Akira's feet shuffled slowly behind Geisha as the two of them made their way to the elevator.
Geisha's eyes flickered behind her three times.
And each time, she'd catch the hybrid's pupils trembling as she stared at the floor.
She wasn't entirely sure.
But part of her already knew something was wrong.
"I talked to the officers downstairs," Geisha said quietly, careful not to startle the hybrid.
Akira didn't answer.
One.
Geisha went on anyway.
"After taking in all the evidence at the scene, the holographic schematics showed us that the cause of the fire was a small electrical circuit that misfired somewhere..."
Akira didn't reply immediately.
When she did, a small—
"Oh."
—was all Geisha received.
The shorter woman's fingers twitched again.
"She's not listening..."
As they stood by the elevator, waiting for it to arrive, Akira's hands had calmed down enough to stop crushing the stuffed bear in her grip.
But she still didn't look up.
Her breathing was controlled.
Small.
Barely there.
And as they entered the elevator, Geisha caught the faint scent of lavender in the air.
Once inside, the older woman's voice gently interrupted the hybrid's thoughts.
"Akira."
Akira looked up.
Barely.
"Hm?"
Geisha looked at her for a moment.
The young woman's eyes nearly watered again the moment she saw those soft green pupils staring at her.
Her throat immediately stung.
Her chest tightened, making her breathing stutter faintly.
But Geisha...
She saw everything.
The red flush around the edges of her ears.
The gentle, rushed breathing Akira had become so good at hiding.
But above all—
it was the way her eyes shone beneath the lighting.
Red.
Slightly puffy.
Two.
The older woman's thoughts reached one conclusion.
"Crying."
That made Akira's breath stop for a brief moment.
She saw.
She saw right through her.
And she didn't know how to hide it.
"W-What...?" she murmured, her voice utterly ruined by the tears her eyes were fighting so hard to keep back.
Geisha took a small step toward the taller woman.
Akira's neck twitched as she involuntarily shifted.
Geisha's gentle look dipped with a hint of hurt.
And that absolutely wrecked Akira inside.
But Geisha didn't stop.
Slowly, she reached up, closing the distance.
Akira's body lowered on its own.
Then she felt it again.
Warm hands.
Gentle.
Soft.
Here.
Safe.
She tried to swallow it back.
But they fell anyway.
Three.
That was enough for Geisha.
"You were crying..." the woman whispered, her tone kinder than it had any right to be.
Akira nodded against her palm as she struggled to breathe.
Broken inhale.
Shattered exhale.
Then quietly—
"...yeah, I was."
"Why?"
The hybrid's half-breath cracked on the way in.
Her eyes shut as she felt the ghost of his gaze tracing her body again.
Her hands instinctively moved to cover herself again.
But that's when—
Ding.
The elevator doors parted.
Two officers stood outside.
They bowed, murmuring words of respect toward Geisha.
Then paused briefly before moving to her side.
And for a moment, Akira felt forgotten as the world moved on despite what she'd felt—
"Come on."
Geisha's voice slipped through her thoughts.
"We'll talk once we've finished everything," she said, walking out.
Akira straightened.
Her height made one of the officers visibly uncomfortable when she glanced at them.
"Afternoon..." she said softly.
Both hummed.
One of them tilted his cap lower to avoid eye contact.
And despite being used to it—
it hurt more now...
She followed Geisha into one of the larger rooms.
It had less privacy.
More reality.
And she stayed close to Geisha.
To her left, criminals were being brought in, one of them challenging the officers restraining him.
To her right, dark creatures inside differently colored transparent boxes screeched as multiple officers shouted orders at one another.
"...Shrills."
"I'veneverseenoneinreallife..."
And still, wherever they went, bows and uncomfortable glances followed.
"Where are we going?"
She watched Geisha pass through scanners and doors that seemed to appear where walls used to be, leading them deeper and deeper into the unknown.
"Don't worry," Geisha said, sensing her unease. "This is where the more bizarre cases are handled."
That made Akira's chest tighten.
The bear was squeezed closer.
Finally, they entered a hallway.
Inside sat a table of officers, all of whom bowed when Geisha walked in—
and hesitated when Akira followed.
"Ms Hoshinoi," one of the lead officers began. "We've gotten word of a potential briefing soon. We'll need to leave."
Geisha waved a hand.
"I know."
"I see you've brought the hybrid..." a dark-skinned woman said bluntly, her eyes sharply scrutinizing the tall young woman.
Akira's toes curled as she bit the inside of her cheek.
A slight squeeze again.
Geisha caught it immediately.
"Please," she said, her voice becoming firmer. "Her name is Akira. Call her that."
The woman's hands fell to her sides.
"Understood, ma'am."
Geisha then took the time to explain everything that had happened.
Every now and then, Akira's hands trembled whenever she closed her eyes for too long.
She could still feel it.
She could still feel him doing all the things she hated.
And it hurt.
More than twice, Geisha paused longer than necessary as she noticed every subtle reaction the hybrid nearly revealed.
Flaring nostrils.
Tight throat.
Bravey working overtime.
And more than once, the older woman's jaw tightened.
Four.
She knew something had happened.
And the fact that it had happened in her absence made her eyes flicker with something deep within.
A few minutes later, she handed Akira several papers.
"...we just need your signature here and there," she finished.
Akira complied.
Geisha glanced at the signature.
Too shaky.
Five
"Could you all leave us alone for a moment?"
The officers didn't question her.
Most of them already felt uncomfortable.
Only the dark-skinned officer seemed to hesitate.
But she'd felt it.
A warning.
Something only those close to Geisha would recognize.
Or someone wise enough to see it in the way her fingers twitched.
Geisha immediately looked at Akira.
Her eyes narrowed.
"Their absence should've made Akira relax..."
Akira's skin reacted beneath her gaze.
Muscle memory.
Something new.
Something Geisha immediately marked as wrong.
Then finally, she switched.
"Akira..."
Akira's shoulders rose.
Instinct.
"Y-Yes?"
Geisha walked over and knelt before her.
Still, she didn't look up.
"You've been acting strange ever since we last talked..."
"I am...?"
A soft laugh escaped her.
"Yes, you are."
She flinched again when Geisha tried to cup her cheeks.
That made Akira bite her lip as that awful ache returned.
"See?"
"I-I'm sorry, I-I...I didn't mean to, I was just—"
"Hey, easy there... it's okay. I'm not mad," Geisha hushed gently. "I'm just... concerned about you."
That word did unspeakable things to her.
Because no one had ever been concerned about her.
Not in the way that mattered.
Silence settled.
And those warm hands rested easily on her cheeks like they belonged there.
But she still wasn't speaking.
Akira's mind flashed with ghost touches all over her body.
His face.
The way he licked his lips.
The way he held her arm.
She could still feel him prying her hand away.
The bile rose again.
Her feet curled instinctively.
Her body burned as she tried to think of something to say.
Something to give Geisha.
"...please, Akira," she whispered. "Talk to me."
That one landed unfairly.
It made her face scrunch.
A tear slipped past.
Six.
Then another.
And another.
Until finally she spoke.
But—
not the right words.
"I can't."
She gasped.
Raw.
Ugly.
"I-I can't tell you..." She curled into herself, drawing her legs onto the seat. "It's too..." Her voice stumbled over itself, hushed and ashamed.
"Disgusting."
Geisha blinked hard.
"Akira," she began softly, "I can assure you, nothing you say will ever disgust me-"
Lavender surged through the room.
Desaturated.
Broken.
"I can't," she cried. "I can't... tell you."
Each time she spoke, her voice limped.
Like she was physically swallowing her own emotions to make room for the other person.
The scent filled both women's senses.
One waited patiently.
But the other never spoke.
Geisha didn't rush.
She waited.
And waited.
And waited...
"Okay... fine."
"New tactic."
Akira's soft hitches filled the dimly lit room, the paperwork long forgotten.
Every time she blinked—
she heard him.
Thought of him.
And for a terrifying moment, she wondered what would've happened had Geisha not—
"Akira."
Soft.
Close.
"Whatever's hurting you right now..."
Akira's eyes widened.
Geisha's forehead was—
"Whatever it is that's hurting you..."
Lower.
"I don't want you to think you have to hide it from me, remember?"
Her forehead rested gently against hers.
It was such a simple act.
Yet in that moment, it broke through the only thing holding her back.
Fear.
Her eyes immediately flooded.
Then Geisha did the unthinkable.
She brushed a strand of hair behind Akira's ear.
"After all..."
And kissed her forehead.
"We're friends, aren't we?"
And at that—
in that single moment—
the truth slipped out.
Akira's arms wrapped around the shorter woman with almost bruising strength.
Her sobs came out violent and uncoordinated as she buried her face into Geisha's shoulder.
Geisha's eyes glazed with tears as she stared at the ceiling, fighting her own emotions.
And finally—
it came out.
Akira sobbed into her pristine white clothing as she gasped for air.
"H-He..."
She failed.
Tighter.
Geisha's eyes winced beneath the pain.
Akira tried again.
"He..."
"It's okay, Akira," she murmured into her hair. "You can tell me anything."
Akira curled into her.
And the truth, ripped free from his threat, finally tumbled from her tongue.
"He... tried to touch me..."
...
Akira's sobs grew more violent.
Not louder.
Just more painful.
But Geisha...
For a moment.
No.
Much longer than a moment—
she couldn't even feel the pain in her shoulder.
Her eyes slid down to the hybrid.
And in a small, barely audible voice...
she said—
"...what."
and that was seven.