Tout est Juste dans L'amour et la Guerre

"To be, or Not to be"

Finally, finally, Kumiko understood. Amber eyes widened in shock, taking a few moments to fully encompass exactly what Reina meant. "You love me..?"

"Is that so hard to understand?" Now her words were desperate as well, her will caving and tears falling. "I love you so mu-"

A pair of lips interrupted Reina's words as well as her thoughts. Kumiko was kissing her?

Kissing?

Oh, she was being kissed. By her first and only love. 

As soon as the taller of the two pulled away, Reina deemed it appropriate to press her lips against the pink, slightly chapped pair.
All of the passion, all of the love, all of the painstaking frustration and all of the heartbreaking jealousy poured into that one kiss, and she hoped that alone could convey her feelings. "He's not my boyfriend, Reina..."

"What?"
"He's not my boyfriend. I broke up with him." She was happy the tears had stopped.

"Why?" Do I even want to know?

"You." Way to make me feel good.

"Me?"

"You."

Curls bobbed up and down when the brunette nodded, "I love you, not him."

She didn't think she was ever more confused in that moment. Her emotions were a jumble of happiness, confusion, surprise, and slight anger. Why'd she have to be so emotional?

Happiness won.

It's been awhile since she'd felt happy. In fact, Shuuchi had made her life utterly miserable just by taking Kumiko away from her, even if she was here now.

Reina was over that now, though. At least she'd like to think she was.

Now a certain brunette was in her arms, the insignificant height difference slightly bothering her.

"K-Kumiko?" Wait, she had Kumiko in her arms, and-

And their lips were together once again.

This time Reina could feel everything; Kumiko's frustration, her pain.

All of this time... they were just pining after each other.

"What about Taki-sensei?" The brunette's voice was barely above a whisper, the day slowly turning to night around them in the empty - not lifeless - park.

"What about him?" The whispering made it feel like they were being secretive, like it was something only for their ears, and no one else's. That alone was a thrill.

"Don't you like him?" A shake of the head.

"Love. Admire. Respect. Like in a love way, but not the way I love you," more whispering.

The trees began to rustle quietly as a slight breeze rustled their leaves.

"How do you love me?" When did her heart rate get this fast? When did Kumiko's breath on her face begin to be something she wanted? No, not wanted. The desire was not so shallow as to call it a simple want.

It was a need.

Reina needed to feel Kumiko's breath on her face, she needed to feel her arms snaking around her neck. She needed Kumiko's lips on her own, a steady finger tracing her skin. 

She didn't want Kumiko;

she needed her. She needed her more than anything.

"You're terrible." A laugh.

"I mean it." Another.

Reina would never grow tired of Kumiko's laugh; she only disliked it when she restrained herself from laughing. She wanted to hear the brunette's voice.

"Kumiko... stay with me." Her hand was caressing the taller girl's cheek.

"Of course."
"You won't abandon me?" Violet eyes searched amber when they opened, looking for any sign of regret or reluctance.

"If I don't, you can kill me."
"I actually will."
"If it's you, it's okay. This is a confession of love, after all."

With that, all frustration left the two behind. "You have a terrible personality."

"I love that about you." The two shared another passionate kiss under the moonlight, despite them not being the types for cliché romantic scenes.

Reina would never get enough of those pink lips, whether or not she could help it.

Kumiko made the raven-haired girl want peel the good-girl skin off of her and reveal the terrible personality beneath.

There it is again with that want... it's more than that. It's a need. She had always needed and will forever need Kumiko and everything absolutely terrible about her.

She'd succeed at pulling that mask away.

She would always succeed.

For once in her life, Reina Kousaka was glad she fell in love.