#kaeshi

It's always snowing at the Sword of Logos. After all, the bases are located at the North and South Poles...and since it's Christmas for the swordsmen that protect the world, a party was in order! After all, even heroes need a break!

And for Akamatsu Shion and Shinaki Kaede, a break was something they desperately needed.

"Take this, Shion!"

"W-wait-! Kae-chan!"

The two women played and laughed within the freezing cold, wearing their warmest winter gear and finally feeling like kids again. It felt like nothing could harm them in this moment; no threats, no ending of the world, no enemies, just two people on a date!

Kaede threw another snowball at Shion who had been running and taking cover behind a small snow fort she had built. "Kae-chan, that's not fair!!!" she giggled. "I'm out of ammo!"

"Then that's perfect for me!" Kaede snickered, throwing another few at her fort.

"Kae-chaaaan!"

As the two continued to frolic around in the snow, Shindo Rintaro huffed as he made his way into the snow. "The food is almost ready! Please come inside soon!"

Shion nodded. "We'll be right there!"

"Yeah, give us a few minutes!"

"Alright!" nodded the Swordsman of Water before retreating into the warm castle.

Kaede sighed before throwing herself onto the ground, taking deep breaths and stretching her body. Shion giggled once more, taking a seat next to her. "Tired?"

Kaede shook her head. "It's really cold out here."

"It's the South Pole. Of course it's cold."

"But it's better since I'm here with you~!"

"That's not right."

Daishinji grabbed Shion's arm and adjusted her position again. "From one." He said.

Shion swallowed hard, feeling the pressure starting to build. She swung the wooden blade forward for what felt like the hundredth time that day. "One."

The swordsmith didn't say anything. She swung again. "Two." And again. "Three."

Daishinji-san hasn't stopped me yet. I must be doing better. I could do this… She thought to herself before she swung again. "Four."

"No." Daishinji knocked her blade with his own. "You didn't swing far enough. Start again from one."

Tears welded up in Shion's eyes and she blinked them away. She was exhausted, it felt like every movement she made was criticized. Daishinji had taken forever just forcing her to hold a good stance, reprimanding her every time she fidgeted or adjusted which even Naoto thought was a little harsh.

Now the goal was to get to ten basic strikes without a mistake. Shion got back into position and steeled herself.

She did four successful swings like before. Her hands shook, but Daishinji didn't say anything. Naoto noticed and gave Shion a soft smile of encouragement.

The room they were in was cold. There was a small window and Shion could see the snow blowing around outside.

"Don't shift your grip." Daishinji said as he grabbed her wrist. He adjusted her fingers until he was satisfied. "From the beginning."

Naoto could tell Shion wanted a break. She wasn't even moving around that much, but she felt physically drained.

"Don't you think you're being a little hard on her, Tetsuo?" She asked her chosen warrior. "Why don't we switch to another exercise?"

"I know, but this is what all new swordsmen go through." He sighed. "We'll move on as soon as she finishes this. Every lesson builds on the last. The next move is a variation on this. If she doesn't have the base down, she'll only get worse not better."

"I can still hear you two you know." Shion said through gritted teeth as she swung. She needed to focus. Don't let my grip slip. Keep my feet planted firm. Eyes forward. Look at the target.

She had gotten in six successful swings when the clock in the corner chimed loudly. She turned to look at it and Daishinji's sword bounced off her forehead lightly.

"Don't let yourself get distracted." He said.

"What time is it?" Shion asked as she squinted at the clock while rubbing her forehead. "How long have we've been training for?"

"It's eight. We've been training for an hour."

"Only an hour? It felt like it was longer that." Shion checked her watch, its hands on eight and twelve. "I'm starting to get why only one in hundred who can hear the swords make through training."

Daishinji decided to give her a break from the technical training by letting her read some important manuals that can help her with the training. It wasn't going to be fun, but it would be a nice break from repeating the same move over and over again.

Despite knowing that the books she had to read weren't going to be as engaging as the romantic stories she's read, Shion found herself stuck on the first chapter. The point was processing the information, but she'd lost her place on the page she was on. She scanned down the page again finding where she'd left off.

The farther she read, the more obvious it became that Daishinji had been quoting the book. But she quickly realized that she can't afford to skip over anything even as she flipped back to the previous page to figure out something about stance.

"How many chapters did you get through?"

She jumped as Daishinji appeared behind her without warning. She wished she could lie, but he was already leaning over to check for himself.

"I got to page ten." She said quietly. The first chapter was twenty pages. She knew because she'd checked several times as she slogged through the first couple pages.

"I'd hoped you'd have gotten farther." Daishinji sighed. "I don't see much purpose in moving forward if you haven't gotten to chapter two yet. There's a lot of important information there."

Shion looked down as tears built in her eyes again. I can't do anything right, can I? She thought to herself. I'd expected the training to be physically difficult, but I can't even get to the strenuous part. Maybe everyone was right, and I should give up…

"I'm heading home, I'll prove myself by tomorrow." She said, trying to keep her voice from shaking. "I have to go to work too."

"That's fine." Daishinji assured. "Juggling your regular obligations with training is important. Take the book and get through the first three chapters before tomorrow morning. Ryo will do his trials then."

She looked up at him. "So, you do want me to come back?"

"If you're willing to put in the work, you can continue." The swordsmith responded before turning and exiting the room.

Shion stood and reached for the heavy tome, but Naoto picked it up for her. "Don't worry, I'll help you carry this."

"Thanks, Naoto." Shion sighed in relief.

Later at her and Kaede's apartment that night, Shion focused on reading the book, clearing up the confusion she had earlier and carefully reading the first chapter. As she began reading the second chapter, she noticed Kaede turning on the music box that was on the nightstand by her bed. The soft music it played touched her heart.

"Do you think I can become a swordswoman?" She asked.

Kaede turned to look at her. "Of course I do. You have the potential, I know it."

Shion looked down at the floor, feeling her tears begin to fall. "But no one else seems to think I can. Even Daishinji-san has doubts since I couldn't live up to his expectations during training today."

She sobbed softly as her tears plopped onto her hands. Kaede looked at her with a sympathetic smile as she walked up to her and sat down next to her on the couch. She held her roommate's hand gently, brushing tears off of it as she did.

"I believe in you though, Shion-chan." She said with a soft tone. "As long as you keep a strong wish in your heart, you can do it."

Shion gazed into her soft brown eyes. "Even if I can't transform like you did?"

"Aw, don't say that… I'm sure you'll be able to one day." Kaede gently brushed her hand across her face, wiping away her tears. "Then we can fight together, wouldn't that be amazing?"

Shion nodded as she smiled. "Yeah, it would. You're right about all of this, Kae-chan. I shouldn't be doubting myself like this."

Her roommate simply returned the smile before the two of them embraced each other in a soft, warm hug. Outside the window of their apartment, a shooting star soared by. Shion watched it from her spot on the couch, her smile growing brighter.

"I wish I can always be by your side forever." She whispered.

Ew.

Ew.

Disgusting.

Is this what hell feels like? Who knows? The only thing Shiaki Kaede's brain could focus on was this intense, stupid, scorching heat that made her feel like she was in hell.

"It's so hot..." Kaede muttered, fanning herself with her own hand. "Why did there have to be a heatwave today...?"

The regular citizens, the buildings, their screams, everything was a blur to her. She could barely see where she was going as sweat trickled down her forehead. As her sandals made contact with the concrete sidewalk, Kaede almost fainted as her body staggered and collapsed, only to be caught within the arms of her beloved.

"Kae-chan?!" Akamatsu Shion screamed, catching the swordsman in her arms. "Are you alright?!"

"It's so hot..." mumbled Kaede, melting into Shion's arms like putty. "It's way too hot..."

"I'm sorry, Kae-chan.."Shion grimaced. "I didn't know there would be a heatwave today.."

"It's fine...are we almost there...?"

"Just a bit more," Shion nodded, gently grasping her girlfriend's hand. "I promise. This trip will be worth it."

Thankfully, each step brought them a bit closer to their goal which was a small beach house in the distance covered in a crowd of people that seemed to go in and out. And before long-

"Kae-chan, I see the My Melody merch!"

Shion yelped as Kaede grabbed her hand and dashed towards the beach hut, running like her life was on the life. Shion couldn't help but laugh at the sudden burst of energy while Kaede dragged her through the line and to the reception desk at the beach house. "Someone's excited~!"

"It's a Sanrio Collab with this beach house!" Kaede pouted, quickly grabbing her phone from her pocket. "I'm not missing this! We're gonna make this trip worth it!" she hissed before turning towards one of the waiters. "Excuse me, we've got a reservation!"

Shion giggled as Kaede and her were led to their seats and scanned the menu of the generic, yet cute looking meals that would be expected of a collaboration cafe. They're nothing special (after all, the drinks are the ones that are heavily advertised), but they're all got a cute charm to them that makes them stand out and feel like they're worth it!

"Still want that My Melody float?"

"....the strawberry one or the peach one?"

Shion blinked before glancing at the menu again. "There's two?!"

"Yeah, each character has two floats!" Kaede explained, giggling at Shion's surprised expression while she scanned the menu once more. "But they all look delicious..."

"To be honest..." Shion awkwardly chuckled, her eyes wandering towards the small booth near the entrance. "I was just here for the cute summer trinkets...the Hello Kitty badge looks so cute-!"

"So we snack as fast as possible then?"

"Please don't- I don't want you to choke-"

Kaede playfully rolled her eyes. "It'll be fine~ just order whatever we can finish, pay for the stuff, and get out."

"Oh, and we should get some other stuff for the Sword of Logos! I promised Mei I'd get her some Hello Kitty stuff."

"Do you think Touma is a Cinnamoroll person?"

"Hmmm...maybe...? Rintaro has more Cinnamoroll vibes though..."

"Really? I thought Tuxedo Sam would fit him!"

"No, I think he fits better with Kento!"

Mother’s Day didn’t seem like a big deal to Shion. Except for helping her friends at college pick out gifts for their own moms. She knew she would really feel the love when she becomes a mother herself, so she wasn’t really bothered by it.

However, the day to celebrate mothers also meant that her birthday, just three days after Mother’s Day, was around the corner. Shion considered herself lucky it was only one week after the birthday of her beloved princess Kaede on the ninth of May.

The last few days have been insane. She thought. I wonder if Kae-chan and the others had time to prepare for my birthday after what the Sword of Logos’ deluded leader tried to pull off if at all.

Luckily for her, any concerns she had disappeared when she entered the Northern Base and was greeted with party poppers going off around her, covering her in confetti and streamers.

“Happy birthday Shion!” Everyone shouted together, clapping their hands and cheering.

“Y-You guys remembered!” She laughed, removing confetti and streamers off herself.

“Of course we did, Shion-chan.” Kaede said with a smile, putting a silver tiara on her head. “We would never forget.”

“Here you go Shion! I had it made special just for you~” Mei said, holding out a delicious looking cake, a single candle glowing on top of it, and decorated with large pink roses made of icing and a chocolate plague reading Happy birthday Shion!

“Now, blow out your candle and make a wish!” Touma told her, holding out his phone along with Kaede to take a picture of the moment. Shion nodded, and blew out the candle, Homura and Naoto cheering and everyone else clapping when she did.

“Congratulations, Espada.” Sophia said with a gentle smile.

Shion returned the smile. “Thank you, Sophia.”

“Here, let me take this before something happens to it and we can’t eat any of it.” Tetsuo offered, taking the cake away with Naoto following him cheerfully.

Kaede walked up to Shion, holding out a bouquet of flowers consisting of red and pink roses, white lilies, and sunflowers. “Here, I picked out the flowers myself.”

“Thanks, Kae-chan.” Shion said, taking the bouquet from her. “The Shindais are on Rider duty to keep an eye on Master Logos, right?”

“Yeah. Should he make a move, they’ll let us know.” Kaede confirmed. “For now, your happiness is essential.”

Shion blushed pink at being acknowledged as important by her roommate. This felt a lot like the fairytales she loved as a child. She imagined Kaede looking at her lovingly, dressed in a beautiful white and pink dress fit for a princess, herself in a similar fairytale dress. She has been planning to confess her feelings for a while now, and she intends to tell Kaede soon.

“Kaede, everyone is waiting for you and the birthday girl.” Yukina called out, snapping Shion out of her thoughts.

“We’ll share the photos with Kento and Yamina later.” Raito added. “Hopefully seeing you guys happy will convince them that there is hope.”

“Alright, come on Shion-chan, time to cut your cake!” Kaede told her, holding out a hand to Shion.

Kaede with Shion: She became the fairytale princess that Shion always saw in her. Wearing a beautiful white dress and dancing with her in a romantic garden as she sang a cute little love song she wrote. Telling Shion how grateful she was for meeting her and how she'll always care for her.

Shion with Kaede: She would provide freshly picked flowers from her and her mother's garden and a warm hug that truly warms Kaede's heart as a way to show her support for her. She knows chasing your dreams can be difficult but with loving support, that dream might as well come true. A true supportive lover to the end.

Smile ☺️ - What about your f/o makes you smile every single time? Furthermore, what’s something you do that makes your f/o smile every time?

Kaede always finds Shion's love for fairytale endings and happily ever afters really endearing. She also appreciates Shion being there for her, her support genuinely makes her feel warm and fuzzy inside. Her existence makes Kaede smile every time she looks at her.