"I'm so sorry about what is happening, I didn't.." Shion said as she and Rin walked side to side in the market
"Please stop saying sorry, the more you say sorry the more it's gets me mad, I mean we can't find a way to get rid of the butterfly and when it possesses you, it feels like it's doing what you want to do but with force, brutal force" Rin said as she was still traumatized with what had happened yesterday at the library, see what the butterfly was capable of was the most terrifying thing ever, and now she knows how she was able to kill every single guard that day. Even Akari was still in shock as she stayed in the golden queen place trying to process herself that she killed someone. "Let just go through this date thing and end it please"
"Rin I didn't mean to be like this, I swear I don't even know how the butterfly got attached to me, but I just wish that you can for a second give me a chance to show you how much I love you, I don't mean to harm anyone." Shion said as she holds Rin hands "please don't reject me, you are my only hope to be free" Shion said
"What do you mean to be free?" Rin asked
Shion was going to say something about the deal she made with the butterfly but the butterfly stopped her and whisper to Shion
"Saying anything about our little game means cheating, playing fair is the only way to play" the butterfly said as Rin watch it floating on Shion shoulder
"What is it saying, do you hear her?" Rin said as Shion shakes her head
"No, I don't hear her, what do you like to do on our first date Rin?" Shion said as she smiled after all she has always wanted to go out on a date with Rin but Rin keeps avoiding her and creating excuses. So this was her chance to get Rin to like her back before she loses herself.
Rin and Shion walked slowly through the marketplace. The crowd moved around them in waves, lively voices rising and falling like the breeze. Bright fabrics hung from stalls. Vendors called out their prices. The air smelled of roasted chestnuts and incense.
Yet neither of them made a move.
Shion walked stiffly beside Rin. Her hands kept brushing her sleeves. Her eyes darted away whenever Rin caught her looking. Even the butterfly inside her seemed irritated, its voice whispering things Shion tried her best to ignore.
"Stop it," Shion muttered under her breath.
Rin stopped walking. "What?"
"No, not you, Rin. I was not talking to you."
Rin blinked, but stayed quiet. She understood instantly. The butterfly could speak to Shion again. They were surrounded by people, so Rin kept her expression calm. Any wrong move could provoke that butterfly and create chaos in the crowd.
"Look, Rin," Shion said suddenly.
She grabbed Rin's hand and guided her toward a stall lined with makeup and jewelry. Tiny boxes glimmered under the lanterns. Rows of polished ornaments sparkled like fresh snow.
Shion picked up a pair of large round earrings. "This looks good on you. It suits your style."
Rin tilted her head away. "I do not wear earrings this big. And I do not wear makeup."
"But you love these things," Shion said softly. "You used to buy them all the time. You loved makeup too. I do not even know why you stopped wearing it. You looked beautiful in it."
Before Rin could protest, Shion carefully placed the earrings on her. Then she lifted a small brush and gently tried to apply a bit of color to Rin's cheeks. Rin reached up to stop her, but Shion shook her head and continued.
"There. You look even more beautiful. Just like when we were children." Shion's voice grew warm, almost nostalgic. "These things belong to you, Rin."
Rin lowered her gaze. Her chest tightened. Shion was in love with the girl she once believed Rin to be, the real Rin Kisaragi. Rin had told her many times that she was not Rin Kisaragi, but Shion refused to accept it. She saw only the person she had loved for years.
Rin turned her head and noticed a group of performers dressed in elaborate cosplay outfits. They wore the same costumes just like last time, One of them carried a prop made of crystal, shaped like ice.
They were pretending to be the Ice Queen.
A memory flickered in Rin's mind. Her first date with Selene. She remembered the awkward Selene tried to show them how she behaved and how Selene almost froze them. Rin stared at the actors for a long moment, her lips curling slightly.
Shion stepped in front of her, blocking her view. "Is your mind somewhere else, Rin?"
Rin blinked, snapping out of the memory. "No, Cousin Shion. What else do you want to do today?"
Shion flinched. "Do not call me cousin. Not now." She hesitated, then spoke softly. "What makes you happy, Rin? What did Selene do that makes you smile like that, even when she is not here? I want to do those things too."
She reached toward Rin's face.
Rin pulled back before her fingers could touch. Shion quickly caught Rin's hand instead, her grip trembling but determined.
"I want to be the one who makes you happy. I want to be the one you think about, only me. I want you to love me, Rin. Can you do that?"
Rin stared at her. The marketplace noise seemed distant for a moment. Then Rin leaned forward and pressed a short kiss to Shion's lips. She pulled away immediately.
"The date has ended," Rin whispered.
Shion touched her lips with her fingertips. Her eyes softened, then she smiled. She placed her hand on Rin's cheek.
"You need to stop kissing me without warning. I want to be ready next time. And this time, I want to be the one to kiss you."
She slipped her arms around Rin's waist.
"Shion, the date is over. Stop this," Rin said quietly.
"Do not try to run from me," Shion replied. "If the butterfly takes control, it might kill everyone here."
She leaned forward, her lips inches from Rin's.
Rin froze. She could not fight back. She could not use her powers. Not here. Not with that threat hanging over the crowd.
But before Shion could close the distance, a sudden force slammed into her. Shion was thrown across the walkway and crashed into a vendor's stand, scattering baskets and wooden boxes everywhere.
Rin gasped. That strike did not come from her.
The ground began to frost over, as ice spread under Rin's feet, growing in thin white lines that cracked and glimmered. Cold air swirled upward like a rising storm.
Then Rin felt a hand seize her arm. Firm. Familiar.
She did not even need to turn.
"Selene," Rin breathed.
She lifted her eyes.
Selene stood before her with a face that was calm, but only on the surface. Her voice was cold enough to bite.
"Really, Kisaragi," Selene said. "I have been gone for thirty-four days, sixteen hours and fifteen seconds. And you let someone who is not me kiss what belongs to me."