. She swore she saw a tear in Suzu's eye, though it was probably her imagination. "Would you ever wish for that?"

"Maybe," Shiena shrugged. "The castle, at least. But you get what I'm saying."

"I do. In fact, I think you're onto something. A scientist team is just what I'd need to be able to age." She poked Kouko's foot. "You're a good student, right Kouko-san?"

"Of course," the girl replied, her foot twitching and moving an inch further. "You actually want me to lead a team of scientists?"

Shiena rested her elbows on her knees. "Not lead, necessarily…"

Kouko's expression darkened.

"Or you could lead it, if you wanted to!" she added quickly. "Either way, in order to keep you a happy scientist, you'd have to quit being an assassin, and they'd have to protect your decision."

"Interesting. How would you get your wish, then?"

"Right," Suzu said. "Just how many people do you intend to get back at?"

Her initial thought had been "everyone". Getting Myoujo Academy to deal with whoever her group wanted them to had been her goal. That way they could all be safe for ever. She and Yukari and all of her friends could go to school again and live without fear.

"I was planning on getting the ones who hurt my friends," she answered, "but I can narrow it down if we need to."

"That's helpful." Suzu poked Kouko's foot again, despite her effort to move away. "Kouko-san, I'm going to assume that you have an organization that's preventing you from leading a normal life. Am I right?"

"Yes," Kouko grimaced. Whether she was upset over the organization or the foot-poking, Shiena couldn't tell. "That's the problem."

"In that case, we can ask the Academy to eradicate both the bullies and your organization. That would take care of you and Shiena-chan."

"But it leaves you out," Shiena finished. "Maybe we should just ask for money, and handle the organization ourselves."

Kouko shook her head. "What matters in Shutou-san's case isn't money, it's connections. Only Myoujo would know the people who could help her."

Shiena pointed at herself and the other girl. "In our cases though, we could make due with just some good hitmen. We can use people to get us out of our bad situations."

"Then all we need to wish for are the world's top genetecists and assassins," Suzu said with a grin. "A wish that simple might just work."

"Shutou-san," Kouko sighed, exasperated. "Why do you insist on poking my foot over and over again?"

The wandering finger had struck yet again. Its owner held no remorse whatsoever. "You have elegant feet," Suzu replied. "And your tights feel really cool."

"Please stop. It makes me uncomfortable."

The brunette chuckled. "Does everything make you uncomfortable, Kouko-san?"

"I'm sorry," Suzu apologized. Unlike the last time, her face showed no signs of feeling sorry. She just looked gleefully amused.

"Anyway, it's settled!" Shiena stood up and put her hands on her hips. "We'll all wish for the same thing."

Kouko nodded and set aside the clipboard she'd been taking notes with. "Now we just need to figure out how to coordinate an attack with three people. More importantly, how to use that advantage to the fullest."

Three people meant they had a lot of options and a lot of organizing to do. "I think we should meet back here every day after school," Shiena suggested.

Stretching out her arms, Suzu slid off the bed she was sitting on. "Sure. Kouko-san and I will set up a place for you to sleep, so come by around nine."

The three of them made their way to the door and said their goodbyes for the day. They would be seeing a lot of each other over the next few weeks, so Shiena hoped they would keep getting along as well as they were.

If they even had that long.

"Before I go," she said, "I want to apologize to Kouko-san. I don't want to pressure you into revealing something you're not comfortable with."

To her surprise, Kouko smiled a little. "Thank you. Have a good night."

"You too." Shiena exited through the door Suzu held open for her. "See you later."

Once she was out in the hallway, her heart started beating like crazy. She was actually going to help plan and carry out an attack! With her… friends? Did she get to call them her friends?

She thought about her two acquaintances. Suzu was wise, kind, and creative with a slightly distracting humorous side. She had difficulty sticking to one goal or topic and liked to mould rules to her choosing.

Kouko, on the other hand, was stoic and showed little emotion. She had a great analytical mind though, and she did listen to others' advice, as evidenced by her deciding to talk with Suzu.

Shiena gazed up at the spotless ceiling of the dormitory hall. Do I really have friends?

"Well, well, if it isn't Shiena-chan!"

Her moment of happiness was shattered. She steeled herself and turned to face Takechi. "Aren't I allowed to get a moment's peace without you jumping in and ruining it?"

The raven-haired girl giggled. "Nope." She pointed at Suzu and Kouko's door. "What was going on in there?"

"None of your business."

"Oh… Group orgy?"

"Oh my god, Takechi-san," Shiena groaned, banging her head against the wall in the hopes that Takechi's words would be erased from her memory. "I was chatting with some friends."

Takechi was positively giddy. "Sounds fun. Let's go back to our dorm."

It was better not to argue with a girl who, according to Suzu, was a neurotic sadist. At least, she assumed as much. Takechi certainly understood other people's emotions, which meant she wasn't a sociopath.

"Fine," she sighed, pushing her a little to the side and walking stiffly down the hall to their own door. Takechi trailed behind her.

Shiena stepped into the room first, glancing back cautiously every few seconds. She watched Takechi's every move, from the way she silently closed their door to the subtle movement of her mouth. She was reaching forward ever so slightly.

The brunette gasped and ducked the first arm, but not the second one. Takechi grabbed her shoulder and shoved her into a wall, knocking the wind out of her as hard plaster slammed into her back.

"Ah!" she gasped, squeezing her eyes shut to ignore the pain of being ground into a wall by the shoulders. "What are you-!"

"Listen, Shiena-chan," Takechi whispered, twisting her deltoids and sending jolts of pain down her arms. "If you care about staying alive, that advance notice of yours is gonna stay undelivered for good."

"Let go of me!" Shiena struggled in vain. "I can scream for help!"

"I know you were planning in there with your friends," her roommate continued, admiring the anguish on the girl's face. "You're not going to be able to kill Harucchi. Someone as smart as you must've figured that out."

This was awful. If Shiena kept her eyes shut, she'd end up crying. If she opened them, she'd have to see Takechi's face. "I have a gun…" she whimpered.

"A gun you can't even hold right? Real scary."

The pressure left her shoulders, and she fell to the floor. All of the humiliation she'd endured for years came flooding back.

"What do you want?" she hissed, wiping her eyes and getting slowly to her feet. Her shoulders were killing her.

Takechi seemed to pity her current state. She folded her arms and grinned. "I'm saying that if you want to stay safe, you need to leave. The second you pull out that notice…" She made a slashing motion across her throat.

"Quit acting like you care about my well being," Shiena croaked. "You just want to kill her before me."

The cackle she got in response offered a sharp contrast to Suzu and Kouko's laughter. "You've got it ass backwards. I don't want her to die at all. I want her to be happy."

"You…" Shiena's eyes narrowed. "What?"

The raven-haired girl hugged her tightly, making her forget her pain for a split second before she remembered whose arms were around her.

Takechi twirled her braid. "I want you to be happy too, see?"

Gritting her teeth, Shiena shoved her away as hard as her aching arms could manage. "Forget it. I'm not staying in this room with you."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm going to stay in Suzu and Kouko-san's room from now on." she hurried to the door. "If you want to hurt someone, you'll have to hurt yourself."

"Aw…" Takechi grumbled, frowning. "You were a real cutie, too."

"If you really thought that, you wouldn't have been such a jerk," the brunette replied. "Now let me through."

Her roommate giggled. "Not without a parting gift for the little meddler."

Only now did Shiena remember that Takechi might still be mad at her about last night. She wouldn't be caught off guard this time. Reaching into her bag, she slid her hand securely around the grip of her handgun.

"Since I won't see you for a while, I wanna give you something to remember me by, 'kay?" Takechi drew out the same pair of scissors she'd used the night before. "Rabbits are so cute, y'know? It makes me want to cut their ears."

The door opened abruptly. Because Takechi was blocking it, Shiena couldn't see who had barged in.

"Takechi," Kirigaya sighed, "put away the god damn scissors."

"Graaah!" Takechi turned around and threw out her arms, nearly putting Shiena's eye out in the process. "Is this gonna be a thing now, where I get interrupted every fucking time I wanna slice somebody?"

"If you're going to keep being an ignorant dumbass about where and when you do it, then yes, it's gonna be a thing. Now keep it down." Kirigaya frowned. "Wait, is there someone behind you?"

Shiena peeked out warily at Kirigaya, who stood outside the hallway with her teddy. "Kirigaya-san," she stammered. "You, uh… you swear a lot more than I thought you would."

Takechi burst out laughing. "Wow, pipsqueak. That was just beautiful."

The tiny girl looked like she'd swallowed a live snake. She stared up at Shiena with eyes so unlike the ones she usually wore. "Because I just saved your virginity and possibly your life," she replied sweetly, "I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone about this. Anyone."

Shiena certainly did not plan to tell anyone, anyone what she had just witnessed. Instead she ducked under Takechi's arm and ran down the hall. She heard snippets of the two conversing before she got too far away to hear.

"I can't believe you busted yourself like that!"

"If you don't shut up, I'll bust something of yours. And keep it down!"

She didn't stop until she was out of the building and out of breath. Groaning, she slumped against one of the columns outside the doors. At least she was safe out here for the time being.

One thing Shiena really hated was when other people reinforced ideas she was trying her hardest to get away from. For example, the idea that she was weak. Or, more importantly, the idea that she couldn't kill the target.

It was going to be hard enough without having to deal with Takechi, she thought. She knew her fear of her roommate was irrational, considering that she was fine around the other girls. They would fight her too, though. Even girls like Kirigaya couldn't be trusted. Hell, she hadn't even remembered to mention that weird woman they had seen talking with Hashiri! She didn't know a thing about this place.

I'm not like them. I'm able to act brave and tough, but in the end it doesn't matter. I'm weak, emotional, and hesitant where it counts.

Takechi reminded her of everything she hated about herself.

She sensed someone near her. When she looked up she saw a tall girl with red hair and an unbuttoned black jacket.

"Are you all right, Kenmochi-san?" Namatame asked.

Shiena hoped she wasn't blushing at all. "I'm fine," she answered, standing up straighter to prove it. "Just… had an argument with my roommate."

The other girl frowned. "I know what you mean. On the first day of class I caught her bullying Kirigaya. I'm sorry you have to be her roommate."

Bullying her, huh? Shiena suspected that might've been another misunderstanding. "It's okay," she she said, tugging at her braid. "I'm going to stay in a different dormitory from now on."

"Oh." Namatame looked surprised. "I didn't think that was allowed."

"Well, it isn't exactly…" Shiena laughed nervously.

"I won't tell anyone," Namatame assured her. "It's more important that you stay safe.

She was definitely blushing this time. "Thanks," Shiena replied. "For caring about me."

Her companion smiled. "It isn't difficult. You're a good person, Kenmochi-san. While everyone else leaves class, you stay to help clean up." She rubbed the back of her collar. "That's more than I do."

Shiena didn't want to just say "thank you" over and over. While she searched for what to say, Namatame stepped back and waved.

"I'll see you in class tomorrow, Kenmochi-san."

Before she could stop herself, Shiena called out. "Wait! Are you busy with anything right now?"

If Kirigaya was talking with Takechi, she might just have a chance…

"No, I'm not." Namatame turned around. "Did you want to keep talking?"

If her heart had been beating fast before, now it was pounding like a jackhammer. She nodded. "If you wouldn't mind!"

To her great happiness, Namatame walked back toward her, still smiling. It was easy to imagine her as both a gallant knight and a dazzling princess. She really was amazing.

If I can ask someone like that to walk with me, Shiena thought, maybe I'm not quite as much of a coward as I thought.

As she walked around campus with Namatame Chitaru, she hoped that courage would last.

Shinya

Shinya liked to be vocal. She liked to do things, and if anybody happened to be standing too close, they'd learn their lesson the very hard way.

So for someone like her, being trapped behind the scenes was a real drag. Mahiru was doing everything within her power to keep her from coming out. It didn't take a genius to see why, which was good, because Shinya was anything but.

"She's embarrassed by me," the silver-haired girl mumbled, settling inbetween the layers of their subconscious. "Now that she's got Sumireko, she doesn't want me ta screw it up."

Lately, Mahiru had had very little faith in her. They'd been arguing more than ever, all over the same topic. Mahiru wanted to keep on killing, and Shinya didn't. Simple as that.

Why couldn't Mahiru see that she was concerned about her? Her paranoia made her so hard to talk to already, and now she hardly ever spoke inside their head. When she did, it was all about "Hanabusa-san".

Shinya had hoped that getting a friend would give Mahiru more confidence in the world. Instead her other self was applying her shyness to her new friendship.

Since there wasn't much to do in the subconscious, she decided to peer out of the eyes. They were in their dorm. It was fairly dark, the source of light being the lamp on their nightstand, which cast a pleasant yellow glow over the beds. They sat on their own bed, and Sumireko sat on the other.

"Hey, Mahiru," she asked. "What time is it?"

"Around seven", Mahiru replied hastily, laying down and pulling the covers up to their chin.

In order to keep Shinya from getting out, Mahiru had been going to bed extra early, before it got dark outside. That was the real reason why Mahiru hadn't attended the orientation meeting. She'd asked Sumireko to cover for her, knowing her roommate wouldn't question such behavior from a shrinking violet.

It was real annoying, getting all excited for nighttime and then remembering that she'd still be trapped.

She folded her arms. "This really isn't fair, y'know."

They rolled away from the light, pulling the covers over their head. "I'm sorry," Mahiru answered quietly. "I… don't want you to offend her."

Ordinarily Shinya would've congratulated her on not stuttering, but right then she was too offended herself. "Am I really that embarrassing?" The eyes closed, leaving her in darkness. Mahiru's ghostly white form appeared in front of her, nervously clutching her arm.

"I don't want her to hate us," Mahiru mumbled. "I-I want her kindness to last as long as possible."

"I'm real glad ya made friends, Mahiru." Shinya put a hand on her other self's shoulder. "Ya did a great job. But can'tcha see that I don't like bein' stuck in here all the time? I wanted friends too."

"She just… doesn't seem like your type of person."

"Oh yeah? This 'lady' yer talkin' about's a killer just like everybody else here. She's way tougher than she lets on."

The two of them stood facing each other, neither willing to yield. Sighing, Mahiru laid down on her side to sleep. Not knowing what else to do, Shinya followed suit.

"You're not the only one who likes Sumireko," she grumbled. "I wanna meet her too."

Eventually she calmed down enough to close her eyes. Normally she slept in here while it was light, which made her restless during the latter part of the day. The night wore on and on, and her annoyance with Mahiru continued to grow.

I wouldn't betray you, she thought, holding onto her other self for warmth. Their mind could be a very cold place. Why can't you just see that?

At some point she must have fallen asleep, because she woke up in a sweat with cameras flashing in her eyes.

Just a dream… She put a hand on her chest to calm her heart. Mahiru wasn't the only one who was still afraid of that man and his camera.

Blinking, she rubbed her forehead and crawled out of bed. She really needed to use the bathroom.

Wait… bed? Bathroom? She gasped. She had control of the body again!

She tried to tiptoe quietly to the bathroom, but she was not used to treading lightly. It seemed like the floor took joy in creaking with every step. She didn't want her first conversation with Sumireko to happen by waking her up in the middle of the night.

Once she had done her business, she washed her hands super extra quietly and inched out of the bathroom…

…to find herself face to face with Sumireko.

"Ah!" she cried, flailing out her arms. "Ya scared me."

She could barely make out her roommate's pale face in the dark. Her long hair, normally perfectly straightened, was something of a mess. The blue nightgown she wore was pretty but wrinkled. Shinya kind of liked her better this way.

"S-sorry," Sumireko apologized. "I just wanted to make sure you were all right, Banba-san."

"Oh, uh…" Shinya grinned. "S'fine, don't worry about it. Thanks, though."

Her roommate's eyebrows lifted. "You're… welcome. Are you sure you're all right?"

Dang, did she really sound that different from Mahiru? "Yep!" she replied. "I was just usin' the john. The soap in there's really nice."

Sumireko looked so completely baffled that Shinya almost laughed. Since she was angry at Mahiru right now, she decided it was okay to be herself. Her significant other was about to see that keeping a wild girl in a cage was never a good idea.

"I see," Sumireko coughed. "I hadn't noticed the soap. I'll take note of it next time."

Yawning, she stumbled back over to her bed. "If you'll excuse me, I think I'll go back to bed now."

Shinya wasn't about to let her go that easy. She followed the girl and plopped down on the foot of her bed. "You think this's a dream, right?"

The response came from halfway under the covers. "I was beginning to think so," Sumireko admitted, peeking out. "You speak quite differently from the Banba-san I know."

"Guess I am a little rude, huh?" Shinya laughed. "Hope ya don't take any offense. Cuz I don't mean any."

Sumireko didn't react negatively, so Shinya gave herself a point in her own head. Even if it was just for five minutes, she wanted a conversation with another human being. When you knew someone, you wanted them to know you too.

The girl chuckled. "I don't take offense, if you don't mean any. It doesn't seem like you can help it." She sat forward in bed. "Who are you supposed to be, then? You certainly aren't Banba-san."

"Banba Shinya, at'cher service," the silver-haired girl said with a wink. "In the day I'm Mahiru, but at night I'm me."

"If you weren't you, who would you be?"

"Um," Shinya shrugged. "I'm guessin' I'd be somebody else."

She really liked Sumireko's laugh. Everybody acted more casual when they were tired, and her roommate was no exception. If Mahiru could see this side of her friend, maybe she'd let Shinya come out more often.

Her roommate laid back down, her head sinking into a pillow. "This is nice," she breathed. "My dreams aren't usually amusing."

"I can relate to that!" Shinya threw up her arms and fell back into the puffy mattress with a thump. "What're they usually like, then?"

Sumireko closed her eyes. "I only ever have nightmares."

A lot of people would've stopped prying right then, to keep the conversation from being awkward or painful. Shinya had stopped worrying about those things a long time ago. She had lived side by side with Mahiru; awkwardness and pain were her entire life.

"Gotcha," she said from the other side of the bed. "I get those too. More like 'night terrors', really." She frowned at the featureless ceiling. "Just woke up from one of 'em."

No reply. She kept on looking at the ceiling. If she stared at anything for long enough, she began to see things in it. Clouds of nothingness became swirling pools of activity. Just like herself.

She wondered if she'd be able to see herself in Sumireko too.

"So did I… I didn't really get up to check on Banba-san."

Shinya rolled her head onto its side, letting the pillow support her. "I'll tell ya mine if you tell me yours."

"I don't know if that's good idea," Sumireko whispered, gripping the comforter. Shinya could feel the tension in the cloth from a foot away. Actually, it was stretching a lot more than it should have.

She winced as a loud rip split the silence between them. Sumireko gasped and released the comforter.

"Wonderful," she groaned, pressing both hands to her head. "How am I going to explain that?"

The silver-haired girl would also have liked an explanation. First the burning tea incident, and now this? Sumireko was freakishly strong.

Also just like herself.

"It'll be fine," she said, smiling. "Just say one'a the maids did it or somethin'. In the meantime, I wanna hear about'cher dream."

Sumireko rolled over and looked her. She wasn't happy, but she wasn't mad either. Her gaze was piercing, like she was testing her roommate.

Her eyes are real pretty, Shinya thought, staring back calmly with her own swirly violet orbs. So's her hair. I guess her everything is pretty.

The girl swallowed. "All right. I'll tell you the gist of it, but only because I know you aren't real. I hope you'll understand."

Shinya grinned. "Figures. If I'm not real, how come yer bein' so polite to me?"

Breaking their eye contact, Sumireko partially hid her face in her pillow. "I think you deserve that much for caring about me."

"'Course I care." Shinya tilted her head back and closed her eyes. "When we have those kinds'a dreams, we can't get back t'sleep, right? S'no fun stayin' up all night by yerself."

A small nod from Sumireko. The voice that came from the pillow was muffled, but discernable.

"I've had people after my life for a while," she whispered. "There have been times when they've nearly killed me. I resolved to get stronger, so I would never have to worry about them again."

Mahiru had created Shinya for a similar purpose. That need to feel safe was all too familiar.

"I can never forget, though." Sumireko touched her own shoulder. "Once you've felt pain in real life, you can feel it in a dream. I see them standing over me, I hear them talking, I smell blood… only in my dream, no one comes to save me."

That description brought back images from Shinya's own nightmares. "That's rough, ain't it?" she grumbled.

"I know it's irrational to still worry about it!" Her roommate grabbed the sheet again. "I'm plenty strong now! I could tear them all to pieces if I wanted to, yet I'm still afraid. Why?" She rubbed her head. "I just want it to go away."

"Woah," Shinya held up a hand. "I know yer upset, but y'don't wanna do any more property damage."

"Oh." Sumireko released the sheet, which fluttered back onto the mattress with a relieved "floof". "I suppose they wouldn't believe me if I said the maid had destroyed my bed."

Shinya nodded. "About that. How exactly can you rip a sheet apart with yer bare hands by accident?" She herself could perform those kinds of feats, but she was one of a kind, and possibly not even real. She wasn't really clear on how split personalities worked.

The question drew an uncomfortable glance from Sumireko. "Is it all right if I don't answer that?"

"Uh…" Shinya scratched her head. "Considering I asked, I kinda wanted an answer." Lifting her hands toward the ceiling, she drew circles in the little pools of darkness. "I'm not gonna think it's weird. I'm the same way. Sometimes I break stuff without even noticing."

"Hmph." Sumireko folded her arms. "I was planning to keep my strength a secret, but if you already know that bit, hiding its source may be futile…" She sighed. "Sorry… I keep forgetting that you aren't real in the first place."

She reached up for the ceiling too, spreading her fingers out as far as they could go. "Because people were after my life, I did my best to become stronger. My parents hired bodyguards to watch me, but I wanted to be able to take care of myself. You know how it is."

Actually, Shinya didn't. Most of what she did was, at its core, for Mahiru. In exchange for the chance to live half of a life and make her own friends, she did everything she did to make her other self smile.

She rarely "took care of herself". She didn't need to be taken care of.

"One day, my illusion of safety was utterly destroyed." Her voice grew quieter, sucked up by the surrounding blackness. "If it weren't for a policeman in the area, I would have died like that, broken into pieces."

Broken… broken…

Like his camera lens.

Shinya's hands balled into fists. His face began to form on the ceiling, leering down at her. A few days ago, he'd come back to Mahiru in the hallway too.

Memories like that should stay in my dreams and out of my life. She thought, wishing she could punch his likeness into oblivion. Out of our life.

"Are you alright?" Sumireko asked. "You look dreadful, Shinya-san."

Because she felt dreadful. "Jus' tired," Shinya mumbled, glaring at the man on the ceiling whose name she didn't even know. "Nightmare stuff. Go on."

Sumireko followed her gaze. "Rather than being paralyzed for the rest of my life, I opted to undergo some… modifications. Very expensive and highly experimental, of course. That's why… I'm strong…"

She yawned. "I'm so tired. If you want to talk to me about your dream, you'll have to be quick about it. Sorry."

The words bubbled in Shinya's throat, dying to be let out. She wanted someone else to know about her dreams.

Yeah right. I just want somebody else to share my pain.

If they were going to be friends, it wasn't right to make this their first conversation. Shinya wasn't as calm as Sumireko. If she started talking about that man, she would snap. It'd happened before.

"Forget it," Shinya replied, forcing a smile onto her face. She wondered if Sumireko could even see it in the dark. "If ya wanna go back t'sleep, that's a good idea. I'll leave you alone."

She began to slide off the bed when a hand closed around her wrist. The fingers were a bit cold, and not very fleshy.

"Wait…" Sumireko whispered, pulling her back carefully. "Could you stay?"

What an unexpected question. "Y'mean right here?" Shinya's throat filled with gravel. "I thought you were feelin' better about yer dream."

Her arm was not released. "A bit," she replied, obviously embarrassed. "I don't usually have two dreams in a row like this. I wanted this one to be a happy one, that's all."

If Shinya didn't get back to her own bed, and Sumireko woke up in the morning with Mahiru in bed, she would know her dream had been real. On the other hand, that might not be so bad…

No. Sumireko had revealed stuff to Shinya that she hadn't told Mahiru. If she thought Mahiru knew that stuff, things would get awkward between them.

She placed her own hand atop her roommate's. "Sorry," she said, loosening the girl's grip, which was surprisingly light. "I gotta get back t'my own place."

It hurt to see Sumireko so disappointed. "All right," the girl replied softly.

Then, to Shinya's utter incomprehension, she put her arms around her roommate's neck and hugged her.

"Ah…" Shinya held her arms stiffly out in front of her, not sure whether she should hug back or not.

"Thank you," Sumireko whispered, laying her head on the girl's shoulder. "Thank you for listening to me. No one else ever does."

Someone like Sumireko being ignored was like… well, it shouldn't have happened. "What about Mahiru?" Shinya asked, taking the plunge and hugging her back.

"Mahiru is such a sweet girl," Sumireko sighed. "But the me she likes is a wise, calm lady who can support her. I could never show this side of myself to her. Or to anyone, for that matter."

Shinya shook her head. "You're wrong. She'll listen to you. Mahiru's quiet, so she might seem closed-mined, but she cares about you a whole lot."

Sumireko let go of her and slumped back into bed. "Okay," she murmured. "I'll think about it…"

Her face loosened until her troubled visage became a peaceful one. Her eyelids drooped, ushering in waves of calmness. Shinya felt a little calmer watching her transformation.

Touching her arm where Sumireko had held it, she recalled the distinct feel of her fingers. Far too dry and far too smooth. They didn't feel whole, either. Something had moved underneath her skin, completely separate from it.

She wondered what kind of modifications her roommate had undergone. Maybe she had fake skin, and that was why she could withstand heat. Considering her strength, it was probably something more drastic than that.

That's somethin' else we share, then, Shinya thought, giving Sumireko a reassuring pat on the head. Neither of us're completely human.

She never would've thought that she could be so similar to such a rich, polite, elegant girl.

Shinya stayed with Sumireko until she fell asleep. When Sumireko woke up the next morning, she found Mahiru asleep in the other bed, unaware of the last night's conversation. She assumed it had all been a dream.

Shinya finally appeared, yay! I really enjoyed writing her dialogue. Also, as you can probably tell, there won't be any Otoya x Shiena in this fic. They have such adorable fanart, but sadly they don't work in this case.