“I’ll make a deal with you. Prove to this world that your love is true, and I shall allow you both to live this new life. However, if you fail…”

“Ruka…” A short figure turned in the bed, her eyes moving under her closed eyelids, dreaming of moments from the past as the name of the person she loved most escaped her lips several times.

Her eyes soon fluttered open as she found herself somewhere very familiar. She bolted up from the bed, gasping as she looked around at her surroundings.

“This is… Ruka’s mansion?”

She got up from the bed, slowly walking around the room toward a mirror. She was surprised to see her reflection in the mirror. She saw her face and hair looked different from before, and she was much shorter than her ordinary height.

“What?”

“Takahashi Minami,” she suddenly remembered the words that were spoken to her. The words from that person she made her deal with. “That is your new name. In this new life, you are no longer Takajima Maria.”

“Takahashi… Minami,” she repeated, looking at her new face.

It was then that she remembered something else.

“You and him will be given new lives.”

You and him…

“Ruka..!”

She rushed out of the door, running down the hallways with quick, light steps as she called her boyfriend’s name. In search of the vampire, she checked every room and every corner she could. Even now, she felt like she was constantly getting lost in this huge estate.

Maria soon reached the main hallway and found the very person she was searching for. Ruka’s unconscious body was collapsed on the floor, the young man’s long, black cape blanketed over him as he laid on the rug.

“No way…” She slowly came down the steps, drawing closer as she approached him. “It.. can’t be…”

She slowly knelt down to the floor, gently pulling off the cape. She found the man’s hair was now much longer, and instead of it’s striking silver color, it was now jet black with one white streak.

Maria’s hand gently pulled away the hair, seeing her vampire lover’s new face. His jawline was sharp and now gave his face an exotic look. Before, Ruka looked like an 17-year old teenage boy, even though he was centuries older. But this new appearance looked much more mature, closer to looking in his early 20’s.

Her hand then trailed down and felt his arm. Her eyes widened a bit as she felt he had much more muscle than before. She brought her hand to , her eyes wandering aimlessly as a small chuckle escaped her.

“He looks so different now… I can’t believe it’s him,” Maria thought with a small smile, her cheeks slightly blushing.

“...Mari..a…”

The sound of his voice, so deep and smooth like velvet, made her heart skip. She held her breath as she saw the man begin to stir. Ruka’s eyes slowly opened, looking around before seeing the girl in front of him. He stared intently at her, slowly rising up as their gazes never broke.

“Ruka…” Maria smiled, touching the man’s face as tears started to fill her eyes. “It’s me.”

“..Maria?” he asked in a questioning tone. Maria gave an assuring nod, making his eyes widen. “Is that really you..? You are Maria?”

“I am…”

“Maria..!”

He didn’t hesitate to embrace the girl, his strong arms wrapping around her tiny waist. Maria cried over his shoulder, overjoyed to be back in her lover’s arms.

“I missed you so much..!” she said.

“Me too…” Ruka spoke, parting from the hug. “But… how is this possible..? What happened to me? To us?”

“We’ve been given a second chance, Ruka. To prove our love is true.”

“What..? How?”

“I’ll explain everything later,” she said, hugging him again as her smile grew. “Just let me be like this for a bit. It’s been far too long…”

The man smiled, planting a kiss gently on her head, making her giggle as she snuggled against his chest and…

Hm? Wait… what is this?

Maria’s eyes snapped open as she felt something unfamiliar. However, she quickly recognized what she was feeling, breaking away from her lover suddenly with her cheeks growing red.

“Eh..?!” she squeaked as she covered , looking at Ruka.

“W-what’s the matter?”

“Ruka… y-you, um.. You have…”

“What? What is it?”

“Y-your… chest…” Maria’s voice trailed off, too embarrassed to go on.

“My chest..? What about my--?” He started to ask, before touching his own chest and very quickly realizing what she meant. “Huh?!”

Looking down, Ruka could see clearly from under his white shirt… two bumps that weren’t present before.

“So, does that mean..?”

Ruka quickly turned around, hiding under his cape as he checked a certain area, before looking back with wide eyes.

“I’m… I’m a girl now?!”

Maria blushed a bit while Ruka just sat, taking everything in.

“So… I’m a woman now…” she sighed. “Okay then… Strange. But I can work with this.”

Maria then nodded. “Yes… I’ll have to get used to you as a female now.”

She then stood up, helping Ruka to her feet. She guided her now female vampire lover to the familiar room where they always spent time together, and began to explain their situation.

“Please, listen carefully,” she began, taking a deep breath. “The truth is… We’re no longer Ruka and Maria as we are now.”

“What?”

“This is a different world from the one we were in. These are just temporary bodies… All we really are is the memories of our past selves.”

Ruka furrowed her eyebrows. “I don’t understand… What does this mean?”

“I’ll tell you how it happened… After you.. Left…”

“Yes…”

Maria clutched her chest. “I suffered so much grief from losing you, I began to lose hope… It became too much for me, so I sought for someone to take away my pain.”

“Who?”

“A sorceress.”

Flashback

“Please, I beg of you!” Maria begged the woman clad in black robes, hiding her face. The young girl’s eyes had bags under them, as she seemed very physically and emotionally exhausted. “Take my pain away.”

The sorceress said nothing while the girl continuingly begged for a way to relieve her of her sorrow. After some silence, the girl fell to her knees, pleading on her hands and knees to the sorceress.

“Please! I just want to end it all! Free me from my despair!”

“This is because you have lost someone dear?” the sorceress asked. “The heartbreak is too great to bear any longer?”

“Yes… I can’t go on anymore… I’ve given up on any hope of him returning to me… I just want to rest. Unable to feel pain or sadness.. Just empty slumber.”

After some silence, the sorceress pulled out a black vial and set it in front of Maria.

“If that is what you want, drink this,” she said. “After consuming this potion, your body will fall into an eternal sleep. No longer will you be burdened with painful emotions or sorrowful memories. All you will do is sleep forever, in a state between life and death.”

Maria took the vial with her hands shaking, holding it close to her.

“But, child, I must ask… is this truly what you want? Are you going to end your suffering all because of the pain of heartbreak?”

Tears started to well in the girl’s eyes, her voice speaking hoarsely.

“I just… w-wanted our love… to be accepted..!”

She opened the vial, taking a deep breath before drinking all the contents. After that, she looked back at the sorceress.

“Perhaps it could not be accepted in this world… but there may be hope for you elsewhere.”

“Elsewhe…?” Maria’s voice cut off short as she felt her mind shut off.

No emotions. No memories. No thoughts.

Just empty darkness…

“I wouldn’t give up on hope so easily,” she then heard the sorceress say.

She then began to dream. She found herself in the darkness, walking toward a mirror. Her reflection stepped out of the mirror, facing her with empty eyes.

“Me..?”

“No. That is what used to be Takajima Maria.”

“What… used to be..?”

“In this new world, her name is Kashiwagi Yuki. No longer is she burdened with memories of her past self or the immortal life of a vampire. She is a normal human girl.”

“But… what does that make me?”

“You are the remains of Takajima Maria. Her personality, her memories. Everything that girl in front of you was before.”

“Why are you doing this?”

“I’ll make a deal with you… if you would so oblige to it.”

“A deal? What deal?”

“This girl and the reincarnation of who was formerly Murasame Ruka will be born into a new world, separate from your own. You and him will be given new lives, as well. New names and identities in order to keep that world from collapsing due to the sudden shift.”

“Me and Ruka?! He’s there?”

“He will be, if you agree to the deal. Prove to this world that your love is true, and I shall allow you both to live this new life.”

“How do we do that?”

“By bringing Kashiwagi Yuki to Murasame Ruka’s newest incarnate. Bring them together, remind them of who they used to be, and the world shall acknowledge your love.”

“That’s… all we have to do? Just get them to remember who they are and have them fall in love? That’s--”

“However, if you fail...” the sorceress interrupted.

Maria them saw her mirror self shatter into pieces of glass.

“Your and his existences will be erased.”

“What..?!”

“No longer will you both exist, in past, present, or future. You will no longer be reborn into any world and no recollection of you will be retained by anyone.”

Maria’s eyes widened, her heart racing at the thought of her and Ruka being erased from the world without a trace.

She then saw the sorceress melt out of the mirror, holding her hand out.

“Do we have a deal… Maria?”

End of Flashback

Ruka was silent, sitting with her head low.

“I’m sorry… But, if we prove to her and to the world that our love is true, we can finally be together. There are no vampire hunters or other mystical beings in this world. We can live normal lives as human beings.”

Maria took her lover’s hands, looking in her eyes with a smile.

“Won’t that be a dream come true?” she asked. “More than any eternity… We can just be normal. We’ll live happily side by side, growing old together, in bliss with no more troubles.”

“Maria…”

“After all, isn’t that what we both wanted, in the end? A life together…”

Ruka touched her cheek, making her heart race a bit as she leaned closer.

“No matter how long… Whether it’s just an eternity…”

“Or just one day.”

The two kissed sweetly and passionately. Maria’s arms embraced the woman, laying a head on her chest.

“We’re human now… We have one more chance. So, let’s make the most of it.”

“If that’s truly what you want…” Ruka looked down, holding her lover dear close. “I’ll do anything for you… my Maria.”

Maria chuckled. “Actually, it’s Minami now.”

“Eh?” Ruka raised a brow as she broke the hug.

“Takahashi Minami; that’s my new name. And you’re Akimoto Sayaka.”

“Minami…” Sayaka repeated, hearing the girl chuckle.

“Sayaka.”

“Very well… Minami. Let’s.. do our best.”

“Yeah.”

----------------------------

Back in present day

“Sae-san?! Oi, Sae-san! What’s the matter?” Tano Yuka yelled as she shook the boyish girl collapsed on the floor.

“Someone get the nurse!” Ryoka said as she and Juri ran out.

“Yuka, calm down,” Akane said. “I’ll look after Sae. Go find Sayaka and Takamina.”

“Eh..?! Ah, right!”

Yuka started to run out, only to be stopped when she saw the very two enter. Cradled in Sayaka’s arms was an unconscious Yuki.

“Yukirin?!”

“What’s going on?” Sayaka asked them.

“W-we found Sae-san in here, passed out,” Yuka explained. “But what happened to--?!”

“Relax, we’ll take care of it,” the woman said firmly. She looked over to Minami, “You and Akane go tell the cast about the current situation. Then meet me back here.”

“Alright. Churi, let’s go.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Churi grabbed Yuka’s wrist, dragging her along as they left with Minami.

Sayaka placed Yuki on the bed before approaching Sae. She saw the girl was crying, incoherent whimpers softly escaping from her lips.

“Sae…” Sayaka picked the girl up, placing her in the bed beside Yuki. “If this is what that sorceress meant… then please, remember who you are when you wake up.”

-----------------------

“Wait, Takamina-san, slow down!” Akane urged as she and Yuka tried to catch up.

Minami ignored Akane’s pleas as she continued down the hallway. She felt the girl grab her hand, trying to stop her. In her panic, her hand slipped away from Akane’s, making her turn around.

“Churi, we have to--” she stopped, however, when she saw the girl was nowhere to be found. “Eh? ...Churi? Yuka?! Where’d you go?!”

It was then she noticed, the clock on the wall was no longer moving.

“Did time stop..?”

“Sorry for doing this so suddenly,” a familiar voice rose. “But I needed to talk to you some way.”

“That voice…” She looked up to see a figure at the top of the stairs, smiling at her. She furrowed her brows in confusion. “Rena-sensei?”

Rena walked down the stairs, facing Minami.

“You won’t have to stress another minute. Those two are finally starting to remember.”

“W-wait… how do you know?”

“Aren’t you the one who asked me to do all of this?” she asked before giggling. “How could you forget, Maria~?”

Minami’s eyes widened, suddenly realizing what was going on.

“You’re… that sorceress?!”

“Still, do you know how hard it was, transferring all four of you to this world? As a result, my magic was weakened temporarily.”

“So… this whole time.. You were watching us?”

“That’s right,” she said, stretching her arms. “I wanted to see if your love was true.”

“So, you pretended to be a human in this world to watch us?”

“Yup. And, just so you know, I was also able to rid Miyazawa Sae of her amnesia earlier.”

“Eh?”

“That injury was what unlocked her past memories. I just gave her the final push to remembering.”

“So, when she and Yuki wake up..!”

“They should remember… but the final choice is up to them?”

Minami furrowed her brows again. “What are you talking about?”

Rena just gave a smirk. “You’ll see,” she answered, then snapped her fingers.

“Takamina-san! Wait up!” Minami heard Akane’s voice as she saw the two girls reappear behind her, and Rena disappeared. Akane looked at her puzzled, “You okay?”

“Um, yes. I’m fine. Let’s go.”

-------------------------

“...Maria? Maria!”

Yuki woke up, finding herself in an empty white space. Her whole mind was blank; she didn’t know where she was or how she had gotten here. She slowly raised herself up, looking around.

“Where is this..?”

“This is your mind, Takajima Maria,” a calm voice echoed.

Yuki looked and saw a figure in a black robe, a hood covering their face. She backed away slightly, growing anxious.

“It’s time for the final judgement. Everything is up to you and her now.”

“W-what are you talking about?”

The figure pointed behind her. Yuki looked and saw a door appear feet away from her. Feeling drawn by some force to go to it, she slowly stood up and walked towards the door. Her hand touched the doorknob, turning it gently before opening the door.

She stepped into a room unfamiliar to her. It looked like she was in a mansion study, a private study where it seemed two people could talk and enjoy each other’s company. On a table in the center of the room sat a glass of red wine and a blue rose in a vase side by side. For some reason, she felt like she had been here, talking with someone in this room.

“I dreamed of you, Ruka.”

“I dreamed about you, too.”

Yuki turned around, thinking she heard someone behind her. But she didn’t see anyone.

It was then she felt a new feeling rise; the feeling that someone was here, and she had to find them. Someone needed her.

She found a door and ran out of the room, entering a large hallway. The next moment, she let her legs move on their own, taking her down what felt like an endless maze of hallways. All the while, she felt as if her mind was also trying to go through a maze, trying to remember where she was and what her current situation is.

“I… Yes, I feel like.. I’ve been down these halls before. These halls that were empty and wide, in this large mansion.. A world for just me and… Someone else..! That’s right. Someone else was here with me! But who? Who was it? Their name.. Their name was..!”

She found herself facing a new door. Immediately, her hand grabbed the handle and the door flew open. She looked to see someone sleeping, alone in a large bed. A young man, or perhaps, a young woman who appeared to be a man? A person with… white hair?

From her breathless voice, a name slipped through her lips, “...Ru...ka..?”

Yuki approached the bed, looking down at the person sleeping. Asleep as if under a spell, a curse like the Sleeping Beauty. A 100-year slumber that couldn’t be broken, until bestowed a kiss of true love. She their cheek with the back of her hand, and gently, placed a kiss on their forehead…

“So that’s your decision.”

….

Yuki yawned as she woke up, finding herself in the infirmary.

“Hmm… hm? Huh..? Why am I in the infirmary?”

As she rose herself up, she heard a soft sigh, followed by a loud yawn.

“That was a good nap~” Sae said as she stretched her arms, before realizing where she was. “Eh? Huh?! When did I end up here?”

“Sae?”

Sae looked over at Yuki, seeing the girl staring as if she had just woken up from a dream.

“Yukirin… Um, any idea how we got here?” she asked.

“Not sure… We were rehearsing for the play, and then…” Yuki tried to recall, but her memory was fuzzy. “Huh? That’s weird… I really don’t remember.”

“I just remembering falling asleep during break,” Sae ruffled her hair. Then, she started laughing.

“Eh? Why are you laughing?”

“I dunno… I’m just happy being with you.”

Yuki blushed a bit before laughing with her.

Meanwhile…

“Sayaka!” Minami ran towards Sayaka, grabbing her arm. “Sayaka… the sorceress.. She..!”

“What?! The sorceress is here?”

“It’s Rena! She was the sorceress, this whole time!”

“No way!”

“And she said Sae and Yuki are..!”

The two immediately ran to the infirmary, but Sayaka stopped. They looked in, seeing Yuki and Sae were talking casually together. Minami was surprised, but ultimately relieved that the two seemed very happy together.

“So… they remember now? They’re Ruka and Maria again?” Sayaka asked.

“Not quite,” Rena’s voice rose, the sorceress appearing behind them.

“Rena..!”

“What do you mean, ‘not quite’?”

“Didn’t I tell you? The final judgement would be up to them. They’re the ones who chose who they were going to be.”

“Chose who.. They would be?”

Flashback

Feeling Yuki’s kiss, the white haired boy woke up from his long slumber. He opened his eyes and saw the girl in front of him.

“Yukirin..?” he spoke, a feminine voice escaping.

Yuki’s eyes widened. “Sae? Is that you?”

Sae sat up from the bed, staring at the girl.

“I… Yukirin, I remember. I’m Ruka,” she said with a smile, holding her cheeks. “Do you remember?”

“Ruka..?” Yuki blinked, the memory finally hitting her. “Ruka!”

She hugged the girl in front of her, clutching onto her like her favorite teddy bear. She ruffled the short white hair, a wide smile curving her lips.

“Ruka… I can’t believe it’s you..!”

“Yukirin… No, Maria!” The two parted, tears forming in the boyish girl’s eyes. “Maria… it really was you, this whole time. I should’ve known.”

“Oh, Ruka… How could I forget you?”

Ruka held her head, their foreheads touching as they could hear the faint sounds of their hearts beating. As if to initiate a kiss, the boyish vampire closed her eyes. However, sitting in silence, no one made a move.

“Actually…” Maria finally spoke, making Ruka open her eyes. With a smile, she said, “I like ‘Sae’ better.”

She didn’t need to say anything else. She knew exactly what she meant. Yuki placed her head on Sae’s shoulder, holding the girl’s hand.

“I think I like calling you ‘Yukirin’ more, too.”

End of Flashback

“They chose ‘Sae and Yuki’ over ‘Ruka and Maria’. In other words, they chose their present over their past.”

“But… what does that mean for us?” Minami asked.

“You two,” Rena then took their hands, making them intertwine together. “Enjoy your new future, Ruka, Maria.”

“R-Ruka?”

“Maria?!”

With one final smile and wave, Rena disappeared.

“Ah! Ruka, Maria!” Sae’s voice rose as the two left the infirmary. The boyish girl saw their hands being held together. “Ahh~ cute! I knew the rumors were true!”

“Rumors?!”

“You two ARE dating!”

“Eh, such rumors were being spread?” Yuki asked, Sae answering with a nod. “Oh my gosh! Maria-san, you should’ve told me!”

Minami blinked. “Did… you just call me ‘Maria’?”

“Of course. That is your name, after all.”

Sayaka and Minami looked at each other, then looked back at them.

“Th-that’s right! Takajima Maria, that’s me!” Minami said.

“Hmm, now that I think about it, Ruka and Maria’s names are the same as in the musical.”

“Ah! Does that mean the play is your love story?!” Sae asked, teasing the two.

“Alright, calm down,” Sayaka said. “Go back and meet up with the rest of the cast.”

“Yes, ma’am!” the two said, walking down the hall, hand-in-hand.

“So, that’s SaeYuki, huh?” Sayaka said, wrapping her arm around Minami’s shoulders. “And now, we’re Ruka and Maria.”

Minami giggled. “Seems like it…”

-----------------------

The next day...

“Thank you very much!” The cast took their final bow as the school applauded them.

As the curtain closed, the girls ran backstage, all relieved that they were able to pull off the show. Some were crying in relief, some happily dancing.

“We did it~!” Sae cheered as she hugged Yuki from behind. “Yukirin, that was awesome!”

“Yeah! I’m happy!”

“Ah, also…” Sae then faced the girl, putting her hand near her lips. “I was thinking, would you wanna go out this weekend?”

Yuki blushed. “You mean… a date?”

“If you didn’t mind.”

The girl giggled, placing a kiss on Sae’s cheek. “I’d love to.”

Meanwhile…

“We actually did it… We actually DID it!” Maria said excitedly as she laid across the couch in her office. “Can you believe it?!”

Ruka just patted her head, giving her a calm smile.

“Ruka… what do you wanna do for the summer? We didn’t really get to have an official first date before. So, maybe, when we’re finished here, you and I could…?”

“I’ve already made preparations,” Ruka said, handing the short girl several pamphlets. “I told you I’d show you everything in the world.”

“Ehh?! Seriously?!”

“Yes. A vacation for just the two of us. We can finally make happy memories together.”

Maria hugged her girlfriend, pecking her lips shortly.

“Feels good to finally be together.”

“Indeed, it does.”

The End