Ash
"Um... Okay? What happened?" Keiko asked.
Ash remained silent.
She had spent several hours walking back to the city ever since she and Kaori had been separated again, seeing the sun rising over the horizon in the process. The morning sun felt hot on her skin, partially due to the fact that she was basically topless due to her dress getting ripped in that fight earlier.
Thanks to her and Kaori's previous conversation, she knew that the woman was likely walking right next to her unless she was viewing soone else at that mont. which was the strangest feeling she'd had in a while. Those hours went by like minutes though, as Kaori's words went through her mind over, and over and over again.
The re thought of them was enough to bring Ash to tears, as embarrassing as that felt. She caught several curious glances from the different guards, and a few of the servants when she entered the Manor, but she ignored them all. Instead, with a clouded mind, she walked back to her room, hoping that Keiko was already awake.
And, now, after waking Keiko when she walked in, the half-demon was sitting at the edge of the bed, wondering how exactly she was supposed to make this make sense for her. Maybe there was a right way to put it. Sothing she could say to ease Keiko into the conversation.
However, Ash had never been good with words, and that wasn't about to start now.
"I talked to Kaori," Ash stated, suddenly and firmly, with a quiet voice. Next to her, Keiko didn't say anything for a few seconds.
"What?" Keiko asked, reasonably confused.
"... The Mist Realm can change reality," Ash explained slowly. "And, the Mist Realm made it so that I could see her, and talk to her. So, yeah, I talked to Kaori."
Keiko paused for a while. Ash didn't look over at her. Instead, she kept her eyes on the ground until Keiko said:
"A-Are you sure?"
"Mostly," Ash sighed. "There's always a chance this was all so really elaborate fever dream, but... I'd say I'm certain enough it happened."
"I," Keiko laughed awkwardly. "I, h-how was she?" Keiko asked.
"... She wanted to tell you," Ash said, ignoring her question, and finally, she turned toward her. "She, em, she wanted to say..."
Co on, Ash, just fucking say it already, she told herself.
It was hard, though. Mostly because she'd never really been in a position where she truly wanted to say it. As she looked into Keiko's silver eyes though, she realized at that very mont that, at so point, down the line, this fact had changed.
Just a second ago, it was painfully difficult. But, now, looking right at Keiko, it ca out easily.
"I love you," Ash stated.
"..." Keiko blinked. "W-What?"
"She, uh," Ash cleared her throat, "Kaori... She wanted to tell you that she loves you. A-And, uh, too."
Again, Keiko hesitated.
"Are you saying that you... That you love as well, or that Kaori told you too?"
"The se-, no, the... Both, I don't fucking kn..." Ash trailed off, taking a shuddering breath. "Both."
"... Oh."
Considering the way Ash's shoulders shook then, she figured this morning was particularly cold. Or, it was the fact that she was currently naked from the chest-up due to her dress having been ripped.
... Or maybe I'm just fucking nervous, she thought as she put her head in her hands, while Keiko took a while to continue speaking to her.
Sothing was getting to her. Ash could identify that much, but she couldn't tell what. All she knew was that saying those three words, even if she was conveying a ssage from soone else during that mont, made her feel incredibly vulnerable. Even now, after everything that had happened, that wasn't a position she liked to find herself in.
"I love you too," Keiko stated suddenly, and Ash's head snapped up when she heard that. "B-Both of you, I an."
Taking a deep breath, Ash nodded.
"Okay, now what? Is this the part where we fuck like rabbits?"
At that, Keiko scoffed.
"I'm just saying," Ash muttered, "at least it would be sothing I understand."
"... Is there sothing you don't understand about this? Right now?" Keiko asked.
"Mhm. A lot, actually."
"Like what?"
Ash looked away, taking a second as so random people walked through the hall outside, their footsteps echoing as they grew farther and farther away.
"Well, let's see," Ash began, "I've had chills running down my back for the last five minutes. I'm pretty sure that if I weren't holding onto this thing," she said, looking down at the bed's edge, "my hands would be shaking. My heart is beating a lot faster than it usually is, and, uh, yeah, I feel like my nipples are gonna fall off any second now from how fucking hard they are, though that's probably the cold air's fault."
"... I see."
"Yeah."
"Um," Keiko said. "For what it's worth, I'm not confused at all."
"Really?" Ash looked over at her.
"Hehe, yes," Keiko suddenly giggled a little. "I an... I never had anyone until I had the two of you in my life," Keiko stated clearly. "Even though I didn't say as much until now, I feel like I've known I felt this way for a while. Those make-outs of ours aren't completely fueled by lust. At least, on my end."
"... Gotcha," Ash replied.
"What about you?" Keiko asked, leaning closer.
"Hm? What, the make-outs thing?"
"N-No," Keiko chuckled. "I an, how do you feel?"
"... I just said how."
"Well, explain," she shrugged. "Maybe there's sothing you wanna get off your chest."
"Oh. Sure."
The question was, how was she supposed to do that? It took her a while, minutes spent largely in a cold silence until she finally spoke up as sothing ca to her mind.
"Look," Ash started, "you know . You know where I co from, the bullshit I've been through, all of that. I'm not gonna go through all of that again, I'm just gonna say, yeah. I agree. I love you. I..." her voice broke, "holy fuck, I love you. Uh, both of you."
She threw that in there at the end, just so that Kaori would know if she was listening.
"I'm happy to hear that," Keiko replied with a little smile. "Wanna say it again? Maybe it gets easier."
"Well, that might be true, but I don't want to start crying again, so no," Ash stated, standing up and taking her stuff off. "Now, if you'll excuse , I need to go take a bath."
"... So," Keiko said, though it sounded like she was saying it to herself. "Kaori..." She added, but Ash didn't say anything.
Instead, the half-demon began to exit the room, without even bothering to grab a towel or anything of the sort.
"Oh, Ash," Keiko called out to her just before she left.
"Yeah?" Ash answered from the doorway.
"I love you," Keiko told her. Ash threw a slightly confused look at her, and Keiko shrugged. "I just felt like saying it again."
"... Yeah I l... you too," Ash replied at a volu that was barely above a whisper, closing the door.
---
A Few Hours Later
With the mistborn flower acquired, there was just one more ingredient left on the list for Keiko's potion. One more little thing that Ash needed.
Which was why she and Sinneah were standing across from each other, in the middle of the garden behind the Manor. The draconic woman had her arms crossed, as Ash was leaning over the railing, her eyes aid out at the landscape as though she could see the Mist Realm from here, which was still fresh on her mind.
"Okay, what'll it take?" Ash asked.
"I... I do not know," Sinneah answered.
"Co on," Ash pressed her a little, turning toward her. "I only need one. Gurron wanted you to sell it anyway, whatever it's worth, I will pay you. Understand?"
Sinneah let out a deep sigh, and Ash turned away from her, frustrated.
... I might just steal those fucking things, I swear.
"If I don't give them to you," Sinneah said, and Ash looked over at her. "What other choice do you have?"
"..." Ash remained silent. She had to hold herself back from saying what had just popped up in her mind. Behind her, she could hear Opah and Luvine running around, while Keiko and Yumi's weapons bounced off of each other as they trained.
"There's a dragon," Ash finally stated, rembering what she had learned. "It's on top of a mountain. Southeast of the city, or sothing. If you don't give these things to , I'll probably just go fight it."
"..." At that, Sinneah gawked at her. "What?"
"Hm? You didn't hear ?" Ash asked. "I said, there's a dragon on one of the mountains, I..."
"Where!?" Sinneah asked, walking closer to Ash.
"W-Whoa," Ash put her hands up, "calm down. It's sowhere west."
"..." Sinneah stared at her for a few seconds. Then, she looked away, and Ash could see the wheel of her mind turning as she formulated sothing in her thoughts.
Finally, she turned toward Ash with a resolute expression, and the half-demon raised a brow.
"Take to it."
"... What?"
Sinneah repeated herself.
"Take to it," she said, "and I will give you the eye that you want."
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