#meanwhile i just needed the weather/my immune system to be nice enough to let me sit outside for a bit

[eskawrites]

autumn patio writing sessions how i've missed you

[terrm9]

CHAPTER 7 - Thoughts

Important note: The chapter contains a lyrics of a song "Already Gone", which I found out thanks to Sleeping At Last and that version reminds me a lot of Ethan and Chiara and it actually inspired me to write this story in the first place. However I just found out that the original of the song belongs to Kelly Clarkson, so I guess all the credits go to her. So just to be clear, I do not own the lyrics by any means. I also strongly recommend to listen to the Sleeping At Last version of the song for an extra batch of angst.

Chiara was silently crying on her way through the corridors, slowly walking towards the exit. Bryce had offered to pick her up in her patient room, but she refused, knowing that she would need privacy for her talk with Ethan. The moment Bryce spotted her, he jumped to her, taking the bag from her shoulder, his megawatt smile turning into concerned frown when he noticed fresh tears on her cheeks. "Babe, you okay?" "Just get me home, please," she murmured, letting him lead her to his car, slowly climbing in. Her spine and legs still hurt and certain movements caused her so much pain she had to take few deep breaths to steady herself. The car ride was silent, Chiara watching the city behind the window, the tears no more present in her eyes, her expression now hardened.

Bryce knew better than to push her to talk and so he simply waited until she decides to share her worries. He had an idea about what, or better said who made her feel so miserable, but he wouldn't like to jump into conclusions and so he kept his mouth shut. "Thanks for the ride," Chiara smiled faintly as they stopped outside her apartment. "You should get back to the hospital." "Sienna hasn't told you?" Bryce asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Told me what?" "That I am staying with you for three days. We've all got out three days off approved by Dr. Banerji, me, Sienna, Elijah and Jackie and well, I am the first one to have a three days besties sleepover," he grinned, already opening the car's door to get out.

Chiara did her best to get out of the car gracefully, however stumbling upon her own cane made the attempt fail miserably. Meanwhile, Bryce has gotten her and his own bags out of the trunk and offered her his arm to lean on. She took it and with one hand on the can and the other enlaced with his, she spoke again.

“It's stupid, you shouldn't be here. The days off, vacation days, you should save them up, not waste them on me. I am terrible person to be around these days,” she mumbled, more to herself than to Bryce.

They reached the front door and without hesitation, Bryce took the keys – Chiara recognized them as Sienna's – out of his pocket and let Chiara in. Once they settled on the couch in the living room, he smiled at her softly and finally responded to her remark.

“I don't really have a reason to take vacation or days off. It's not like I should save them for Christmas so that I could visit my family or something,” he chuckled, but there was no humour in the sound of his laughter. “And since you have been off work for, like, 10 weeks now, you are probably not getting any more days off for the rest of the year. So we will probably both have to deal with the drunk uncles and broken wrists of people who slipped on the ice on Christmas day. We are in this together.”

This time, his grin was filled with sincerity, but Chiara couldn't smile back, the thought of burdening yet another person making her head spin. She bit her lip, trying to fight back the tears, the reminder of everything that happened not only in the past few days, but everything that had happened in the past few years of her life.

“I am really not fun, Bryce. If you have the three days off, just go and spend them with Keiki, go to party, drink beer, have wild sex, whatever.”

Bryce laughed at her suggestions and hugged her shoulders with one arm, while the other touched her chin, forcing her to face him.

“As long as I remember, I am still your best friend and since Ramsey kept you occupied while you were in the hospital, I really, really wish to spend some time with you, Chiara. And you shouldn't be alone for at least ten days, doctor's orders,” he shrugged. “Now, you wanna talk about what keeps making you cry?”

Chiara opened her mouth to protest, to recant his words about crying, but before she could manage any reasonable sentence, first sob escaped her mouth, followed by another, until she was a sobbing mess, putting her head on Bryce's shoulder.

Bryce hugged her tightly and just let her cry, not trying to calm her, to soothe the pain that caused all of this. He was the only one of all her friends to know about her past, about her father and her brother, he was the only one to know about her loving art to the point she almost ended up being a painter instead of a doctor and he was the only one to know that when Chiara Ray needed to cry her soul out, one should not try to make her stop.

She cried, loudly, making front of Bryce's shirt wet, her hands curled in fist. One moment, she felt like she was screaming, but after managing to calm down, she wasn't sure about that anymore, feeling like maybe her head made that up.

Not crying uncontrollably anymore, her head still on Bryce's shoulder and his arms still around her form, she whispered so silently, that he almost missed it: “I can't have kids.”

For a moment, all the air left Bryce's lungs and he had no idea what to say, what to do and so he just hugged her even tighter and waited for an explanation.

“I found out only three days ago. Dr. Hirata told me. Apparently, I have some kind of immunity system disfunction that causes that my body fights sperm as something possibly harmful and dangerous and never accepts it. And I know it's stupid to cry over something like that now, because I have no boyfriend and no vision of having kids at the moment, but God, I want to have them one day.”

The tears were streaming down her face again and finally, Bryce found his lost voice.

“Chiara babe, I am so sorry. I know how much you love those little humans and I know that you would, no you will, be an amazing mother, even better than you are a doctor now. And that really means something, right? And it's not stupid to cry or to be sad or the be even mad about it, because it's a huge thing and huge things need to be expressed, not buried in your chest until they kill you.”

“Thank you, Bryce. For always having my back.”

“Of course. And I mean it Chiara, one day, you will be very pregnant and you will hate your huge belly and the lower back pains and the swollen feet. You just have to find someone with sperms stubborn enough to beat your own stubborn immune system.”

She laughed softly but sincerely at his words, but couldn't help to think about one particular man, stubborn enough to match Bryce's description.

“Now, let's get you to bed. You need to rest. And after that, we will try to take a walk to the park and have an ice cream, huh? How does that sound?”

“Like a plan,” she smiled and let him help her into her own bed. “Oh and Bryce? Please, don't tell anyone.”

“Of course,” he smiled and helped her lay down into comfort of her bed.

˜

The walk to the park took them twice as much time as it usually would, with Chiara walking slowly, leaning on the cane, but the weather was unusually nice and the normalcy of the situation made it easier for Chiara to simply enjoy the walk. And of course the promised ice cream kept her going, despite the discomfort.

Eventually they made it, found the bench and with a sigh of relief, Chiara sat down on it.

“Peanut butter and dark chocolate, right?” Bryce asked her without sitting down next to her, ready to go and buy her the ice cream.

“You remember?” she asked surprised, knowing very well that she only mentioned her favourite combination once in front of him.

Bryce simply shrugged and grinned at her and a moment later, he was gone. While waiting for her companion, Chiara observed other people crossing the park, trying to busy her mind with other people's possible problems, so that she wouldn't have to face her own ones.

As her favourite surgeon came back, with one peanut butter and dark chocolate ice cream in one hand and mango sorbet in the other, she realized that she probably looked hopelessly lost in her own world. Bryce's next question only verified her hypothesis.

“So you want to tell me about the other thing that's been bothering you, or is that one supposed to be a secret?”

She snapped her head at him, the expression of shock and pain on her face only for a second, before she could put a mask of confusion on.

“What are you talking about?”

“Chiara, you are my best friend. I can see right through you and I know that there is something besides your health issues that makes your heart break.”

He had one very certain person in his mind as he said those words, but didn't want to push her into something she didn't want to tell him.

Chiara's gaze returned to the people surrounding them, slowly eating the delicious treat and for a moment, Bryce believed that she wouldn't say a word to him. But then, after blinking rapidly for a few times, clearly fighting the tears back, she murmured: “I hate Ramsey.”

It was Bryce's turn to snap his head at her and with voice full of anger and confusion, he asked: “What? Why? Has he hurt you? What has he done? Has he done something inappropriate? Should I kill him?”

Chiara had to laugh at his last suggestion before shaking her head.

“No, don't kill him. I didn't really mean to say that I hate him. It's just… it's quite the opposite…”

And she filled him with everything, the need to share her pain with her best friend bigger than anything else. She told Bryce everything, how she fell for him and how she felt like he might be falling for her too (“Wait, so Ramsey is the reason we stopped having sex?”), how they spent two nights together and how he left to Brazil after that, without ever saying a simple goodbye to her (“Excuse me? That asshole!”), how she tried to reach out to him while he was gone and he ignored all of her texts and calls (“Whoa, now I hate him too.”), how he got back and the walls around him started to slowly crack again. She told him how Ethan would hold her hand or hug her from time to time and that he would share his secrets with her and only her until finally he would kiss her after the softball game and promised to talk about them (“Okay, now I am confused, why are we hating him then?”). And then, with her shoulders slumped and her eyes weary, she ended her speech with explaining how she couldn't bear the idea of being pushed away again or being left by Etham Ramsey again and after weeks of beautiful friendship with him, decided to be the one to leave.

“Okay, I knew that this had to be about Ramsey, but such drama? That surpassed my wildest fantasies,” Bryce grinned, hugging Chiara's shoulder. “But no, seriously Chiara, I don't get it. He clearly loves you too, so why are we hating him now?”

“He doesn't believe in love. He might care for me, but God I waited for the talk for so long and he never even mentioned the kiss or the promise to talk. Clearly, he planned to push me away once I am fine again.”

“I really don't think so,” Bryce replied while standing up, offering his hand to Chiara, making it clear that they would be heading back to the apartment. “I've seen the man after your accident and when you were in coma. He didn't behave like someone who doesn't believe in love.”

˜

In the evening, Chiara was reading a medical journal in her bed, while Bryce was trying to cook them both a dinner. Her other roommates were busy either having dates (Sienna and Elijah) or being in work (Jackie and Aurora), so when she heard the loud knock on the door, she was rather surprised. Before she could even try to get out of the bed, she heard Bryce's voice from the hall: “I'll get it!”

“Did you just order pizza because your attempt to cook failed miserably?” she called after him with a smirk on her lips.

Few seconds later, Bryce appeared in the door, his expression nervous.

“Uh, Chiara babe… it's Dr. Ramsey. He said it was important and that he would only stay for a minute or two. But I can tell him to get out, if you don't want to see him.”

Chiara's whole core screamed, because God, she did want to see him, she missed Ethan even though it wasn't even 24 hours since she left the hospital. At the same time, she knew she shouldn’t let him come in, that she needed to protect her heart and that nothing could ever be so important.

Despite her better judgment, she sighed and replied: “Let him in.”

Bryce returned to the door just a minute later, with the older doctor following him and with raised eyebrows, he said: “I'll leave you two alone. I'll be in the kitchen, Chiara, if you need anything.”

“Thanks, Bryce,” she smiled softly and when the door to her room closed, she raised her green eyes to meet the piercing blue ones.

Ethan was staring at her, not even trying to hide it and after a moment, he coughed nervously and spoke: “Hi, Chiara. I know that you said I shouldn't come and that you needed your space and I truly respect that. I just… after what you said to me today, I realized that you never really forgave me for running to the Amazon. I believed that we could get past that but now I know that neither of us has actually gotten past it and trust me, I understand why you would hate me. Leaving you like that, I was an asshole. And to this day, I still feel sorry for doing that,” he was looking at the ground now, not knowing how to put all of his sincerity in something as mundane as words.

“I came her to give you this,” he continued, reaching for a piece of folded paper in his pocket. “While I was in Brazil, I met a woman. She was my age and her younger brother was one of the people we couldn't save. And even though I didn't intend to do anything but save people in there, she managed to get under my skin and after her brother's death, she showed me how she dealt with the pain and grief. She said that she loved music, loved singing and that every time she faced a tragedy or a loss in her life, she would put her pain into a poem. Or a song, whatever you call it. And you know how I am, how I don't see the meaning in art, how I would never write a poem,” Ethan chuckled to himself and continued. “One night, however, she made me open up to her and I told her about you. And she simply told me to write you a poem. A letter to you, but in a form of a poem. How pathetic does this even sound now? But you know what? I did it. I got drunk and in the middle of the night wrote the damn poem. The next morning, I promised myself to never ever tell anyone about it, but I never made myself to get rid of the thing either. And now, I just feel like it would be fair for you to have it. It was supposed to be a letter for you, after all.”

He handed her the paper and Chiara accepted it, running her fingers through the paper lightly. Before she could as much as look back at Ethan, he opened the door and with sincere “Bye, Chiara. Take care of yourself.” left the room.

Chiara wanted to tear the paper until it would be impossible to read its content and at the same time, she needed to read the words he addressed her back then. After apologizing to Bryce and telling him, that she needed to sleep, she got back to her room, sat on the edge of her bed and carefully unfolded the paper.

 Remember all the things we wanted Now all our memories, they're haunted We were always meant to say goodbye

 Even with our fists held high It never would have worked out right We were never meant for do or die

 I didn't want us to burn out I didn't come here to hurt you, now I can't stop

 I want you to know That it doesn't matter Where we take this road Someone's gotta go

 And I want you to know You couldn't have loved me better But I want you to move on So I'm already gone

 Looking at you makes it harder But I know that you'll find another That doesn't always make you wanna cry

 You know that I love you so I love you enough to let you go

 And I want you to know You couldn't have loved me better But I want you to move on

 So I'm already gone

 (Thank you for never letting me down. I am sorry I failed to do the same. -Ethan)

Chiara kept reading the words over and over again, her hands shaking, quiet sobs escaping her throat again. She collapsed on her bed and let herself cry once again, cry so hard that she couldn't catch her breath, she cried and cried and cried until the sleep found her.

˜

Bryce didn't know what happened between Chiara and Dr. Ramsey in those five minutes they've spent alone in her room, but he knew that whatever it was, it left Chiara even more destroyed. And that she would never talk to him about it. And so, instead of pushing her, he decided to make her think about something else and after breakfast, he took he to the living room, where the Scrabble was already waiting for them.

“Scrabble? Really? I am going to crush you,” she grinned at him, smiling sincerely for the first time that morning. Her eyes sparkled again and Bryce's chest was filled with so much warmth immediately.

“You wish,” he teased her back and took his seat on the sofa.

They started to play and after a while, Chiara had to admit that Bryce was better than she'd expected him to be. Running out of creative ideas, she composed the word “cut”.

"Cut? What the hell, cut? You use words like hemothorax or Acinetobacter on daily basis but when we play Scrabble, you decide to go with cut?”

“I am sorry!” Chiara raised her hands in defeat, laughing loudly. “I thought that it would make you happy, since it's basically the only thing you do at work.”

“It might be the only thing I do at work, but right now, outside the hospital, I am totally going to win this game,” he grinned, but before he could crush her with another word straight out of medical journal, the beep of his phone interrupted them.

Bryce took the phone into his hand and after reading the text, he smiled and said: “It's just Keiki. She says hi and asks if your are feeling good.”

“Thanks! She should stop by sometimes,” Chiara smiled back, but the guilt didn't allow her to simply let it be there. “You know you should be with here. She needs you now and she is still so young, she shouldn't be alone now.”

“She is finishing her classes online, which is surprisingly more difficult than actually being in school, which means she is studying all the time now. She doesn't even notice when I am home. And she is not alone.”

“What?” Chiara raised her eyebrow. “Did you hire her a babysitter or something?”

“No, uh…well… Kyra is staying with her.”

Chiara's eyebrow jumped even higher at the statement, but she quickly composed herself and simply asked: “So I guess Keiki is really happy about you and Kyra then?”

“About me and Kyra?” it was Bryce's turn to raise eyebrows in surprise. “I have no idea what you are talking about.”

“Oh please, Lahela. Should I quote you? You are my best friend and I can see right through you. I see how you look at each other, how you smile at each other, how you both managed to come to see me in the hospital at the very same time, all by total coincidence of course!”

Bryce's cheeks were now dark pink and was that a shy smile she could see on his face?

“So? How long have you been together? And when did you want to tell me? You are my best friend and she is one of my best friends too. I feel betrayed.”

“We aren't together. Not yet. It's just… I don't even know how to describe it, Chiara. For the first time in my life, I fell for a woman without even having sex with her!”

“I can't believe you haven't had sex,” Chiara laughed. “I know you and I know Kyra and you are both a sex material.”

“She is still recovering and I wouldn't want to rush her into something that wouldn't feel comfortable,” Bryce explained, his voice suddenly serious. “I really like her, Chiara. And I think she really like me too. We just don't want to label it now. We are exploring this new area of our lives and try to have fun on the way.”

Chiara smiled and hugged Bryce tightly, the idea of her two favourite people finding happiness with each other making her own broken heart heal a little.

˜

With her friends keeping her company, Chiara didn't even realize that ten out of fourteen days were gone and that she would be returning to work so soon. He ability to walk was improving daily and even though she still needed to use the cane for better stability, she was confident that physically, she would be able to work as hard as she did before the accident.

Mentally, however, she didn't feel so certain. Her feelings about Ethan haven't change even a slightest bit and she dreaded the moment they would have to face each other in the halls of Edenbrook.

Her days with Jackie and then Elijah were fun, neither of them bringing the topic of Dr. Ramsey up. With the two of them, she would just talk about patients and movies and Marvel (Elijah) and horror stories (Jackie), they would take walks and order pizza that would go well with their movie.

But now, Sienna was the one to keep her company and she wouldn't let Chiara get away without a talk about Ethan. Chiara has told her about everything, after all, Sienna has been through it all with her and she knew that Chiara was going to break her friendship with the attending, even though she didn't agree with the decision. Chiara even told her about the poem, without showing it to her, feeling like that would betray Ethan somehow.

“Sienna, I really don't feel like there is something else to talk about,” Chiara sighed when her friend tried to get something else out of her.

“Chiara, just listen to me now. I really understand your need to protect yourself and trust me, I support that decision with all my heart. I just don't think that cutting Ethan off like that is the right way to do it.”

“Wait,” Chiara raised her hand to stop Sienna. “You call him Ethan now? Since when are you on first name terms?”

“Well, we've gotten quite close in the past few weeks,” Sienna shrugged. “After your accident, he'd often ask me how we were doing and I would ask him the same thing. He was really nice to me and now that you are home, he asks me every day, and I really mean every day, about how you are, if you are making progress, if you seem fine, if you take your pills. He is genuinely worried about you.”

“Okay, Sienna, I see you are rooting for him now, but please let's not forget how he keeps leaving and pushing me away.”

“I think he's changed. I am not telling you to marry the man, I just think you should give him a chance to talk to you. We are all invited to Dr. Emery's engagement party and considering their friendly relationship, I think he will be there. And I would like to go too, so if you decide to come with us, it could be your chance to talk and also, you would see if the real world is working for you already, or you'd need more time to heal.”

“I didn't want to attend the party. And I know that I am ready for the real world, Si.”

“Okay, okay. Maybe you should go, because, well, you ruined her engagement dinner. You should attend the party and apologize.”

Chiara laughed loudly at that and after seconds of considering, she nodded.

“You win. I'll go. After all, I owe Dr. Emery and her lucky one an apology. And you are also right about Ethan. I really should talk to him, at least about work.”

[mackinmacki]

The Day Love Was Confirmed

Rating: K

Word Count: 1877

Pairing: Power Hug (HitomiChiduko)

Summary: Chiduko finds Hitomi protecting a kitten on the street, and learns something about her own feelings.

Notes: That new tenfes comic with Hitomi and Chiduko just shows I was on the right ship the entire time. I changed the name slightly for the title, though. Considering it involves Hitomi, I should tag @hitomishiga just in case.

Rain poured down as Chiduko happily skipped home. It may have been terrible weather, but that wasn't going to put a damper on her good mood. She loved watching the rain falling down, like a cascading curtain that sounded like a beautiful storm symphony. Plus, she liked to huddle up under her umbrella like it was a shield, protecting her from getting soaked. Who wouldn't love taking a stroll in the rain?

While on her way home, she found herself stopped in her tracks by a surprising sight. A short distance away was a cardboard box, clearly having ended up in poor shape due to the elements pounding away at it. In the box was a small white kitten, a poor, defenseless animal having been abandoned to the cold cruelties of the world. Her heart would've been wrenched in pain if not for the fact that there was someone else there protecting it.

It wasn't that she was surprised that someone would come to the aid of that poor kitten. What she was surprised about was who was doing the protecting: Hitomi. The same Hitomi who chased a tardy student down the halls with a giant sword was crouched down on the wet ground, allowing her own body to get soaked in order to use her umbrella to protect the kitten.

From her location, Chiduko could just make out the wistful expression on Hitomi's face, a much softer expression than she usually saw on a day to day basis. That blade of grass was still in her mouth, a look that at least complimented her outfit. She had always wondered if Hitomi just watched a lot of American westerns, but she'd never bothered to ask. It was interesting to compare such a rough-and-tumble look with that expression and the act of kindness she was witnessing.

She took one hand off of her umbrella handle and placed it on her chest, feeling her heart beating much more audibly than normal. It wasn't just love, she knew that. After all, she loved everyone. There was no better discipline than to shower someone in affection, so she had made it her mission in life to bring love to everyone in the world. So no, it wasn't love. It was greater than that, like some kind of superpowered love.

This wasn't a new phenomenon, though. She had felt there was something more when it came to Hitomi, ever since they first met as members of the disciplinary committee. Sure, Hitomi had been brash and distant, with a disciplinary style completely contrary to her own, but there was no denying that Chiduko felt something more for this girl. The scene before her just put the final nail of proof in the coffin of love.

Hitomi didn't seem to notice anyone else was there as Chiduko approached her, and it was only when the rain stopped falling on her that her attention was drawn away from the kitten. When she looked up, Chiduko was smiling down at her, holding the umbrella above the both of them to keep the storm at bay. "You'll catch a cold out in the rain like this."

"Unlikely. My immune system is extraordinary strong." Even when caught doing something so unlike herself, Hitomi always at least sounded normal. Chiduko giggled and crouched down to be next to Hitomi, refusing to move the umbrella regardless of that strong immune system.

"So have you given it a name yet?"

"Its name is Claymore, because it will someday grow up to be big and strong, and then it will smite all its enemies." Did she really expect anything else? That was Hitomi though, through and through. She could still feel her heart beating loudly. "My parents would never allow me to bring a street animal home, though. So this is our new committee mascot. We must make sure that Mikoto does not hurt it with her angry little hands."

That did sound nice, but Chiduko was pretty sure that they weren't allowed to have animals in the schools. Not like either of them always followed the school rules to a T, but this one might be a tougher nut to crack. "How about we keep Claymore at my house, instead? My parents won't even notice." With a moment of deliberation, Hitomi nodded, then scooped up the kitten, who seemed happy to be going with them.

Hoisting their umbrellas back up, the two of them walked to Chiduko's house. She did most of the talking, while Hitomi did most of the grunting. It wasn't a big deal, though. Chiduko loved Hitomi just as she was: a person who didn't talk so much as she dispensed silent justice.

Once they reached the house, they left their umbrellas outside, with Chiduko telling Hitomi to stay at the door so that she could get a towel. She felt a bit giddy as she hurried inside to fetch one. She'd never had anyone from school at her house, and having Hitomi as the first was even better.

When she reached the laundry room, she grabbed a towel and rushed back to hand it to Hitomi, who thanked her and began to dry off. They stood on the porch together, with Chiduko being happy to enjoy their silent company. Claymore mewled in Hitomi's arms, and when she was relatively dry enough, they went into the house so the kitten could move around.

In Chiduko's room, Hitomi set the kitten down, and it began to wander around the room. Meanwhile, Chiduko went over to her drawers and started to look through them for another change of clothes. She didn't want Hitomi to catch a cold by standing around in clothes that were still semi-wet.

"What are you doing?" Hitomi just stared at Chiduko, not entirely sure what she was doing. Why was she looking for clothes? Her current attire seemed fine.

"Getting a new change of clothes for you. You'll still risk sickness if you don't remove that outfit." She shoved a new outfit into Hitomi's arms. "Now go take a warm shower and change into this okay?"

"I told you, my immune system-"

"I know, but pleeease? For me?" She gave Hitomi her best puppy-dog eyes, clasping her hands together. Hitomi stared at her for a moment longer, then just stiffly nodded and let Chiduko lead her to the bathroom, where she would be allowed to shower and change in peace. With that settled, Chiduko went back into her room and smiled brightly at Claymore. "Isn't this the best day ever, kitty?" All she got was a simple 'mew' in response before it went back to laying on her rug. "I'll take that as a yes!"

Meanwhile, even while in the shower, Hitomi still had that blade of grass between her teeth. Maybe she oughta throw it out, but it helped enhance her tough gal aesthetic. What could be more important than the aesthetic? She'd carry her sword around everywhere if Mikoto didn't constantly confiscate it.

It felt a tad awkward to be showering in someone else's house, but Chiduko was very insistent. That was a normal trait of hers, though. Not that it was a bad thing. It was just a part of her warrior way. The way of a love warrior.

They tended to be grouped together due to their 'troublesome ways', according to Mikoto. She wasn't sure she understood that. After all, she was on the disciplinary committee: how could she be troublesome when she was out there stopping trouble? Sometimes she had a feeling that Mikoto had an issue with how they ran things. Weird.

Chiduko understood, though. She was always willing to help out, even though her help usually involved a lot of hugs and invasion of personal space. If she ever needed to break into the secret council room to retrieve her sword, Chiduko was always the first person willing to help. That was a worthwhile ally.

Surely the kitten would be in good hands with Chiduko, so she felt confident that there wouldn't be an issue. The safety of such defenseless creatures was tantamount, after all. With that all settled in her mind, she just needed to get her clothes and she could be off.

She shut off the water and grabbed a towel, drying her body off before attempting to dry as much of her hair as possible with an already-wet towel. It would be easier with a blow dryer, but that would mean sitting there in another person's house for a lot longer than she had originally intended. So instead she just got it to 'decently dry' levels and put on the clothes that Chiduko had picked out for her.

They were a bit tight in the chest area, and a bit short when it came to the skirt, but her main issue stemmed from the colors. It was so... pastel. The light, cheerful yellow didn't exactly fit her tried and true aesthetic, but it would have to do on a temporary basis. Now it was time to go get her actual clothes back.

When she got back to the room, she found Chiduko sitting on the bed patiently waiting for her. "Were you just sitting there the whole time?"

"I was talking to Claymore." Chiduko smiled and waved at the kitten, who just meowed again. "It's such a cutie. Oh by the way, I put your clothes in the washing machine."

"What?"

"I figured I'd get them nice and dry, and I'll bring them to you tomorrow." She smiled easily, like this was just a normal, regular occurrence. What could she do, though? She wasn't going to try and find the laundry room, yank open the washer, and pull out her even more soaked clothes.

"Alright then. Well, I should get going. My parents will be expecting me." Chiduko nodded, standing up to lead Hitomi to the door. "Thank you for your hospitality and the temporary usage of your clothing. I am sure that Claymore will be in good hands."

"Absolutely!" Smiling brightly, Chiduko leaned in to give Hitomi a big hug, then placed a kiss on her cheek. "And you're in good hands too. See ya tomorrow, Hitomi!"

"Uh, yeah, see you." Hitomi could only wave in bemusement as Chiduko beamed and shut the door, leaving her alone on the porch. Did she just... kiss her? What did that mean? Maybe it was some kind of challenge. Was that something Chiduko would do? ... Yes, yes it was. That was a challenge kiss, which meant that she would have to respond in kind. No Shiga ever cowered before a challenge.

Resolute, she turned right around and nearly walked out into the rain without her umbrella. That kiss had shook her a little. She needed to get her guard back up... What was she looking for again? She nearly walked back out into the rain before remembering that damn umbrella.

In the house, Chiduko leaned against the door with a big, silly grin on her face. Hitomi looked so cute in her clothing. Pastel really suited her. Now she knew what she had been trying to describe earlier. It wasn't 'superpowered love': she was in love. She was in love with Hitomi Shiga. "My love has been upgraded!"