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Spring had come again, and Mai couldn't have been happier as Kanami slept beside her. Two months since that faithful day, two months of endless worry while trying to remain strong, and finally, finally Kanami and Hiyori had returned from the netherworld, and they had walked right into the annual Toji tournament as if nothing had been amiss.
Mai touched Kanami's face, carefully so not to wake her. Dawn was soon approaching, but Mai wanted to let Kanami sleep just a little longer. Sharing a dorm room like this felt like nothing had really changed, but since that day everything had changed. The Sword Administration Bureau was still working hard to regain the public's trust while aradama attacks were still frequent, but each day brought a little more progress, and still the Toji fought fiercely to protect this hard-earned peace.
Kanami stirred, and Mai touched her bandaged arm. The battles were still dangerous, of course, but they had all grown stronger. Mai's own leg had been injured in her last battle, but while it wasn't so bad she couldn't walk, she had been forced to miss the next few battles, and instead she had helped to treat other injured Toji. She bit her lip; she still wasn't used to the scent of blood, but utsushi could only protect them so much.
Yet she would not give into fear. She had nearly lost Kanami once, but when Kanami and Hiyori had returned, stronger and more mature, Mai had resolved to be more honest, and Kanami had simply smiled and said she was truly happy. With her soul now bared, she had nothing more to fear.
"Kanami-chan," Mai whispered as she held Kanami's warm hand between hers. "Do you remember our first mission together? It was only supposed to be a training exercise, but then we got lost in the woods, and aradama attacked, but together we were able to win. I could fight because I had you. Then came the tournament, where we could finally cross blades, and then everything changed…"
Aradama. Origami Yukari. The three goddesses. The great disaster of twenty years ago. When Mai had first become a Toji, when she had first found her chosen okatana, she had never imagined she'd become involved in saving the world itself. If Kanami hadn't saved Hiyori that day, then there would've been no one left to know the truth. All because Kanami had made such a simple, selfless decision…
A soft laugh slipped from Mai's lips. But that reckless kindness was so like Kanami, and Mai had fallen in love with that kind strength the first moment she had laid eyes on Kanami.
The sunlight seeping into the dorm room through the gaps in the curtain grew stronger, and Kanami's eyes finally opened. "Mai-chan?" she said. "It is already morning?"
"Yes, Kanami-chan," Mai said as she sat up, still holding Kanami's hand between hers. "So good morning to you too."
Kanami laughed as she also sat up, and already her brown eyes burned with passion. "I thought I was still dreaming. I heard your voice, Mai-chan, and I do remember, and I'm glad you were with me."
Mai's cheeks grew warm, and she had to lower her gaze from Kanami's. "We're friends and partners, after all."
"And more." Kanami laughed again as she cupped Mai's face, and she pressed her lips against Mai's for a kiss.