Sunlight entered the room through a window above the top bunk. It all came down in a little circle on the opposite side of the room. Little specks of dust floated through the air, dancing around in the idle air.

Tsuki's eyes slowly fluttered open. She felt something heavy and warm moving on her chest. Her arms wrapped tightly around whatever it was.

She looked down and saw Fumi's fluffy brown hair. She watched Fumiko's chest rise and fall with each quiet breath. There was a gentle, soothing rhythm to it.

A smile crept up on her face. Tsuki reached down and started playing with Fumi's hair. She twirled it between her fingers.

Tsuki leaned back, staring at the ceiling. She took this moment of peace to think about things clearly. Her mind wandered back to Fumiko.

She'd thought about it a lot since the stabbing, but for once, it was without fear. Every other time she'd thought about Fumi since then, it had been out of fear. For once, it was out of love.

Tsuki waited a few more minutes before trying to get out of bed. "Get uuuuuuup, Fumi."

Fumiko rolled off of Tsuki. She almost fell off the bed, but she managed to stop herself. She reached down to grab her shorts.

"Yeah, yeah. Just going back to sit in a bed all day anyway."

"Wouldn’t want you to be late." Tsuki tried to straighten her own hair.

Fumiko chuckled. "I haven't seen you that messy in a while. You're always so squeaky clean."

"You know me." Tsuki replied. "People take you seriously when you dress well."

Fumiko searched around the room. "Aren't you afraid of intimidating people?"

"I've never intimidated you, have I?" Tsuki smirked.

"You know me, I love a girl in uniform." Fumiko said in a teasing yet loving voice as she put her blouse back on.

Tsukiko inspected her bandages. They were a bit messier than she’d remembered, and there were a few red marks where she was still bleeding.

"Last night hurt, y'know." she said in a weak voice.

"You weren't complaining then" Fumi finished dressing up. "If you didn't wanna hurt yourself, you should've just laid back and let me do all the work."

Fumiko was the stronger one this morning. The night before, she had been crying on Tsuki’s shoulder. Now she was teasing Tsukiko with a big grin on her face.

"Shut up." Tsuki turned red.

"I’ll meet you downstairs." Fumi gathered her things and exited the room.

Any other day, Tsuki would've scolded her. She was weak to those kinds of jokes. Fumi's real skills lied in getting under her friend's skin.

The bed frame creaked as Tsukiko stood up, still half naked. She leaned forward to avoid hitting the top bunk as she stood up. A groan escaped her throat as she stretched out her arms and legs.

A strange scent filled the room. It was a bit sweet. It took a second for her to identify it as Fumiko's perfume. Tsuki went red when she realized the scent was coming from her own body.

A small wardrobe housed all of her clothes. Each sliding drawer contained all sorts of clothes, all ironed to perfection.

Tsuki took only a few moments to pick out an outfit. It was a white blouse, black heels and navy blue skirt. She tried her best to give Fumi the "uniform" she liked so much.

Tsuki grabbed a brush from the top of her nightstand. One hand held her hair together, while the other clutched the brush. She straightened up before running it down her deep black cascade of hair.

She'd made it a point to keep her hair as straight and clean as possible, no matter what the cost. Luckily, she had been blessed with healthy hair that did whatever she wanted it to do.

After she set the brush down, she reached for a small wooden box on the edge of the night stand. Inside were several deep crimson ribbons.

She tied the little red strand into her hair, on the left side of her head. It was thin and subtle, appearing as a dainty red line next to her face.

Tsuki took a deep breath before walking down the stairs. At the very bottom of the stairs stood Fumiko. She stood there, looking up with a smile on her face.

"Damn, you even put on pantyhose." Fumi looked her up and down.

"I’ve always got to look my best." Tsuki smiled.

"You really don’t know how good you look right now." Fumi continued to stare.

Tsuki could only stare at her feet and blush. "C’mon, quit it."

"I'll keep my hands off you for now." Fumi continued.

A loud, booming knock came from the front door. Tsuki slid past, heading to the door. She stopped when a familiar female voice shouted through.

"Dad? Tsuki! Open up! It's me!" The voice shouted.

Tsuki sighed, and opened the door slightly. "What the hell are you doing here?"

On the other side of the door stood a black haired girl dressed rather casually. She had Tsukiko's piercing red eyes, but the look on her face was different.

She was less refined than Tsuki in almost every way. Her big toothy smile didn't look at all like Tsukiko's. Even the way she stood was different, as she leaned on one hip, one hand behind her back.

Even though there was clear hostility aimed toward her, she tried her best to force her way. She was either oblivious or stubborn. The girl was going to get her way.

Her mouth was full of razor sharp, saw-like teeth. She bared her fangs in her great, big, ear to ear smile. Any weaker woman would have been scared.

The woman leaned forward. "C'mon, open up for your big sis."

"Yeah, right." Tsuki scoffed as she slammed the door shut.

"Hey! What the hell, man!" The girl's mood soured instantly.

"Let her in, Tsuki. She's probably got a reason to be here." Fumi approached the door.

Tsuki groaned and let the girl in. "Why are you here?"

The girl simply slinked past the both of them, pulling out a chair from a table in the kitchen and sitting down. Fumiko and Tsukiko followed and did the same, sitting across from her.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"I heard what you've been up to." The girl said with a mocking look on her face. "Don't hurt yourself protecting little old Fumi over here."

Tsuki sighed. "Haru, she was in danger."

Haru shook her head. "You're covered in bandages, Tsuki."

"What's your point, Haruka?" Fumi interrupted.

Haruka crossed her arms. "Y'know, it's not just one guy. It's a whole gang. It's all over the news right now."

"How's that matter to us?" Fumi spoke coldly.

"I'm just giving you guys a warning!" Haruka turned to Fumiko.

"Don't need it." Tsuki scowled.

Haruka frowned. "Don't look at me like that, Tsuki, I'm your sister."

Tsuki slammed her hand on the table. "How am I supposed to look at you?"

"Well, if you keep looking like that, your face is gonna get stuck." Haruka chuckled.

"Is this a joke to you?" Tsukiko narrowed her eyes.

Haruka paused, giving her sister a strange look. "…the hell's your deal, Tsuki?"

"You're a real dumbass if you think you can walk in here like nothing's happened." Tsuki leaned back in her chair.

"I'm not the dumbass that's picking fights with hardened criminals." Haruka countered.

Tsuki nearly jumped out of her chair, but Fumiko caught her.

"Hey, hey!" Haruka backed away. "Don't do that!"

"What the fuck do you want, Haruka?" Tsuki shouted.

Haruka held her hands up in front of her face. "I need your help, okay?"

"If you're only back here for my help, you can leave." Tsuki's eyes pointed toward the door.

"Tsuki, you can't--"

"Leave, Haru." Tsuki grit her teeth.

"You can't just kick me out cuz you're mad!" Haruka shouted.

"You already left once, so just do it again!" Tsuki stood up and leaned forward, shouting in her sister's face.

Haruka stood up too. "I never wanted to leave you behind, Tsuki! You should've come with me!"

"Like I was gonna leave with that bitch! You know what she did to Dad?" Tsuki's eyes began to water.

"It doesn't matter what she did to Dad, I miss you goddamnit!" Haruka choked out her words.

Tsuki wiped her face. "If you really cared about me, you would've stayed here."

"You think it was easy?"

"Yeah, easy enough for you to leave without a second thought." Tsuki began to grind her teeth.

Fumi stood up and tried to intervene. "Guys, guys, c'mon, calm down…"

"You didn't just leave me behind, what about Fumi?" Tsukiko doubled down on her efforts.

Haruka paused for a moment to catch her breath.

She began shouting again. "I can't stay at home with a barely functioning drunk, Tsuki!"

"So you go with that goddamn bitch instead?" Tsukiko slammed her hand down on the table again.

"What choice did I have?" Tears ran down Haruka's face.

"Yeah, well--"

"Enough!" Fumi shouted. "Cut the bullshit, both of you. You're both here, right now. You either calm down, or one of you has to leave."

The two sisters went quiet. Both of their faces were wet and stained with cold tears.

Tsukiko still held a fist to her side. Haruka held her head down like a sad dog.

Haruka stood up and began to walk toward the door.

Tsuki grabbed her sister's hand. "Don't."

Haruka turned around slowly, more tears running down.

Tsuki blinked and choked back her tears, before speaking again. "C'mon, sit down. Let's talk... for old time's sake, okay?"

Haruka stared for a moment, sniffling, before walking back toward the chair.

"Uhh, you guys better?" Fumi scratched her head.

"Yeah. Sorry." Haruka coughed.

They couldn't look at each other for a while. It was too painful for them to speak. One of them would open their mouth, only to choke out a small incomprehensible sound.

It was painful. The first time they'd spoken to each other in what felt like an eternity came after such a painful tragedy. Worse still, they were fighting in front of an old friend.

Neither of them knew whether to trust the person sitting across from them. They had to set aside every ounce of pain they had both felt for a chance to reconnect.

"I'm sorry, Haru. You're right. You're my sister. I can't stay mad at you forever." Tsuki bowed her head.

"We've both got apologizing to do, but let's forget about it right now, okay? I don't like feeling guilty all the time." Haruka weakly responded.

"So, why'd you come here?" Fumi asked.

Haruka hid her eyes. "Someone I know. Not really a friend, but… he joined that gang."

"And?" Tsuki blurted out.

Fumiko glared at her.

"I don't want him getting himself hurt. I want you to knock some sense into him." Haruka straightened up.

Tsukiko frowned. "You seriously came here after all this time just to ask me for a favor?"

"Tsuki, trust me. I'll make it up to you." Haruka smirked.

"...make it up to me?" Tsukiko asked.

"What do you mean?" Fumi approached Haru.

"Just trust me, okay?"

"...you sure about this?" Tsuki asked again.

"Gimme a chance, alright?"

Tsuki paused to think for a minute. "Alright, fine. I'll do it."

Haruka looked at Fumiko, then at Tsukiko. "Thanks, Tsuki. I'm sorry for coming back like this, alright?"

"I'm gonna leave you two alone, okay?" Fumi spoke rather suddenly.

"Why?" Tsuki complained.

"I have to head back to the hospital. I almost forgot." Fumi chuckled to herself.

"I can go with you." Tsukiko stood up.

"Nope." Fumi shook her head. "I'll be fine, okay?"

Fumi turned and started walking toward the door.

Tsuki stood up and leaned in close to whisper to her. "Hey, are you sure about leaving me with her?"

Fumi shook her head. "I thought you guys were gonna work things out. She's your sister."

"I know, it's just--"

"I've gotta go! Sit down, talk to her! She won't bite… not anymore, at least… I think?" Fumi laughed.

Tsuki slowly fell back down into her chair.

"Cheer up, I'm still here." Haruka laughed.

Fumi ran out the front door, almost leaving the front door open in a hurry. A few seconds later, she ran back in, grabbing Tsukiko. She gave her a big kiss on the cheek before running outside again.

"That's embarrassing." Tsuki hid her face.

"Why?" Haruka's face seemed serious again.

Tsuki went red. "It just is."

"She loves you, Tsuki. Be happy about that." Haru scolded her.

There was a short silence.

"How's Mom?" Tsukiko asked.

Haruka sighed. "What do you think?"

Tsuki scratched the back of her head. "I still don't know why you're still there…"

"I keep thinking that she'll come around eventually if I keep her pleased. Hasn't really worked out." Haruka carried a slight, defeated curl on her face.

"I… I kept your bunk empty." Tsuki whispered.

Haruka hid her face. "So, you haven't replaced me?"

"Huh?"

Haruka sighed. "That's good."

"Are you alright?" Tsukiko asked.

Haruka stopped to think for a moment.

She opened her mouth to say something, but she said something else at the last second. "...of course I am."

Tsuki saw through her sister's deception. "Haruka…"

"I'm good, Tsuki." Haruka closed her eyes. "What about you?"

"Well… to be honest, I feel really good." Tsuki scratched her head.

Haruka chuckled. "That's good. What's got you so happy?"

Tsuki took a deep breath. "Well, I feel like things are working out for once. Fumi's been really supportive lately, and we're closer than we've ever been. Everything's good, except for the obvious part."

"Man, she'd better be supportive. She’s your girlfriend after all." Haruka rolled her eyes.

Tsukiko turned red. "Yeah."

Haruka shook her head in disapproval. "Are you seriously still embarrassed about that? No one cares."

"You know I don’t like to make a big deal about that sort of thing…" Tsuki looked down at the table.

"I bet you two were doing weird stuff again last night." Haruka teased.

"Hey…" Tsuki spoke quietly.

Haruka bared her shark teeth in a wide smile again. "C'mon, what did you two do last night?"

Tsuki lowered her head. "That’s private…"

Haruka leaned back in her chair. "I can see her lipstick on your neck, y’know."