In his nightmare Megumi watched helplessly as Mahito took hold of Lily, placing his hands around her neck. However, the cursed spirit had no intention of choking her. He reached deep inside of her, warping and ruining her soul which altered her outward appearance.

Shiny black scales grew over her entire body. Her legs fused together and lengthened into a long winding tail behind her while still supporting her in an upright position. The pupils in her amber eyes became a vertical slit. Her black hair formed into black cords that started to coil and writhe about becoming hissing snakes.

Mahito laughed in malicious glee. He was extremely proud of himself for transfiguring her into Medusa. The snakes struck out at Megumi, venom dripping from their unusually long needle like fangs. One of the snakes managed to sink its fangs into his cheek. In the night terror he howled in terror and pain which startled him out his incredibly disturbed sleep.

Sitting up in bed, Megumi rubbed his hand over his clammy face. Panting, he tried to reorient himself, repeating over and over in head, 'It was a bad dream. Only a nightmare. It wasn't real.'

He was unsure why he would dream something so frightening and ghastly. Getting out of bed, he went to the kitchen for water. Everything was so quiet. Unsettled, unable to get the image of Lily as Medusa out of his head, he tiptoed upstairs to her room.

Megumi tapped on the door with his knuckle, and it opened a little bit. For some reason, her door had not been completely closed which made his heart beat faster with apprehension. He tentatively pushed open the door with his fingertips.

The sun had not yet come up, and the curtain was drawn over the glass sliding door leading out to her balcony enveloping the room in complete darkness. He could not see if she was in the bed or not.

"Lily? Lily, are you in here?" he called into the black void in front of him.

Reaching inside the room, his fingers feeling along the wall, he flipped the switch to turn on the light attached to the ceiling fan. If he woke her up, he would apologize. Unfortunately, she was not there to warrant an apology.

His heart leapt into his throat, but Megumi remained calm, glancing around the room. Everything was in it's place. There were no signs of a struggle taking place as if someone had abducted her in the middle of the night.

The covers of the bed had been neatly folded back when she got up. Pinky was gone which he took as a good sign because that meant she had the overprotective Corpse Doll with her.

Having no clue where to begin looking for her, Megumi summoned his Divine Dog. Bending down, he petted the spirit dog affectionately.

"Go find Lily, boy," he commanded the dog, following behind.

~\./~

Lily sat in the lotus pose on the flat part of the huge stone in the middle of the karesansui she found while exploring the school grounds. Upon finding the small square filled with soft white sand and a big black boulder resembling a canoe since both ends curved upward to a rounded point, she decided to take a seat and meditate.

Pinky sat beside her keeping an eye on their surroundings. Not having to blink came as a definite advantage while on watch.

She had awakened after sleeping only four hours and had been unable to fall back to sleep. Attributing her wakefulness to happy anticipation of the upcoming girls' day out, she decided to begin with a relaxing stroll. She planned to sit here and ease into her day. Her plan was to return to the dorm after watching the sun rise, well before Megumi and Yūji woke up.

Suddenly she heard clicking like a dog's nails tapping on the flat stones comprising a pathway to the Japanese rock garden. The panting alerted her that it was definitely a dog coming her way. Domestic animals were always wandering onto the property, but she had not encountered any in such a secluded area.

Megumi's black Divine Dog burst through the bushes to her right. Running to her, he hopped up onto the rock and licked her face. Panting happily and wagging his tail, he waited to be petted.

Giggling, Lily scratched behind his ears and rubbed her hand along his back. It was easy to forget this dog is actually a spirit animal, sometimes an extremely vicious one who could tear apart cursed spirits, and not a real dog at all.

"Hey, boy, where's Megumi?" Lily asked as if he could answer her.

The dog licked her cheek once more then backed up. He lifted his head to howl to let his Master, more aptly his summoner, know of his whereabouts. Not long after, Megumi appeared, staying on the winding path rather than taking a short cut through the hedge like his Divine Dog had.

His feet were bare. He had not even bothered to put on shoes he left in such a hurry to find her. Lily's cheeks blushed with the thought that it was a good thing he did not prefer to sleep in the nude since he wore the white t-shirt and gray sweatpants he put on before going to bed.

Megumi looked angry. Although more often than not, he did look angry. As he approached her, closing the distance between them quickly with his long legs and fast strides, Lily stood up. His eyebrows separated from where they had been joined together over his nose in agitation. He no longer looked angry but relieved as he put his arms around her to trap her in a bear hug.

"Megumi? Is everything all right?" she wheezed as he pushed the air out of her lungs with his embrace.

"Yeah, everything is fine," he murmured in her ear only loosening his grip enough for her to breathe easier.

Lily encompassed his slim waist with her arms, tilting her head back to keep him from crushing her nose against his collarbone. She looked up at the gray predawn sky for a moment before closing her eyes to completely relish his hug.

Breathing in, she inhaled his scent. Fresh and clean like the smell left behind after a summer rainstorm. The sharp aroma of ozone toned down by the underlying verdant scent of fresh earth and damp grass. He probably smelled like that due to his brisk walk through the dew covered underbrush. His arms constricted around her, the muscles of his biceps sqirming against her shoulders.

Turning her head, her lips brushed against his sensitive neck causing him to inhale sharply. His arms withdrew from around her. His fingers grasped her upper arms pushing her back. Stunned by what seemed like a fierce rejection, she opened her mouth to speak only to have his mouth cover hers to prevent her from saying a word.

Arousal rushed through Lily's body as he gave her another one of those enthralling kisses where he caught her lower hip between his followed by giving the top lip a singular peck before he fitted his mouth back to hers.

Where did he learn to kiss like this? How many girlfriends had he had before her? Lily really did not care because she is the one he kissed now, the one he had completely given his heart to in the present. Girlfriends in the past did not matter at all.

"Oh, Megumi," she sighed, keeping her eyes closed as a slow smile lifted the corners of her lips.

"You liked that?" he asked, gliding his fingers across her cheeks and pushing them into her hair.

Oh, thank the gods...her soft hair, not venomous snakes, he thought exhaling a sigh of relief.

"I liked it very much," Lily said, opening her eyes to catch his that were scanning her face as he was seeing her for the first time. "What?"

"Just looking at how beautiful you are. How..." He paused, his eyes moving over her face then back to hers. "Not scaly."

The slightly hoarse edge of his low voice made every nerve ending her body stand on end with excitement. But what a bizarre thing to say.

"What are you talking about?" she chuckled in her confusion. "You're being weird."

"I know," he sighed, giving her a shy smile. "I had the worst nightmare."

Megumi proceeded to tell her about her grotesque transfiguration in his bad dream. As he described it in great detail, her face fell into a dark glower. The elation gradually leaked from her body like air escaping a balloon to replaced by a feeling of dreadful fear.

Mahito had told Lily he wanted to see what kind of monster he could turn her into. Her mind recalled high school mythology and the story of Medusa, particularly why she was transformed into the snake haired monster.

"Medusa, huh," she murmured, turning her back on him and walking away a few steps. "A really strange and oddly specific thing for you to dream about. That in itself makes your nightmare all the more frightening to me."

"How so?" Megumi inquired, sitting down on the canoe shaped rock beside the pink rabbit who surprisingly did not growl at him.

"Do you know anything about Medusa in Greek mythology?"

"Not much. I know Medusa was a monster who turned men to stone if they looked into her eyes. She killed as many mortal men as she could because she hated them."

"Medusa was a beautiful woman before she became that...thing." She shivered, wrapping her arms around her body. "She was a virgin shrine maiden loyal to Athena. The sea god, Poseidon raped her inside the temple of the goddess she served. Athena punished her by transforming her into that horrid, snake haired Gorgon."

"Oh, I see," he mumbled, feeling a bit queasy.

"Megumi," Lily began speaking, keeping her back to him and hugging herself tighter. "Mahito is a cursed spirit, but he's different from all of the others isn't he?"

"I suppose."

"He's like a child. Very inquisitive. Although he hates humans, he wants to learn everything about them. I think he wants to experiment and discover the most awful ways to torture people and make more monsters like himself...bred from negative emotions. Just for fun. Not for any other purpose."

"Maybe. Where are you going with this? What are you thinking?"

"You're going to be a fun little doll to play with." Mahito's words came back to her so clearly she could hear his voice in her head as she heard it in her ears the day he spoke them.

"Do you think he would try to - "

"No," Megumi said curtly, cutting her off as not to hear the horrific word rape come out of her mouth again.

He did not want to think about Mahito, or anyone for that matter, attacking and devastating her in such a sick manner. But such an assault would destroy her body and soul even without Mahito's cursed ability.

The early morning sun shone through the trees. The leaves separated the rays into single shafts of golden light illuminating the area and painting the sand with yellow polka dots. The brightening sun could not dispel the metaphorical darkness that covered them, a black cloud making their hearts and minds heavy with worry.

"I'm sorry," Megumi apologized, going to her and putting his arms around her in a backwards hug. "I didn't mean to ruin your day first thing by telling you that."

"You didn't ruin my day," Lily assured him, resting her hands on his forearms locked around her waist. "I'm glad you confided in me. There's a way you can make me feel better."

"Oh, yeah? How's that?" He rubbed his cheek across hers.

"I just need you to hold me for a little while."

"What else can I do?" he asked, turning her to face him.

Lily smiled up at him, placing her palms flat on his chest.

"Kiss me again. Then walk me back to the dorm," she requested. "I need to get ready."

"I can do that," he said, lowering his mouth to hers.

A tap on her leg from something soft and fuzzy made her pull her lips away from Megumi's. Glancing down, she saw pinky, arms stretched up to her like a toddler wanting to be picked up. His jealousy and overprotectiveness would not allow him to sit idly by any longer.

"Okay, fine," Lily mumbled in resignation, stooping to pick him up.

"i don't think I have too much to worry about with him around," Megumi uttered, grouchy that their kiss was prematurely ended.

"You have nothing to worry about at all," she assured him, taking hold of his hand as they walked. "It was just a nightmare, right?

"Right."

~\./~

After a few hours of shopping and many purchases later, the trio made their way to the spa. Trying on clothes, putting on an impromptu fashion show with your new friends, and laughing until your belly ached could be hard work.

They stowed their shopping bags and their clothes in the lockers assigned to them. After a shower, they were treated to a soak in a silica rich bath of water pumped in from the nearby hot spring to detox and soften their skin.

"Ahhh," sighed Nobara, leaning her head back against the cement lip of the huge tub all three of them sat in. "I could get used to this."

"This is just the beginning," Lily happily informed her. "We still have an avocado facial, a hot stone massage, and a mani-pedi. We can have lunch in the spa cafeteria as well."

"Do they have a workout room here?" Maki asked.

"They do," she replied, not surprised exercising would be Maki's idea of relaxing considering her great figure and well toned muscles.

"I think I might skip the manicure and pedicure in favor of a workout," she informed her companions.

"Suit yourself," Nobara mumbled. "I can't wait for that massage."

Neither could Lily. As hard as she had tried, it had been difficult for her to relax, to not think about Megumi's nightmare which could quite possibly become her own.

With their faces refreshed and moisturized by the avocado and their bodies properly tenderized by their skilled masseuses, they were ushered to chairs in the salon to have their hands and feet worked on while still dressed in their pink spa robes. Maki veered off in a different direction, returning to the locker room to change into some of her recently purchased work out wear to go to the gym instead.

"Have you thought about moving onto the campus?" Nobara asked Lily as the fingernails were being shaped and filed.

"I have, but as much as I would like to, I think it's more important I that maintain an offsite safe house and first aid station for sorcerers," she said just as Principal Yaga had told her.

"Aww, man! That sucks. It would be nice having you around all of the time."

"Yeah. I would like that too...but..." But everyone had a duty to fulfill, and hers did not include her living on campus. "You're free to come by my house any time...as long as it's okay for you to leave campus of course. I will also try to visit the school as much as possible."

Lily adored her new little family comprised of Jujutsu Sorcerers. Even Satoru Gojō despite his infuriating need to put through test after test as if determining her worthiness of his favored pupil.

The man acted like an overprotective father, or more like a brother - considering his age. Despite his irresponsible attitude and impetuous actions, the man cared a lot about all of his students. He was probably the first good male role model in Megumi's life. Megumi's absentee father certainly left a lot to be desired on the parental front.

She never met Toji Fushiguro yet she hated him. It might be disrespectful and abhor a dead man but she didn't care. The man was gone from his son's life long before he actually died.

"Are you still coming to the photo shoot?" Lily asked reminding Nobara of the invitation she had extended to her.

"I am! I can't wait!" she responded enthusiastically, picking up a bottle of nail polish. "What color do you think? Salmon? Coral? Oooh!" she exclaimed grabbing a pretty metallic blue color. "What about this one?"

"Definitely that one," she replied, choosing a silver that looked like mercury in the bottle.

"That silver will look great with that little black dress you bought," Nobara said, flexing her fingers as the manicurist rubbed lotion into the back of her hand. "A girl can never have too many little black dresses."

"No, she can't," Lily agreed, chuckling lightly.

If she had not answered the call to be a Jujutsu Sorcerer, Nobara would have made a great fashion and make up consultant, or a model if she wished. The conversation turned to the outfits they bought, and the places they wanted to go to wear them while their fingernails were painted.

"Hey, Nobara," Lily said as their feet soaked in the tub attached to the chair that rumbled and whirred massaging her back and strangely her butt.

"Hmmm?" she hummed without looking up from the article listing the most popular colors and brands of lipstick.

"Do you know anything about Megumi's past girlfriends?" Lily asked hesitant to know the answer. She could already feel jealousy seething around in her gut.

"Huh?" she queried, glimpsing over the top of the glossy pages at Lily.

"How many girls has Megumi dated before me?"

"Girls?" Nobara repeated as if she didn't understand.

"Boys, maybe? Hell, I don't know. Has he had any relationships besides with me?"

"Why do you want to know?"

Lily shrugged to act nonchalant. She looked down at the magazine on her lap to avoid Nobara's intense gaze on her face. Heat crept over her cheeks as self consciousness seized her. She didn't want to be a suffocating jealous girlfriend. She was just curious she assured herself.

"Just wondering," she murmured, turning the page. "We haven't talked about it. Actually, I don't think he wants to talk about anyone from his past...with the exception of my grandmother."

"Yeah. We didn't even know he had a sister until it became pertinent information and he mentioned her during an assignment," Nobara said, closing her magazine to lay it on her lap.

Megumi has a sister? Lily did not know that either. She would have to revisit that subject later but with him. And she would tread carefully since she would be delving into family matters.

"Why do you want to know if he has had any previous girlfriends?" Nobara asked with a mischievous smirk. "Or boyfriends."

"Just curious."

"Curious about what exactly?"

Lily glanced at Nobara, making eye contact. The brown eyes that met hers were kind with an inquisitive gleam. She could trust her to have Megumi's best interests in mind if not hers as well.

"It's just that," Lily began, her tongue thick and the words warbling due to the ever rising embarrassment creating an obstruction in her throat. She cleared her throat in an attempt to rid herself of the choking humiliation.

The salon attendant brought over a bottle of water which she gratefully took.

"Just what," Nobara prompted her, placing her elbow on the arm of the chair and propping her chin in her hand.

"The way he kissed me the other day told me he has definitely kissed someone before."

"Oh, really?" her companion said, her cheeks flushing pink. She raised her magazine, unfolding it quickly to hide her face. "I honestly can't say if he's had any past romantic relationships. You know him, he doesn't say much even to those close to him."

"That's true. But..." Lily stared at the front cover of the magazine featuring a model with whom she had a swimsuit photo shoot last year. "All right, Nobara, tell me."

"Tell you what? What are you talking about?" she asked, holding the magazine a little higher to make sure it blocked her entire face.

"You know something."

"I really don't know anything about his past relationships."

"Nobara Kugasaki," Lily sang out sweetly, waiting for her to lower the magazine and meet her gaze. "Spill it."

"I'll tell you, but you've got to swear you won't say anything to Megumi...or Yūji," she added, her face blushing a bright cherry red.

"Yūji? What does he have to do with this?"

"Promise."

Nobara extended her fist, pinky outstretched, toward Lily.

A pinky promise? Lily had not been party to a pinky promise since middle school. She grabbed hold of Nobara's pinky with hers.

"Okay. I swear. Now tell me," she insisted, inclining her head toward Nobara.

"It's funny you mentioned the boyfriend thing," she giggled giddily, leaning toward Lily in order to keep her voice low to divulge her dirty little secret.

A thousand butterflies took flight in Lily's tummy. The boyfriend thing had only been mentioned because people sometimes want to explore all options on their way to discovering who and what they like and don't like in the romantic realm. She never imagined Megumi as being exceedingly adventurous especially in the amorous arts. However, he sure surprised her with that kiss.

"Okay, here's what happened..."

Nobara told her that one of her magazines went missing so she started asking around to find out who took it. After asking Maki and Gojō, she went to Yūji's room to search for it. It would be just like that nimrod to steal it and hide it to play a prank on her.

"I didn't knock before going into his room because I was so mad. I had been looking forward to reading the article about new summer fashions. I walked in and ..." she said, pausing to giggle. "You wouldn't believe what I saw."

"Oh, no," Lily gasped, holding her breath anticipation of Nobara's next words.

"I found those two morons sitting on the bed kissing each other. They stole the magazine and were practicing the tips and hints to be a better kisser. Unbelievable, isn't it?"

Lily swallowed several times trying to rid herself of the new lump in her throat. Her eyes opened wide in astonishment, but she could not see a thing.

Her vivid imagination formed a picture of the two friends sitting side by side on the bed. They turned toward each other, their chests pressing together as their lips met. Megumi's hand went to the back of Yūji's head to cradle it as his mouth moved across his friends, his lips shifting slightly into that offset kiss she enjoyed so much.

Holy shit!, her inner voice screamed.

"And oh, my god," Nobara gasped, slapping her knee. "I have never seen those two move so fast. They jumped off the bed and hit the walls on opposite sides of the room. Then they tried to act all cool about it but it was far too late for that." She laughed, covering her moutht to stifle the sound. "It was so freaking funny."

Lily did not laugh. Instead she stared straight ahead, slack jawed and not sure what to think as dozens of thoughts spun through her brain.

"Lily? Are you mad?" Nobara inquired reluctantly, her smile disappearing.

"Uh...uhm...I...hmm," she mumbled, shaking her head as if to clear it while slowly closing and opening her eyes to return them to their normal size.

Lily did a quick assessment of her emotions. Confused? Check. Shocked? Oh, without a doubt. Angry? No, not really. Jealous? Yes. Aroused? Maybe?

"I'm not angry," she murmured still sorting through her roiling thoughts and feelings. She could feel her entire body heating when she realized two feelings stood out from the others. "Honestly...I feel...I feel a little..."

"He was just doing it to be a better kisser. Oh, Lily, please don't be upset," Nobara pleaded with her shell shocked companion.

"I'm not upset." She could feel the heat of embarrassment getting more intense across her face and spreading down her neck to her chest. "I feel a little...jealous."

"Jealous? Seriously?" It was Nobara's turn to be baffled.

Biting her lower lip, Lily shifted uncomfortably in her massage chair which had turned off at some point. She pictured Megumi experimentally shifting his lips from Yuji's catching his friend's lower lip between the two of his like he had done to her. When Megumi sucked on it lightly, Yuji moaned.

Her belly tightened with an intensity that induced a slight bit of nausea. Not because the thought of them kissing made her physically ill but because - it aroused her. A heat and heaviness formed deep inside of her in response to her overactive imagination.

"Are you okay?" Nobara asked. Her forehead folded into accordion like wrinkles of her concern as he eyebrows raised inquisitively when Lily's eyes reconnected with hers. "Maybe I shouldn't have told you. I thought you would think it's funny and nothing more. It didn't mean anything."

"I know that. I have to admit it's kinda flattering Megumi would go to such excessive lengths to be a better kisser...for me," she said, smiling and sinking back into her chair.

"Are you sure you're not mad? At me or them?" Nobara still looked worried.

"I'm not mad at anyone," Lily said, leaning toward her friend. "Actually," she whispered, waiting for the girl to incline her head toward Lily to literally give her a listening ear to whisper into. "I think I'm a little bit turned on by the thought of those two kissing."

"Oh, my god," Nobara gasped, slapping Lily's arm playfully. "Shut up! Are you serious?"

Her reaction sent another wave of self-consciousness flooding over Lily.

"It's so embarrassing," she mumbled, covering her face with her hands. Her skin felt hot against her palms.

"Ah, it's not big deal," Nobara murmured in return, waving her hand dismissively. "It's a big turn on for guys to see two women together why can't we enjoy the same thing with two guys? Especially cute guys like those two."

"They are both extremely handsome. I just can't imagine either one of them doing them such a thing. It really is funny," Lily chuckled to offset some of her embarrassment. "While I appreciate Megumi's desire to learn how to please me, I hope he is not quite so methodical about everything. I want him to reserve some things just for me."

Nobara's face blossomed into a lovely shade of rose red catching Lily's veiled meaning.

"I'm sure he will save that just for you," she said with a small chuckle. "Please don't tell them I told you. They would be mortified. They were both down on the their hands and knees begging me not to say anything. They're my friends...more like my brothers. I don't want them to mistrust me."

"Don't worry. I swore I won't say anything, remember?" She held up her pinky. "But why did you tell me? I'm an outsider and - "

"You are most definitely not an outsider," Nobara cut her off, sounding quite miffed at her words. "This does involve you, and you asked soooo I told you. I thought it would be good for a laugh between us as well. A real bonding moment, you know? A secret between us girls."

"Yeah, you're right," Lily agreed, thrilled the young woman trusted her so much already.

"Megumi really does love you, Lily. He just wanted to be a better kisser. I think he's kind of embarrassed that you have more experience than he does."

"Well," she sighed, taking a long draw of water from the bottle as the heat of humiliation clung to her like high humidity on a summer's day. "He's assuming way too much. I'm not as experienced as he thinks."

"Really?" returned Nobara, her eyebrows raising in skepticism. "I know you've had at least one boyfriend."

"Really," Lily confirmed, finishing off the water. "I've never had sex. And don't believe everything you read in those awful gossips mags. I've never had a real boyfriend. There was one guy that was my boyfriend." She made air quotes while saying the word boyfriend.

"I saw pictures of you with guy. He was really cute. A member of a boy band right?"

"Yep. That was just a publicity stunt cooked up by our agents to make us both more popular. The only time we kissed was in front of the camera. Besides him, and Megumi of course, there's only one other guy I've kissed."

"Oh, yeah? Who was he?"

"Another model. It was during a photo shoot for a perfume ad. It was hardly romantic with fifty people standing around. The photographer kept shouting for us to turn our heads this way or that, how we should place our lips together. Assistants would come up and move our hands or heads. It was weird. Not enjoyable in the least. My lips were so sore and chapped after that photo shoot from hell."

"Wow...that's awful. Modeling really isn't as glamorous it's cracked up to be," Nobara mumbled pensively, thumbing through the magazine to more carefully scrutinize the photos.

"Yeah, it was pretty terrible. But when I kiss Megumi...mmmm," Lily sighed, visibly shivering.

"Wow," Nobara breathed.

"Uh huh...wow," Lily agreed.

"Guess that practice with Yūji paid off then huh?"

Both women broke into gales of laughter.

"What are you two up to over here?" Maki inquired, entering the salon and wiping sweat from her brow with a towel.

"Girl talk. You missed it," Nobara said. "Where the hell have you been? I thought you would have been done a long time ago."

"You two are just taking too long. Are you almost done here?"

"Ugh," Nobara groaned, rolling her eyes. "As soon as we get our toenails painted. You need to learn how to relax. There is more to life than getting stronger. You need to take time to pamper yourself and be beautiful too. You only get one body so you better take care of it."

"Exactly. Why do you think I was in the gym?" Maki retorted.

"I guess everyone has their own idea of how to relax," Lily murmured, taking her feet out of the tub to place them on the towel on the little platform beside the footbath. "Do we want to ditch the rabbit food in the cafeteria and get some real food?"

"Sounds good to me," Nobara sighed.

"Burgers?" Maki suggested.

"Sounds great," agreed the other two in unison.

"And I can eat without guilt because I exercised," Maki said.

"I assure you I will eat without any guilt whatsoever," Nobara retorted.

"I'm going to take a shower," she announced, swiping at the sweat on her chest. "Meet you two outside?"

"Sure thing."

~\./~

Lily was in her room in the dorm going through the clothes and make up she purchased on their shopping trip. Taking off her clothes, she put on the little black dress Nobara had been referring to. It was a crepe cotton mini dress with long flared sleeves which were actually longer than the skirt. She slipped her feet into the silver high heeled sandals with a thin strap over her toes and another around her ankle.

Turning in a circle, she struck a pose, modeling the dress for no one but herself and Pinky.

"How do I look?" she asked him.

"You look great," Megumi complimented her.

Lily jumped, almost toppling over onto the bed. She had wrongly assumed she would be alone for a while since the guys had gone off campus to get dinner.

"I didn't mean to scare you," he said, walking into her room through the wide open door.

"That's what I get for leaving the door open I guess," she chuckled, picking up a shirt to neatly fold it.

"Good day?" he inquired, pulling out the chair from the desk to straddle the seat and rest his arms on the back.

"It was a great day," she sighed, continuing to fold the items to repack them. She sighed. "I wish I could stay here with all of you."

"Me too."

Silence stretched between them as he watched her place the clothes back into the bags.

"Is everything okay?" he asked her.

"Everything is fine," she returned, keeping her back to him. "What's your sister like?"

Lily's stomach twisted into knots of anxiety when he did not answer and only dead air filled the room. She had meant to be more tactful rather than just blurting it out there. Desperate for a topic, this mysterious sister he never mentioned was the only thing that came to mind. Besides the kiss of course which she would not ask about because she had promised Nobara.

"She's my step-sister actually," Megumi corrected her. "Her name is Tsumiki. She's in a coma."

"Oh," she gasped, turning to look at him.

When his eyes met hers, they were neither sad nor angry. He seemed resigned to his sister's condition. Lily doubted her condition had anything to do with any physical ailment or medical problem. There was no reason for her to rub salt in his wound to ask if it was a curse. Although he did not act hurt, she knew it bothered him and he was determined to save his step-sister.

Walking past him, she picked up her phone laying on the desk. She found a slow song to play. Music would dispel the quiet nicely. Holding up her hands in the position of a ballroom dancer, she met his questioning gaze.

"What?" he asked when she only stared at him.

"Dance with me," she ordered him.

"No," he scoffed, stubbornly keeping his butt in the chair.

"Dance with me," she repeated, stepping forward to grab his hand. "I'll teach you."

"No," he snapped resolutely, planting his feet firmly on the floor as she tugged on his arm.

Lily huffed, pulling on his arm again. "It will give you a good excuse to put your arms around me and hold me. Come on."

"Well, when you put it like that, how can I resist?"

Megumi stood in front of her, grasping her right hand held up and out to the side. He placed his other hand just below her shoulder blade, his fingertips resting along her spine as she directed him. He was a good height to be her dance partner being only a few inches taller than her.

"We're going to do a simple box step. Follow my steps," she said, moving her right foot a step to the right.

He looked down at his feet and moved his foot, then brought his left foot over a step just like she did. His fingers grasped her hand and body tightly as she stepped back, pulling him forward to follow.

She found it cute that he acted like a self-conscious and unsure little boy. He found it humiliating. Lifting her hand from his shoulder, she cupped his chin and pulled his head up.

"Look at me, sweetheart," she said, smiling at him.

His eyebrows had fused into a monobrow, meeting over his nose and angling downward. His lovely almond shaped eyes were mere slits of concentration. He looked excessively grumpy again. His concentration face made him look like he was in pain - or constipated.

"But..." He looked back down. "I need to - "

"No, you don't," she said, raising his chin with her hand again. "Look at me. I'll lead you."

"Isn't the man supposed to lead?" he asked, holding her gaze.

"Supposed to," she returned, stepping to the left. "Does the man always have to be in charge of the woman?"

"Are we really going to argue about sexism and gender roles?" he asked, moving toward her when she stepped back.

"Nope," she replied, continuing to make the steps. "You're getting it. You're doing great."

After a few more steps, the song ended and Megumi to that as his cue to immediately stop. He did not let go of her though.

"That was nice. Want to try another dance?" she asked as the next song began.

He said nothing, not moving a muscle as he stared down at her. Her eyes shifted between his questioningly. His eyes were definitely not blank but overflowing with emotion making it impossible for her to discern what he might be thinking or feeling.

"What is it?"

"I can't lose you," he murmured.

"I'm not going any where. I'm sorry I mentioned your sister," she apologized, unhooking her fingers from around his hand which made his grip her hand more securely.

"I'm not upset because of her. You have come to mean to much to me. I...I love you, Lily," he said, lowering his forehead to rest it against hers in an intimate but chaste show of deep affection.

Her heart welled with warm emotion. The heat overflowing and filling her chest.

"I love you too, Megumi Fushiguro."