"Say, Haruki, would you… would you dance with me?"

Surprised, Haruki looked over at the pink haired girl.

Isuke wasn't looking at her. She held her head down, eyes fixated on the ground, and Haruki could only assume she was attempting to hide the heat spreading across her face, colouring it bright red.

"Huh? What did you say, Isuke-sama?" she asked. Not that she hadn't heard the girl, but the question came as a shock.

Hadn't Isuke just said she didn't care about any of this stuff?

"Dance with me, idiot! It's just 'cause I like the song, that's all," Isuke hissed embarrassed, her golden eyes now meeting Haruki's.

She didn't recognize the song, but it sounded like a love song.

"Are you never gonna stop acting like a tsundere?" she couldn't help but tease her, but her girlfriend didn't react the way she had predicted. Instead of blushing furiously and getting mad at her, Isuke played along.

"I thought you found it cute," she pouted cutely, battling her eyelashes.

Haruki laughed heartedly and offered her a hand, leading her out on the dance floor.

She placed her hands gently around Isuke's slender waist, pulling her close.

Haruki took a moment to revel in their closeness. The fabric of Isuke's dress under her fingers, the sweet scent of her perfume, the feeling of her hair brushing against her cheek as they moved with the music…

"Where did Banba run off to?" asked Isuke curiously, looking around the crowded place.

"Probably looking for Hanabusa," the redhead replied, "You didn't happen to see her around, did you?"

Truth be told, Isuke had been doing her best to steer clear of the blonde ever since that incident. She'd rather not think too much about the girl at the moment, so she hadn't exactly been on the lookout for her.

"No," she answered rigidly. It wasn't as though she was mad at Sumireko for what had happened. If anything, she blamed herself, and the entire situation was painfully awkward.

"I just hope she was around to see it, you know. Or else all that effort would've gone to waste."

"She really pulled through today, huh," Isuke muttered against her shoulder. She'd known Mahiru for a while. It wasn't as though they were best friends. In fact, Isuke hadn't always been very nice to her, but she'd like to think she knew her rather well.

At the very least, she was certain that singing in front of a large crowd like that, especially while declaring her feelings for someone, was far out of her comfort zone.

She had been very brave, and so Isuke hoped things would turn out well for them.

"So, do you think they'll manage to talk things out?" asked Isuke.

"Yeah. I mean; I'd like to think so. They deserve to be happy, you know."

Mahiru and her had become rather close, after all. She wished the best for Mahiru, knowing that she, of all people, deserved it.

"Are you happy?"

The question came as a surprise.

How was she supposed to answer that?

Of course she was happy with Isuke, but that didn't mean she could shake that nagging sensation in the back of her mind. The fact that her mother was ill, and that she could barely keep everything together. All the hospital bills and feeding her siblings; it was difficult, and no matter how much Haruki wished her life could be easy, that was always going to be a reality. A reality that she couldn't escape.

"I'm very happy with you, Isuke-sama," she replied after a minute or so. It was the best answer she could possibly give for the time being, and it was entirely true.

She had long since lost track of all the days where she'd felt like her only reason for getting up in the morning was to go to work and earn money so they could eat. But with Isuke, she could have fun, and make memories she actually wanted to recall when she got old. She could relax and be herself.

Yes, she had definitely helped her through all of this, because with Isuke she felt more alive, and more at home, than she ever had.

She was happy with Isuke.

Mahiru glanced around, hoping to spot the strawberry blonde in the crowd. She hadn't seen her at all during her and Haruki's performance, and she couldn't find her now either.

It made her wonder if Sumireko was even at the dance.

What if she wasn't there? Then all that work would have gone to waste, and Sumireko wouldn't find out how she felt about her.

She forced the negative thoughts to the very back of her mind, knowing that if she kept thinking like that, she'd give up before she even found Sumireko. Then, she would never find out if the other girl would forgive her or not, or even if she saw her performance.

After searching through the entire crowd twice, even going as far as to ask some of her classmates if they had seen her, she realized she wasn't there.

Shutou Suzu claimed she had spotted her earlier in the evening, so she figured she must have left.

As she closed the door behind her, the noise of the dance ebbed out and she could finally relax a little bit. Situations like that had always been tiresome for her, after all. She didn't enjoy large crowds and lots of noise, so she was happy to put some distance between herself and the others.

Most of the lights in the hallways and classrooms were off, so the lighting was dim.

By now, the noise had entirely disappeared and it was as though she was all alone in the world. The unnerving atmosphere sent chills down her spine, so she began to hum quietly in order to fill the emptiness in the halls.

Sometimes, maybe being alone wasn't for the best.

"Mahiru-san?" a voice spoke.

Mahiru jumped slightly before turning towards the source of the voice.

Sumireko was sitting on the staircase a few meters ahead.

The blonde stood up and approached her calmly.

"Um... Hanabusa-san..." she started quietly. She wanted to ask her if she'd heard her song, but the way the girl looked at her was unnerving.

Sumireko looked her straight in the eyes, and although Mahiru felt embarrassed and wanted to turn away, there was something in those bright blue eyes that compelled her to keep her gaze steady. The blonde's eyes were glittering, almost as if there were tears in them, but that couldn't be the case. A small, yet soft, smile had formed on her pink lips.

"Thank you," she spoke calmly, catching Mahiru completely off guard. She jumped at the surprising comment.

"F-for what? I-I..." she stuttered. Feeling the heat spreading across her cheeks, she lowered her head, attempting to hide her blushing face from the other girl.

"For your song, of course," she explained just as calmly.

"So, uh, you liked it then?" Mahiru asked embarrassed. She hated asking, hated making herself even more vulnerable, but she needed to know.

Besides, Sumireko had put herself out there, and had her heart broken. If anything, it was only fair that she had to do the same now.

And she needed to make this right.

"More than you know," said Sumireko, her smile widening as she stepped a bit closer. "It truly did mean a lot to me, Mahiru-san."

The silver haired one looked up, smiling slightly.

"I'm glad..." she whispered, feeling as though she could finally relax, if only for a little while.

"Me too," agreed Sumireko, "But I know I have misinterpreted things before, so would you mind telling me where we stand right now?"

She was being careful, choosing every word with caution. She didn't want to get her heart broken again, if that was even possible.

All she had ever wanted was to be acknowledged. At all the formal gatherings she had attended with her father, she'd had to pretend. Put up walls around herself and smile and laugh like everyone else. She had to be polite, serious, and most importantly happy, even when she wasn't.

She just wanted someone who knew her true self, and loved her nonetheless.

That's why she couldn't ruin it this time.

"Well, I was hoping that... that maybe..." she tried. Somehow, she felt bad saying this now, after having hurt Sumireko before. "That maybe, you and I could drink tea together sometime... and then see where things go from there."

Sumireko couldn't help but laugh, not because there was anything funny, but because she was so relieved, and so happy. Genuinely happy, and it was such an amazing feeling. She had missed laughing like this.

Mahiru soon burst into laughter too, and for a while, they both just stood there laughing hysterically, feeling as though a heavy load had been lifted from their shoulders.

When they had finally calmed down, the blonde's smile faded and was replaced by a more serious expression.

"I have one condition."

The other girl's smile vanished, and she immediately looked worried.

"I just need to know something…" she spoke.

"O-of course," Mahiru replied with a slight stutter. Just a simple question with a simple answer, that was all she demanded. Although, Mahiru already knew the question, and the answer wasn't quite that simple.

Yet, she had to tell her now, or all of this would have been for nothing.

"Why now? You rejected me when I first asked you out, and now you do all this. I need to know why," she demanded.

"I was planning to tell you," Mahiru explained, "I-I just didn't know how to say it."

"Well, I'm all ears, so go ahead." There was a slightly harsh undertone to her voice, but it wasn't intended. It was simply the bitterness of being rejected that was brought back to the surface now that she thought back to that day.

"I... It's just that I didn't want to tell anyone," she started, "because everyone I told in the past had very negative reactions..."

When she was younger, she had been more open about her split personality, and when she had told someone about it, they would think she was strange and stay away from her. Some had even thought she was crazy; that she needed help, but she didn't want that. She loved Shin'ya, after all. Sure, it was tough at times, but Shin'ya was like a sister to her, and she couldn't imagine a life without her at this point.

"I won't," she spoke, loud and clear.

"But y-you haven't-" Mahiru argued, but she was cut off mid-sentence.

"I won't," she repeated. It was more than a declaration; it was a promise.

She had already made up her mind. No matter what Mahiru told her, she would do her best to accept it, because all that mattered was that she was in love with this girl.

She felt at home with her.

They remained silent for a while, Mahiru gathering her courage, and Sumireko waiting patiently.

"Her name is Shin'ya. She's very different from me, actually we're kinda... kind of like polar opposites. But even so, she's like a sister to me, a-and she means the world to me, s-so please accept us both."

She bowed her head down. Talking a lot was tiresome for her, and she had done a lot of talking today.

"But... then how come I've never met this Shin'ya?" Sumireko asked, the confusion visible on her face.

"That's because... she's my alternate personality."

Again, a long silence filled the room. Mahiru couldn't say anything more. What more could she possibly say? All that was left was to see Sumireko's reaction.

"Can she hear us now?"

"Uh..." she muttered, too baffled to reply to the girl's question right away.

That was not the reaction she had expected. If anything, she had expected her to react the same way everyone before her had.

Disbelief… Rejection… Anger…

That's all there ever was, anyway. No one would accept it. No one accepted her, not even before Shin'ya…

Sumireko soon became impatient. She took another step towards Mahiru, extending her hand for her to shake.

"I'm not sure if you can hear me right now, but I'm going to assume you can," she smiled brightly, "It is very nice to meet you, Shin'ya-san. I hope we can all get along."

"Hanabusa-san..." the silver haired girl muttered, the shock still visible on her face.

"What? It's not like you told me you are some sort of psychotic serial killer or something. I don't see the problem," she shrugged indifferently, still smiling softly at her.

Mahiru didn't have a reply prepared for that, and honestly, what was the point in talking more now? Sumireko accepted it without question, just like Haruki had. Finally, she'd met some good people. No, good friends. Friends that listened to her and cared about her.

As for Sumireko, she might even be something more, but there was no need to rush with that.

Not wasting another second, she wrapped her arms around the girl and pulled her close. Sumireko was surprised by the gesture, but soon relaxed.

Mahiru could feel tears forming in her eyes, so she closed them and buried her face in Sumireko's strawberry blonde hair. Sumireko patted her back gently, wishing they could stay like that forever.

Sumireko couldn't be happier in that moment, because after all this time, all this struggle, she finally had the girl she cared so much for in her arms.

And Mahiru felt so happy to have found someone like Sumireko. Someone who finally accepted her, and Shin'ya. She knew Shin'ya was tough; she was everything Mahiru wasn't, after all. So she would act like it was all fine, like she didn't feel lonely.

But now, there was someone who accepted both of them.

No, Sumireko accepted both of them. Not just some random person, but the person she had liked ever since she first laid eyes on her. The person she had wanted to talk to so many times, and the person she so desperately wanted to understand that she just couldn't tell her. Because, if she didn't understand, that would have destroyed both of them.

But she did understand…

And finally, they were home.

Hi :) I know it's been ages since the last time I updated this fic, but the other day I went through some of my old documents and realized I've had this chapter lying around forever. While I can't promise I'll start working on this story again, I figured I'd at least post this chapter. Enjoy!