Here we are at Chapter 5. Let's see if Fuyumi and Mia can mend their friendship, or if all is lost between them. I do not own Code Vein. They belong to Bandai Namco. I only own my OC. Here's chapter 5. Enjoy.

Chapter 5: Possibility

Mia POV

Things have been a little... difficult as of late. Ever since that little episode with Fuyumi in the hot spring, the two of us have rarely talked to each other. I'm not angry with her, but I have no idea what to say to her right now. Hell, how can I understand what's going on with her when I don't even understand what's going on with myself. I never tried to stop her from trying to kiss me, and there are times when I would just stare at her. Could I actually like her that way? Of course, how could I just ask her something like that when she's been avoiding me lately. Whenever I see her, she'll suddenly say she has something to take care of or something else and then leaves before I can say anything. Why is she avoiding me? I want to talk to someone about this, but who can I talk to. Davis and Yakumo are a definite NO, Louis is smart, but not in this capacity. Maybe Io, but she has memory loss like Fuyumi and may not know much about this kind of thing. That leaves Murasame and Coco. I think I'll take my chances on Coco. I find her at her usual spot with all of her merchandise and that nice car of hers. I first take a quick look around to make sure that Fuyumi isn't around. This has to be private for right now.

"Hey, Coco, can I talk to you for a minute?" I ask as I approach her.

"Hey Mia, what's up? You looking to buy something?" Coco asks.

Ever the merchant; always looking to make a buck. I guess that's one of the reasons why she's good at her work.

"No, no, I was hoping to get your advice on something?" I ask, playing with my fingers a bit; this is nerve racking.

"Advice on what?" Coco asks, leaning against her car.

"Well... I was wondering if you knew you when you liked someone? Like, what would you do if you had feelings for someone?" I ask.

Coco gets a little more interested now, "Oh, why, is there someone you like roaming around? I'm surprised people still think about that stuff with all the chaos that's going around this place," she asks.

"N-No, I mean... I don't know. I just... can you keep a secret?" I ask, glancing around to make sure no one was close enough to hear us.

"Depends. What's in it for me?" Coco asks.

"You expect me to pay you?!" I quietly shriek.

"I'm kidding. Man, you're really strung out about this. Yes, I can keep a secret. It's one of the reasons I'm still alive," Coco says.

"Well, the other day, I was in the hot spring with Fuyumi, and it was just the two of us. We were talking and towards the end, Fuyumi suddenly grabbed me by my shoulders and she was about to kiss me, I think," I explain quietly.

"My, my... well, it would explain a few things," Coco notes.

"Huh? What do you mean?" I ask.

"People may not realize it, but I'm more observant than they think. I've caught Fuyumi glancing at you every now and then, and she told me about how she really enjoyed that tea you like to make. Plus, she always seemed happier when you were near her. One doesn't have to be a genius to know that you've just about got her wrapped around your finger. Seems like a good catch to me," Coco explains.

I'm surprised. One, that Coco pays so much attention to the rest of us, and two, that Fuyumi had paid that much attention to me. Once again, I'm flattered that Fuyumi thinks so much about me, but what do I think about her?

"So, my turn to ask a question. How do you feel about Fuyumi?" Coco asks me.

"Huh? I don't... I don't know really. I mean, I care about her yes, at least as a friend, but I've never really thought about love. Before coming here, it had always just been my brother and I and my only concern was keeping him safe. Plus, I've never thought about being with another girl before," I explain.

"So, are you into guys then?" Coco asks.

How can she ask such personal questions in such a nonchalant manner.

"What, yes- I mean no, I just, ugh," I groan as I can feel a headache coming on from all of this stress.

"Talk to Fuyumi," I hear and we both look back to see Io joining us. "If it bothers you that much, then talk to her and find a way to solve the problem," Io says.

"Io, how long have you been here?!" I ask. "Crap, did she hear everything we were talking about?"

"I'm sorry. I'm not familiar with these kinds of emotions, but what I do know is that... you care about Fuyumi, and Fuyumi cares about you. Why not give it a try and see where it goes?" Io suggests.

Is she saying I should try and have a relationship with Fuyumi and see if anything comes from it? Easier said than done, though.

"But Fuyumi has been avoiding me lately," I point out.

"She's probably scared that you're angry at her and feels like she ruined your friendship or something. That's usually the gist of it," Coco says.

But Fuyumi didn't do anything wrong. I wasn't angry with her. I was just confused about everything else... and about myself.

"She's in her room now. You'll find her there," Io says.

I almost gawk at her. Was I the only one in this place that didn't pay attention to everything in my surroundings?

"But, to try and have a relationship, and with another girl? I don't know if I can do that," I say, feeling apprehensive.

"That's what they call taking a leap of faith. You never know until you try. You're not adverse to same-sex couples, are you?" Coco asks, cocking an eyebrow at me.

"What? No, it's not like that-," I try to defend myself.

"Then there's really nothing stopping you. Go on and talk to Fuyumi. You may not get another chance," Coco says.

"Good luck," Io tries to encourage me.

They have me boxed in. At this point, I'm almost exhausted by this little debate, and I submit to their request. Besides, if Fuyumi and I don't settle this matter now, it may hurt us when we're out in the field searching for the rest of the successors. I need to do this now. I walk to Fuyumi's room, every step feeling as if my feet are glued to the floor and I have to force each step forward with all of my strength. Eventually, I reach her room and take a calming breath before knocking on her door.

"Fuyumi, are you in there?" I call out, but I get no answer, even though I know she's in there. I check the door to find it unlocked. "Fuyumi, I'm coming in," I say and slowly open the door to find Fuyumi sitting on her bed, staring at the floor. I close the door to give us some privacy. "Fuyumi?" I say, and again, I get no answer. I sit on her bed next to her. "Fuyumi, please, talk to me," I plead.

Fuyumi finally looks at me, and I quickly notice what look like dried tear stains on her face. Has she been crying this whole time? This whole ordeal must really be hard for her.

"Fuyumi, look at you," I say and gently wipe the stains away off her cheeks.

"I'm sorry. About before," Fuyumi apologizes.

It looks like Coco and Io were right. Fuyumi was worried that she messed up our friendship.

"Fuyumi, I need you to answer a question for me... Do you... do you like me as more than a friend?" I finally address the elephant in the room. Fuyumi glances away again. "Fuyumi, please, look me in the eye and tell me how you really feel," I ask her.

Fuyumi sighs, "...When we first met, I thought you were really cute, and noble for wanting to protect your brother. You're a strong fighter, so I always knew I could count on you to watch my back in a fight. Over time, I noticed myself staring at you more and more, and then these feelings just burst forth. I'm always happy around you, and realized that you're not cute, you're beautiful. I fell for you because of the kind of person you are. You are kind and caring, and you always look out for the people you care about. How do I feel about you? Well... I think I'm in love with you, Mia Karnstein," she pours her heart out to me.

"Fuyumi," I mutter, surprised to hear how far her feelings go.

I was even more flattered now, and I think my cheeks might be a little pink now.

"And that's why I'm SO sorry about what happened at the hot spring. I didn't mean to put you into that kind of situation when I should've known if you liked me that way, or liked girls that way. I was afraid that I might've made you hate me and that our friendship was destroyed because of my stupidity and I-," Fuyumi starts crying again, and I force her to stop by putting a finger to her lips.

"Calm down, Fuyumi," I calmly tell her and wipe her tears away again. "I'm not mad at you. I was surprised, yes, but I was also really flattered. I just never thought about things like love, at least not that kind of love. And you didn't destroy our friendship, so you have nothing to be worried about. Listen, I do care about you. I don't know if it's the same way that you feel about me, but I do care about you," I tell her. She seems relieved that I'm not mad at her, but I think she's a little sad that my feelings aren't exactly the same as hers. However, I'm not done yet. "Listen, I don't know where this is gonna go, but if you want, we can try something," I suggest.

Fuyumi raises her eyebrows, "You mean-are you willing to-," she starts stuttering her words so I have to calm her down again.

"We can try and see about a relationship between the two of us. I'm not against same-sex relationships, so maybe we can see if something blossoms here. If you're willing," I ask.

For the first time, Fuyumi smiles, which makes me smile more, and she nods, "Please, I would love to. Thank you, Mia," she agrees.

She suddenly jumps and wraps her arms around my body, pulling my face close to hers as she smushes her cheek to mine. I didn't think she would be this happy about it. Now that I think about it though, I was always happier when Fuyumi is around. Maybe we can make this work. However, just to be sure, I need to try something.

"Listen, Fuyumi I want to try something. So, um..." I trail off.

Fuyumi gets the message and releases me from her grasp, not that I disliked it.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I was just a little overjoyed is all," Fuyumi apologizes.

"Okay, what I wanted to try was each of us giving the other a... giving the other... a kiss on the cheek," I suggest, feeling a little nervous about the matter.

Fuyumi POV

Did I hear her right just now? Did she say that I could kiss her on the cheek, and that she would kiss me?! Calm down, Fuyumi. You can start flipping out later when you're alone.

"Um, are you sure it's okay? You won't get creeped out?" I ask her, trying to keep myself from going frantic.

"Yes, I'm sure. How about you go first? You almost finished last time, sort of," Mia says.

I vigorously nod my head and do my best to calm down. Mia remains still and offers her right cheek, and I slowly lean in, giving her the chance to back out if she's uncomfortable. I won't make the same mistake like last time. When she makes no motion for me to stop, I finally gain the courage to plant a soft kiss on her cheek. Her skin is so smooth, and I feel butterflies in my stomach from just this small contact. Though I wanted to stay like this a lot longer, I didn't want to overstep with Mia, so I pulled away and notice her cheeks are a little red. Did she react to that in the way that I hoped she did?

"Well, I think it's... your turn now Mia," I say, feeling nervous again.

"Huh? Oh, uh, right. I-I guess I should..." Mia trails off.

I offer my left cheek to her and she takes just about as long as I do before she finally plants a soft kiss on my cheek. The butterflies in my stomach are going crazy now, and I think the only thing that could make me feel even more on cloud nine would be if she kissed me fully on the lips. Eventually, she separates from me and I have to force myself not to pout at the loss of contact.

"Um, w-w-well, how d-did that feel?" I ask.

I can't believe I can't keep myself from stuttering like an idiot!

"Well, I-I certainly didn't dislike it. It felt... pretty good, I guess," Mia replies, fingertips on her lips as her cheeks continue to blush a bit.

"So, is it okay if we continue to explore our relationship? See what happens?" I ask, wanting to make sure she was comfortable with this.

"Yeah, I'd like that," Mia says, smiling now.

I'm officially in a relationship with Mia. If I was alone right now, I might be dancing or jumping or doing something else stupid, but I manage to contain myself. I don't want to make Mia regret her decision. I take Mia's hand in my own and bring it up, planting a gentle kiss on it like a knight would his princess, because that's what she was to me, and so much more.

…

We leave my room, hand-in-hand, and find most of the group around the couches and the map. Coco winks at us as we pass by, and Io gives us a soft smile to show her support. Yakumo is the first to see us.

"Finally! I was wondering when you two were going to finally gonna hit it off," Yakumo exasperates.

Wait, did he suspect that I liked Mia and that this would happen. I notice that Mia facepalms.

"Coco and Io suspected the same thing," Mia says.

Oh, I guess that's why Coco winked at us and Io smiled at us.

"Um, did I miss something?" Louis asks as he turns to us from the map.

"Well, at least Louis is oblivious in this regard," Mia whispers to me.

"Well, I think we need a drink to celebrate the birth of your beautiful relationship. Louis, you in?" Yakumo asks.

"Yakumo, please, don't make a big deal out of this. You're making this a little awkward with all of the attention," Mia says, feeling a little embarrassed.

"Yakumo, please... Well, should I offer my own congratulations to the two of you?" Louis asks.

"It's fine, Louis. I think that's enough of that. Perhaps we should focus on other things for right now," I say.

It seems Mia might lose it if this keeps up. I really don't want our relationship to end only a few minutes after it began. Getting back on track, we have a discussion about a new route that may lead us to another successor that leads from the cathedral. I'm secretly hoping it's one that will lead to that mountain that Mia is looking for. The answers to her questions about her brother and the hunter might be found there. After we finish up the plan, we all get our gear together and prepare for the trip. I see Mia put on her blood veil, and prepare to put mine on, however...

"Here, let me help you," I hear Mia say as she walks up. I put my blood veil on, but then Mia helps with buttoning up the front, with a slight blush on her face. "W-Well, we're together now, so... it will probably be c-common to do this every now and then," Mia says.

I smile at the kind gesture, and when she finishes, I take her right hand and gently place a kiss on it, making her blush a little more.

"Thank you, Mia," I thank her and move to brush a few strands of her pretty hair behind her right ear. "Maybe next time, I'll help you with your blood veil so we're even," I offer.

Mia smiles at that, "I'd like that, Fuyumi," she says.

"Hey, guys, when you're done romancing in your own little world, we've got a mission to complete," we hear Yakumo call out as he and Louis stand by the main doors to the church.

We smile to each other again before grabbing our weapons and some supplies and then go to join them. Everything else may be the same now, but the one thing that's changed for the better... I finally begin a new relationship with Mia.

And that's the chapter. Mia and Fuyumi finally start a new relationship with each other. The next chapter will take place after the final battle in the true ending route for the game, but before the final scene since several years pass after the final battle before they leave past the red mists. What other situations will Mia and Fuyumi find themselves in? Until then, please Read and Review.