#angkae

--

Kaede is incredibly stubborn. Incessant words may not get through to her. But, but, if I were to give up because of that, I’d be a poor friend.

It’s early in the morning, so she’s getting some prayer time in. Himiko still sleeps in, so she’s alone for now, hands clasped and eyes squeezed shut.

For Kaede’s sake. Kaede, Kaede, Kaede.

“Oh, Angie-san?”

Angie’s eyes flew open.

“Aha! Nyaha! How divine!” I thought of Kaede and she appeared! I really am blessed! “Kaede, good morning!”

“It’s...” Kaede smiles tiredly at her, rubbing at her eyes. “It’s pretty early. But you’re full of energy as always, that’s good.”

“I always sleep well because God is reassuring me,” Angie chirped. She frowned, just a little. “But, Kaede, you seem to have woken up from malicious energy. Shall we pray together to dispel it?”

“Ah, n...no... That’s unnecessary.” Stubborn as always, Kaede shook her head firmly. “It was a nightmare, but, I’m just going to go to my lab. I always feel much better after playing the piano. I was thinking, um, Étude in C sharp minor, Op. 10, No. 4? By Chopin? Right, you probably don’t know what that one sounds like...”

She’s muttering more to herself but Angie springs to her feet all the same.

“I would not mind listening!” she exclaimed. “I like Kaede’s singing. It is so destructively harmonious.”

“Destructively? That’s...a contradiction?”

“I meant what I said.”

“Oh...” Swallowing, Kaede just nods along with that. “O-Okay. You don’t have to come with me, but—I would like it if you did. Will you fall asleep again?”

“Maybe!” Angie chirped. “And then God will rain down destruction, yet again!”

Kaede nods along with that, too.

“I... Maybe try to stay awake, Angie-san.” She offers a strained smile. “Seeing you sleep might make me pass out on the spot, aha.” Next, she offers her hand. “Well, then, shall we get going?”

Kaede’s hand was a little cold, usually smoothed with lotion but right now, it was a little dry. Despite that, her nails were well cleaned and perfectly trimmed. Kaede was really diligent when it came to her hands, so when Angie squeezed, she did so carefully.

“I’ll try to stay awake,” Angie said cheerfully. “I love listening to your playing, after all.”

Kaede’s smile is broader, more sincere than before even with those shadows under her gaze. For a second, Angie thought about swiping her fingers at them, calling upon God to alleviate those bags.

Kaede...really does need to relax, sometimes, doesn’t she? So troubling.

She squeezes Kaede’s hand again as the two of them walk.

--

Kaede’s lab can be messy at times, even though Kaede claims she tidies it up all the time. Like now, for instance, Kaede is hurriedly gathering up the sheet music scattered across the floor. She’s rather endearingly flustered about it.

“I don’t know how it keeps ending up like this,” she mumbled. “I swear I’m trying to keep it clean.”

“Okay!” Angie chirped. “I believe you!”

That only seems to fluster her more.

“I-I’ll try harder. I promise.”

“It’s okay,” she says. “I do not mind at all, Kaede.”

Kaede swallows and she sifts through the papers, finding the one she wants and setting it aside for now. It’s early in the morning, so Kaede’s first order of business with the piano is wiping it clean of any dust.

“Oh!” Angie bounces forward. “Let me help with that!”

“You don’t have to...” Kaede trails off because Angie already has a cleaning cloth pulled out, the one that’s different from the one usually used for her brushes. Angie smiles at her brightly as she begins to wipe down the keys. A smile twitches at Kaede’s lips, but her eyes are still downturned. “Thanks, Angie-san.”

“It is nothing, nothing at all!” She giggles, and the two of them finish quickly. “Alright! I shall take my seat, now!”

She plops down on the edge, where she will not get in the way of Kaede’s playing, faced away so that she takes the least amount of space. She hears Kaede snort and Kaede pulls ever so slightly at her shoulder.

“Just sit next to me. It’s fine.”

“Mm... Kay, kay.” She does that, still smiling oh so brightly as she does. “So exciting! And so very divine!”

“Just stay awake, alright?” Kaede asks, smiling softly in return. “I’ll try and keep the playing upbeat.”

With that, Kaede takes a deep breath. She wrings her hands, popping joints and stretching out her fingers. Her eyes flicker between the sheet music and the keys. Angie follows her gaze, but as always, both the notes and the keys blur together like smears of paint. It’s strange and a little foreign, but as always, when Kaede plays, the notes are clear even as her fingers move rapidly.

There’s no build, no room to slip or even breathe, and Kaede plays with the utmost focus, never slowing nor faltering. The rapids build more and more, and Angie thinks of whirlpools and swirling storms, crashing into the world and destroying everything in its path while maintaining a calm center.

The song only slows when it’s over, and Kaede takes in a big breath. She’s much more alive and alert, but there are still those shadows beneath her gaze. She perks up, and still smiles gently even with that flicker of a fire in her gaze.

“Do you want to hear something else, Angie-san?” Her fingers are clearly twitching with desire to play again. “Any suggestions? I don’t mind. Anything’s good.”

“Kaede,” Angie says. “Wouldn’t you rather ask God, then, if you do not mind?”

Just like that, Kaede’s smile drops. She makes a weird, almost strangled sound, running tense fingers through her hair. It’s early in the morning, and Kaede is not wearing her hairclips. Just like that, she’s tired.

“It’s just,” Angie says. “You might look a little less lost, you know?” She widens her smile. “Lately, you’ve had much on your mind, right? If you turn to God, your concerns could be a little alleviated, I think. Don’t you think so?”

“...” Kaede sucks in her breath, and then she exhales. “Angie-san.”

Angie’s curled fingers press against her cheek, under those shadows.

“So much about you is wonderful,” she says. “It would be a shame if any of it fell to the wayside.”

“...”

Kaede takes her hand. Her palm is clammy, so the grip is a little slippery.

“I’ve really been worrying you, huh? That’s—what you’re saying. Right, Angie-san?” A squeeze of her hand. “I can hear it. In—in your voice. You usually always sound so cheerful but you’re...really worried about me.”

“Of course I am.” Angie sees no shame in admitting something so simple. “Kaede, I feel blessed to know you, which is why it would be so sad if I lost you for any reason. If you accepted God, then you could be watched over and reassured more properly. So that is why, you should...”

Kaede squeezes her hand a little more tightly than before. And then, she pulls it down so that their connected hands lay between them on the seat.

“Kaede?” Her head tilts, her smile remains. “Whatever are you thinking?”

“I’ve had a lot on my mind,” Kaede said. “Angie-san was right about that.”

And then, Kaede’s other hand reaches out and cups Angie’s cheek. Her thumb runs over the curve. It tingles pleasantly. Kaede’s elegant fingers with the perfect nails glide along, until they run through the silvery strands of Angie’s hair.

“If you keep teasing me, you’ll definitely be punished for generations, Kaede,” Angie says more seriously, even as she keeps smiling. Kaede’s own lips twist just a bit. Something darker flickers in her gaze, but Angie remains serene. “Kaede... Your existence really is...as fortunate as it is infuriating, sometimes.”

She can’t help but laugh.

“Nyaha! So troubling! But I still like you so much that I can’t stand it...!”

“...I feel the same.” Kaede’s tone is low. “In more ways than one.”

Angie smiles. That, somehow, is just the right incentive for Kaede to finally lean in and kiss her deeply.

--

Kaede really was such a troubling girl. She was stubborn, temperamental, and often aggressive. But she was also kind-hearted, and in moments like this, she was in fact gentle.

Rather than pressing her into the piano, Kaede holds her close, squeezing her hips and sometimes burying her face into her shoulder, inhaling deeply as she does. She does not relax for long, and soon her lips are latched back onto her skin, brushing against her neck, jawline, and ear.

“So divine,” Angie sighs and then giggles. “I really can’t help but worry about you, Kaede.”

Kaede embraces her tightly. She squeezes.

“Kaede is like an angel,” Angie sing-songs. “I love you so much.”

“Don’t say that so easily,” Kaede mutters wryly. “It’s too much.”

She can feel Kaede’s heart pounding.

“So divine,” she murmurs, as Kaede rubs her face into her chest. Kaede’s fingers dig just a little into her yellow coat.

“You smell nice,” is the lame excuse Kaede gives. “And you’re actually really, really warm.”

“Ah, thank you! Kaede smells nice, too!” Angie nuzzles her hair. “And you’re so sooooft! How truly divine! Soooo blessed!”

“You’re overdoing it.” Kaede’s ears are red. “Quit...it...”

“Awww, but why?” Angie giggles brightly, playfully rustling Kaede’s hair as she does, admiring the golden strands. “It’s true, you know, even God would agree!”

“Mmgh.” A low grumble, and then, a soft sigh. “Geez, you really are...”

Kaede trails off. While playing with that one flyaway strand that resisted any efforts to smooth it down, Angie patiently waited. And waited. And waited.

She waited some more.

And more.

And more.

Kaede was still clinging to her, but she was dead silent save for her soft breathing. Angie perked up at this, realizing.

“Oh, my.” She pets Kaede’s head fondly, still embracing her securely. “Well, this is okay. God and I will protect you from any nightmares, Kaede.”

It is a bit troubling. I can’t exactly carry her back to her room, but it’ll be okay. We’re being watched over, after all. Even if Kaede may not believe that, it’ll be okay. I’m not going to let anything happen to her, all the same.

In times like this, Angie’s eyes darted about, ever curious and inquisitive about the strange world that surrounded her. Kaede’s crinkled music sheets, how some of them had folded edges, as if that would differentiate them from one another. The polished piano, with light reflected in ebony now and had likely reflected smiling faces in the past. The creases in Kaede’s vest and skirt, the length of her eyelashes. The way she’d twist and twitch, only held steady by Angie.

Like an angel, perhaps. Or even a goddess? What a blessing it is to be like this.

At times like this, she couldn’t help but wish for this moment to remain rather than one destined to wash away like acrylic paint under water. And Kaede was most certainly going to wake up with a bit of a headache.

Angie sighed, pinching that flyaway strand as she did.