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Photoshoot day. It was typical for Rhythm Link to assign photoshoots for UNDEAD to partake in, but this time they had set the location near an abandoned, decommissioned TV tower on a secluded hill on the outskirts of town. When Rei and Kaoru arrived, it was well past dusk, with tiny white stars dotting the sky. Rei looked up, taking in the sight of the metal structure towering over them, its red lights shining – beckoning her to approach. A fence was the only obstacle blocking her from the tower, and she’d be damned if she didn’t do anything about it.
“Hakaze, the night is still young, and our cohorts have not yet arrived. The scene before us is quite fascinating...why don’t we explore? It would be a pity to let such a beautiful night go to waste~ ☆” Rei was right; it was highly unusual for management to schedule an UNDEAD shoot so late into the night, so she couldn't refrain from taking up the opportunity to scout the location and indulge in the evening air before the rest of the crew arrived to disrupt the quiet.
“Eh…” Kaoru grumbled, crossing her arms and looking up at the structure with a sigh. “I guess. I’ll go, but it’s only because I don’t want you doing anything stupid.”
Rei and Kaoru walked through the grass for some time, its damp blades squelching beneath their feet as they trudged up the hill. When Rei stopped walking, Kaoru stood beside her. Kaoru lifted her foot, frowning as she wiped off brown smudges of dirt from her own shoes.
“Oh, Kaoru-kun~ wouldn’t the view from up there be truly splendid?” She lifted her arm, a slender finger pointed toward the TV tower. A knowing smirk was cast upon her lips, and a spark of mischief gleamed behind her eyes while she looked at Kaoru.
"Splendid?" Kaoru scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Are you serious right now? Normal people look at an abandoned TV tower and think 'tetanus shot,' Rei, not 'what a lovely view.' But who am I kidding? You aren't normal anyway. Lead the way, just promise me we aren't climbing all the way to the very top."
Rei chuckled when she turned her gaze back to the looming tower. "My, what a harsh critique! But a little danger only sweetens the nectar of the night, does it not~?"
"Yeah, whatever you say." Kaoru trailed a good distance behind Rei, totally unengaged in what she had to say. Her eyes were fixed on her phone rather than the tall metal structure in front of them.
Rei didn't wait for a reply and gave a final, amused glance at Kaoru in the distance. She approached the chain-link wall alone, unbothered by the lack of company. Wrapping her fingers around the fence, she tugged the steel wires to test the stability. Once she deduced it was sturdy enough, she walked further along the barricade until she found the gate. The entrance was locked tight; scaling it was the only option. She just needed to find a spot to climb the thing where there wouldn't be sharp, twisted wires at the top poking her clothes and tearing them to shreds on the way over. And when she found that spot, she wasted no time. Her hands locked onto the gate's metal grid first, then her feet planted on the fence as she began her ascent.
Rei swung her legs over the top of the gate successfully, and she dropped to the ground, landing on her feet with a grunt. "You know, Kaoru-kun, even with all your complaints, the fence certainly won't climb itself. Do you plan on staring through your glowing little device all night, or are you going to join me?"
At first, Kaoru didn't even look up from her screen, but she eventually powered her phone off, sliding the device into her pocket. "I plan on staying right here where it's clean, actually. If you want to ruin your outfit and get covered in rust right before the shoot, that's not my problem. It's yours. I'm not scaling a dirty fence just to stand in an empty yard with you. Have fun exploring... I'll be right here checking my notifications."
"The dark must be too intimidating for a delicate city girl, then~."
"Watch it, Sakuma." Kaoru growled, "I can scale this dumb thing blindfolded, so who're you calling delicate, hm?" Out of spite, Kaoru hurried toward the fence and reluctantly scaled it. Not wanting to prove Rei right, Kaoru did it to save her pride, but she seriously didn't want to be doing this so late into the night, and so close to the time of their photoshoot. If they end up being late over this, she'd definitely put all the blame on Rei.
When Kaoru dropped down to the other side of the fence, Rei was already there, waiting for her with a fanged grin. "Oh? Maybe you aren't so dainty after all. It seems that I will be leading the way."
"Seems so," Kaoru muttered, brushing off her jacket -- she refused to give that damn vampire the satisfaction of a bigger reaction.
With that, Rei turned back toward the decommissioned construction that loomed above, steps deliberate as she made the trek up the restricted path. Several paces behind, Kaoru trailed, hands tucked in her pockets, eyes tracking the TV tower's blinking red lights as they walked deeper into the dark.
At last, the two had finally reached their destination, and the TV tower was far taller than they had originally anticipated. Kaoru gulped at the sight of it swaying and twisting in the dark, doubting the tower's structural stability, but realistically, she knew the fear was irrational. After all, a group of architects had to approve the design to ensure its safety, and they surely wouldn't just allow an unstable structure to remain standing. Meanwhile, Rei rubbed her hands together and excitedly set her phone and keys down on a crate next to the tower, her body itching to commence their nighttime adventure.
"What are you standing around gaping for, Kaoru? Don't tell me you're getting cold feet before we've even touched the steel." Rei's voice dripped with malice, and Kaoru wanted to smack her.
"I'm not getting cold feet," Kaoru said, yet her voice lacked confidence. "It's just... it moves a lot more than it looks like it does from the highway. Are you sure those beams over there aren't loose?" She looked up at the scaffolding above her head and shuddered, stuffing her trembling fingers back into her pockets.
"They're supposed to give, silly. If it doesn't bend, it breaks." Rei's voice was soft and reassuring, grounding and steady, her tone able to lull Kaoru to sleep. "The people who built this place knew exactly what they were doing. It's survived decades of storms all here by itself. It's not going to fall just because two girls decided to pay it a visit."
Rei had already begun to climb the set of metal stairs, her fingertips gently grazing the railing. "Besides, the view from the top is going to be perfect. Don't you want to see the whole valley light up?”
"Yeah. Let's just get past the ground level before the wind gets any worse." Kaoru rushed behind her, not wanting to be left in the dark alone. So much for wanting to prove Rei wrong earlier, because every decision she made now contradicted her pride.
"Hey, slow down a second, will you? This whole thing is shaking, plus I can feel the rust flaking off under my hands." Kaoru loosened her tight grip on the staircase railing to wipe her hands on her pants, tiny rust flakes stubbornly sticking to her hands because of the sweat beading on her palms.
"Fret not, Kaoru-kun~ The tower has stood against the elements for decades. A little evening breeze will not bring down such a stubborn beast."
"It's not the breeze, Sakuma, it's that nobody's maintained this 'beast' since, like, the nineties." Kaoru shot back, "If our agency finds out we got stranded on a forbidden landmark because I let you drag me into your mysterious vampire shtick, my career is over. I'd never let you live it down."
"Such catastrophic thinking!" Rei mocked, "You really ought to learn to enjoy the thrill of the--"
CRACK!
Beneath Kaoru's feet, the structural bracket holding the staircase groaned, then it screeched -- a horrific screech; the sound of iron tore through frigid mist.
All of a sudden, some of the stairs’ rusted bolts became loose, the bolts clanking against the metal scaffolding as they fell. The platform Kaoru stood on gave way, and around one hundred and fifty feet of the metal ladder staircase hurled toward the ground with a crash.
“Oh my god- Rei!” Kaoru yelled, and at the last second, she scrambled to grab onto the bottom step of the stairs that were still intact, legs dangling as she gripped the step with all her might.
“Don’t worry, Kaoru-kun, I’ve got you. Do not let go, and I will pull you up. It’ll be alright.” Rei did as she said, dropping to her knees and reaching over the edge of the staircase. She then grabbed Kaoru’s wrists to pull her up, sending her up the stairs with a thud. Phew – they could finally breathe again!
“That was… way too close,” Kaoru exhaled shakily. “I really thought that was it, when the floor just- collapsed. God, Rei, I’m so glad you didn’t let go... I don’t think my heart is ever going to beat normally again.” She was just glad to still be alive, but unrest twisted in Kaoru’s gut. A part of her wondered if the bolts would become loose for the second time, but having a grim outlook on the situation wouldn’t benefit them.
“It’s far from safe for us to rest upon these steps. Come, lean on me if you must, and let us move up to the next platform.”
Kaoru didn’t answer right away; at first, she just grabbed Rei’s sleeve. “Fine, I’ll lean, just… don’t let go of me, alright? If I look down now, I think I’ll throw up. And don’t tell anyone I was shaking this badly.”
“Your secret is safe with me, my dear,” Rei replied fondly, giggling. Rei helped Kaoru stumble up the steps, who, adorably so, still trembled from the adrenaline. “I have you, Kaoru-kun. I will not let go — not now, and not ever.” Rei wrapped her other arm around Kaoru to support her weight as she tightly gripped her hand, ensuring their safety. Their fingers interlocked for the second time that night, the contact warming them despite having just braved the outdoor elements. “Keep your eyes fixed on me if it helps. Step by step, now. Let us find solid ground.”
Rei and Kaoru caught their breath after they had made the brave ascent up the ladder-steps to the structure’s next seemingly sturdy platform. The wind howled and whistled below them, and the metal scaffolding swayed. Danger’s essence and an unwavering chill lingered — Kaoru shivered.
“Ugh,” Kaoru groaned, “That’s it! I don’t care about the agency finding out anymore, I’m calling someone. Even Koga, for crying out loud! Literally anyone!” She pulled out her phone, typing in the password to unlock it. Once Kaoru had opened the contacts app, she clicked Koga’s contact to call her.
The phone immediately went to voicemail.
…
“Hahaha- that’s— funny. There’s— no service… Hahahaha….” Nervous, strained laughter consumed Kaoru until her throat dried up. Their predicament wasn’t funny anymore, but rather grave — the place Rei and Kaoru would reside in for eternity if they don’t find their way down before eventually succumbing to the ever-turning wheel of life.
“C'mon, check your phone service- quick! I can’t stand to be here any longer!”
Rei patted her pockets — front and back. They were empty. She just put her hands up and smiled, albeit strained.
“Yup, we’re trapped. We’re officially gonna die here. On a fucking TV tower of all places. This is so not how I wanted to go out—”
“Breathe, Kao, look only at me.” The honorific drop and sudden nickname definitely brought her to attention now, and for the brief moment they retained eye contact, the soft glint of affection in Rei’s eyes made Kaoru’s heart flutter. “The stairs below have fallen, but the tower still stands, yes?”
…
“Do you trust me?”
The question had caught Kaoru off guard. “Huh? Yeah…”
“Good,” Rei muttered, voice unexpectedly softer than before. “Come. Sit with me, where metal here is solid,” she coaxed. With that tone, it was impossible for Kaoru not to feel compelled to listen to Rei’s every word. When Kaoru sat beside Rei, she pulled the girl closer. If they were in any other situation, Kaoru would have already earned a good bout of teasing from her.
“It’s cold up here.”
“Indeed it is. At this height, the wind spares no one,” Rei leaned back on the thick metal pillar behind her, extended her legs out, then invitingly patted her thighs. “Over here, Kaoru. Lay your head down.”
“Wait— what? I’m not—”
Rei rubbed slow circles on Kaoru’s sides. “There is no audience tonight to judge us. Let me look after you until the morning comes.”
“I guess,” Kaoru sighed, defeated. She let herself lean over, and she adjusted into the nook of Rei’s lap, finding the promise of her warmth far too enticing. “…Rei?”
“Yes, darling?” Rei’s fingers gently ran down the side of Kaoru’s jaw, then back up again to tuck a soft strand of hair behind her ear.
“Look at the view, you can see the entire city from here… ‘S what you came for… right?” Kaoru slurred into Rei’s lap, far too exhausted to lift her head up. One hundred and fifty feet below, trees swayed over the vast valley, and city lights flickered and glistened, taking the form of golden sparkles over the pitch-black horizon.
“Initially, perhaps, but I am far more greatful you are still here to see it with me.” Rei’s hands fiddled with Kaoru’s golden locs.
Hesitancy inlaid upon Kaoru’s lips. “…Can I ask you something?”
“Of course. What is it, dear?”
“Are you scared of dying?”
“No,” Rei shook her head, oddly blunt. It wouldn’t be Rei if it weren't for her characteristic eccentricity.
“Why?”
“The gods envy us, because we’re mortal, and any moment may be our last. Everything is more beautiful, because we’re doomed.”
“Wow,” Kaoru breathily sighed, “Trust you to find a way to make nearly plunging head-first into the ground sound like poetry.”
”Perhaps. But today, watching you slip from my grasp, it made me realize just how beautiful a single moment can be.”
Rei was being way too sincere; it made Kaoru’s face flush. “You know… that lake over there — It’s beautiful.” Kaoru had deflected, rambling a little as she pointed a finger toward the distance. “Hey… you think if I had a rock to throw, I could make it in the water?”
”The lake is miles from our perch, love. It is not the distance that has your mind racing, so, speak to me. Tell me, what thoughts are you trying to cast away, into the darkness?”
“I don’t know, Rei.”
”Then you need not know tonight,” Rei smiled. She wrapped her arms around Kaoru, pulling her in close for a hug. “Forgive me, I shall not press you to speak while your mind is so terribly weary.” When Rei pulled away, she wrapped her warm coat around Kaoru’s frame.
”It’s okay… I’m ready now.”
“…Are you sure?”
“Yeah,” Kaoru exhaled, “Do you remember back in high school, when our band first started out? How I would always skip practice?”
“I do. Ah, it is utterly remarkable how far we have progressed since those chaotic days, is it not?”
“All those girls I used to go out with back then… I played with their hearts, discarding them like they were nothing. But, when I joined UNDEAD, I felt whole. I didn’t feel the need to go on dates anymore to fill the void in my heart. And I think it’s all thanks to you, for putting up with all my bullshit nonetheless. So,” Kaoru sighed, “Thank you. Seriously. For everything you’ve done. Not just for me, but for Adonis and Koga too. You’re the best unit leader a girl can ask for.”
It fell quiet between them; this time, not out of fear, but of understanding for the other, as if they were on the same wavelength. When Rei spoke up and broke the silence, her voice was stripped of its usual theatrical grandeur.
“You speak of a void in your heart, yet you fail to realize you filled the hole in mine as well.” Rei lifted her arm, her palm gently caressing Kaoru’s face.
“What do you mean?”
“Allow me to share a truth of my own, then,” Rei lamented, eyes dark as the overcast midnight sky. “Everyone blindly assumes I am so put together. But I am just as fragile as any other soul. Others would put me on a pedestal so high, that they’d seem to forget I was human. The more the pressure built, the more isolated I felt. When you came around, finally not parading me around like some prodigy, I could finally breathe. For that, I thank you for grounding my once-grandiose delusions.”
“Stuck in the air, freezing to death on a broken landmark, talking about high school… damn. We really are a couple of fools. But thank you for telling me, Rei.” Kaoru sat up and rested her head on Rei’s shoulder instead.
“I promise, Kao, if we make it out of here alive, I will stop hiding behind my mask. I will even stop holding my burdens so tightly to my chest.”
Kaoru looked up at Rei when she said this; she searched in Rei’s crimson eyes to find her usual dramatic flair, but it was nowhere to be seen. Her intentions were genuine. At the realization, Kaoru’s heart rate shot to 180, and her cheeks flushed pink.
“You better keep that promise, Sakuma,” Kaoru gasped, and she nestled once again into Rei’s welcoming arms. “Because if we get down from here and you’re some mysterious martyr again, I’ll drag you right back up this tower myself!”
“Deal.” Rei leaned in closer to Kaoru, a puff of air brushing her lips.
Nothing else mattered anymore once they closed the distance between each other. When Kaoru’s lips finally touched Rei’s, it was the sweetest relief — her eyes fluttered shut, and she was in bliss. The harsh, stormlike gusts of wind momentarily subsided when they entered their sugary reverie. She believed all her ailments could be cured by Rei’s touch alone, it was that good. Rei’s back hit the metal pillar behind them once again as Kaoru’s tongue grazed the bottom of Rei’s lip. Much obliged, Rei happily let Kaoru in, listening to her syrupy sounds of satisfaction as she explored Rei’s mouth, hearts budding of shared warmth. Tongues intertwined until they remembered the inevitable… having to breathe.
They pulled away from each other, panting, as a string of saliva connected them. Kaoru licked her lips, finally severing the tie. Energy absolutely shot, she flops over Rei’s lap, eyes drooping as she smiles. Peace was only fleeting, as a series of loud slams and footsteps followed. Which only meant—
“REI! KAORU!— YOU DEADASS UP THERE?!”
Kaoru flinched at the sound of Koga’s voice echoing from below, eyes widening, and she flinched in Rei’s hold. So much for some peace and quiet. Before they could separate and explain themselves, a disheveled Koga had already found her way onto the platform, and she gagged at the sight of Rei and Kaoru being so affectionate toward each other — how gross!
“What the hell were you guys thinking?!” Koga barked. “The agency has been looking for you guys since midnight! You have no idea what I had to do to get up here because the damn ladder collapsed! Pick a coffee shop next time you two idiots wanna go on a date, not on some tetanus tower!” Koga lectured Rei and Kaoru the whole time they descended the TV tower. What an earful! When they finally touched the ground, Rei and Kaoru were ecstatic. It all made sense now why out-of-touch celebrities would kiss the earth after traveling to space.
“Rei-kun, I think I like you.”
“And it only took a near-death experience and a dizzying make-out session to figure that one out!”