—

embrace.

"You can stop buzzing the intercom, you know my passcode." 

Kazuha has her arms folded as she kept her eyes on Sakura who steps inside her apartment. She gets an eyeroll out of that response, with how big Sakura's eyes are, the gesture seems to double in effect and she wonders just how many people have easily misunderstood. Kazuha finds it fascinating, rather, she ends up wondering if they take longer to orbit compared to the average eye.

Her mind works in mysterious ways, as Sakura had put it. But she can't help that Sakura is a good stimulation for her peculiar mind often aroused with neverending curiosity and interest. When others would subtly brush her off with awkward smiles, Sakura would laugh and the light hits she would get are mere gestures that tell her to never change.

"It's common courtesy, plus, I'm doing you a favour by not risking you a heart attack." Sakura replies in a snarky tone, eyeing up Kazuha in a jokingly annoyed manner as she slides off her shoes.

"Seems like I traumatised you,"

"'Seems'. Everytime I look at the entrance of my house, I could feel the ghost of you."

"Oh? Sounds like you think about me a lot." Kazuha quips, a faint smile appearing on her lips as Sakura ambles ahead of her. 

She follows closely behind like an obedient child, watching Sakura navigate her home like it was her own.

"And why do you find joy in that?" Sakura turns her head and glances back for bit, eyebrows raised in question. 

"Because you're my favourite unnie?" Kazuha replies after a slight pause, having been cornered so suddenly with such a teasing question that she merely blurts out what comes to mind. 

"I'm your only unnie."

Which isn't true— Kazuha swears Sakura isn't the only person in her contacts list— but the favourite part? Maybe. So Kazuha collectively ignores her and proceeds to hold a sudden interrogation when Sakura stops just outside the kitchen area.

"So... why are you here?" Kazuha squints in suspicion as Sakura whirls around and shifts her weight on one foot, mirroring her folded arms before Kazuha ultimately places her own on her hips.

"The last time I checked, we didn't need a reason to hang out at each other's homes." Sakura points out.

That bit was true. Having only each other to rant about lacking soulmates (really, they've never met anyone else without) in the beginning, they would often visit each other's places, never really realising that they slowly started becoming each other's place of solace. And even when the topic of soulmates have grown stale as they grew closer, it didn't stop them from inviting themselves to each other's homes until they agreed to lessen the hassle and exchange keys.

And truthfully, Kazuha doesn't mind the days when she would be greeted to the sight of Sakura's sleeping figure on her couch or the seldom warm homemade meals left on her dining table when she wasn't home yet. There was comfort in the thought of coming home to someone waiting for you after a long day.

On the other hand, when she goes over to Sakura's, her hands are often equipped with the older's favourite dishes for takeouts (she doesn't trust herself to cook). And even when it's in the dead of night— when she feels loneliness gnawing in her more than usual— she would come over silently and crawl into Sakura's bed, where the frown that marred her face would immediately dissolve into a soothing smile as the soft sheets get tucked under her chin in hushed comfort.

There wasn't a need for a reason because knowing the other was there is enough.

"No unnie- it's just that you said you were going to stay home all weekend." Kazuha recalls their conversation over text about a day ago, and shoots Sakura a confused look.

The older woman tilts her head and when a smirk slowly grew into her lips, Kazuha is already narrowing her eyes at her.

"I just wanted to see you," The cherry blossom claims but Kazuha still isn't buying it, sensing a hidden agenda under those words.

"Are you saying that because that's what you think I wanted to hear or..."

"My god Zuha, just take it as it is! Now where's my welcome hug?" Sakura flails her arms and groans at her ever growing dubiety, before suddenly ushering her in for an embrace.

Kazuha, now utterly confused, arches a brow at Sakura whose lips were twitching as she was left hanging by a genuinely puzzled Zuha.

"We've never done that though?" The younger bluntly inquires.

"You are so clueless, it's an offer, you don't want it?" Sakura looks at her pointedly, beckoning her with her arms which slowly started to ache. 

"Ah- it's not like that, since when were you a hugger?" Kazuha lightly chuckles seeing the struggle on Sakura's face, walks awfully slowly towards the woman deliberately in an attempt to tease.

"Since we got bored and started dating for absolutely no reason." Sakura scoffs, and with how impatient she grew, she leaps forward towards the taller woman and throws her arms around her shoulders.

Kazuha staggers for a bit at the sudden collision, emitting a stiffled grunt as her arms quickly wrap themselves around Sakura's waist. There's a short moment of silence and Kazuha wants to giggle when she feels Sakura's arms moving stiffly like a rusted machine.

"Wow, I did not imagine this to be kind of awkward-"

"But it's very comfortable," Kazuha laughs beside her ear, feeling the corners of her lips stretching into a pleased smile as she leans further into the comfortable embrace.

"Only because you're taller so you don't have to stand on your darn toes."

Kazuha grins at the meaningless complaint, so she does the cherry blossom a favour and bends her knees to match Sakura's height.

"Better?"

"Now I'm even more offended."

A series of giggles escapes Kazuha's lips when Sakura replies in monotone, jokingly tightening her arms around Kazuha's neck.

"Today's all about hugging, isn't it?" 

They pull away and Kazuha confirms her suspicion when Sakura cackles at her remark, looking like a villainess with a concrete masterplan.

"Bingo! We're gonna slowly up our skinship!" Sakura snaps her fingers when Kazuha guesses correctly. 

Then realising that Kazuha went in dazed state upon her words (she had comprehended them in a more explicit way due to easy misunderstanding), Sakura gasps sharply before flicking the taller woman's forehead. It successfully breaks the trance Kazuha was in, the latter blinking rapidly as she rubs her stinging forehead. 

"Don't think too far, ert." 

-

"Valentine's is tomorrow, let's make chocolates for each other. Chocolate truffles are the easiest to make, let's just do that." 

"Wait unnie, I don't think I have cocoa-"

"Of course you do! I bought them yesterday when you were at work and stocked them up for you."

In the span of five minutes, Kazuha had diligently observed (in awe) how Sakura maneuvered around her kitchen with utmost swiftness. She knew where everything was, even the apron Kazuha never once used and threw somewhere in a higher cabinet. 

Kazuha wants to be embarrassed that someone else knows more about her own place than she herself does, but there was an underlying feeling of warmth and joy that fills her up instead.

"That explains my missing Kansai potato chips..." She mutters under her breath and tries to sound annoyed, but the little smile on her lips betrays her as she walks around the counter and towards the busy woman.

"Sorry!" Sakura playfully sticks her tongue out, "And don't worry, I'll let you have some of my Kyushu ones." 

Kazuha hums in acknowledgement and lets her eyes skim up and down Sakura's look, the apron definitely looks better on her than me. 

She didn't have to worry about committing accidental arson with Sakura around. She waits until Sakura gets the can of condensed milk in one of her shelves to open them on the counter before she saunters behind the shorter woman and uses the extra hairband on her wrist to tie Sakura's soft curls in a low ponytail.

"Is there a reason why we're doing it at my house? You literally have a bigger kitchen and everything is there." Kazuha says in the midst of focusing on tying Sakura's hair, genuinely curious. 

When she was satisfied with her handiwork, Sakura turns around to meet her eyes and smiles cheekily.

"Do we need a reason for love?"

It catches her off guard for a solid minute, unable to respond and not knowing how to either, so it ends with Kazuha lamely standing like a statue with parted lips as she stares at Sakura with her mind devoid of proper thoughts.

"Admit it, you fell for me for a bit there." Sakura lets out a devilish chuckle and wriggles her eyebrows, ultimately breaking the captivating moment which Kazuha was temporarily in.

"Hmm... maybe if you hadn't gloated about it, I would have." Kazuha coolly responds, side-stepping Sakura to start pouring the cocoa powder in the baking bowl.

"Meanie."

-

After sometime as they were taking turns arduously mixing the literal 2-ingredient recipe like madwomen (they were ambitious and decided to make a big batch in an enormous bowl), Kazuha is finally finishing the last turn and gradually slowing down until she feels something warm against her back. 

"To what do I owe this pleasure?" 

Kazuha pauses, glancing down to see porcelain arms snaking around her waist with an amused stare.

"Did you know that if you get a backhug by the same person everyday, your brain gradually memorises the touch of the person that your muscles learn to automatically relax with even a brush of their skin against yours?"

Sakura suddenly unloads random massive words of what sounded like facts (to her at least), slightly muffled with how one side of her cheeks was pressed against her back.

"Woah, really?" Kazuha marvels, having no sense of awareness that Sakura was merely toying with her naivety.

"No I just made that up, you're so gullible."

Kazuha frowns at this,"But that actually sounds credible and it makes sense..."

It was probably was(n't), but then again, anything that comes out of Sakura's sophisticated mouth always sounded believable in Kazuha's ears.

"You're tall so all I get from this is my squished cheeks against your very muscular back." Sakura deviates from the topic and returns to their situation at hand, turning her head to lay her other cheek on Kazuha's back. 

Anyone could tell she definitely treats her workouts seriously. 

"Wanna swap?" Kazuha suggests, considering their height difference, it only felt right that the one that towers in the relationship would fit better being the 'bigger spoon'.

Sakura couldn't even refute, just silently releasing Kazuha from her hold while maintaining an intense gaze with the taller woman who just shrugs boastfully.

When Kazuha's warm presence lay upon her back, Sakura lets out a short squeal of surprise, before the comfort settles in and she's relaxing in Kazuha's lean arms. 

Pretending to be a lover is so easy, Sakura muses. Just thinking about how they look like those cringeworthy couples makes Sakura's skin crawl. But she takes note of the fact that Kazuha has the kind of embrace that she wouldn't mind going back for. It's a little baffling considering the handful of people she's been in the arms of, but Kazuha's was the most easiest to get used to and relax in.

So maybe there was some benefit in pretending to be lovers with your best friend, they nail things with ease with little to no hassle.

"Yup, this feels right- woah hey!"

Of course... there was also the fact they could barely take this fake relationship seriously because they were too comfortable with each other. Because the next thing Sakura knows, Kazuha had tightened her hold around her abdomen and lifts her up effortlessly before swinging her around like a ragdoll.

Although mortified at first, Sakura's ear-piercing shrieks gradually transform into a burst of laughter. 

"Screw merry-go-rounds, I have you!" Sakura exclaims when Kazuha finally puts her down, she turns to the giggling taller woman and rests her hands on firm shoulders to steady herself after experiencing what literally felt like an attraction in an amusement park.

"Wanna go again?" Kazuha holds her elbows to keep her still and grins widely, chortling when Sakura was quick to shake her head.

"No actually, my stomach suddenly feels weird-"

A look of horror flashes on Sakura's face when Kazuha inches closer and tries to circle around her. While she enjoyed the fleeting exhilaration that Kazuha granted her, she's convinced that anymore, and all the cocoa powder she had sneakily put into would come out in a different state of matter.

"Kazuha don't you dare, I will literally perform a suplex on you." Sakura glares weakly at Kazuha who instantly backs away with arms up in surrender, trying to suppress a smile.

"I firmly believe you can so I'll back away now."

"Wise choice." Sakura puffs out her chest valiantly and heaves a sigh of relief, returning to the counter to pour the chocolate mix onto the baking pan layered with food-safe wrap.

"Can we hug outside?" Kazuha asks innocently and a little too brightly, eyes twinkling with anticipation.

"What? Like outside your door?"

Oh dear, maybe Kazuha shouldn't have spun her too much.

"No, what the- I meant in public, unnie." 

"Oh sure! But make sure we do it in front of those who don't have their soulmates with them so that we can shove it in their faces and then they'll go home crying to their significant other and begging to satisfy their touch-deprived needs."

"Uh, that's oddly specific... unnie, are you touch-deprived-"

"Oh my god, no! It was an example!"

—

adoration.

"I hate waiting, like I wish I was a time traveler so I can skip to the part where I'm shoving my face with the chocolate truffles we made."

Sakura sags against the dining chair, the knot of her apron growing loose so she promptly takes it off and hauls it on the table with a ragged sigh. Kazuha chuckles to herself as Sakura wistfully watches the fridge with the eyes of a ravenous lioness.

In a subtle attempt to distract the latter out of her peckish thoughts, Kazuha feigns a cough before stretching her one of her arms up and slowly settling it down on Sakura's chair. 

Seeing the dangling hand entering her peripheral vision, Sakura briefly glances at the long fingers drumming nonchalantly against the rail of her chair.

"Well, hello miss smooth criminal," Sakura chirps, a corner of her lips tugging up in a coy smile, evidently impressed by such a bold cliché move.

Sakura speedily turns to Kazuha who had her lips pulled between her teeth, eyes flying up to the ceiling while her other hand mindlessly plays with her hair.

"Did you learn this from Wikihow?" Sakura squints suspiciously at her, evoking an amused chortle from the taller woman.

"No, but I'm quite the opportunist." Kazuha wittily replies, locking eyes with Sakura with the little courage she had left. It only escalates when she saw how Sakura was genuinely dazzled by her bold gesture.

"Am I doing it right?" Kazuha prompts further, smiling playfully. 

She doesn't get a direct answer, just a little sheepish smile from Sakura before the latter deliberately grabs her arm from the chair and moves them around her neck instead. The sly look Kazuha gets after that renders her speechless.

"Now you're doing it right." Sakura asserts with a low voice, and Kazuha's gaze turn shy for a split second as she bites her inner cheek to stop a silly grin from breaking out.

Sakura's laughing at her mouse moment, and they eventually settle into their daily conversation topics. And as long as Sakura isn't asking her to take her arms off her shoulders, Kazuha doesn't have any plans to move her arm anytime soon.

"Did you get more piercings?" Kazuha asks out of curiosity when her fingers graze against an unfamiliar silver among many that lined Sakura's ears she might as well have been a walking accessory store. It was a second helix piercing that rests above the first, the metal that looped into her delicate ear gleamed brilliantly under the light.

"Yup, you get one and the urge to get another grows like tenfold. This is why I'm never ever getting tattoos because I might be on par with that one dude who won the Guinness World Record for having the most." Sakura exaggerates but looks at Kazuha dead in the eye at her last sentence.

If it does come down to it, she would have Kazuha to put her on restraining order. 

"They're pretty, just don't end up putting a crater in your ears." Kazuha tells her with a small smile etched on her lips, fingers dancing lightly across the piercings that decorated Sakura's ear. 

Kazuha gets a little too carried away caressing along the soft skin with the tips of her fingers and playing with the piercings like delicate toys, that she only realises Sakura's unusual silence a minute later. 

"...Unnie?" She calls out and leans towards Sakura to check up on her.

And it's when Kazuha realises that Sakura's wearing a twisted look on her face, frowning with her eyes shut tight, jaw clenching and unclenching. There's something else that catches her attention entirely, and it's Sakura's ears turning into a wild shade of red which Kazuha has never seen before. 

The blush spreads to her cheeks and Kazuha suddenly lets out a sharp gasp when the revelation hits, eyes opened so wide she thinks she could dethrone Sakura. She instantly draws back with a hand over .

"No way, are you... sensitive there-"

"NO..." 

A firm, thundering response that doesn't let her finish, Kazuha thinks she's hit bullseye.

"So you are!" Kazuha starts jabbing her forefinger towards Sakura, absolutely thrilled at the newfound information. 

How has she not realised throughout their time together? Well, mostly because she doesn't go around caressing Sakura's ears out of the blue... but if she had put two and two together, it just makes sense for those charming big ears to be sensitive.

Sakura huffs, not being able to escape the embarrassment creeping up her cheeks. She folds her arms across her chest, appearing defensive and looking daggers at Kazuha who's smiling from ear to ear.

"If you start using that against me..."

"I think it's really cute," Kazuha carefully reaches a hand out, eyeing Sakura cautiously in case she gets a surprise jab to the face for overstepping. And when all she gets is nothing but a feeble glare— no recoil or a full-on scowl— Kazuha gently brushes her thumb against Sakura's earlobe.

"...I wouldn't have allowed this if you were someone else."

"You're soft for me, I know."

-

It's only about a couple hours later that Sakura's wish comes true. Not even sparing a minute to visually marvel at their chocolate truffles after shaping and coating them with more cocoa powder, the two were proceeded to gobble down their homemade dessert.

"Wow- this is actually so good."

"We're going to demolish these truffles before Valentine's, unnie."

"Let's just finish them right now. My god, did we put crack in these?"

"Probably because we made it with love... is love considered crack?"

"Walk in the streets for a minute and you'll get your answer."

"Touché."

"I'm having the time of my life making fun of couples with you."

"And I wouldn't change it for the world."

Alas, they could only stomach so much and ended up storing the last quarter of the batch back into the fridge. They would worry about their bowels later... and most probably stay away from chocolate for about a week or two.

—

tipsy valentine's.

"I think it's questionable that we're spending Valentine's Day at a bar."

Kazuha doesn't know what she expected. Actually- scratch that, she should have expected this, because why else would Sakura specifically demand her to wear her most -dropping outfit (Sakura's words) if they weren't dropping by a bar? Chosen and frequented by Sakura no less.

"Hey, you're the one who said you'll go wherever I take you." The older woman shoots her an ecstatic look.

With that, Sakura quickly grabs her hand and pulls her along, squeezing through the sea of crowd gathered at the front of the small stage situated in the corner of the bar. And as pleasant as the Jazzy music and the lavish interior was, the mere thought of being in such a high-end place sort of overwhelms her.

"Yeah but I was thinking of something close to a restaurant or another Han River date..." 

She knows for a fact she's tall, but surrounded by intoxicated bodies, she suddenly feels like an ant. Like a herbivore released in an enclosure full of carnivores. Oh her hermit side was going to have the time of her life here. 

Squeezing through the last of the crowd, she's already experienced so much in a span of five minutes compared to her entire lifetime.

Kazuha's pretty sure she caught some dude winking excessively at her from somewhere within the crowd, some woman refusing to break a very intense eye contact so she had to (is that how people flirt now?). And she swears someone's fingers briefly brushed across her abs, which was left bare courtesy of her vest croptop. 

At first, she bought this set of red suit outfit for laughs and giggles but never had she thought that she would have to wear it. Well... at least she looks good? 

Her mumbles don't get past Sakura's impeccable hearing, as they made their way to the bar area, Sakura's looking back at her with the most unbelievable look she could muster.

"Why the heck would I ask you to wear something very attractive just to bring you to the Han River?" Sakura's eyes travels to scan her outfit up and down, giggling when Kazuha subtly tries to pull one side of her blazer over her exposed abs.

"Honestly, I was just doing whatever you told me to." Kazuha sighs, occupying the vacant stool beside Sakura's. 

The bartender greets them wordlessly with a charming smile, Kazuha quietly taking in the sight of an actual professional doing all those fancy bartending moves for the flair with the shaker.

Sakura's laughter enters her ears once more and Kazuha turns to look when a familiar hand taps on her thigh for attention. Her eyes travel to the slender hand resting on her thigh for a short moment, and it comes to her attention that Sakura's black dress is a little on the short side. Her dainty legs are crossed in such a manner so elegant that Kazuha had to force herself to look away, somewhere past the bartender where she randomly started reading the brands of wines and cocktails alike.

"You're so funny without trying, you know that? Your soulmate would have had the best laughs with you." Sakura points out, referring to her previous response. 

Kazuha smiles, though it's strained.

"Actually, I wanted to bring you here with the intention of setting you up with someone. You know, see if any sparks fly if you get to know anyone here." Sakura admits, almost reluctant, shifting her eyes from Kazuha's and starts scanning the patrons with interest.

"Um why would you do that," Kazuha furrows her eyebrows, spinning her stool to fully face Sakura who interrupts her before she could protest.

"'Cause! We're pretend lovers but it doesn't mean that we have to strictly abide by it." She whispers this part, before continuing with a reassuring smile on her lips. 

"So don't be shy to actually find someone that catches your eye here, like for real. I know most that come here just use this place to test the waters before actually finding their soulmate." Sakura tries to soothe her doubts, lightly nudging Kazuha's foot with her toe.

"I don't know... I'm fine with you though." Kazuha retorts, uncertainty written all over her face as she smiles wryly.

"That's the problem. Tonight, don't look at me. Broaden your horizons while you're here. Who knows? Maybe you'll get lucky. I told you I'd help you, didn't I?" Sakura reminds her, but Kazuha doesn't recall asking to be in a matchmaker's game, only that Sakura would grant her some kind of dating experience.

So there's a flicker of hesitance on her face as she thinks it through. As much as she didn't really want to, Sakura sounded so genuine about wanting to help her tonight. And while a small part of her tells her that maybe Sakura was right, it would be nice to be acquainted with a potential partner(?) but the majority of her is practically screaming to straight up decline and just drink herself until she forgets tonight ever happened.

Seeing the growing doubt on Kazuha's face, Sakura feels a pang of guilt and starts to regret her decisions tonight.

"You know what, sorry I dragged you here without saying anything. If you really don't like it, we'll get out of here." Sakura says apologetically, heavy with guilt and ready to grab her purse to leave but Kazuha stops her by placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I'll give it a try." Kazuha says, giving her a tender smile.

Sakura bites her lip, already beating herself up in her mind for being thoughtless. She really should have just left it all to Kazuha to plan for Valentine's. Hell, she would've been happy enough if she was invited to a library date.

"Are you sure?" She asks, concern lacing her tone.

"It can't be that bad, right? I'll stick around."

"Okay, but the second you wanna get out of here, you tell me. 'Kay?"

Kazuha nods at her words, feeling at ease knowing she could trust Sakura. Plus, she should at least put in effort since Sakura had gone out of her way to bring her to a pristine bar.

-

It was pretty bad actually, because she doesn't understand why nearly every stranger she makes eye contact with looks at her like they want to eat her whole. Then in the midst of their first round of drinks, she had to go to the washroom. It was easy enough, Kazuha already pinpointed the sign when they first entered so she roughly knew how to get there. All that's left was travelling to and fro.

And things were going smoothly for her, exiting the ladies' with a sigh of relief. Keeping her eyes glued onto Sakura's lean figure waiting at the bar, the only thing now was to walk back and return to her rightful 'girlfriend'. 

Of course, things don't always go the way we want to, because then she's suddenly stopped by some blonde woman who's blocking her way to her only place of salvation. 

Please don't hit on me please don't hit on me-

"Hello gorgeous, you're looking rather dashing tonight."

She ends up getting hit on and it's the only time she's chastising herself internally for her good looks.

From her seat, Sakura only realises what was happening when she looks towards the washroom area after wondering what was taking Kazuha so long. Her eyes instantly lit up seeing Kazuha being held up by a taller blonde clad in a blue sparkling dress. Their eyes meet and even from afar, she could sense the panic in Kazuha's eyes.

Sakura smiles teasingly behind her fingers, gestures for Kazuha to take a leap, intrigued to see where it goes. On the other hand, she's all the more prepared in case things go south.

Sakura watches with peak interest as the two conversed, finds Kazuha on her guard to be rather adorable, chuckles when blondie takes a step forward and Kazuha merely takes a shy step back. Blondie twirls her hair with her fingers and starts batting her eyelashes in an attempt to entice her but Kazuha remains resolute, so formal and visibly looking like she wants out. 

Sakura almost spits out her drink when blondie suddenly leaned in to— oh, whisper— in Kazuha's ear. She giggles to herself when Kazuha gets flustered and wore a bewildered look on her face after blondie pulls away. Sakura wonders what the stranger said to prompt such a look of disbelief on Kazuha's face.

Blondie takes out something resembling a calling card out of her purse and passes it to Kazuha who hesitantly took it out of mere politeness before blowing the latter a kiss and sashaying away.

Kazuha awkwardly bades her goodbye before settling her hands on her hips, exhaling a big sigh before making her way back, not forgetting to throw the calling card in the trash on her way.

She comes back with a distressed face, looking like she went through ten stages of embarrassment as she settles back into her seat. Sakura doesn't say a word, looks at her with a patient smile and waits.

"Yeah... I'll just stick to dating you." Kazuha says after letting out another lengthy sigh, chuckling dryly at the moment that had unfolded in such a short amount of time.

"Oh dear, what did she say?" Sakura props an elbow on the counter, chin on her palm and the entire gesture just says, tell me, tell me everything, and she would be all ears despite the jazz blaring in their ears.

"Long story short, she gave me her number and asked if I want to make purple." Kazuha deadpans, feels a shiver down her spine.

It takes a while for Sakura to understand the explicit insinuation, until she looks at Kazuha's red fit again and recalls the blonde wearing something blue. She lets out a hearty laugh when realisation hit, head dipping back and her adam's apple has never been more prominent.

"That's actually hilarious, what a turn off!"

Kazuha joins her in her hilarity, actually finding the conversation comical now that she recalls it. When their moment of glee subsides, it was Kazuha's turn to be curious.

"What about you?" She starts off, circling the shot glass in her hand and watches the transparent liquid dance about.

"Me?" Sakura repeats, her glass pressed against her lips as she glances at Kazuha with a lifted brow.

Kazuha nods, then lifts her shoulders in a mindless shrug. 

"Yeah, aren't you gonna... find someone to take home?" 

"Zuha, is that how you see me? Ouch," Sakura dramatically gasps and places a hand over her heart, feigning hurt. It's a little too much fun teasing Kazuha.

"No no, it's just- you haven't been seeing anyone for a long while... is that offensive?" Kazuha frantically waves her hands in denial, trying her best to save herself from her blunt words.

Sakura merely laughs and gently shoves her shoulder.

"Easy, I'm just playing with you. And no it doesn't offend me, I totally get why you could see me that way."

"That's really not what I meant-"

"Hey, it's fine. Besides, I'm not gonna leave you here alone, I'm not diabolical you know." Sakura ends her worries there, placing a reassuring hand atop hers. 

She still feels like a prick, but Kazuha knows better than to keep blabbering out meaningless apologies when Sakura perfectly understood her, never once pushing her away. There's the surging feeling of relief knowing she wasn't going to be left on her own in a place so alien to her, even though part of her felt bad knowing Sakura was probably better off without her dull company. 

Kazuha smiles to herself, knowing Sakura would firmly protest if ever she heard the thought out loud.

"Drinks are on me tonight, sorry for a ty Valentine's." Sakura glances at the bartender and gives him a brief nod, he wordlessly acknowledges her with a crooked smile before pulling out a couple more glasses. 

Kazuha shakes her head dismissively, nails scratching lightly against the polished wooden counter. 

"It's not that bad, I have you to scorn this crappy day with." Kazuha tells her, successfully eradicating the look of guilt on Sakura's face— beautiful beings should only think of beautiful things.

"What a shame," Sakura mutters moments later after her fifth glass, Kazuha holding her second which was still full. Someone needed to be sober enough to make sure they return in one piece after all.

Kazuha wordlessly watches her, holds the back of Sakura's stool when the woman starts to sway in her seat. To her knowledge, Sakura wasn't really fully drunk yet, the latter was quite the strong drinker, there's always cans of beer stocked up in her fridge and it leaves her in amazement. Because Kazuha could only hold her liquor so much and a drunk Sakura wasn't a rare sight but it wasn't frequent either— she's far from an alcoholic, only drinking when there was a lot on her mind to let go of.

"What is? This red suit I'm wearing for tonight?"

"I guess. Like how isn't anyone flocking to you right now? Maybe I should've really brought you to a nice restaurant." Sakura pouts at the thought, a hand in her hair as she releases an exasperated sigh.

"Well, it's a good thing for me. I don't really care about other people," Kazuha discloses, and shifts closer to lean into Sakura's flustered ears, "and it's not a shame if my outfit is making you look at me like that."

She lingers for a bit, catches the way Sakura flinches for a split second when her warm breath grazes her reddening ear, pulling away with a smile that was both sly and playful.

Sakura turns to her and breaks into a disarming grin, hair curtaining her face as she leans further into her palm. Her intoxicating gaze, alas, couldn't escape Kazuha's keen eyes, the latter had caught her not-so-sneakily checking her out, sometimes sneaking glances when she thinks Kazuha isn't looking.

"Are you seducing me?" Sakura teases, doesn't even deny the allegations because they were true anyway.

"...Is it working?" Kazuha coolly replies, a lips quirking up in a charming smile.

They engage in a staring contest, skittish smiles never leaving their faces until they eventually erupt in soft giggles.

"A toast to the best soulmateless duo ever?"

"Hell yeah."

The rest of the night in the bar carries on with Sakura downing a little more than Kazuha should have let her. She couldn't really blame herself, just watching Sakura as the woman was taking swig after swig and her attention seeking side profile that her eyes seem to be glued to, was enough distraction from the whatever else was going on in that place.  

Until she figures that Sakura was out for the count and it was time for them to leave as the night deepens.

"Yours or mine?" Kazuha grunts as she slings Sakura's arm over her shoulder, firmly holding onto her waist as they wait outside for a cab Kazuha had initially called.

"You look like the red teletubby, Zuha ahaha..."

Yeah, maybe Kazuha should have really paid more attention to her consumption. Now Sakura couldn't stop comparing her to silly characters and giggling nonstop about it.

"Okay yup, you're definitely out of it. Mine then." Kazuha sighs, still finding her amusing, knowing Sakura's drunk streak of often equating her to a fictional or cartoon character, which usually meant she was more or less wasted for the night.

She's going to have a field day tomorrow. 

-

cuddles.

A sharp gasp escapes her lips. 

Sitting on the edge of her bed, Kazuha drags her thumb across her shoulders where the root of the soreness came from. Having finished her breakfast, she had decided to retreat back to her room, even though she hadn't drank much last night, there was still the faint throbbing in the back of her head. And with the ache building up in her shoulder muscles after having to haul Sakura's drunken self back last night, sleep was beckoning her again.

In the midst of rotating one of her shoulders hoping to release some of the tension, Kazuha freezes when a pair of arms wrap around her waist, startled at the sudden contact of cold fingers penetrating her thin shirt.

Recognising the familiar touch, Kazuha immediately relaxes, a soft smile drawn on her lips when she hears mumblings from behind. She rests her hands on the arms wrapped loosely around her.

"Is this for last night? Because I had a really hard time getting you home." Kazuha says as she glances back, sees Sakura's raven hair flared across the pillows.

She feels a light pinch on her side and flinches, chuckles when she sees Sakura's forehead creasing in a frown.

"'M so hungover right now... cuddle me please." Sakura grumbles lazily, tugging at her torso upon her sleepy request.

Kazuha releases a short sigh and turns towards the dazed figure on her bed, eyes still closed. At times like these, she figures even the oldest would like to be babied. She taps on the arms coiled around her waist multiple times, which had been a futile attempt asking to be released.

"There's hangover soup-"

"Later. Cuddle, now."

Sakura cuts her off, sleepy demands waiting to be fulfilled before she thinks she can fully wake up.

"Upping our intimacy again, are we?" Kazuha teases, obediently heeds Sakura's gesture to lay down. 

A smile made its way to Sakura's lips, Kazuha listens to her well. And while it was adorable most of the time, sometimes it's a little worrying because she listens well.

"I know you secretly like it, you call me touch-deprived but look at you indulging yourself in every single one of my affections." Sakura scoffs, doesn't hesitate to push herself into Kazuha's arms, tucking her head under the latter's chin. 

The lack of response tells her that there were definitely some truths in her words. She feels the bob of Kazuha's throat against her forehead and smiles softly when a hand places itself gently on her back. 

"Any chance I baptized your floor with vomit?"

A deep chuckle. 

"No unnie, but you did almost strangle me to death. My shoulders are so freaking sore." Kazuha whines.

Then she feels Sakura pressing further into her, arms locked around her back and legs swinging around her waist to capture her in a vice grip. With how sudden it was, it made Kazuha wheeze, feeling like the prey of a snake. But Sakura is tiny, so it sort of feels a little underwhelming.

"Is this a sloth clinging onto me?"

"This is an apology," A quick response.

"Oh, squeezing all the air out of me is an apology?" Kazuha questions amusingly, giggles when Sakura's nose tickles her collarbones.

"I'm transferring all my Chi to you so your shoulders will be relieved of their pain." Sakura flatly replies.

A little more serious and Kazuha would have actually believed her words. Maybe it was the homely feeling of having someone's skin pressed against hers, so pleasant and warm that her heart swells at the comfort laying in her arms.

"Hmm, well I think this is just an excuse to cling onto me." Kazuha cheekily says, but she's the one who snuggles into the embrace a little more.

"Be quiet and cuddle me."

"I'm cuddling."

"Cuddle harder."

Sakura's muffled laughter against her neck causes tingles on her skin. Within the four walls of her room, their soft giggles reign over the strong whirring of the a/c, but it's warmth that engulfs them.

"Your heart isn't racing," 

Sakura presses her ear against her chest, feels the calm rhythm beating pleasantly in her ear.

"Neither is yours," Kazuha smiles, doesn't feel any thundering heartbeat from the petite body pressed flushed against hers, "we're literally just cuddling, is it supposed to beat a mile a minute?"

"I guess not, but I have a hunch on what might get your heart to skyrocket." Sakura says undoubtedly, Kazuha feels the ghost of her smile brushing on her skin before drawing back in curiosity.

"Oh? Do tell." 

"You'll find out, you'd be asking for it in no time." Sakura hums lazily, tugging on Kazuha's shirt and beckons her to come back. "Now hush, I'm still so sleepy right now... what time is it?"

"Around eight in the morning I think-"

"No way, you're crazy- and why are you up?!"

Kazuha cringes at the sudden exclamation— her poor ears— and grins sheepishly when big eyes stare up at her incredulously.

"I was hungry for McDonald's pancakes... yours is still outside by the way. Your McMuffins-"

"Okay, got it, thank you. Now please, let's go back to sleep?"

—

what's yours is mine.

It's almost noon when they wake. Whatever the science was behind cuddling to sleep, Kazuha thinks it definitely was some kind of magic sleeping spell that was hard to escape from. 

"I feel like but at the same time I don't," Sakura stands idly at the kitchen arch, a glass of water in hand and the other languidly smoothing down the wild strands of her hair on the top of her head. 

Kazuha chortles at the sight as she places a warm bowl of soup on the dining table. 

"Come sit down unnie, I heated up your hangover soup. Then you can eat your McMuffins and wash up later."

"Am I wearing your clothes?" Sakura looks down and tugs the hem of the black shirt which stops just above her knees. She lifts it and sees a pair of shorts a size too big for her.

Then she sees a paperbag in the corner of her eyes on the couch, where her black dress was most probably neatly folded in. 

"Yeah, you're noticing it now? Something wrong? I didn't wash your dress by the way, didn't wanna take the risk in case I accidentally ruin it." Kazuha casually says, gentle eyes peeking from her mug as she puts down her tea, reaching for the container of chocolate wafers Sakura had given her.

Sakura gives her a thankful smile, although she couldn't help but feel embarrassed because she didn't even want to think about how much pain in the she was all the times she was drunk. But Kazuha is the personification of kind, and takes care of her without a second thought.

"Nothing's wrong. It's just that things like these are considered domestic and cute when couples do it." Sakura points out as she settles in the seat in front of Kazuha's.

They don't really borrow each other's clothes, and the only time they do is when they drink together and spontaneous sleepovers happen— much like today.

"I think we are domestic and cute." Kazuha shamelessly says, pointing assertively with the half-eaten chocolate wafer in her hand and gets a good laugh out of Sakura.

"We're totally good at this."

"Definitely. All we need is a Sharpie and each other's names on our wrists and we'd be fooling the world already."

—

if we were written for each other.

For a week now, Sakura's been bragging to her about a fluffy carpet she had recently ordered online and placed in her living room. Her coffee table has been shifted from the middle to right in front of the TV, leaving the open space occupied solely by the carpet.

Now they're sprawled across the floor, and Kazuha recalls just the other day when Sakura kept exaggerating that laying on it feels like laying on a literal cloud. Turns out, it wasn't an exaggeration at all. The fur tickles her skin but she ultimately feels light.

More than that, Sakura is lodged to her side, warming up half of her body while the other revels in the coolness of the carpet. 

"Where would you like it?" Kazuha utters suddenly.

"Hm?" 

Kazuha twists her head, shifting her blank stare from the ceiling to the head resting on her shoulder.

"Your soulmate's name, where would you have liked it to be? That's if we could have it on different parts of our body besides the wrists."

"The back of my eyelids so that even when sleeping, all I'd be looking and thinking about is them." 

Kazuha rolls her eyes at the sarcasm, but the witty remark leaves an amused smile on her lips.

"But for real? I'll show you," Sakura props herself up on her elbow.

With her forefinger, she begins lightly tracing her initials on Kazuha's collarbone. Each gentle of Sakura's finger raises goosebumps on her body, the feather-like sensation lingers on her skin— like the warm persisting feeling after staying in the sun for too long, until it dwindles and disappears, leaving her with a faint memory of it.

"I just think it's attractive, no other reason." Sakura says just as she finishes the last letter and meets her gaze,"You?" 

Kazuha casts her a knowing glance before taking Sakura's palm into her hands. She wordlessly starts spelling out her name on her palm with a finger, corners of her lips curling up whenever the hand twitches because it tickled.

"Ooh~ the reason?" Sakura asks, eyebrows raised in piqued interest.

"I think it's cute, because it's like carrying your world in your hands." 

"That's... really thoughtful." Sakura looks at her with softened eyes, and Kazuha nods enthusiastically.

"Isn't it? If you're sad, your happiness lies in your palm so you can look at it whenever. If someone asks what's the name of your soulmate, you could even be dramatic and do a little Hadouken move. And when we hold hands, our palm lines would bridge together like our intertwined fates." 

Sakura watches her in awe the whole time, those eyes vivid with sincerity and innocence. She looks at the hand placed against hers, palm to palm, then to the softest smile she's seen on Kazuha's lips. 

"Oh... you don't know how badly I want to invade the heavens right now."

"Why's that?"

"So I could write someone for you. Someone so perfect for you."

Kazuha chuckles wryly, shakes her head and merely caresses the small hand against hers. She lets the silence consume them for a bit, before gazing into a pair of pretty brown eyes that were already looking— always looking. Kazuha only wished that they understood what hers was trying to say.

"I don't need perfect, I have you." 

—

what i would do for you.

While it was generally known that those born without soulmates tend to carry a lesser emotional baggage when it comes to romance,  Kazuha thinks she's carrying a little more than she should. It makes her think that it was probably no more than a petty rumor. And at times she would muse, what use was it feeling so much knowing she had no one destined to be with in the first place? 

Yet she finds that the thought doesn't linger in the back of her mind that much these days, and she doesn't have an exact answer as to why or what had diminished them, but as her eyes land on the woman standing before her, Kazuha thinks she might have a hunch.  

The constant blaring of cars honking pulls her out of her reverie, tonight feels busier than usual, the pedestrian crossing light is taking decades to turn green and Kazuha senses the impatience seeping out of the cherry blossom in front of her when she hears her tongue clicking in annoyance.

She's had her eyes on Sakura's beanie for a while, and all the times she's held herself back from wanting to put her hands on her head just to feel the roundness of it were in vain, because the next second she has a hand circling on Sakura's head.

She gets a look of disdain for the first second, until Sakura meets her eyes and the look turns into realisation and then nonchalance. 

"Do you think it's really true about soulmateless people having lack of feelings? Personally, I think I feel a little more than I should." Kazuha asks out of boredom, eyes watching as the millionth car zooming past, still playing with Sakura's beanie. She's surprised she isn't being told off yet.

"I feel like it's true for me, or was at least." Comes the answer from Sakura, and it prompts a puzzling look from Kazuha.

"Was?" She asks, curiosity waiting to be satiated. 

A nod, and then Sakura grabs her hand from her head and turns to look at her with a slanted smile.

"When I look at you now," Sakura pauses, lowering their now clasped hands and looks into her eyes without a hint of reluctance,"you make me want to do anything for you."

Kazuha doesn't say anything, just lets herself be dragged when the light finally turns green, helplessly staring at Sakura's back with wide eyes. She wonders if they mean as much as her mind thinks it does, because the way Sakura says it so easily feels too good to be true. 

"Do you think that's love?" Sakura adds on a question after they reached the other side, still holding onto her hand firmly with a quirky smile.

Kazuha blinks,"...I know for a fact that you wouldn't do just anything for anyone."

Sakura nods in approval, doesn't deny the truth and Kazuha thinks she feels something floating in her chest. A tug on their hands and Kazuha meets mischievous eyes and a playful smirk.

"You wanna know what I think is love? It's buying their significant other a grande sized matcha latte from Starbucks." Sakura quips, wiggling her eyebrows at the underlying intent she doesn't bother hiding.

"So specific," Kazuha laughs, indulging in Sakura's wants anyway because it was always the other way round, "You wanna head there now? I think there's one right around the corner."

"Wow, not a hint of hesitation. You must love me."

"Perhaps."

—

your lips, my lips.

The days when Kazuha usually talks the most is when something had annoyed her to a point that she has to let it all out. Her ranting shoots out like a catharsis rapid fire of animosity that Sakura could barely suppress her smile as she tries to focus on two things— her game and an annoyed Kazuha.

It's humorous when you realise that the thing she's stressing out about is pretty much hormonal people in public, and how the entirety of her day somehow consisted of the constant sight of two people each other's faces— especially in the damn train.

Hence, the younger is unleashing her undeniable resentment for soulmates right into Sakura's poor ears. The cherry blossom thinks she opts to resolve the situation at hand before Kazuha gets even more furious if she finds out she's laughing at her internally.

"Unnie, are you listening to me? I honestly would sign a thousand petitions to completely ban PDA in public transports-"

Her solution is fairly easy, doesn't require much exertion and in a way, it's reverse psychology. 

So Sakura shuts her up with a kiss, fully pressing her lips against Kazuha's who instantly stopped her incessant whining. There's the thrill of sensing the younger turning rigid upon her sudden gesture, a grunt of surprise coming from the back of before Sakura pulls away.

"How's it feel?" She asks, casual and unperturbed, looking into ballooned eyes gawking back at her.

"Huh...?" 

Sakura laughs loudly, almost in stitches at Kazuha's stupefied state. So she leans in again to whisper, using a finger to wipe the smudged lipstick on Kazuha's lower lip. 

"How's it feel," Sakura repeats, smiling when Kazuha's eyes flit to her lips, swallowing nervously.

"Like... it's nothing special," Kazuha replies, clearly still dazed with the amount of times she's blinking. 

And Sakura erupts into another round of laughter, because the answer was so Kazuha. There's no telling what she was going to do or say and Sakura simply loves surprises. 

Even after such an uncertain answer, she doesn't fail to leave Sakura dumbfounded, because in the next second, she finds Kazuha leaning closer. Sakura glances at the hand that rests on her thigh, fingers tugging at the material and the other planted on the armrest to corner her.

The daring move contrasts the look of demure on Kazuha's reddening face, Sakura thinks she's never looked more endearing than now, keen eyes wanting more.

"But I want to do it again."

When Kazuha tells her honestly what she wants or what's on her mind, something akin to pride swells in Sakura's chest. She stays true to her own words as well, doesn't hesitate to grant whatever Kazuha wishes for.

Kazuha initiates first this time, taking her silence (and the taunting smirk) as a green light. Sakura doesn't move away either, lets Kazuha proceed as she pleases. And only when their lips find each other's again, Sakura gently grabs the back of Kazuha's neck and pulls her closer.

Strange, Kazuha wonders, there wasn't any of those bizarre 'fireworks' commonly described in the books she's read. She doesn't see stars or feel herself floating on cloud nine—

She opens her eyes just slightly and Sakura is kissing her deeply with her eyes still fluttered closed, feels her fingers caressing her nape tenderly but at the same time reeling her in.

—but it feels so, so good that she doesn't want this to stop. Internally, she scoffs at herself, maybe she's beginning to understand why some people couldn't stop exchanging spit.

She blushes madly when they break apart for air and their lips make a wet noise. Kazuha reckons her face must have been tomato red for Sakura to fail to hide her giggles. She purses her lips at this, swallowing her embarrassment but the craving heightens once more when her eyes land on Sakura's moist lips.

"Your heart's racing..." Sakura breathlessly says, her hand that once wrapped around Kazuha's neck somehow ended up on the younger's chest, where the loud palpitations are thundering against her palm.

And suddenly, Kazuha grows self-aware, conscious of the cacophony caged within her chest, thinking it might burst open, feels the drumming in her ears too. 

She can't think of what to say— hell, she can't even think— to save herself from the growing embarrassment and awkwardly stays frozen in place. 

"Be serious, what have you been watching?" Kazuha jumps when Sakura suddenly speaks, in a serious tone no less, brows knitted together as she looks at Kazuha warily. 

Her brain takes a while to comprehend between the intimacy they shared earlier and now this sudden questioning, mouth opening and closing as she tries to gather her thoughts.

"Nothing...? W-Why are you skeptical?" Really, she hadn't, but with the way she sounds right now, it's making her all the more suspicious.

"Because that's too good for a first kiss!" Sakura slaps her on the shoulder out of the blue, and truly, Kazuha isn't anymore shocked than she was.

"I don't know what you're talking about, that was definitely all you." She quickly spat out, sitting back and turning away when the shyness gets the best of her again, Sakura laughing into her shoulder.

"...Is this what you meant when you said I'd find out what's gonna make my heart skyrocket?" Kazuha shyly says, placing a hand on her heart. While she felt it calm down just slightly, she's got a hunch that it will return to its erratic mess the next time.

Kazuha's lips twitch, next time?!

With how they're going, it meant there was going to be plenty where that came from right? 

Ah- it's racing again... Kazuha vigorously shakes her head and exhales a long sigh, hands on her knees as she tries to calm herself (but to no avail). She steals a glance at Sakura who's been unusually quiet, and sees her staying glued at the end of the couch, eyes looking far in thought as she chews on her lower lip.

"Is your heart racing too?" Kazuha breaks the silence again, watching as Sakura blinks back to reality before shrugging indifferently. 

At least that was what she thought she looked like, but Kazuha sees the nervous ticks coming out one by one. The constant lip biting, her big eyes not wanting to meet hers and blinking a mile a minute, the fingers fiddling on her lap.

It surges Kazuha with relief, knowing she wasn't the only one feeling skittish, and it fills her with a sudden rush of courage. 

Wordlessly, she scoots closer to Sakura, who starts giving her questioning glances but at the same time having difficulty to maintain eye contact. Kazuha silently gazes at her before leaning in to tuck her head under Sakura's chin, planting her ear against her neck where the pulse beats violently in her eardrums.

She breaks into a smile, closing her eyes briefly as if enjoying the racket. When Kazuha pulls away, Sakura becomes tight-lipped, eyes shying away when big hands engulf hers and pulls her slightly.

"...Can we have another go?" 

Sakura's tongue-tied, staring at Kazuha with disbelieving eyes and an open mouth. 

How is she both timid and brave at the same time? 

She scoffs playfully, pinches soft pink cheeks and gets a questioning brow in return. 

"With how you keep asking for more, we definitely shouldn't do this in public." Sakura asserts, pulls her lips between her teeth when Kazuha couldn't stop looking at .

She sees the frown that flits across the younger's face at that, and fails to suppress her smile when Kazuha finally looks into her eyes.

"I don't know, maybe we should. I thought you wanted to get back at them?" Kazuha mindlessly states, seemingly forgetting about her rant just moments earlier and Sakura giggles at the hypocrisy.

"...I've been a bad influence on you, haven't I?"

"And this is where I say, two negatives make a postive."

Ultimately, Sakura doesn't know what she's awaken in Kazuha. It seemed as if part of her innocence was thrown out the window after the intimate events that transpired that day (she swears they never went beyond kissing) and she wants to feel a little guilty for tainting a pure soul but there was also the charm in Kazuha blatantly asking for what she desired the most at times.

(Plus, everyone is morally responsible for themselves right? Haha...)

Kazuha's timidity seems to overpower her at first, and when Sakura gives her the green light, the shyness is gone and then it's confidence that she feels dancing against her lips.

Sakura thinks she has a rather peculiar way of asking for kisses though. 

"...What is it?" 

It's hard to focus on the movie when all she feels is Kazuha's burning stare boring holes into the side of her head. When Sakura doesn't get an answer, she looks at the younger beside her and sees the way Kazuha's eyes go back and forth between the movie and her. 

Sakura frowns at first, trying to understand what Kazuha was trying to convey. Until she looks back at the TV and sees— oh... it's a kissing scene.

Her eyes widened briefly as she gives Kazuha an incredulous look. Seeing the younger blushing when Sakura realised what she was asking for, it made the cherry blossom a little flustered too.

"And this is how I find out you're a kissing maniac," Sakura releases a long sigh, yet an amused smile persists on her lips. 

Kazuha remains staring at her with anticipating eyes, posture as straight as ever and now that Sakura takes a good gander at her, it seemed like she was looking at a Samoyed trying to contain its excitement. 

"One kiss, that's all you're getting tonight. I swear you get carried away." 

(She totally has the upper hand to stop, but ends up indulging Kazuha anyway.)

"Three,"

"Zuha- okay two."

"Two and a half."

"Half- how does a half work-" 

Kazuha practically pounces on her, sealing her lips with Sakura's, rendering the older speechless. Sakura almost tumbles back from the surprise attack that gave her no initial warning but Kazuha slings an arm around her back and catches her. 

Ugh, a charmer AND has fast reflexes... Sakura thinks she's on her way to ruination. She pushes those trivial thoughts aside and focuses on the soft lips moving against hers, clutches a fistful of Kazuha's hair and presses further into hot lips. 

"Zuha, do you know about the solipsism theory?" 

Surprisingly, Kazuha keeps to her word and acquiesces at three kisses. It was fortunate for Sakura, who's left utterly breathless after every kiss (just how big is Kazuha's lung capacity?), she thinks she could have honestly passed out in middle of a (spectacular) makeout session.

"Solip- what theory? What's that?" Kazuha asks, perplexed as she looks up at Sakura with eyes gleaming in curiosity from her lap. 

"Oh you know, just something skeptics came up with but it's really thought-provoking," Sakura glances down and cards her fingers through luscious hair, smiling when attentive eyes stare at her in interest.

"It's a philosophical theory that claims our consciousness is the only thing that exists and everything else is made up." She continues, a forefinger in the air to assert her point. 

Kazuha nods slowly, forehead creasing as she tries to make sense of what was said. 

"So... like my mind is making everything up? Like everything I'm seeing right now is just figment of my imagination made from my mind? Even you?" 

"Yeah, freaky stuff if you think about it," Sakura makes a noise of approval instantly when Kazuha understood, "and do you ever think about what happens to the things that's out of your perception? Like how do I know if my gaming PC is still in my room when it's not under supervision, you know?"

Sakura's eyes grow twice as big when she's genuinely marveled at something, Kazuha thinks it's entertaining enough watching her face morph into various expressions as she speaks enthusiastically. Even when she's going through a bit of an existential crisis at the moment.

"What if I close my eyes and you're not really here?" Sakura's words trail off and although it was merely a mindless question, it showed an unmistakable hint of vulnerability under a playful guise. 

Kazuha doesn't say anything about it, doesn't want to stifle the warm atmosphere in this bubble that only consisted of each other. She rises up from Sakura's lap and rests her weight against her side, a tender smile decorating her lips.

"Then close your eyes and let's test the theory," Kazuha suggests blatantly, and she feels lighter when a demure, pretty smile makes its way onto Sakura's pink lips.

"You really are an opportunist, aren't you." 

A chuckle and a push to the shoulder, Kazuha melts under it all.

"I'm just trying to prove to you that I'm very much real and not some matter your mind made up, unnie." Kazuha reasons with a gentle tone, their faces inches away.

She soaks in the soft giggles that escape from Sakura's lips, taking in the beauty who awaited her mellow touch with closed eyes, the familiar flutter in her stomach threatening to burst. And when it does, it's when she kisses Sakura, light and soft. 

Kazuha feels a smile forming on the lips pressed against hers, then pulls away slightly with a smitten look in her eyes.

"Does that answer your question?" She says after a moment of breathlessness.

"Can't say. How do I know I'm not kissing a ghost when I close my eyes?" Sakura teases, dragging a finger along Kazuha's jawline before cupping her hand under her ear.

"You don't believe in them, unnie," Kazuha chuckles, leans into her touch, "but... I'm always open to test the theory again... if you're still unsure?"

Sakura grins, riveted by her brave advances.

"If solipsism is real, then my consciousness is terrible for excluding us out in a world like this."

"I don't know, Zuha. I kinda like the thought of me being in your world and you in mine."

Kazuha hums in delight, all smiles as she gazes warmly into brown pools that look at her just as lovingly. She doubts something like her feeble consciousness could fabricate such a comforting beauty like Sakura, but if ever such theory was true—

Kazuha turns her head slightly and kisses the palm against her cheek, drawing in towards lips smiling sweetly just for her.

"Then you're definitely the best thing my mind came up with." 

—