#GUAH THIS MAKES ME UPSET

[hiya-im-mary]

…?

:(

[dialovers-translations]

Diabolik Lovers DARK FATE ー Reiji Dark [Prologue]

ー The scene starts in the underground waterway

Yui: ( I’m sure Reiji-san will be upset with me if I follow after him. But even so, I... )

Uu...

ー She pushes open the portal

*Creaaaak*

*THUD*

ー The scene shifts to the forest in the Demon World

Yui: ーー I’m here...

( This is the Demon World...It’s as dark as ever. Even more so right now, with the lunar eclipse still ongoing... )

( Oh no. I don’t know the way...It’s pitch-black, I can barely see a thing. )

( Which direction should I go? )

( I want to meet up with Reiji-san as soon as I can... )

*HOOOOOOWL*

Yui: ...!!

( The howling of wolves...Don’t tell me, they’re nearby? )

( Those wolves which attacked Ayato-kun... )

ー A flashback ensues

Yui: Ayato-kun!!!!

Ayato: Fuck…That hurt! The fuck’s your problem!!?

ー The wolf continues its assault

Ayato: Guh…Chichinashi, don’t you dare move from underneath me…!!

Yui: B-But…!

Ayato: Shut up…Guah…!!

*RIIIIIIP*

Ayato: …Guh…Uu…!!

ー The flashback ends

Yui: Ugh...

( Oh no...I remembered, and now my body won’t stop shaking. )

( Perhaps I made a mistake by coming here all by myself... )

*HOOOOOOWL*

Yui: ...! Again...

( Also, I feel like they’ve gotten closer than before... )

( Either way, staying here is dangerous. I should look for a place to hide. )

*TIMESKIP*

ー The scene shifts to inside the abandoned building

Yui: ーー There’s a house all the way out here...

( The building seems to be quite old and there doesn’t appear to be anyone living here right now... )

( Perfect. I’ll use this as my hiding spot. )

*Rustle*

Yui: ...Phew.

( I finally got to catch my breath... )

( However, I can’t stay here forever. Perhaps it isn’t too late to turn back after all... )

*Thud*

Yui: ...!!

( I heard a noise coming from outside right now...Don’t tell me, there’s someone here? )

( What should I do? Where can I hide...? )

( Ah! I can hide behind those curtains! )

ー Yui moves behind the curtains

??? 1: The noise was coming from here, right?

??? 2: Yes. I am positive.

??? 1: ...You’re right, it definitely reeks of something in here. Oi, search the room.

??? 2: Yes, sir!

Yui: ( ...Who could those guys be? Are they perhaps Vampires...? )

( Oh no. Who knows what they’ll do to me if they find me. )

( Please, don’t let them check here...! )

??? 2: ーー There doesn’t seem to be anyone around. Should we turn back?

??? 1: Hm...

Yui: ( Thank god. Seems like they’re leaving already. If I just stay hidden like this, I should be able to go unnoticed somehow... )

??? 1: ...?

??? 2: Is something the matter?

ー He opens the curtains

Yui: ...!!!

??? 1: So this is where you’ve been hiding. Hah, how naive.

*Rustle*

Yui: Ow! No, let me go...!

??? 1: A woman, huh? And a human, on top of that. Where did you come from?

Yui: F-From the human world...

??? 1: Why did you come here? Did you come with a specific reason in mind? Or perhapsーー

...Hm?

Yui: Eh...?

??? 1: What is this scent? For a human, it’s somewhat...

Oi, woman! Are you truly a human?

Yui: I am...

??? 1: Suspicious. Seems like we need to investigate you more thoroughly.

ーー Oi, take this woman to our castle.

??? 2: Roger!

Yui: No way...! Stop, please! I have somewhere I need to go immediately, so...!

??? 1: Keep quiet and follow us!

*Rustle*

Yui: Kyah...!

( At this rate, I’ll get taken with them...However, I’m no match for these people... )

( No...I’m scared...Save me, Reiji-san...! )

???: May I ask what you are going to do with her?

Yui: Eh...?

Reiji-san...!!

( This is the real one, right? I didn’t think he’d actually come for me...! )

??? 1: ...! You are Karlheinz-sama’s...

Reiji: Long time no see, Zweig-sama. I suppose it must have been since the last evening party.

Yui: ( Reiji-san knows this person...? )

Reiji: By the way, would you kindly let go of the lady?

Zweig: My sincere apologies! I was unaware of the fact that she is your prey...

Reiji: No. She is my lover.

Yui: Eh...?

( He said that like it was nothing... )

( But I’m happy. He’s willing to refer to me as his lover in front of others. )

Zweig: ...I see. In that case, I should return her to you.

Reiji: Thank you very much.

Zweig: However, what was she doing here?

This is the Demon World and on top of that, the lunar eclipse is still ongoing. It is extremely dangerous for a human woman to be wandering around the woods by herself.

Reiji: You are absolutely correct. This was a blunder on my part. ...I am extremely ashamed.

Zweig: No, I was not blaming you or anything...

Well, let us move on from that. In the end, nothing happened after all.

Reiji: Once again, my sincere apologies.

Well then, we shall take our leave now. ーー We are leaving, Yui.

Yui: Y-Yes.

ー The scene shifts back to the forest

Yui: ーー I’m so sorry, Reiji-san. I caused you trouble.

Reiji: Is that all? Nothing else you should say?

Yui: Well...I acted recklessly despite my promise to remain in the human world...

Reiji: My thoughts exactly. Good grief...I was right sending a Familiar down there to check just in case.

Who knows what could have happened if I arrived just mere seconds later.

Yui: ( He’s upset... )

( Of course he is. I caused him trouble because of my own selfish acts. )

Reiji: I doubt you are aware, but those men were part of the Snake Clan, also known as Vibora.

Yui: Snake...? So they’re not Vampires?

Reiji: Yes. However, that does not make them any less dangerous. After all, they are highly territorial.

They were patrolling around the abandoned building to keep an eye on possible intruders wishing to enter their territory which lies just past that area...

If one were to set foot inside their territory, not even a fellow Demon would make it through unscathed.

You were truly playing with fire.

Yui: ( I see... )

I really am sorry...

Reiji: Haah...Well, I suppose I can let it slide. Nothing happened this time after all.

Please use this as a lesson and refrain from being so reckless in the future.

Yui: ( Huh? He only scolded me. In the past, I would have received a severe punishment... )

Reiji: What is the matter? Making such an odd expression.

Yui: Uhm, I was just thinking you’ve kind of changed.

Reiji: Why would you say that all of a sudden...?

However, if I have truly changed, then that would be...because of you.

Yui: Eh?

Reiji: Well then, let us head home.

ー He offers his hand

*Rustle*

On certain CGs, little black roses will appear on the screen. If you click on them, you get an extra line of dialogue.

“Look at those flushed cheeks...Seems like my lover is quite the shy one per usual. Although that is part of what makes you so adorable.”

“You honestly are hopeless without me. I suppose I would be able to rest at ease if you were constantly connected to me like this.”

Yui: Ah...

( He grabbed hold of my hand... )

( His hand is so big...His fingers are long too, it really feels like a man’s hand. )

( I wonder why? This isn’t the first time he has touched me, but my heartbeat’s going crazy... )

Reiji: Why do you avert your gaze?

Yui: I-It’s nothing...

Reiji: I shall not allow you to keep any secrets from me. Answer me, Yui.

Yui: Well...I feel somewhat embarrassed...

Reiji: Embarrassed?

Heh. Why are you still flustered over this? We are lovers. Therefore, it is only normal for us to hold hands.

Or would you perhaps prefer another method?

Yui: Another method...?

Reiji: I will tell you if you so wish...But when I do, I assume your cheeks may turn an even brighter shade of red.

Yui: Uu...

Reiji: Fufu...You truly are a straightforward person.

Yui: ( ...I wonder if he’s teasing me? )

( However, even that makes me happy. )

( His voice is so gentle, therefore I can tell that he cares for meーー )

*TIMESKIP*

ー The scene shifts to the entrance of the Sakamaki castle

Reiji: Well then, we have arrived.

You are dirty, so you should take a shower first.

Yui: Yes. Uhm...Is Ayato-kun alright? If possible, I’d like to see him...

Reiji: Ayato has yet to regain consciousness. There is nothing you can do even if you go see him.

Yui: I see...

( Vampires usually have a speedy recovery. Yet, he still hasn’t woken up... )

( I wonder if he’ll be okay...? )

Reiji: ...Well, would you like to go take a quick look?

Yui: Eh? I can?

Reiji: It is written all over your face that you are worried sick.

I doubt you can relax and take a shower in your current state.

Yui: Thank you very much!

ー The scene shifts to one of the bedrooms

Yui: ...

Ayato: ...

Yui: ( He really won’t even budge. ) 

( I don’t want to think this way, but it’s almost as if he’s dead... )

Reiji-san, how’s his condition...?

Reiji: The wound on his left arm is the only physical injury. It is recovering quite well, but to this day, he has not shown any signs of awakening.

He might have hit his head hard on something.

However, I am not a medical specialist, so I cannot say for sure...

Yui: I see...

Uhm, do doctors not exist here in the Demon World?

Reiji: I believe I have mentioned this in the past as well, but the profession of ‘doctor’ does not exist here.

Aah, however...

Yui: Does something come to mind?

Reiji: Yes. There is one thing.

Father’s pharmaceutical department. If we go there, they could examine Ayato’s symptoms.

Yui: Really?

Reiji: Yes.

Well then, we have been here long enough, no? Let us leave.

I doubt you can relax in those dirty clothes.

Yui: Ah, just a little longer...Ayato-kun has some sweat on his forehead, so I’d like to wipe it off.

Reiji: I shall do that.

Yui: But...

Reiji: ...You are rather dense.

Yui: Eh? What do you mean?

Reiji: You wish to remain by Ayato’s side that badly? More so than spending time with me?

Yui: Eh...?

( Don’t tell me, is Reiji-san jealous...? )

ー Reiji steps closer

Reiji: Good grief. To think you would make me go this far...I assume you are prepared to get punished?

Yui: N-No way...I was simply worried about Ayato-kun, that’s all...

Reiji: Are we talking back now? In that case, I assume those defiant lips should be first to receive a penalty.

Nn...

*Smooch*

Yui: ...

Y-You can’t...Reiji-san...Ayato-kun’s right there...

Reiji: He cannot tell since he is asleep. Come on, keep still.

Nn...Haah...

Yui: ( They’re only light kisses, yet it’s making my head spin... )

( At this rate, I’ll... )

Reiji: Fufu...You look as if you are about to melt any second now. It would be troublesome if you were to collapse on me as well, so I will leave the follow-up for some other time.

ー Reiji walks away

Yui: ( Geez, Reiji-san...! )

ーー TO BE CONTINUED ーー

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<- [ Sakamaki Prologue ] [ Dark 01 ] ->

[lady-ameyuri]

Shadow of the water

@persiciflorebellator

(Thanks for the great idea!) (1,742words, 9,631 characters) (also first fanific I’ve ever written)

-------------------

Ameyuri wanted to go out onto the ocean waters to fish today, her father, Tastumaki Ringo, had told her the currents had gotten stronger recently. So as long as an adult was present with her, whether it was her parents or cousins ; she could go, Ameyuri wasn’t really upset about the fact an adult had to accompany her, she heard that the currents had gotten so strong, they had apparently lost some of their fishing gear.

She had originally asked her father to go out onto the waters with her, but he told her that he was needed at the clinic and her mother was currently at Kirigakure working, so she turned to some of her cousins. One of them mentioned that they had believed the waters had become cursed since they had been taking more fish than they really needed. 

She had learned that, Raiu and Kozuki, her two cousins that capsized just the other day, said that they had seen something...a shadow swimming in the water just before they both went over. Their mother scolded Raiu and Kozuki for spreading "rumours” among their younger relatives, but they were dead set on what they saw, a shadow that had the tail of a fish and apparently the an upper body of a monster. 

Ameyuri thought that maybe if she had stayed closer to the entrance of the river instead of going out into the ocean like her cousins,, she could just go out and fish herself, so she had taken upon herself to borrow Kozuki’s boat to go out and place some traps.

Ameyuri’s plan was simple, go out near the river and place a few nets here and there, then come back and place the boat where it was so Kozuki wouldn’t notice her boat was gone. she was doing fairly well until the boat had started rocking,��“ah!”, as the boat had rocked, Ameyuri had accidentally dropped her fishing line into the water. As she leaned over to grab it, she saw a shadow swimming far beneath the water under her, with the lower body of a fish and something undistinguishable for the top.

“This was a bad idea!” 

As she reached for the boat paddle, something knocked into the boat once more sending her off towards the ocean currents. “W-wha, oh no!”, Ameyuri picked up the paddle in a futile attempt to row herself back over to the docks, as the boat was dragged into the raging ocean currents Ameyuri could hear Kozuki calling for her, “AMEYURI!”. She turned her attention to the quickly disappearing shoreline, Ameyuri could just barely make out Raiu and Kozuki running around on the shore, “ᴬᵐᵉʸᵘʳᶦ”, She couldn’t even hear them calling out for her anymore.

As the shore was close to disappearing from her sight, Ameyuri was going to attempt to do something Raiu had told her to never do unless she wanted to increase her chances of drowning, fight the currents. If she doesn’t do anything now, she could drift away out to sea ; at least if she attempted to go against the currents she could hopefully buy a little more time for Raiu and Kozuki to come out and get her. Her attempt at fighting the currents had quickly diminished as the boat started taking in water the more it rocked, the boat finally gave in as one of th eocean waves rocked the boat completely onto it’s side, throwing Ameyuri and some of the fishing gear she brought out into the ocean water.

"Guah! It’s freezing!” Ameyuri managed to gasp out as she had breached through the surface of the water, it was colder than she thought it would be.

She also noticed that the currents had pushed Kozuki’s boat just a little farther away from where she fell in. She started making her way over to the boat, swimming past some of the gear that had fallen in with her, she could feel herself about to go under again when the currents started picking up once more. Taking a deep breath, Ameyuri was swept under the ocean waters once again, she was making her way back up to the surface when she found herself to be growing tired, her arms were getting tired ; her legs were tired.

She found the light from the surface was growing ever more distant from her, she couldn’t hold her breath any longer either. Ameyuri made one last attempt to swim up and breach the surface again, “I-I can’t make it”, she couldn’t hold her breath any longer and released the air she was holding in. “I should have listen to father...”, It may have just been the fact she was about to go unconscious, but she though she could feel something or someone grab her. Everything was going dark, she was cold and tired... the light from the surface was getting closer?

Just before she went unconscious, Ameyuri turned her head over and could see a woman holding her, with a look of determination of her face..

__________

Please....wake up..little one......

__________

As Ameyuri’s eyes open up, she could feel sand under her body and she could see a blue sky above her ; not the light reflecting off the top of the ocean. “Gr!”, Ameyuri immediately leans over, coughing up what little sea water had gotten into her system, “o-uh...”, she was incredibly tired and slightly dizzy. Her chest hurts, she didn’t feel like moving anytime soon ; at least until she could hear something splashing around in the water. Slowly sitting herself up she had barely caught a glimpse of a dark cyan fish tail going back into the water.

“Ameyuri!”, her vision was still slightly blurry, but she could recognize her father’s voice from anywhere, hands wrapped themselves around her waist and picked her up and off the sand. “Ameyuri Ringo, what were you thinking?!”, Tastumaki was livid. Tastumaki brought Ameyuri up to his chest and held her there, he noticed that her skin had gotten paler and could feel that she was just barely shivering, he could see a few scratches and cuts around her arms and legs. 

He’s going to have to take her to the clinic when they get home to make sure she won’t have any further complications. Ameyuri had let out a little whimper as she had apologized to her father, “I-I’m sorry father, I didn’t mean to make you worry”. He set Ameyuri down and started searching through his satchel, he always carries just a few medical supplies with him just in case, “I hope you’ll know better now than to steal Kozuki’s boat and go off by yourself”, that came out a little more meaner than he had intended it to be.

“Ah, Found it”

He pulled out a little cloth from a packet and started cleaning Ameyuri’s scrapes and cuts. “O-w, it stings”, Ameyuri whined as the her father was rubbing the cloth around her arms, “that means it’s working Ameyuri, we don’t want these little cuts to get infected, and once we get you back home, Kozuki will get you a new change of clothes”.

Tastumaki noticed that Ameyuri was tearing up a little, as he had been scolding her, he had forgotten that she had been through hell today, “you know, when your mother comes home I’ll have her make your favourite dinner ”, he had soften his voice and brought Ameyuri closer to him. It was his attempt to cheer her up, although her mother was probably going to wring his neck for allowing Ameyuri to steal a boat and go off on the ocean by herself. “Alright, that will do until I get you back to the clinic”, he picked Ameyuri up off the ground and started sprinting back home.

As he continued sprinting along the path along the beach Ameyuri had clung onto him tighter and looked up at him slightly weeping, “I-I didn’t mean to go out onto the ocean I w-was trying to stay by the river but something p-pushed me into the currents and I tried t-to stop the boat from going out into the ocean but the cur-rents were too strong and then I got knocked off the boat and I tried swimming back to the boat and then I got pushed underwater and- and-”, Ameyuri started sobbing as she tried to tell her father what had happened to her.

“Ameyuri”, Tastumaki stopped and set her down ; her eyes were red and her voice and breath was shaky, “I-I got really scared and I couldn’t hold my breath and and-”, Tastumaki sat down next to Ameyuri as “M-my chest s-started hurting and-and I couldn’t s-swim back u-up”, Ameyuri’s speech was shaky and quick, “AndrightbeforeIpassedoutIsawthisladywithatailsaveme!”, Tastumaki blinked a couple of times, “a lady with a tail?”.

“Let’s get you home, I need to get you checked up with a nice dry set of clothes”, Tastumaki really couldn’t believe Ameyuri, since she had been underwater she could have hallucinated due to the lack of air, But there were no set of footprints on the sand when he had arrived. Ameyuri said it herself, she couldn’t swim thanks to the currents, and said that she had saw someone before she passed out, so who saved his daughter?

"Well Ameyuri, wherever this woman is, I’ll be in her debt”, Tastumaki gave Ameyuri a reassuring smile and ruffled her hair, she smiles back at her father before jumping into his arms, “oof, there’s my little Ameyuri”. As he readjusted Ameyuri to a more comfortable position, he noticed a gold chain swinging from her pocket ; reaching down he pulled out a shining golden chain, accompanied by a turquoise crystal at the base, it reminded him of the ocean. 

"Ameyuri where did you find this necklace?”, Ameyuri quickly became enamoured with the necklace as she looked it over, “can I k-keep it?’, well he’s pretty sure she wasn’t listening to him since she didn’t answer his question, but after everything that happened today. “Sure Ameyuri”, Tastumaki put the necklace over Ameyuri’s head ; it was a tiny bit big on her, but he’s sure she’ll grow into it.

As Tasumaki sprinted back home carrying Ameyuri, the woman who’s dark hair had covered one of her eyes, watched as Ameyuri was taken back home by her father, “She’s safe now, she even adored my gift”, a smile graced Toka’s lips as she retreated silently into the water. 

-------

Necklace reference

X

[shuturquibble]

The Girl with the Raven Hair

Fandom: Hibike! Euphonium Pairings: KumiRei (Kumiko/Reina) Words: 2397 Summary:  In which Kumiko is waiting for her train, and speaks to someone completely unexpected. Links: FF is here! AO3 is here!

It’s a somewhat similar story to “Garden of Words,” but in high school, there was someone who I could only meet when the weather was bad. The railroad I used at the time was weakened by driving rain, and if there were a typhoon in the morning, the train would be late without a doubt. But because of this, I could meet that person who normally took a train an hour earlier than me. So at the time, I liked typhoons. -Sugaru Miaki (Fafoo)

Kumiko held her breath when she saw the woman.

The woman in particular was, without a doubt, beautiful. She had raven hair that danced in the winds and piercing purple eyes that sparkled in the dim orange lights of the subway, yet somehow managed to hold a hardened gleam. She gave off the impression she could take on anything in the world, and succeed with flying colors, especially with the way she held herself, all prim and proper: back straight, purse in front of her, standing at attention. The moment Kumiko first laid her eyes on the woman, she knew from the beginning how different they were.

Kumiko had, as her sister once put it, a beauty that needed to be refined. Her brown hair poofed at the sides, and although her eyes were “caramel-colored” that shined brilliantly in the sun (those were Midori’s words, not hers), Kumiko knew that in the lighting of the subway, the color of her eyes was akin to mud. Her mother once told her she let off a lazy and lousy atmosphere, especially with the way her shoulders slouched, how she swayed her bags at her side, and how her eyes had a dull glow in them. Her mother once said, “You look as if your soul already left you.”

Kumiko remembered saying back, “Can’t lose what you don’t have.”

The howling winds outside came in through the tunnel, and Kumiko tensed up in an effort to keep herself warm. The cold nipped at her, leaving her nose and cheeks a bright red. Kumiko took a quick glance at the woman’s direction; it seemed to be the case for her as well.

Suddenly, the woman began to turn her head, and Kumiko quickly averted her gaze. She admonished herself. Here she was, standing off to the side, staring at an attractive woman she didn't even know the name of. If anything, she was the literal definition of a creep.

Maybe you should actually go and talk to her, a part of her piqued.

And have her turn me down? No thank you, another part chided.

At least you tried.

At least it gives her a chance to hate me.

You could know her name.

Or I could give her a reason to hate me.

There was a sudden boom of thunder, jolting Kumiko back to reality. Someone beside her cursed, and Kumiko took a glance. It was a large man, both in stature and build, whose spiky brown hair was mixed with a tinge of red. He would have had a look of a delinquent if it weren’t for those square glasses of his.

“Damn typhoons,” he muttered under his breath.

Kumiko took a small step in his direction. Then another. And then she said, “Good morning, Goto.”

Goto blinked before tilting his head down to look at her. “Kumiko. Good morning.”

“Your train late again?”

“As usual during this time of year.” Goto sighed and shook her head. “Honestly, they should do something about tracks during the other times of the year. They know how rickety they get during typhoon season—it’s basically a safety hazard!”

Kumiko’s lips quirked into a little smile. “Guessing you don’t like typhoons?”

Goto sighed again. “Well, if you’re going to be late to class for over two months, then yes, I really don’t like typhoons.”

“As diligent as ever,” Kumiko said with a soft chuckle.

Goto gave one of his own. “Some things don’t change after graduating high school.” He looked ahead with a small smile, before his eyes grew wide with a sudden realization and he looked at Kumiko again. “What about you?”

“…What about me?”

“Do you like typhoons?”

“At first, no. But then they grew on me.”

“…Interesting. How so?”

Kumiko fell into a silence. The truth was, typhoons didn't grow on her at all—it was because she was able to see that mysterious black-haired beauty of a woman during the typhoon season did she find the storms tolerable. It was an excuse for her to find herself closer, one way or another, to someone unattainable. Kumiko couldn’t help but scoff at herself—she was already a freshman in college and she still had trouble talking to a cute stranger. If she was being brutally honest with herself, it was pathetic. Truly, truly pathetic.

But Goto didn’t need to know that.

“I think there’s something about the rhythm of the rain,” Kumiko finally said. “Listening to it almost makes me want to fall asleep.”

Goto hummed, eating up the lies Kumiko was handing to him from her palm. “I’ve never thought of it that way,” he said after a long while.

Their conversation was put on a sudden pause as the sound of the train squealing to a stop filled the tunnel. Those who were waiting finally looked up from what they were doing—which was either on their phone or, if they were really old-fashioned, their newspaper—and filed to line up behind the door with blank eyes and dead expressions. Kumiko wondered if she looked the same way whenever she boarded the train. She wouldn’t be surprised if she did.

“My train’s finally here,” Goto said with a relieved smile. “Looks like I’ll be seeing you tomorrow, then.”

Kumiko forced herself to wear a smile and nod once. “Until tomorrow.”

She watched as Goto jogged off, falling in line behind the doors before being swallowed by the growing crowd. Kumiko looked over to where the woman was, and saw she had fallen in line as well.

She takes the same train as Goto, Kumiko noted. It made sense—she never saw the both of them when the trains were running on their normal schedule.

She sighed, her breath coming out as a white puff. Another day passed. Another opportunity wasted. Another promise that she would gather her guts to speak to the woman tomorrow…or if that didn't happen, one day.

A gale came through, howling its bitingly-cold laughter at Kumiko. She tensed up, shutting her eyes as she shivered. She cursed under her breath. Kumiko wished she wore another layer, but after looking down at her attire, she wondered how it would have worked—she was already wearing a sweater and two jackets. Another layer more and she would have looked like a walking marshmallow.

The imagery was enough to coax a smile out of her.

“Looks like I’ll be here for another ho—guah!” A piece of paper landed squarely on her face, causing a comically loud SMACK! Kumiko took a moment to gather herself before peeling off the paper off. She examined it, staring at it confusedly as she tried to make sense of the lines and strange symbols on the page.

Sheet music, Kumiko realized. But whose is it—

“Ah, there’s where it went. Sorry.”

“Don’t worry about i—” Kumiko’s words and remnants of her soul left her body as she stared at the person in front of her.

It was the woman. The same woman she had been so scared to approach for God knows how long. The same woman who was now approaching her. A part of Kumiko said her blessings to whatever deity was listening. Another part of her was jumping into the six-foot-ditch she dug herself.

The sudden horn of the train departing filled the station. Kumiko was pulled out of her thoughts and watched as the train left. “Ah, your train is leaving,” she said, the words slipping from her lips.

The woman tilted her head to the side, her hair dancing with the movement, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

Kumiko felt herself turn to ice as she racked her brain to save herself. “Or, uh, I’m assuming that’s your train. Since I never see you around on the normal schedule.” She mentally gave herself a point for actually pulling it off.

And the woman seemed to buy it, with the way she nodded and looked over her shoulder. If she was upset that she missed her train, she didn’t show it at all; her voice stayed unsettlingly still as she watched the train disappear from view.

“Looks like I have to wait for the next train, then,” she muttered, voicing her thoughts aloud.

“Y-yeah, it’s a bother isn’t it?” Kumiko laughed shakily. She forced herself to stop right there, but the words kept spewing out, much to her chagrin—she could never shut up when she was nervous. “I can’t imagine anyone getting anywhere on time because of these typhoons, you know?”

The woman replied with a hum, moving to stand next to Kumiko. “I don’t really mind them, though.”

Kumiko’s anxieties melted away with that simple answer. “Really?” She asked in a quiet voice.

“Listening to the rain makes me want to fall asleep.” The woman smiled the smallest of smiles as she turned to Kumiko. Kumiko’s heart leapt, and she was taken aback by how beautiful the woman was up close.

She has long eyelashes, Kumiko absently noted.

“A-ah,” Kumiko finally said after a longer-than-necessary pause, “here’s your sheet music.” She held out the slightly crumpled score to the woman.

The woman’s hardened eyes softened with gratitude as she took it. “Thank you. Although, I’m surprised you know what it is,” she said with hidden amusement as she put away the score in her bag.

“I actually play in my spare time,” Kumiko admitted with a small smile. “But nothing as complex as…that.”

The woman’s eyebrows rose up with surprise. “Do you?”

“Euphonium.”

“Interesting.” The woman’s smile grew in the tiniest of ways. “I play trumpet.”

Kumiko let out an amused puff of air. “Really?”

“Is there something wrong with that?”

“No, not at all. It’s just…a little surprising, I guess.”

“How so?”

“I always thought of trumpets as loud and abrasive. You know, kind of like that obnoxious kid that everyone likes.”

“Oh? And how do you know I’m not loud and abrasive when you’ve only just met me?” The woman’s smile turned coy, and although it was attractive, Kumiko didn’t like it. Not one bit.

“Well, er, uh, you don’t…seem like the type…?” Kumiko gave a sheepish smile to top of her lame statement.

The woman laughed, the sound that sang in the air with such richness that Kumiko thought it was the street performer performing behind her. “You’re strange.”

“I’m…assuming that’s not a compliment.”

“Oh, but it is,” the woman said with a smile so cute and precious Kumiko felt part of her soul return to her body to just to see it.

“H-how so?”

The woman’s purple eyes twinkled, the look in her eyes a mix between mischief and coyness. “People are attracted to the mystery of strangeness.”

Kumiko could feel her cheeks burn and her eyes widen. Everything slowed and everything quieted. Even the deafening screech of the upcoming train’s whistle was nothing but a drone to Kumiko as she stared at the enigmatic beauty of a woman. Maybe she was foolishly reading too much into a stranger’s words, but with the way the woman was looking at her, a part of Kumiko couldn’t help but entertain the thought that, perhaps, the woman also felt that sense of intrigue towards her.

If this is a dream, I don’t think I ever want to wake up, Kumiko thought.

“Say,” Kumiko found herself saying, “what’s your name?”

The woman’s smile turned into a smirk as she slung her hair over shoulder. Kumiko gulped and cursed her—she knew exactly what kind of effect she had on Kumiko.

“Reina,” she said. Her voice was quiet, yet held all the confidence and conviction in the world.

“Reina,” Kumiko breathed out. The name rolled off her tongue easily, leaving nothing but the desire to say it even more. Reina. Reina. Reina.

Reina was a beautifully mysterious name, fitting for the woman in front of her.

“What’s yours?” was the sudden question that pulled Kumiko out of her thoughts.

“K-Kumiko,” she stammered. Kumiko felt her lips tug down into a frown—her name sounded too chunky, too clumsy, a stark contrast to Reina’s.

But Reina didn’t seem to mind at all—in fact, her smile grew just a tad larger. “Kumiko,” she whispered, the noise of the bustling crowd around them almost overwhelming her. “How fitting—it’s strangely adorable.”

Kumiko sucked in a breath, taking in the rancid smell of the station, but picking up the faintest trace of jasmine underneath it all. She held her breath as well as her words, not trusting herself to say anything.

“The train’s here,” Reina said. Kumiko looked to the side, watching the train screech to a stop. She felt her heart slow to a stop as well; the train’s arrival meant an abrupt end to their conversation.

Soon the noise in the subway erupted, people filing to the doors as they lined up. Out of the corner of her eye, Kumiko saw Reina drifting towards the crowd. She didn’t know what possessed her to do it, but Kumiko quickly reached out and grasped Reina’s wrist. Reina stopped, and looked at her quizzically.

“Will I see you again tomorrow?” Kumiko blurted out, her volume louder than she had anticipated.

Reina’s smile came back and she slipped out of Kumiko’s grip to place a cold finger on Kumiko’s warm lips.

“If it rains,” was all Reina said before she took her hand back and stepped into the crowd, her sparkling, purple eyes shining pieces of amethyst in the black and white crowd of soulless people.

Kumiko took another breath, the fading scent of jasmine coaxing the rest of her hidden soul to come out to watch Reina shoot one final smile over her shoulder before entering the train.

Kumiko felt herself smile as well.

There really was something strangely attractive about mysteries.

The girl with the raven hair was certainly one of them.

Decided to stick my AN at the end so that it wouldn't interfere with the flow of the story. the quote in the beginning is actually a tweet that i found on tumblr (take a chance to read one of his stories - they can be found translated on vgperson's tumblr. they're very interesting, to say the least). i actually wrote a story inspired by this quote a while back, but i decided to rewrite it for kumirei because it really reminded me of them. it's what really makes kumirei such an attractive couple to me. unlike asukumi (which i do ship), which portrays a loner-meets-loner-to-create-a-whole-and-therefore-understand-each-other kind of love, kumirei gives this you're-a-mystery-and-i-want-to-solve-you-to-understand-you definition to love. to me, it gives kumirei a childishly mature vibe to their love, which makes sense - in the show, the both of them are in the process of growing up and understand the world and people around them. the attraction to mystery is something i always picked up from the both of them whenever they interacted. i feel like they understand each other, yet at the same time, don't. that kind of juxtaposition makes me smile - to find comfort in someone you hardly, truly know, yet at the same time do is a special kind of relationship.

i hope that i managed to communicate that kind of relationship in this story. i might even continue it, if i feel the motivation to. but until then, it'll remain a oneshot.

fun fact: the title is a play on the song The Girl with the Flaxen Hair by Claude Debussy. he's one of my favorite composers. give it a listen and reread the story as you wish - i listened to it nonstop while i was working on this story, aha.

wow, i rambled. it's beginning to become a habit.

but i hope you enjoyed regardless.