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Karin exclaims standing up from the couch and starting to pace the floor.

"Karin—"

"You know, you should be able to live your life however you want without having someone constantly trying to take it away from you. You shouldn't have to fight against yourself! People like that deserve to die! Why would you let yourself get hurt? You deserved happiness too you know!"

Karin stops pacing and turns towards the blonde, tears beginning to form in her eyes.

Akane stands up from her chair and moves towards the redhead. She places a gentle hand on her shoulder and pulls her close. Karin buries her face in Akane's neck and continues sobbing uncontrollably.

After several minutes of soothing the redhead Akane finally lets go and moves away from the girl. The brunette grabs the remote and switches off the tv.

"I'm going to bed. Get some sleep," She states pulling the redhead into her arms and heading upstairs.

Chapter 7

The morning sun shines bright through the window of Karin's bedroom, causing her to wake up immediately. She groans loudly, turning over in her bed and burying her head under the blankets. A few minutes pass before the redhead sits up again, rubbing her eyes tiredly. Her head pounds slightly as she leans against the headboard and tries to clear her mind of the previous events that had occurred during the night.

The memory of Akane pulling her close is still fresh in her mind, and despite knowing that it was simply a dream, she still wishes that things were different.

She remembers how the redhead's touch felt upon her skin and how comforting it was. As the memories of the dream replay themselves in her mind she smiles to herself. Karin closes her eyes and leans back onto her pillow, enjoying the peacefulness she feels. Suddenly, a thought crosses her mind, and she opens her eyes quickly, sitting straight up in bed.

Karin reaches over and picks up her phone, checking for any messages. She sees that there are two new messages from Akane: a text message asking about her whereabouts, and a video message containing a photo attached to it. She watches the clip play out and listens to the voice of the redheaded woman speaking on the recording.

'Hey Karin, how are you doing? Are you coming today? We need to talk...'

Karin sets the phone down on the bedside table and lays back down, staring up at the ceiling. She knows that she can't ignore what the redhead had said last night, and that she needed to answer. She knew it wouldn't be easy and she wasn't looking forward to facing the redhead after yesterday's conversation.

She sits up again and puts on her shoes. When she gets downstairs, Akane is already awake and cooking breakfast, but doesn't notice her until the blonde speaks.

"Good Morning."

"Morning Akane, did you sleep well?" Karin asks walking towards the kitchen.

"Yes. Good job keeping the others entertained."

The redhead walks past Karin and heads towards the kitchen sink while holding the bowl of cereal in her hands.

"No problem. How are you feeling this morning? You didn't sleep too much."

"Not really, but I didn't stay awake very long either," The redhead replies.

"Are you hungry? Do you want to eat something before we leave?"

"Yeah, I'm starving," The redhead replies grabbing a spoon. "Did you eat breakfast yet? I don't remember seeing you in the dining hall earlier."

"I ate earlier when I went to check on your condition."

"I see. I wonder why I didn't hear you come back then. Is everything alright?"

"Yeah everything's fine," Karin responds as she pulls open the cabinet above the oven. "Just needed a quick snack, that's all."

"Okay, I'll leave it to you then."

A short silence passes between the pair as they both begin preparing food for breakfast. Akane finishes cooking first and places the finished breakfast onto a plate before taking it over to the table. She places the plate down in front of Karin and places the empty dish into the sink.

"Thanks Akane."

"Don't mention it."

As the blonde takes a bite of her food, she feels her stomach grumble.

"I'm sorry, I must have forgotten to eat last night."

"It's okay. I'm used to eating late anyway."

"Oh, well I guess I better finish this. Sorry for keeping you up so late," Karin apologises, finishing the last of her meal.

"No, please don't apologise. I enjoyed talking with you last night. I hope that you feel better soon."

"Me too.