Neko opened her eyes to find Tenshi kneeling beside her hospital bed clasping Neko's hands in her own.
"Koneko-chan?"
"Hai," she answered sleepily. "Did you stay with me?"
"When they let me. I wanted you to heal more quickly. How do you feel?"
But Neko was now sitting up and looking across the room at her twin sister.
"Is Mi-chan ok?" she asked fearfully.
"Hai. Your dad said that it was a miracle that she hadn't died by the time the ambulance got there. I guess she's just as stubborn as you, Miss I-refuse-to-stop-fighting-even-though-I-shouldn't-even-be-conscious-at-this-point. Anyway, your dad said you were right - I do have the ability to heal - and that's part of the reason she's alive now. Good thinking! I wonder how I missed that for 18 years."
"Will she wake up?"
"Hai, in time." Then she teased, "Do you want me to try and wake her with a kiss?"
"Iie!"
Looking in the direction of Mi-chan, she noticed a vase of flowers by her bed. Tenshi following her eyes, said, "Oh, sorry about the flowers. There was a dozen originally, but I used a few for the corsage and boutonni�re. I asked my parents to bring them over when they came."
Neko didn't mind that it wasn't a full dozen, but the blue roses reminded her�.
~*~*~*~*~*~
"Tenshi-kun� you're a Knight?"
"Hai," she answered slowly. "I asked Haruk-, er, my Okaa-san-"
"Ne, you can call them papa and mama, you know. I thought it was kawaii."
"Oh. Ok. Well, I asked Haruka-papa and Michiru-mama and they tried to explain it to me. Something about them wanting a son, but Neo-Queen Serenity not being able to break the laws of biology. Frankly, I don't quite understand how Puroko-chan and I came about anyway, but we'll let it slide. Anyway, she said they could only have daughters, but that their oldest could be a Knight. I swear it makes all kinda sense, in a weird messed up sort of way�. Neko-chan, what's wrong?"
Neko-chan had turned away and her eyes were filled with tears again. "I'm so confused. I thought I had it figured out, and I really liked you and you liked me and everything was perfect, but I don't know what to think anymore." She slammed her fists into the bed. "How can you be a guy?!"
Tenshi didn't know what to say. She knew that Neko-chan had a point, but at the same time, if the two liked/loved each other, it shouldn't matter, should it?
She spoke quickly. "Neko-chan, as a Knight, I never acted any differently than I would've as myself�. Well, except for the monologue. I'm the same person, just in a different form. And I think you understood that when you looked in my eyes last night." She looked her deep in the eyes. "You know when he hit you with that last attack, I thought my heart was going to stop beating. I feel that this is much more than just a schoolgirl crush. How can you not feel the same?! And if you do, then� then�."
Words failing, she communicated the only way she could think of.
As she pressed her lips against Neko-chan's, she felt Neko-chan initially stiffen in surprise (*Shimatta* she thought, *I shouldn't have done this, it's too soon.*), but a second later Neko-chan had relaxed and was kissing her back. All the unspoken feelings the two of them had had toward each other, represented in a single act.
"The perfect end to a perfect date," Tenshi sighed blissfully.
~*~*~*~*~*~
After talking for a few hours, Neko-chan had finally fallen asleep again. Tenshi was pretty exhausted herself. Between fighting and sharing her life force with the twins, Tenshi probably should've gone to bed as soon as the hospital had finished checking her out to make sure she was ok. But she hadn't wanted to leave Neko-chan and she couldn't fall asleep while worried about her and Mi-chan anyway.
But now, with the relief of knowing that Neko-chan was ok, she found that she was pretty drained and realized that she should probably get some rest.
She briefly considered the fact that she had never gone out to tell everyone that Neko-chan was awake, but she couldn't get up now and tell them, because to do so would disturb Neko-chan, whose head was resting on Tenshi's shoulder. Oh well.
She closed her eyes and started to drift off to sleep�.
But then the door opening jolted her awake again.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Neko was awakened as Tenshi jumped at the sound of the door opening.
It was Jian-kun. Neko reached for Tenshi's hand and squeezed it.
"Oh, I didn't know you were awake yet. I was just checking to see if you guys were ok�." His voice trailed off as he stared at the floor. Then he said quietly, "Gomen nasai, Neko-chan. I know it doesn't make up for it, but I wanted to say gomen nasai."
He did look sorry, but then again, he had managed to act like her friend all that time without anyone knowing he really hated her and her family. She couldn't forgive him, couldn't trust him. Not yet. "Jian-kun, I-"
To her surprise, Tenshi came to his defense. "Neko-chan, Neo-Queen Serenity-sama called the hospital this morning and talked to Jian-kun herself. She set the record straight and has now pardoned him. He was freed of the evil that had held him hostage for so long as soon as he decided to help Mi-chan. Your siblings don't know that he was ever evil, although your parents do, but Ryo-sama checked him out and says that he truly has given up his past beliefs. Hey, did you know that he had never actually met Jian-kun before? Apparently you only brought him over when Ami-sama was around. Anyway, all Jian-kun needs now is for you and Mi-chan to accept him."
"He almost killed us�," she said in a small voice.
"Hai, demo Neko-chan-"
"�demo he helped save Mi-chan," she finished.
As if hearing her name, Mi-chan stirred. "Mi-chan!" Neko cried.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Mi-chan opened her eyes and allowed them to come into focus. She wasn't at the dance, she knew that.
