Trying to get along.

Back in the waiting area of the pharmacy, Maki and Geneva had been sitting next to each other in silence for quite a few minutes, the soundproofing of Seiko’s examination room ensuring that neither of them knew what was going on inside. Maki gripped her knees awkwardly as she sat, not sure what to say or if anything should be said at all. Geneva felt similarly, though she was able to hide her nervousness a little better behind her indifferent expression.

“So… about what happened earlier,” Geneva eventually said, finally breaking the silence. “I apologize for my sister’s behavior. The games she plays can get a little… intense, but she’s not as bad as she seems. I hope you can forgive us both.”

“Does she do that kind of thing a lot?” Maki asked, glancing over at Geneva.

“Yes,” Geneva flatly replied. “Though, that was the first time she’s been able to play with an antidote in months.”

“And you just… let her do that kind of stuff?” Maki sat up in her seat.

“Of course I do; she is my sister, after all,” Geneva explained. “I’m not going to stand in the way of her being happy, even if the things she does for enjoyment are strange or dangerous.”

“Sounds to me like you’ve just been spoiling her.” Maki paused before letting out a short sigh. “Whatever. I guess I can forgive you this once. You did wind up saving Shuichi in the end, even if you did have to kick my ass to protect the antidote.”

“Yeah… I’m sorry about that too,” Geneva added awkwardly. “I did my best not to leave any major bruises.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve been through a lot worse. I am surprised that you managed to beat me, though. I’ve been in too many fights to count, but that was the first time I’ve lost one in ten years.” Maki looked Geneva up and down, noting her toned and muscled body. “You’ve been combat training for a long time, haven’t you?”

“Yes, since I was a child. I also did some work as a mercenary when I was a teenager.” Geneva examined the shorter woman’s body as well. “I can tell that you’re quite experienced too; even if your skills are still pitiful, they’re still leagues above most in this city.” Maki’s shoulders visibly slumped at that comment. “I… should have phrased that better, shouldn’t I?”

“Don’t worry about it; I know you were just trying to compliment me,” Maki replied with a dry laugh. “So… you’ve met Shuichi before this?”

“Yes, but it was only briefly when I was picking my sister up from their ‘date’. He is quite the curious person, though; in the short time we were together, he showed me more genuine concern than any man I’ve ever met.” Geneva’s legs shifted slightly in her seat. “What about you? Have you known him long?”

“No; we only met a week ago. He was just another John at first, but we kept talking and we became… friends.” Maki blushed and looked away. “Now, we meet up at the park every night to exercise together; that’s what we were doing when you ran into us.”

“Friends?” Geneva leaned over in her seat curiously. “So, you aren’t in a relationship?”

“No, that’s… still kind of up in the air at the moment.” Maki played with one of her twintails in embarrassment. “Wait… why do you ask? You don’t really have a crush on him, do you?”

“Of course not; I was just… curious,” Geneva said defensively. “I want to learn more about Shuichi if I can.”

“Now, hold on a minute. I know I said I’d forgive you for that stunt earlier…” Maki’s hair began to writhe supernaturally as she shot Geneva another deadly glare. “… but I never said I’d let you spend time with him.”

“Huh?” Geneva blinked in surprise. “But, why not?”

“Well, for starters, you’re sisters with the psychopath who tried to crush Shuichi’s spirit on Monday; a psychopath who’s whims you admit to indulging.” Maki’s glare grew even darker. “And that’s not even mentioning that you’re a hired killer too. How am I supposed to trust that he’d be safe around you?”

“I protected him earlier, didn’t I?” Geneva’s brow furrowed with frustration. “Besides, how is he any safer around an assassin like you?”

Maki gasped. “I’m… not like that anymore. My killing days are behind me.”

“And yet you didn’t show much hesitation when you attacked me, did you?” Geneva countered.

“…” Maki opened her mouth to snap back at Geneva, but she stopped herself at the last second. Instead, her eyes drifted to the ground as she felt a burst of shame well up inside her.

“… I screwed things up again, didn’t I?” Geneva sighed. “Look, I don’t want to be your enemy; I just want to be given a chance. I promise, no harm of any kind will come to Shuichi when I’m around if I can help it.”

“Really?” Maki looked the soldier in the eyes again. “Do you mean that?”

Geneva responded by removing her right glove, revealing a black wolf insignia tattooed on the back of her hand as she placed over her heart.

“I swear by my life.”

“…” Before Maki could respond, they heard the door to the examination room start to open. Geneva hastily put her glove back on and they both stood up together.

“Thank you again, Seiko. I hope we get to see each other again soon,” Shuichi said over his shoulder as he walked out. “Alright, we can head home now. The pharmacist said that everything looks fine.”

“Really?” Maki’s asked, a small amount of excitement bleeding into her voice. “There wasn’t anything wrong at all?”

“Well, nothing yet anyways,” Seiko replied, silently hoping that she was able to wash away the smell of sex. “But he should be able to return to his daily life tomorrow. He can even exercise if he wants to.”

“That is a relief to hear. Thank you for your time, doctor.” Geneva gave Seiko a bow and turned towards the exit. “I suppose I should get going now. I wish it were under better circumstances, but it was nice seeing you again, Shuichi. I hope we meet again.”

“Same to you, Geneva,” Shuichi said with a smile. “Are you sure you don’t want us to drive you home, though? It would just take a second.”

“I’ll be fine, but… thank you for the offer.” Geneva hid her blush as she walked outside. “And by the way; my real name is Mukuro. Mukuro Ikusaba.”

“O-oh, really?” Shuichi gasped, shocked that she would reveal her name to someone she barely knew. “Well then; thank you for saving me today, Mukuro. Goodnight, and please stay safe out there.” Shuichi waved Mukuro goodbye one last time before he turned his attention back to Maki. “I’m sorry I took so long; the tests I had to take were a little… intense.”

“It’s fine. You did what you had to do.” Maki grabbed Shuichi’s left arm and hugged herself to it. “But... would it be okay if I went back to your apartment with you? You know… to make sure you get there.”

“W-what? O-of course you can,” Shuichi stammered. “I’m fine, though, really. There’s nothing to worry about.”

“That’s exactly what you said last time,” Maki sighed as they both walked outside together.

“Goodbye, Mr. Saihara! Please stop by if you need anything else!” Seiko called out before turning off the main pharmacy lights and beginning to close for the night. “Amethyst… it’s a nice name, but no one would take it seriously… would they?”

“Thanks for coming back to my place, Maki. Having you with me is pretty comforting.” Shuichi said as he approached his front door. “But, uh, did you really have to hug my arm the whole way back?”

“S-sorry. I just… wanted to make sure you were safe,” Maki replied, still clinging to his arm. “I’m not making you uncomfortable, am I?”

“N-no, it’s fine.” Shuichi stopped in front of his door and took out his keys. “It looks this is where we’ll have to part ways, though. I’m sorry about what happened today, Maki. I… I acted very stupidly. But, I promise, I’ll take better care of myself from now on.”

“You better…” Maki silently squeezed her hand into a determined fist. “Actually, before you go… there’s something I wanted to tell you.”

“Huh? What’s that, Maki?” Shuichi asked as he opened his front door.

“I just wanted to say that… that… uh…” Maki trailed off as she stared into Shuichi’s apartment and saw what was inside; pornographic paintings covering the walls and the single most obscene statue she had ever seen in her entire life sitting in the middle of his dining table. “Um…”

“Huh?” Shuichi turned back towards his apartment and realized why she was staring. “O-oh, this? I-it’s nothing, really! It’s just stuff I bought for… charity! Y-you know, to support the women’s shelter I talked about earlier.”

“Really now?” Her tone of voice was clearly skeptical. “Couldn’t you have just written them a check?”

“I-I know, but Angel was so persuasive… I just couldn’t say no.” Shuichi blushed as red as a beat as he stammered. “A-anyways, what were you going to tell me?”

“…” Maki paused for a moment. “Oh, it’s nothing. I just wanted to ask if you knew how you managed to overdose on Kibofil.”

“Oh! Well, do you remember that encounter with Pitch I had yesterday? Well, she might have encouraged me to inhale a whole pill’s worth of Kibofil through my nose.” Shuichi laughed nervously.

“Seriously? Wow, you really are an idiot,” Maki scolded. “… do you think she does that with other guys too?”

“Now that you mention it, she did say that she’s done it with a few guys before.” Shuichi placed a hand curiously on his chin. “… we should probably let her know how dangerous that is before she gets someone killed, shouldn’t we?”

“Assuming she hasn’t killed anyone that way already,” Maki replied. “Do you have any way of contacting her?”

“I’m afraid not… but I think I might know someone who might.” Shuichi took out his phone but quickly realized it was still out of charge. “Dammit… it looks like I’ll have to call him in the morning.”

“Alright, I’ll leave you to that.” Maki turned to leave. “And by the way, the next time you think about doing something so stupid, just remember… some of us would really miss you if you were gone, okay?”

“Yeah… I think I will.” Smiling Shuichi walked up behind Maki and kissed her on the back of the head, causing her to blush even more powerfully than she already was. “Goodnight, Maki.”

“… goodnight, Shuichi,” she replied, stroking her hair again.

And with that, the door closed and they went their separate ways, each heading to their beds so they could accept the sweet embrace of the silken night and their long days could finally be at an end.