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They were both watching from the shadows of the buildings. Up in the air, the shuttlecock flew and they followed with their eyes the movements of slender, gorgeous arms hitting it with their rackets. It bounced back and forth, vibrating like a slowly beating heart.
From her higher up position, Kozue saw Shiori first. The next moment, she joined her on the ground floor.
Outside, the afternoon sun shone over a clear sky and soft green grass the color of which could be found in bucolic paintings. Inside though, the light didn't quite reach and the great old walls of Ohtori academy drew large, stark shadows. The hallways were empty of life, or so it seemed, if not for those two girls. Yet the air had turned heavy from previous conversations of students passing through, those permanent whispers sticking to the school bricks for the ones that cared to listen.
Kozue and Shiori looked at each other, attention momentarily taken away from the badminton players engrossed in their own conversation.
"Don't you feel lonely in there?"
Shiori kept staring for a little bit more but didn't answer Kozue's question in any way before turning back to resume her observation of the shuttlecock exchange. From where they stood, the players might have seen them if they knew where to look but with the sun high up, those two would have only appeared as dark silhouettes, just like extras from a crowd. Even if one of the girls managed to somehow attract their gaze, in the hope of being recognized, it would be in vain.
Kozue couldn't know that however and in any case, she would have tried to create a distraction all the same, just to make an attempt against the impossible odds. She was a fan of lost causes and liked being a noisy crowd.
"Wanna do something outrageous?"
"Like what?" Shiori asked, trying to hide any interest towards bringing attention on herself and only showing casual curiosity in her soft tone.
"How about kissing?"
Kozue wasn't especially inspired so she went with her usual method. She guessed it probably wouldn't achieve good results, since the fencers they had their eyes set on were currently facing away from them but again, she didn't mind too much. Acting up for the sake of acting up could be its own reward at times too, despite the bitterness of failing to reach her main goal to disturb Miki. This all depended on how interested she was in the person she felt like having such a distraction with and right now, she found herself intrigued enough by the other girl lurking in the shadows.
On top of that, Kozue also felt confident in her ability to have Shiori make some noise, if she changed her mind on really attempting to have the players turn around.
Shiori, who had tensed at the kissing offer, her hands clutching at the window frame, was now thinking frantically about what to do. On her side, she'd heard a few stories about Kozue, from listening in to the conversations of girls who came to cheer on Miki at the fencing hall. She either scared, impressed or disgusted her peers, all of which made her a terrible person to be seen with. All of which Kozue was proud of.
"What, scared of one little kiss?" she joked, like it didn't mean anything at all, not if they couldn't attract the attention of those they wanted.
Of course, Shiori was afraid. Afraid to like it, afraid to be seen, afraid to like being seen. Afraid to not be seen.
The shuttlecock went up in the air once again, rising and falling in a beautiful arc thanks to the equally beautiful hit that Juri had just flawlessly landed. Her curls rolled over her shoulder and the sun shone on her at the perfect angle, so sparkling.
That was what led Shiori to surrender to the taunt.
"I'm not scared."
She leaned her head to the side, making it easier for Kozue to move up to her while still keeping a way out for herself. If need be and they were noticed by a student walking up in the hallway, she could just say Kozue had kissed her all on her own, against her will. With her reputation, Shiori assumed nobody would doubt that notion.
Kozue, who cared very little about the bad things people might say of her and only in the sense that it amused her, closed the distance without hesitation. Against her, Shiori stiffened, surprised at this show of confidence. She had expected it to be weird but this didn't feel too different from the few kisses she had already experienced and she discovered Kozue could prove herself as rough as any boy, sliding her tongue in the second she had the opportunity. This wasn't just a play-kiss, awkwardly given while laughing and trying to escape the dare or get it done quickly. It demanded her attention, threatened to overwhelm her.
Having more experience on the matter, Kozue could easily take the lead and she enjoyed the feeling but more than that, Shiori's reactions entertained her.
Once used to the feeling of the kiss, Shiori had opened her eyes and angled herself to the side so that she could attempt a glimpse towards the court and badminton players, trying to gauge whether they might see them. Such bad manners sent a strange thrill down Kozue's back, reminding her with glee of previous instances where she had done the very same. Being the person used to attract another's attention, instead of the one doing the using, felt like a refreshing change of pace to her. She spared a glance herself towards the players outside, eyes inevitably drawn to her brother's recognizable silhouette and soft hair, but she felt satisfied enough this time, watching someone else go through the same ploys she usually tried without any better results. None of the players looked their way and certainly not Juri. Shiori frowned in frustration and kept her eyes fixed on her target.
With the intent to test her resolve, Kozue grabbed the thin arms in front of her and dug all her nails in the skin, adding a prickling pain to the velvety sensation of the kiss.
Startled, Shiori tensed up, wide eyes staring in front of her this time, at Kozue. After the moment of shock passed however, she wasn't so afraid that she let the other girl have her way. Instead, she bit back, tearing at Kozue's mouth. Unlike with a boy, where she gathered she'd have forfeited the fight, Shiori felt bold enough to attack, vicious enough to enjoy the wince from Kozue.
But her teeth didn't manage to fully throw her off. Though Kozue recoiled and the kiss lost some vigor, it didn't break.
For a second, Shiori realized she had the opportunity to take the lead, to be the one in control thanks to this slight shift in their positions. But the pressure of exercising that desire caused her to crumble inside-out and instead, she pushed Kozue away.
Both stood there, breathing heavily while looking at the traces they left on each other. A drop of dark blood bloomed on pink lips, like dew on rose petals and red spots adorned pale arms, a short line of thorny wounds.
Unlike Kozue initially assumed, she hadn't managed to draw out any strong noises from Shiori. The results were still interesting however, the rashness that had been just shown making for an unexpected factor. She felt like she had just met another wild animal, a bedfellow in more ways than previously thought.
Kozue licked the blood on her mouth without showing any animosity, her calm, cold demeanor bringing another shiver down Shiori's back. Regret flared up inside her over being so hasty in her panic to end the exchange. She was still scared yet she wanted more, another chance to experience the warm dizziness that had overtaken her with that kiss, to truly make sense of this thirst while she could in the isolated hallway.
When she softly rose a hand towards Kozue however, the other girl did a quick sidestep to escape her reach.
"That was it for one little kiss," she smirked, moving towards the corner of the corridor to leave, "Well, if you want anything more, you can always come find me another time."
She laughed, pleased with herself, as she disappeared from Shiori's view. Shiori, then, was left behind gritting her teeth, turned away from the badminton game which, unbeknownst to her, had already ended.
The next week, a new rumor, the kind of which would pop up on the regular, was passed around in eager whispers by the students. Shadows leant in dark corners towards each other's profiles to share dirty secrets, warm breaths tickling curious ears.
"Have you heard? Have you heard? Someone saw two people kissing then breaking up in that hallway, on the northern side of the courtyard. Yes, right at the middle window!"
"Oh, that must be a bad spot! Better not go flirt there or your love affair will end in tears!"
"End in clothes teared!"
Kozue and Shiori would never know if they'd been seen and that incident between them was the cause of the rumor or if it had only been a coincidence and some couple had recently passed through that same spot too, their meeting reaching even worse consequences. While Kozue was rather amused at the thought one of her mischiefs had such dramatic repercussions, Shiori carefully avoided approaching that place the best she could, as if coming back to the crime scene would have her immediately identified as a culprit.
On the sunny days that would follow, when students gathered to chat and play in the grassy courtyard, the both of them would look around while passing by, trying to see if the other was near, like an itch to scratch.
As for whether they met each other again in a different remote spot, well, that's a secret only the shadows of the corridors know.
Have you heard? Have you heard? Do you know what I've heard?