Kokoro
It almost caught Kokoro off guard, feeling Keiko rest against her like this. But she liked it, she really really liked it. Nothing the girl had felt in a long time had been so rewarding, and if not for knowing how much she needed to keep a good hold on Keiko, she might have started giggling and fidgeting like a schoolgirl. She wasn't sure why-
Oh gosh, oh, um, mm, hm, well, that's not- Is that what Kokoro wanted to hear? She wasn't...she wasn't
unhappy about it. Not at all. She felt tight in her chest, but not in a sad way, not the same way as when Yugiri left. It wasn't like that, but she wasn't, you know, she wasn't into girls like that, even if she was blushing right now, a lot, and still definitely doing nothing but just holding Keiko close and-
"I like you too."
It just
came out she didn't even mean to say it she just thought it and she was caught up in trying to get all this scenery out of her head and into words that she didn't think to stop herself. But, like, if it was there, then didn't that mean she was thinking it, but she wasn't into girls so that didn't make sense, but, just... She said it. She didn't wanna
unsay it either. Taking a few very deep breaths to collect herself, Kokoro made sure her footing was firm before she began the trek back to the Kuchiki manor. Her mind might have been racing, but that desire to protect Keiko, that push to make sure she was happy and safe and- and all that! All of that kept her focus firmly on sneaking back in, and frankly, she probably wasn't even aware of just how good her stealth had been.
As she finally made it once more to Keiko's room, she set the girl down into her bed as if she were the gentlest thing on Earth. She didn't want to wake her up or, or make her uncomfortable when she was asleep, and so she spent...a rather long amount of time just making sure everything was right. She tucked her in, straightned out her hair a little bit, just whatever seemed like it needed doing.
"Okay, um... Sleep well, Keiko."
Kokoro thought about the last time they'd been in this situation, and she could feel her face heating up at the memory now. It hadn't been like that!! She'd just, you know, been giving her a little comfort, it was good to get a kiss when you went off to bed, it wasn't romantic! And, well-
Well, Kokoro didn't know if this one was too. But nevertheless, she leaned in to give the girl before her a kiss on the forehead, and a very quiet 'good night.' She took a very deep breath, thinking about how she'd get back out, and remembered what Keiko said as she looked back at the flowers she'd brought. Wouldn't be smart to leave those if she wasn't allowed to have them, so Kokoro grabbed them as she headed for the door.
She had a lot to think about. Maybe she'd talk to Arkin, he was a smart guy.