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“Goodness Shiki, late again?”
Akiha sighed wearily as her brother walked through the tea room’s doors. He wore an apologetic and slightly worried expression, a stark contrast to the statuesque face of the maid who escorted him in.
“Ahaha… sorry Akiha, I got caught up with Arihiko again. Man, he sure is such a hassle…” said the boy, extremely unconvincingly.
Akiha simply just gave him an unamused stare in reply. Both parties knew full well that wasn’t what happened, however neither party was willing to start an argument about it. Akiha sighed loudly once more and instead turned her attention to the fresh teapot that had been laid out on the tea room’s table earlier by Kohaku. Akiha poured herself a cup of the lavender tea and took a sip, choosing to ignore Shiki’s presence.
“Really Akiha, I’m sorry, but I promise I’ll be back by curfew tomorrow, okay? I gotta go now, so I’ll see you tomorrow morning!”
“…Yes Shiki, see you then.”
Hisui followed Shiki out the door and up the stairs, and was just then substituted by Kohaku. Catching the door before Hisui could turn around to close it, Kohaku nodded politely to Hisui and entered the tea room. The tea room door now properly closed, Akiha and Kohaku were the only ones left in there.
“Is the tea to your liking, Akiha-sama?”
“Ehrm, yes Kohaku…” began Akiha, a strange expression forming on her face, “…what kind of tea is this? I thought it was lavender tea, but the flavour is somehow unfamiliar.”
“It is lavender tea, Akiha-sama. I prepared it for you just as I always have.”
Akiha looked puzzled as she looked blankly at Kohaku for a second, then back to her tea, then back to Kohaku again.
“Ah, yes… of course. I suppose it must be my irritation at my hopeless nii-san… it has been putting me in a poor mood as of late…”
Her voice became a murmur towards the end of the sentence and she found herself staring down into her cup as she took continuous sips from it. She narrowed her eyes for some reason, as if she was trying, and failing, to find her own reflection in the teacup.
“Kohaku… I uhm…” she began, clearly searching for where she was going with her sentence.
“Yes, Akiha-sama? What is it?” replied Kohaku in her usual cheerful and attentive tone of voice.
“I’m afraid I’ve been feeling… a little under the weather today. Could you please prepare my bed? I think I should have an early rest today…”
“Of course, Akiha-sama. Be sure to drink the rest of your tea; lavender is a good cure to headaches.”
Akiha didn’t reply, but her continued sipping of the tea seemed to indicate her agreement with Kohaku’s advice. Her stare grew farther and less concentrated while she watched Kohaku leave the tea room in the peripheral of her vision.
**********
“Akiha-sama? How is this position?”
Akiha mentally stumbled back to consciousness as her bleary eyes blinked several times to adjust to her dimly lit surroundings. She could feel warm blankets around herself. Kohaku’s arm gently propping up a pillow behind her head indicated definitively that she was currently laying in her room’s bed. She tried to speak up and reply to Kohaku but found it impossible to move her lips in the correct way and form a sentence.
“K…Koha…” she trailed off uselessly.
Kohaku gently brushed Akiha’s long black hair back and stroked her forehead.
“Ssshh, it’s okay Akiha-sama. You need to rest right now, okay? Your mouth isn’t for talking right now.”
Kohaku had pulled a stool up to the bedside and was seated on it, stroking Akiha’s forehead with one arm while her other arm rested on her knee. Akiha simply just looked blankly at Kohaku’s smiling face, her mouth slightly agape as if she didn’t know what to do with it.
Kohaku then slid her hand down from Akiha’s forehead to her cheek, cradling Akiha’s soft face. Akiha started to lean her face in to Kohaku in response. Kohaku then slid the hand even further down, holding Akiha’s chin in place and raising it up ever-so-slightly. Kohaku closed her eyes and pressed her lips up against Akiha’s as she pulled herself in for a forced yet very gentle kiss.
“Mmh…! Mmmm…”
Those quiet murmurs were all Akiha could muster in objection to Kohaku’s sudden approach. Kohaku held the kiss. Akiha’s eyes, which at first went wide open, slowly drooped back down. Whether from inability to do so, or from reciprocation, she didn’t pull away from the kiss.
Kohaku opened her eyes after what seemed like a kiss that lasted forever. Her face still right next to Akiha’s, Akiha could see nothing but Kohaku’s big and beautiful amber eyes.
“Ko…ha…ku… you…”
Akiha once again didn’t have the strength to finish her sentence. She didn’t even have the strength to raise a single muscle. She watched as Kohaku got up from her seat and walked over to the other side of Akiha’s excessively large bed.
Kohaku then began to undress, taking her apron off, then her kimono off, until eventually she had nothing left to take off except her blue ribbon. Setting aside her clothing on the chair next to the make-up table, Kohaku then gently pulled aside the blankets and let herself into Akiha’s bed.
Akiha was wordless the entire time. Lethargic as she was, in her simple state she could think of nothing but her maid’s beauty. Her mouth nor body didn’t object in the slightest when Kohaku began to slide her hand through the top of Akiha’s nightgown and down to her chest. Using her other hand, Kohaku once again turned Akiha’s lips towards her own.
“Akiha-sama… please don’t hate me. I can’t promise this will be the last time… but…. you’ll forgive me after this, right?”