“Her mom? Holy …”- Kaeun was talking to Yunjin, both girls spending their time between classes leisurely in the campus park, sitting under the shadow of a tree to avoid the grasp of the summer’s heat.

It was an extensive area, lush and full of green which contrasted deeply with the jet black fence that surrounded it and the rest of the college. It was absolutely prohibited to the alumni to leave the grounds during school hours, something that Kaeun thought as stupid. She wouldn’t have cared about those kind of small rules otherwise but here, in that particular school, it was apparently a big deal, hence there being a magical force field surrounding the area.

“Yes…”- She answered reluctantly, she was trying not to think about it a lot but she had reached a point in which she just had to tell someone about it. Yunjin, one of the few good friends she had in that school, was of course one of the first options that came to mind.

“Damn… and what about the date? How did that go?”- Yunjin asked, curiosity showing in her puppy-like eyes.

“What do YOU think?”- Kaeun couldn’t help but to sound a bit snappy, that too had been an utter failure.

“Geez, don’t need to be so moody…”- Yunjin rolled her eyes. - “Why do you even feel so guilty about it? It’s not like you did something particularly bad.”

“It was… awkward, she did just fine but I couldn’t stop thinking about what I saw.”- Kaeun summarized the whole thing, keeping a few more “flustering” details to herself, “flustering” being Sakura practically force-feeding her ice-cream despite her pleas not to, as everyone was watching. Kaeun’s sour mood softened as she held back a giggle - “Still, I had a great time… but snooping around her stuff like that wasn’t right…”

It had been a few weeks since that small date they had, and Kaeun had been trying to avoid Sakura for some time while she sorted out the guilt that had taken hold of her. It seemed childish to her – it was – but she couldn’t quite shake the awkwardness away, what if Sakura’s powers were about mindreading? What if she knew that Kaeun knew about her mother being ill?

Nonetheless, she wasn’t going to lie, she felt… hurt? Was that it? She didn’t know herself, but the fact that Sakura never mentioned anything to her was throwing her a little bit off…

“Ugh…”- She groaned, she was acting so stupid, the girl was entitled to her own secrets, she had no obligation to tell her, but the ever-burning fire inside her chest wasn’t so keen on accepting that as an answer.

“Hey, don’t beat yourself over it, let’s just change the topic.”- Seeing her friend slouching in defeat again, Yunjin redirected the conversation. - “What about the tournament?”

“I’m still not sure…”- Kaeun answered without looking at her, her eyes fixed on the cloudless sky, nature wasn’t as relaxing as she had expected, it was just boring.

“Come on girl! You have been getting better and better at the whole *crackle* *fizzle* and *sizzle* thing!”- Yunjin tried cheering her up, making a bunch of weird-sounding special effects with and hands – “Seriously though, I believe you can do it.”

“Cut it out.”- Kaeun tore her view away from the skies, playfully slapping her friend on the thigh before something came to mind - “Why don’t you join?”

“And then what? I sneak inside my opponent’s mind and talk them to death?”- Yunjin let out a hearty laugh - “I’d get a beating, hands down.”

Kaeun couldn’t help but to laugh along. She sometimes wondered how the both of them had become friends, considering the that some people would consider abysmal. She guessed their personalities just clicked well together, since no other explanation came to mind.

Seoul’s school for powered people wasn’t exactly what one would call normal. Since there were so few super humans – even at an all-time high record as it was now – classes were sorted based on proficiency and potential rather than age and the students’ positions were ever fluctuating based on the honing of their skills, although that only applied for the special classes, the more common ones like math and biology had a yearly system of progress that students could take at their own pace.

One’s stay in the school could possibly be indefinite, but if they reached adulthood with enough cultivated potential then graduating was an option, which would grant them their heroism permit and allow for the person to do as they pleased, maybe attend a particular university, find a job or just travel the world if they wanted, battling villains and crime along the way, which was considered a sort of vigilantism. Most talented heroes, whose abilities were clearly destructive or disruptive in nature, opted to join the governments as law enforcers or peace-keeping soldiers. Others, the ones with tamer powers, could usually just find a job that fit their abilities, like people with a lesser ability to heal turning into doctors or nurses.

She had met Yunjin once after both of them got sorted into the B class for slightly above average heroes, it lasted little though, since Yunjin’s power lacked any sort of practical use outside of listening to someone’s thoughts, and she was quickly relegated to the F class.

Still, she wore that label with pride, since she didn’t want to be a super hero anyways, so as soon as she had finished the common six year course she said she’d be out of the school.

“Have you heard of Alex Christine though?”- Yunjin’s question brought Kaeun back.

“Umm… No, not at all, it’s been almost a month, do you think she may have dropped or just changed schools?”- She remembered Minjoo asking a similar question a few weeks ago.

“Could be… it just seemed weird.”

Kaeun was about to answer when she noticed somebody strolling by along the empty courtyard. It appeared as if she hadn’t noticed them yet, laying against the tree.

“Speaking of the devil in pink… are… are those crocs?!”- Yunjin exclaimed and Kaeun could’ve sworn there was a short-lived hint of disgust in her voice, which didn’t surprise her, since Yunjin took fashion seriously.

“Silence idiot, she’ll notice we are here.”- Kaeun shushed, her eyes still fixed on the Japanese woman.

Sakura was giggling timidly as she walked surrounded by a few other Japanese girls. Over the weeks she had formed her own group of friends, mostly from the Japanese clique, as she was unnaturally charming, a people’s person.

Or at least that’s what Kaeun thought. Sakura was easy to like and even easier to get along with.

She heard a few finger snaps beside her.

“Hey, human chimney, you’ve gone cold from staring too much”- Yunjin’s eyebrows were wiggling uncontrollably, much to Kaeun’s annoyance.

“Oh shut up, I wasn’t staring, I was just enjoying the… scenery”- Kaeun countered.

“Why don’t you ask her about it?”- Yunjin asked, unexpectedly turning serious.

“It’d be hardly appropriate.”- Kaeun could feel Yunjin’s unconvinced stare on her

“Since when do you give a damn about what’s appropriate or not?”- Her friend replied with a giggle.

“I’m just… scared…”- Kaeun finally surrendered, letting the words escape from along with an unpleasant shiver, looking downwards at the grass as she started picking a few sprouts idly. Yunjin didn’t answer, obviously a little baffled with Kaeun just outright admitting that.

She wasn’t particularly a detached person, quite the contrary, she showed emotion vigorously and pretty often. It was that slight hint of fear in her voice that had Yunjin wondering, since Kaeun was usually a headstrong person, impulsive even – which fit her particular power – she hardly ever showed hesitance or doubt.

Yunjin said nothing, ruminating over Kaeun’s words for a few seconds, letting silence befall them. Kaeun, on the other hand, was fighting a losing battle with herself.

She knew it was obvious she had a… “thing” for Sakura, or at least Yunjin and the girls had made it painfully obvious that they knew, but she felt as if there was something more. She wasn’t exactly a novice when it came to dating, but there had never been that sort of fire before, the burning feeling that assaulted her constantly when in presence of the Japanese girl.

She felt as if she would spontaneously combust…

“There is this intense… burning feeling inside me”- She relented in the end, pointing at her chest and capturing Yunjin’s attention as soon as she began talking, she could probably use her advice. - “it’s driving me crazy… I thought it was my power acting up but I can’t quell it and it’s a constant torture, wedged into my very core, that won’t leave me alone… And it gets even stronger whenever I see her… I’m scared, should… should I see a doctor?”

She heard her friend giggle and her eyes narrowed.

“Holy are you okay? You going all poetic and stuff is weird”- Yunjin had the biggest smile Kaeun had ever seen plastered on her face and the wiggly eyebrows had returned along with the smug smile. - “You really are stupid; why would you want to see a doctor? Maybe too much fire ended up frying your brain.”

“Yah! I’m serious, moron!”- Kaeun raised her voice, annoyed, she really didn’t know what to think and Yunjin wasn’t helping either.

“Aww don’t pout, big baby”- The teasing didn’t stop, furthering Kaeun’s displeasure regarding the whole ordeal. - “Tell you what, why don’t you invite her over this weekend for the movie night?”

“What does that have to do with anything?”- Kaeun asked, although she had an idea of what the answer to that question would be, she just wanted to hear it from her. - “How does that even solve my problem? Yunjin, I’m serious, I- “

“You just need to ask her out, it’s not that big of a deal.”- Yunjin stated, shrugging. - “That’s what you do when you are in love.”

Kaeun opened but the retort died in .

Love.

She pursed her lips, maybe her friend wasn’t wrong, something like that was always difficult to admit, but Kaeun had never shied away from such things. She wasn’t a giggling schoolgirl – well, technically she was, but at the young age of twenty-four she was mature enough not to be deluded by the usual romantic misconceptions every teenager had in their minds, she fancied herself a more mature individual

She knew love wasn’t exactly a bed of roses, not even close, she liked to consider it more as a day to day development, she just didn’t expect to genuinely catch feelings so quickly…

And she wasn’t even sure if those were real, she just… felt the fire…

Only one way to find out though.

“Go get her, tiger!”- She heard Yunjin’s words of encouragement as she stood up.

It was about time she gave it a shot.

******************************************

“Here? Again?”- Kaeun jumped, startled by the sound of the heavy metal door that led to the rooftops opening, which caused her to drop the cigarette she was smoking. – “You wanted to see me?”

Kaeun didn’t answer, looking gloomily at the still-burning but now dirty cigarette for a few seconds as Sakura made her way to the rails to join her. She snapped, and the small embers that were still consuming the cigarette seared and picked up the pace, turning the roll-up into ashes in just a few seconds, before Sakura could notice.

“Hey- “- Sakura tried again, making Kaeun nod in acknowledgment. She took a breath of fresh air before she began talking.

“So, what’s up?”- Sakura’s right eyebrow raised at the question and Kaeun could tell the Japanese girl had been waiting for something more serious, maybe she shouldn’t have just told her to meet there as cryptically as she did, it made it seem like she was about to confess.

Oh …

She really hadn’t thought this through.

“Nothing much, how about you?”- Sakura let her arms fall on the railing, looking at the distant buildings of the city, but Kaeun could tell her gaze was mostly unfocused, she was probably thinking of what to say next. - “We haven’t talked in a while; I’ve missed you…”

*Thump* *Thump*

Kaeun choked on her own spit and, yet again, the searing fire started expanding all through her chest. She felt a small crackle at her fingertips for a second and saw that small flames were now lit, slowly dancing rhythmically, coordinated with each other as the soft evening wind made them sway in place.

“, get it together Kaeun.”- She mentally chided herself.

“Are you okay?”- Sakura asked, looking her way after the lack of a reply before her eyes fixed on the dancing flames. - “Is that another cool trick of yours?”

“Y-yes…”- Kaeun, trying as she might, wasn’t being successful at dispelling the flames. Typically, just thinking about it made them go away, but not this time. She decided just to roll with it, hoping they’d leave in a few seconds by themselves. – “Yeah, I’ve missed talking to you too… that’s why I invited you here”

Sakura seemed convinced by her answer, giving her a small smile before she turned away, looking at the scenery once more.

“It’s a neat place, the view is pretty amazing…”- She commented and Kaeun couldn’t help but to agree.

“I come here often when I need to clear my mind”- Unlike the image of the clear skies of the morning, the sunset never failed to make Kaeun relax, watching it coat the city below her in various shades of orange had a certain mystical charm to it.

Silence set between them, not the uncomfortable kind but the sort that makes people want to stay that way forever, looking at the city lights together.

“I’ve got news for you.”- After a minute or two of silent appreciation, Sakura spoke up.

“Oh? What is it?”- Kaeun was genuinely surprised, she was the one that had been wondering how to ask Sakura to join the casual meetings she had with the girls, so she wasn’t expecting Sakura to come up with something herself.

“I’ve decided to join the tournament.”- She stated, following up with a short explanation - “The director thought it was a good idea.”

“Yeah I think… wait you did WHAT?!”- Kaeun was shocked, not because a transferred student joining was something unheard of, but mostly because Sakura just did not seem the type to get her hands dirty.

The tournament was for the warriors, the ones with the fighting spirit, and Sakura definitely didn’t look like one.

“I need the prize money.”- Sakura answered matter-of-factly in a rather monotone tone, still looking forward.

“…”- The image of the hospital bill resurfaced on Kaeun’s mind. - “What for?”

“Why don’t you join too?”- This time Sakura pushed away from the rooftop’s railings, asking Kaeun directly. - “The girls have told me you are pretty good at what you do but that you have been reticent to join.”

She noticed the quite obvious deflection but she didn't push it, the least she wanted was to make her uncomfortable, although that did not mean she wasn’t bothered by her hiding it.

“Me… I…”- She wasn’t sure, her last few tries weren’t exactly successful.

“I’d like to see you in the finals with me.”- The Japanese girl interrupted her with a small chuckle.

“Ha! Aren’t you getting a bit too cocky? What makes you think you will reach the finals to begin with?”- Kaeun countered with a playful smirk on her face, she sincerely couldn’t imagine Sakura making her way to the finals.

“Easy, I’ve got the advantage, nobody knows what I do.”- Sakura returned her smile with a cocky grin of her own and Kaeun couldn’t help but to find that side of her endearing. - “So, will you join?”

The Japanese girl really hadn’t shown anybody her powers despite being constantly asked about it. Her lips were sealed like a coffin and not even Kaeun had been given a hint about what Sakura was all about.

She had neither showed it on the regular practices, electing to just lightly spar with other students – something Kaeun had noted she was quite good at – and since there were no particular rules about that kind of silence the teachers never really asked either.

Although they probably knew, and were delighting in the thought of Sakura just manhandling every other student during the combats.

The though caused her to shudder involuntarily.

“Maybe…”- Kaeun relented, now slightly less opposed to the idea of joining, what if she really made it to the finals and got to fight against her? The thought seemed inviting to her for whatever reason. - “Anyways… I was wondering if you wanted to gather with me and the girls sometime this weekend, we usually…”

“Yeah, Yunjin told me about it like an hour ago, she told me you’d ask.”- Sakura interjected - “I’ve already agreed by the way!”

“…”- Kaeun couldn’t help but mutter, why did Yunjin make her go through all the trouble of asking her to come here if she was just going to tell her beforehand?

“See you tomorrow in your room by ten, then?”- Sakura turned around, marching towards the doors, and although that particular choice of words sounded really suggesting of a date, Kaeun made no mention of it.

She just smiled at the leaving Sakura.

*Creak* *Thud*

The heavy iron doors closed and Kaeun was left alone again. She reclined on the railing, noticing that the small flames that were previously on her fingertips had long since left, before feeling her pocket, fetching her cartoon of cigarettes.

She wondered…

Maybe what she felt was truly real, maybe her powers had nothing to do with it.

She can’t help but sigh as she pulls a cigg from the box.

She wondered…

******************************************

It was a common thing between her and her friends, to gather every Saturday night to unwind, share some stories that happened along the week and maybe catch a movie or two, so more than a movie night it was a get-together with the occasional movie or game thrown into the mix to pass time.

However, this wasn’t exactly the kind of reunion she had imagined. She was, of course, enamored with the idea of Sakura being there, in fact, she was glad Yunjin had pushed her to invite the Japanese girl.

But there were other problems.

Wonyoung had decided to skip it, calling last moment to inform Kaeun that she’d be going out that night with her friend Yujin. Even more, Yunjin herself had phone barely fifteen minutes ago, saying that she wasn’t feeling great so she excused herself, claiming that she had better rest to be at her best for school next Monday.

Bull. She had probably planned all of this.

Her place was usually where most of the meetings happened since: A) she was the only one old enough to live alone; and B) The other three girls lived either with their parents or at the campus.

She didn’t mind nonetheless, as her family was the one providing her with the apartment. She was considerably well off to the point she didn’t have to work at all, so she just focused on her studies.

So that made them only three people inside Kaeun’s apartment right now.

Sakura, Minjoo, who was barely awake, and her.

Kaeun repressed an incoming expletive, breathed in, and kept focusing on the movie that was playing in front of her. Some boring old romcom from a few years ago that Minjoo had recommended and that Kaeun really couldn’t bother to pay attention to.

Things went well at first, back when Minjoo and Sakura had arrived, but Kaeun soon found herself panicking as awkwardness set in for briefs moments as she realized Yunjin and Wonyoung wouldn’t be there.

She had handled the situation well nevertheless, she showed Sakura around her apartment for a while – a nice, well-decorated and comfy place that probably seemed too large for only one person – before they sat down to eat.

There was no trace of nervousness left after that.

But still, right now she was growing exasperated, since the situation had turned too silent for her liking while they were watching the movie. Generally, either Yunjin or Wonyoung would be constantly commenting on what the movie was about, or its characters, or its setting and plot, and Kaeun had grown too accustomed to that to properly enjoy the movie in complete silence due to the lack of small talk.

“Of course, it’s a ing movie … you aren’t supposed to talk.”- She thought, trying to roll with the situation.

Moreover, it was currently raining outside and coldness had set in overnight, which was weird for the rather warm climate they had been having so far. Kaeun paid no mind to that nonetheless, deeming it unimportant.

*Yawn*

Kaeun quickly went to cover until she realized she wasn’t the one yawning. She quickly looked to her side, searching for the source of the yawn.

“Not enjoying this too much, are you?”- She chuckled.

Sakura, who was sitting beside her in one of the big gray sofas, waved her hand softly at her in dismissal, forcing her eyes to flutter open with difficulty.

“Not really… comedy is not my style”- Her chest inflated and out came another yawn which, in turn, made Kaeun yawn too.

“Hey Minjoo do you mind…?”- Kaeun turned around, looking for her other friend, until she saw her already snoozing off on a nearby couch, a peaceful smile on her face. - “Well, I guess she doesn’t”

So Kaeun fetched the TV control from the coffee table that was in front of her, stopping the movie.

“Mmm, what else is there to watch?”- Kaeun began looking around the different titles, a few caught her attention - “Drama?”

“Boring.”- Sakura replied, shaking her head.

“Action?”

“Too loud”

“Mystery?”

“Not looking forward to a headache.”

“Umm… there are a few documentaries here on Netflix too…”- Kaeun was running out of ideas.

“What about that one?”- Sakura pointed to one particular poster image as Kaeun searched - “American horror story.”

“Oh? I didn’t peg you for someone that liked scary things”- The Korean girl was genuinely astonished.

“I don’t really… but it’s better than everything else, so why not?”- Sakura reasoned, and that was more than enough confirmation for Kaeun to press the play button.

The lights were off and so the entire room was shrouded in darkness, the black being only dispelled by the images that came from the television. The show’s first episode started decently enough, Kaeun wasn’t exactly a fan of horror stories either but the show had been engaging so far.

Unlike with the first movie, this time Sakura proved to be just as chatty as Wonyoung or Yunjin, making small talk at random intervals and whenever she felt like it, which eased Kaeun’s nerves.

The first episode finished and the second began playing almost immediately.

Neither had noticed but, as the minutes went by and the tensions amped up, the two girls had slowly but surely been moving towards each other, their bodies unconsciously looking for protection against the threats, monsters and ghosts inside the television.

A shrill, blood-curling scream resounded through the TV’s speakers and Kaeun felt the bones of her right hand being crushed under a massive grip, which had been close to make her yell in pain too.

“I don’t like it”- She heard Sakura mumble beside her, now hiding her eyes and face behind Kaeun’s shoulder, her arms interlaced with her own as Kaeun’s left hand held Sakura’s right hand.

It was only then, after staring a few seconds, that Kaeun’s mind processed what was going on.

How did that happen? She could’ve sworn she was getting as red as a tomato, so she was glad Sakura couldn’t exactly see her at the moment.

“Do you want me to turn it off…?”- She asked, tentatively, hoping she would say no.

“…”- Sakura didn’t answer for a few seconds, instead opting to get even closer to Kaeun, whose breath accelerated exponentially – “No…”

She was heating up, she felt the fire spreading again.

“Is it hot here or… wait, it might just me.”- Kaeun thought, looking at her fingers to check if her fire was acting up again, hoping Sakura wouldn’t notice.

“You’re warm.”

.

“Oh I’m sorry it’s just that… uh…”- The panic setting in was doing nothing but making Kaeun feel even hotter under the collar.

“It’s cuddly, feels great.”- Sakura continued, interrupting her, as she snuggled closer, leaning into her.

“So… uh…”- Kaeun began, unsure of what to do next. The show that was playing had continued but the content wasn’t relevant anymore, she knew she wouldn’t have another shot at it like this one if she wanted to pursue something with Sakura.

“Yes…?”- Sakura looked into her eyes and Kaeun felt instantly captivated by her brown orbs. She felt drawn to them, even if they were only dimly illuminated by the meager light the television provided she could perfectly see the girl’s sparkling eyes staring right back at her. She couldn’t believe just how much of an impact Sakura had had on her ever since she arrived. The usual confidence she boasted was nowhere to be found, replaced by sheer uncertainty piling up at the pit of her stomach.

She stared, shy and uncertain, wondering what the best course of action was as she kept her gaze fixed on Sakura’s eyes.

“Anyone… anyone caught your eye so far…?”- She controlled her breathing, trying to appear mildly interested in the TV show as she asked when in reality she had no idea what was going on anymore. - “We haven’t talked to each other that much lately so I thought maybe, you know… Around the city…”

“You really are getting flustered over such a simple question”- Sakura giggled, seeing right through Kaeun’s façade – “Mmm, I don’t know, there are a few people though…”

“Oh? Who- “

“No, my turn.”- Kaeun clicked her to