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The sun was way too bright for someone who had just spent an eternity mourning a literal piece of sediment.
Yumeko bolted upright, her heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird. Her face was damp with sweat and tears, her breath coming in ragged, ugly hitches.
The silence of the room felt heavy, and when she reached out to the left side of the bed, her hand met nothing but cool, flat linen.
"Kira?" she whispered. Her voice cracked, sounding small and hollow in the empty room.
The memory was still searingly vivid, the gray, lifeless, immovable surface of the grave that used to be her girlfriend. She could still feel the phantom ache in her chest from the longing.
She scrambled out of bed, her feet tangling in the duvet, and sprinted toward the kitchen. She skidded to a halt at the doorway, chest heaving.
Kira was there. She was very much human, very much alive, and currently humming a song that was slightly out of tune. She was stirring a pot of thick hot chocolate while a stack of pancakes sat nearby, smelling of vanilla and butter.
"You’re awake," Kira said, turning around with a playful smirk. "I was going to do the whole breakfast in bed thing, but you’ve got that look on your face like you just saw a ghost. Or ran a marathon." Her smile vanished instantly. "Whoa, Yumeko? Hey, what’s wrong?"
Kira dropped the wooden spoon and was across the kitchen in two strides. She cupped Yumeko’s face, her palms warm and soft, definitely not made of stone or a ghost.
"Are you hurt? Did you have that dream about the giant squirrels again?" Kira asked, her thumb brushing away a stray tear.
"You were a rock," Yumeko sobbed, burying her face into the crook of Kira’s neck. She inhaled the scent of laundry detergent and cocoa, clinging to Kira’s sweatshirt as if the girl might calcify if she let go. "It was so stupid. We were joking, and I asked if you’d love me if I was a rock, and then you just... you actually turned into one! And I had to cry around of cemetery!"
Kira paused. Yumeko felt the slight vibration of a chuckle in Kira's chest before it was quickly suppressed.
"A rock? Like, a pebble? Or a boulder?" Kira asked.
"A big one!" Yumeko wailed into her shoulder. "I had to buy a specialized flower for the gravestone to match your aesthetic!"
Kira pulled back just enough to look Yumeko in the eye, a lopsided smirk tugging at her lips despite the concern. "Okay, first of all, that is weirdly sweet. Second, I hope I was at least a high quality marble or something. Maybe some nice rose quartz?"
"You were gray!" Yumeko wiped her nose on her sleeve, looking indignant. "You were just a regular, boring, heavy-ass gravestone, Kira! I spent three years talking to a stone and pouring water on you so you wouldn't get thirsty!"
Kira let out a genuine laugh then, pulling Yumeko back into a tight squeeze. "Oh, honey. I promise, if I ever decide to undergo a geological transformation, I'll give you at least a week's notice so you can hit the gym first."
She kissed the top of Yumeko’s head, lingering there for a second.
"I’m right here," Kira murmured. "I’m carbon-based, squishy, and definitely not a geological formation or a gravestone with your matching flowers. Feel that? That’s a pulse. Rocks don't have those."
"It felt so real," Yumeko muttered, finally starting to calm down as the smell of burning chocolate hit her nose. "Wait, the pot!"
Kira yelped, spinning around. "Man down! Or, cocoa down!" She lunged for the stove, sliding the pot off the burner just in time. She looked back at Yumeko with a wink. "See? A rock couldn't have saved breakfast. Now sit down and eat your pancakes before I turn into a decorative garden gnome next."
The peaceful recovery didn't even make it to mid afternoon.
At exactly 2:00 PM, the front door didn't just open, it practically flew off the hinges as Riri marched into the living room like she owned the mortgage. Behind her trailed a caffeine charged Mary, who looked like she’d had three espressos in the last ten minutes, followed by the rest of their chaotic gang Chad, Runa, Suki, Dori, Michael, and Ryan.
"The weather is peak!" Riri announced, throwing her arms out like she was personally responsible for the sunshine. "The air is crisp, the sun is out, and we are hitting the mountain trail. Move it, losers. We leave in five."
Mary nodded so fast it was a wonder her head stayed attached. "The lighting up there right now is literally to die for. We’re going to get the best photos. Yumeko, get your boots on!"
Yumeko, who had finally stopped vibrating from her morning nightmare, turned a ghostly shade of white. "A hike? Up a mountain? Right now?"
"Yeah, the Black Ridge Trail," Chad said, adjusting his baseball cap and grinning. "The views are insane this time of year. Plus, I heard there’s a new rock formation at the summit that looks like a giant face."
"Absolutely not," Yumeko snapped, her voice rising an octave. "Nobody is going near anything that involves gravity, steep inclines, or loose stones. Especially not the stones. And definitely not a giant face!"
Runa tilted her head, looking confused. "It’s a hiking trail, Yumeko, not a minefield. It’s literally just a walk uphill. What's the big deal?"
"The big deal is physics, Runa!" Yumeko shouted, then immediately realized how insane that sounded. She took a breath and pointed at the door. "There are falling rocks. There are landslides. There is debris. You are all flirting with disaster. One minute you're enjoying the view, and the next, someone is a permanent part of the landscape."
"Is she... okay?" Dori whispered to Michael, leaning away from Yumeko’s frantic energy.
"I think she's been watching too many survival documentaries," Michael whispered back.
Suki stepped forward, peering at Yumeko’s pale face. "You look like you’ve seen a ghost. Or like you're having a very specific mid life crisis at twenty. It's just a mountain, honey. It's been there for millions of years."
"That is exactly the problem!" Yumeko cried. "It’s had millions of years to plan its next move!"
Kira looked at Yumeko’s shaking hands and felt a wave of sympathy. She knew the "rock trauma" was still fresh, even if it sounded ridiculous to everyone else. She stepped between her girlfriend and the chaotic energy of the group, placing a calming hand on Yumeko’s shoulder.
"Okay, okay, everyone back off a second," Kira said, her tone soft but firm. "We’re sitting this one out. Yumeko’s had a really rough morning and we're just going to have a low key day. No mountains for us."
"But the trail is perfect!" Mary groaned, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "Come on, Kira, you’re the best navigator we have. We’ll get lost without you."
"You have GPS, Mary. Use it," Kira said with a pointed look that told the group to drop it. "You guys go ahead and conquer the summit. We’ll be here when you get back. Safely. On flat ground."
"Your loss," Riri said, already heading back toward the door. "But if I find a cool crystal at the top, I’m not showing it to you!"
Once the front door finally clicked shut and the shouting faded down the driveway, the house felt strangely empty. Kira turned back to Yumeko and squeezed her hand, trying to hide a little bit of a smirk.
"You really think the mountain is out to get me, don't you?" Kira asked gently.
"I just don't trust the terrain," Yumeko muttered, looking at the floor. "The world is full of things that want to turn people into minerals. I'm just being vigilant."
"Well, listen," Kira said, checking her phone. "Since we aren't hiking, I actually have to head out for a bit anyway. Riri is going to drop the others off and then come back for me. We have some errands to run in town. Boring stuff, I promise. No mountains, no cliffs, just flat pavement and air conditioned shops. Will you be okay for an hour or two?"
Yumeko pouted, her bottom lip quivering just a tiny bit, but she eventually nodded. "Fine. But stay away from the quarry. And the stone mason. And any shops that sell decorative paperweights. If you see a pebble that looks suspicious, you run."
"I promise," Kira laughed, kissing her forehead. "I'll be back before you know it. Try to take a nap."
Yumeko watched her walk out, thinking they were just going to the post office or the grocery store.
She had no idea that Kira and Riri were actually racing across town to a local jeweler, where a very specific Red Diamond Halo Ring was currently sitting in a velvet box, waiting for a girl who was definitely ready to put a ring on it.
While Kira was out, the house felt far too quiet, so Mary had stayed behind to keep Yumeko from spiraling into a total nervous breakdown.
It wasn't working. Yumeko was currently pacing a literal trench into the living room rug, recounting every tragic, grainy detail of her nightmare for the fourth time.
"And the worst part, Mary, was the texture," Yumeko said, waving her hands frantically. "She wasn't even smooth like a river stone. She was jagged. Like I could’ve gotten a papercut just by hugging her. Do you have any idea how psychologically scarring it is to try and find a pulse on a piece of basalt?"
Mary was sprawled out on the armchair, scrolling through her phone while half listening. "I feel like basalt is a very specific choice for a dream, Yumeko. Maybe you’re just low on minerals?"
"This is serious!" Yumeko cried. "What if it was a premonition? What if the universe is trying to tell me that Kira is too grounded? What if—"
Suddenly, Mary’s phone buzzed with a loud, aggressive vibration on the coffee table.
The caller ID flashed Riri’s name. Mary picked it up, her expression shifting from bored amusement to a mask of pure, horrific shock in a matter of seconds.
"Wait, what?" Mary whispered into the phone, her voice thick with fake dread. "Right now? Oh my god. Riri, are you serious? Is she... I mean, does Yumeko even know yet?"
Yumeko froze mid stride. Every muscle in her body turned to lead. "Mary? Mary, what is it? Put her on speaker! Is Kira okay? Did she trip on a pebble? Did a tectonic plate shift? Is she a stone again?"
Mary didn't answer. She just kept nodding slowly, her eyes wide and glassy. "I understand. Yeah. It’s... it’s a lot to take in. I’ll tell her. Or I'll try."
She hung up the phone and turned to Yumeko in a very slow, very dramatic movement. She looked like she was about to announce a national tragedy.
"Yumeko," Mary said, her voice trembling just enough to be convincing. "I have to ask you something incredibly important. It’s about Kira. She told Riri to make sure I asked you this before they got back."
"What!?" Yumeko shrieked, her hands flying to her hair. "Just tell me! Is she a statue? Do I need to call a geologist? Is she at the museum in the rock and mineral wing?"
Mary took a deep, shaky breath, leaned in close, and looked Yumeko straight in the eye.
"What do you want for dinner? Kira's asking because they're passing the Thai place," Mary said, her face instantly breaking into a massive, toothy grin.
Yumeko's knees buckled. She slumped against the back of the sofa, clutching her chest and gasping for air as the adrenaline left her body in one giant, exhausting wave.
"I hate you," Yumeko groaned, her voice muffled by the sofa cushions. "I actually hate you so much. You are a dramatic, soul sucking demon, Mary Davis!"
"You should have seen your face!" Mary cackled, doubling over and slapping her knee. "You went from pale to translucent! I wish I’d recorded that. You actually thought she’d turned into a Pad Thai flavored rock, didn't you?"
"It isn't funny!" Yumeko yelled, though she was finally starting to breathe normally again. "My girlfriend is out there in a world full of gravel, and you’re playing with my emotions!"
"She's fine, you nutcase," Mary said, still wiping tears of laughter from her eyes. "Now pick a spice level so I can text Riri back before they drive past the exit."
A week of casual business days crawled by, filled with the usual domestic chaos that defined their lives.
They bickered over who left the soggy coffee grounds in the machine for the third time that week and argued about whose turn it was to actually fold the laundry instead of just living out of the dryer. Through it all, there was enough electric tension humining between them to power a small city.
Finally, their anniversary dinner arrived. They had picked a quiet spot with dim lighting and, most importantly for Yumeko’s peace of mind, zero decorative rock gardens.
Kira seemed fidgety throughout the appetizers. She kept reaching into her jacket pocket and then pulling her hand back out like it was on fire. When the dessert menu arrived, she finally cleared her throat and pushed her chair back just an inch.
"Okay, I can't wait until the bill comes. I’m going to burst," Kira said, her voice uncharacteristically shaky. She reached into her pocket one last time and pulled out a small, navy velvet box. She clicked it open to reveal a stunning Red Diamond halo ring that caught the candlelight and threw shards of crimson light across the table.
"Yumeko," Kira said, taking a deep breath. "No more nightmares about boulders or pebbles or anything else. I want to be yours forever, in this form, specifically. Squishy, human, and very much in love with you. Will you marry me?"
Yumeko’s eyes filled with tears instantly. "Yes!" she sobbed, reaching across the table to grab Kira’s hand. But then, she stopped. A mischievous, teary smirk tugged at the corners of her mouth. "But wait. Sit tight for a second."
Kira blinked, confused. "Wait? Did I do the wrong knee? Is the diamond too red?"
Yumeko didn't answer. Instead, she reached into her own clutch and pulled out a matching velvet box.
She slid it across the white tablecloth. Inside was a Blue Diamond infinity ring, the stones shimmering like deep ocean water.
Kira’s jaw dropped. She looked from the ring to Yumeko and back again. "How did you... when did you even have time to do this? We’ve been together every second!"
"Remember the day Riri and Mary 'forced' us to go on that hike?" Yumeko explained, laughing through her tears. "The day I was supposedly home being a paranoid mess? Mary didn't stay behind just to tease me. Well, she did that too, but then she drove me to the jeweler the second your car pulled out of the driveway."
"I knew it!" Riri’s voice suddenly boomed from three tables away.
Kira spun around to see Riri, Mary, Chad, and the whole gang sitting at a large table behind a decorative plant, failing miserably at being inconspicuous.
"I told you they were both going for it!" Mary shouted, waving a glass of champagne. "Pay up, Chad! Twenty bucks!"
"I thought Yumeko would chicken out because of the 'diamond is a mineral' thing!" Chad grumbled, handing over a crumpled bill.
Yumeko ignored them, focusing only on Kira. "I realized after that dream that I couldn't waste another second. I wanted our love to be an eternity, Kira. A real, conscious eternity. Not just a geological era."
Kira laughed, a loud, beautiful sound that filled the restaurant. She lunged across the table to pull Yumeko into a kiss that tasted like expensive wine and pure relief.
"Yes!" Kira shouted, loud enough for the kitchen staff to hear. "Obviously, yes! Now put the blue one on me before Mary tries to bet on which finger it goes on!"
The months flew by in a blur of floral arrangements and seating charts, culminating in a ceremony that was somehow both incredibly solemn and perfectly chaotic.
The venue was a sprawling garden overlooking the ocean, chosen specifically because there wasn't a single loose pebble or gravel path in sight.
Even Arkadi Timurov was in attendance, standing near the back and looking perpetually grumpy in a suit that probably cost more than a small house. He kept checking his watch, but everyone knew he was only there because he was trying to close a massive shipping deal with a Jabami family member over the cocktail hour.
Near the front, Keiko and Jo Jabami were practically glowing. Keiko leaned over to her husband, dabbing at her eyes with a lace handkerchief. "Look at her, Jo. She finally stopped looking over her shoulder for falling debris."
"She looks happy," Jo whispered back, squeezing his wife’s hand. "And Kira is the only person I know who can handle her level of intense."
Kira stood at the altar, looking breathtaking and slightly nervous, holding Yumeko’s hands as if she were anchoring her to the earth. When it was time for the vows, Kira took a deep breath and looked directly into Yumeko’s tear filled eyes.
"You told me that in your dreams, you asked if I would still love you if you were a rock," Kira said, her voice steady but full of emotion. "Yumeko, my love, the answer is so simple. Yes. I would love you, and I would kiss the rock out of you every single day. I would polish you, I would carry you until my back gave out, and I would make sure you were the most beautiful stone in the world. But I have to be honest, I am much happier that you are right here, warm and alive and currently yelling at me for being three minutes late to our own wedding just because you sent a photo of you without wearing this beautiful wedding dress."
The guests erupted into a wave of soft laughter. Yumeko laughed too, a wet, shaky sound as she squeezed Kira’s fingers.
"My turn," Yumeko whispered, clearing her throat. "Kira, I promise to love you even if you become the most stubborn, immovable boulder in the world. I promise to bicker with you until we are both gray and wrinkled, and to never let a silly nightmare come between us again. You are my foundation, my center, and the only person I want to wake up to, even if I have to check for a pulse every now and then."
"I do," Kira whispered before the officiant could even finish the sentence.
"I definitely do," Yumeko added.
As they leaned in for the kiss, the crowd went wild. Chad let out a piercing whistle that probably echoed across the valley, while Runa and Suki began dumping buckets of rose petals over everyone within a ten foot radius.
Mary leaned over to Riri, watching the couple walk back down the aisle with identical, beaming smiles. "Finally," Mary whispered, though she was secretly wiping a tear away herself. "Now maybe they will stop being so sappy and we can actually have a normal game night without them staring into each other's eyes for twenty minutes."
"Doubtful," Riri said, grinning as she watched Kira sweep Yumeko up into a dramatic lift. "I think the sappiness is just getting started."
As they headed toward the reception, the sun caught the red and blue diamonds on their fingers, flashing brilliantly in the light.
For these two, it was finally clear that the only thing set in stone was their love.