"Mei is at Yasaka shrine. Go."

Yuzu grit her teeth as she made her way to where the girl she loved would be. She thought back on her own words, "I can't let it end without baring my feelings. If I don't, I'll definitely regret it later". It filled her with both guilt and assurance. She would use the encouragement that Sara gave her and face her head on. Even after finding out that Sara was the one Mei decided to go out with, she was still determined to get her back. Did that make her a good friend, or a bad friend? Either way she didn't apologize to Sara when she chased after Mei. Just like how Sara didn't apologize to her when she told her about her sickness. It was a mutual kind of respect between them. Instead of 'I'm sorry' Yuzu decided that she would say 'Thank you' the next time she saw her silver haired friend.

But right now, she had to focus on someone else. She thought about how to clearly tell Mei her feelings, to make her understand why she rejected her in the first place and to understand more about each other. 'The one who isn't accepting the other's feelings is me'. The one who decided by herself that they shouldn't date was her. Yuzu started walking more briskly which gradually turned to a light jog until she was full on running. 'If that's the case I'll tell her how I feel no matter what!'

"Mei!". Her heart nearly lept out of her chest when she finally caught a glimpse of that beautiful, jet black hair, their eyes meeting as soon as she called out to her. For a brief second Yuzu could have sworn that she saw a glimmer of something in the other girl's lavender eyes. Was it relief or hope perhaps? "I need to tell you something and this time I'll do it clearly!"

"There's nothing I want to hear from you", Mei said coldly, turning away and walking at a brisk pace.

Yuzu immediately gave chase. She would just have to do it the hard way because she wasn't going to fail this time. "Mei listen I… I don't understand you at all! Like when you suddenly push me down and randomly kiss or hug me. And just when I think that we're finally making progress- when you finally let me in... you push me away!"

The younger girl continued to run. She didn't need to hear all this. A reminder of how twisted she was.

"But!", Yuzu went on, "on Christmas eve, even though I was so happy because I thought you were finally accepting my feelings… the one who pushed you away was me! Mei, I'm sorry. I'm the one who didn't accept your feelings."

Mei thought back on Matsuri's words: "Mei-san, my oneechan is a quite stubborn and a bit dense so you should be more open about your feelings…". And she was. She opened up but was rejected by the one person she'd let in. The raven haired girl slowed to a halt but did not turn to look at her pursuer.

Yuzu finally managed to catch up then. She was out of breath but she didn't care. "I was scared and I went and decided by myself that I didn't deserve you… that you shouldn't find happiness with someone like me. Even so, I love you Mei. This time, these feelings won't betray you!"

Mei finally turned to Yuzu, a surprised look etched into her face.

"You see, I'm selfish and I... I can't bear to see you be happy with anyone else-". She suddenly felt something small and fuzzy on her lips. Yuzu, with obvious confusion and curiosity, opened her eyes to see Mei pressing Anthoniko against her lips. Peering behind the small bear, Yuzu felt like she could fly when she realized what the gesture meant. A goofy smile crept up on her lips, "...Pun intended?"

"Shut up", Mei glared at the blonde before pulling her into a chaste kiss. Though it wasn't as rough and passionate as usual, it was long and satisfying after the past few months.

After Yuzu finally proclaimed her love to Mei, the two girls walked back in relative silence. With Yuzu on cloud nine and grinning like an idiot, she was practically skipping as they walked back. Meanwhile Mei kept her usual aloof expression, though the red tinge on her ears indicated that she was also quite elated by the turn of events. Their peaceful stroll was interrupted by the sudden ringing of Yuzu's phone.

Mei seemed irritated by disturbance but didn't say anything. She expected for the blonde to answer but the sound was gone as soon as it rang. Yuzu had pressed the off button on her smartphone which promptly cut the tune off.

By the quizzical look the younger girl gave her, Yuzu waved it off. "It was just an alarm. No worries", she smiled reassuringly before a comfortable silence settled between the two again. 'I have to get back to the hotel soon… But before that, there's something we have to do!'

When they finally managed to find the Tachibana twins the atmosphere was awkward and tense to say the least. Mei apologized to Sara for causing so much trouble for her while Yuzu stayed true to her word and didn't apologize for pursuing Mei. Rather, she thanked the shorter girl for her encouraging words which helped lighten the mood a bit. Yuzu also reminded her that they were comrades and that she would definitely keep in touch with her when they got back home, earning a bright smile from the older twin. After everything was sorted out between them the high schoolers decided to walk back to the hotel together.

Yuzu gasped sharply, instinctively grasping at the material of her uniform near where her heart was located at. 'No. Not now!'

Ba-dum… Ba-dum…!

That damn sensation again. One would think that after the past few years, she'd be numb to the feeling by now. But there it was again, at the worst of times. Her body felt heavier with each step she took. Her heart felt like it would burst and her chest felt like it was constricting, making it harder and harder for her to breathe.

"Yuzu…?", Mei turned to the abnormally quiet girl. Panic started to rise within her when she realized that Yuzu was gasping and wheezing, struggling for air. The twins also noticed the abrupt silence from the blonde girl and turned around to see what was happening.

Sara instantly knew what was going on. It was like the time when they'd first met. Except this time it didn't seem like Yuzu would be able to control it. She also didn't have her bag with her which probably meant that she also didn't have her medication. Being the only one who knew about Yuzu's condition, the short girl hurriedly rushed to her side.

The blonde turned to her, peering through half lidded eyes. Her vision was rapidly blurring. Were her eyes filling up with tears? No. Everything was becoming all fuzzy, the sound of her rapid heartbeat filling her ears, echoing. Slowly, the sound of cries for help started fading alongside her consciousness.

Okay so… I changed the confession scene a bit. I hope the pun wasn't too out of place (*´∀`*). I wanted to lighten the mood a bit because everything is so angsty and it just seemed so goofy and something that Yuzu would say so there it is! Also I switched who engages the kiss, with Mei pulling her girlfriend into a kiss first (rather than the other way around).

(From here on out, the story will not directly link up with the events of the manga. )

*Just saw the raws for chapter 37 and I need y'all to know that my heart can't take any more of Saburo Uta's sadistic behaviour ヽ(；▽；)ノ.