First, the children's song went, there was love. Then came was marriage. And lastly, the bride was seen with a baby carriage.

Mio wasn't sure if they would ever marry, or have children… actually, save some miracle from the heavens, no such thing could happen… but there was definitely love in the air. She could feel it with each heavy, steamy breath her twin sister took from her position across from her in the bath. The other girl's eyes tried valiantly to keep from moving to the body that was almost exactly like her own, instead keeping nervous eye contact with her twin. But Mio saw her eyes as they flit down, then immediately went back up whenever she made any movement.

She supposed it was a normal enough thing. They hadn't bathed together since they were children. And Mayu was at that age… But still. Mayu's feelings had been painfully obvious even when they were younger. Starting at puberty, her twin sister had shown an unhealthy attachment to her. She enjoyed it, most of the time, and she admitted she didn't really mind Mayu staring at her naked body, or having their hands constantly melded together, but the girl could at least admit it. She just didn't like boys yet, she had told their friends. Perhaps she actually believed that. No, who was she kidding… She had once caught the girl touching herself while repeating Mio's name. There was no way her older twin just didn't realize she was gay for her sister.

"Mayu," Mio motioned to her after a moment's thought, an idea forming in her mind, "come to this side."

The brown-haired girl crawled obediently to the other side of the tub, which drew Mio's attention to her swaying wet breasts. "Yes?"

Mio sighed, steeled her nerves, and placed a hand on her sister's chest. She felt Mayu's a-cups squirm in surprise against her palm. It made her face red, probably as bright as Mayu's looked, but she held on, even as the heat within her rose each second.

"Mio…?" Mayu placed one tentative hand atop Mio's breast-full one, then lifted it up into the air. "Are you alright? Is the water too hot?"

Perhaps she was being too direct. One cannot read the words that are shoved in one's face.

"Yes, too hot… Mayu, is there anyone you like?" Mio tried to change the subject casually, placing her hand straight down, where it came to rest on a warm, water-engulfed thigh. Her twin gave a small jerk at the sensation, giving her an odd look before responding.

"Um… no, not really." Mayu's face, which had gone back to its normal color with the hand off her chest, was now a beautiful, lying pink.

They stared uncomfortably at each other.

"Maybe someone," Mayu finally cracked from the intense gaze her sister was shooting her. She was squirming now and avoiding eye contact, her breaths coming rapidly.

"Oh really? I like someone too." Mio took back her hands as she made the revelation.

The devastation on Mayu's face was heartbreaking, and made Mio almost regret the way she had chosen to out her sister to herself.

"Wh-who?" was all the girl managed to get out.

Mio smiled calmly. "Tell me who you like first."

"Ah… I don't know. Did I say I liked someone?" Mio nodded vigorously at the shy girl's hesitant question, moving her body closer in expectation, which made Mayu glance down quickly. "I… don't remember," she finished lamely.

"Tell me or I won't tell you mine," Mio insisted, making the bath water splash about as she grasped her sister's hands.

Tears were welling up in Mayu's eyes, again from Mio's penetrating gaze. Or perhaps the heat was getting to her as well. "You… you're my most important person, Mio," she admitted, looking up to stare into her eyes sadly.

"Mayu…" This sad sight made Mio feel sorry for the girl, and for all the teasing she did. She decided to right past wrongs. Or at least make the minutes-older girl forget them.

Mio slid a hand up the side of Mayu's underwater thigh, then leaned in to kiss her. With eyes half closed, she didn't catch Mayu's panicked wrench back in time, and fell, lips pouted, onto her bare chest.

"W…What?"

Mayu tried to get up, but before she could get her twin off her to do so, Mio picked her face up, grabbed her shoulders, and planted her lips against hers. The older twin resisted for a whole half of a second, much longer than Mio had anticipated, before she whole-heartedly kissed the other girl back.

She advanced much more quickly than Mio had thought a closeted woman would, groping her way across Mio's body. Then again, she had probably been fantasizing about doing that for a couple of years now. But Mio could not let her weak sibling have the upper hand. She broke their mouth-to-mouth contact to attack the other girl's neck, sucking and biting it. She expertly, or so she thought, put one hand at her waist to hold her in place, and used the other to grope her chest. The girl wriggled like some sort of tentacled sea-creature, and Mio was having a hard time hanging on.

What… what is this…? What am I writing?

Let's restart.

Mayu's shoulder-length brown hair was lifted slightly as a mild wind blew past. Mio looked back and caught her sister's slight shiver.

Together forever… They had sworn that as children, and Mio had been sure she would be able to keep that promise to Mayu when she made it, and for years afterwards. But when they were 18. Out of high school and searching for colleges, their different interests had driven them apart. Mio, to a school that specialized in engineering, and Mayu, to study medicine. The older twin hadn't wanted to be separated. She had always been so dependent on Mio. But Mio had made the decision, for her beloved sister's own good, she had said, and believed. But maybe, it was a little for her own selfishness too. The only other schools that they could have gone to together weren't as good. Specialized schools guaranteed entrance into a good job. So she had forced the separation.

They were 20 now. They saw each other when they could, but even in those times they had to study for some test, or catch up on reading. They often read their textbooks while sitting next to each other, and having some part of their body touching. Sometimes they held hands. Mayu liked to do that. Mio did too.

"We're almost there," Mio whispered to her twin and took her hand. She reprimanded herself for walking ahead of Mayu again. She had walked at a normal pace for so long now, she always forgot to go slower for Mayu's bad leg. Her sister always used to remind her, telling her to slow down, or not go too far. But recently, the girl seemed shyer about such things.

They arrived at Mio's apartment, a nice-looking building, and she let them both in.

"Welcome," she smiled nervously. "It's a new place. No roommates this time, so no need to be shy." Her heart was beating hard and fast, a mix of emotions playing in her heart.

"It's so big," Mayu murmured, beginning to look around, and losing some of her initial shyness. "How many rooms are there?"

"Two… but one's completely full of books, so you'll still have to sleep with me, or on the couch."

Mayu looked back at her from her inspection of a bookcase with an unreadable expression. "I'll sleep with you then." She announced this casually, but Mayu announcing she preferred the bed and Mio to the couch made the younger twin feel relieved. So she did still love her. If that indicated love.

This happened every time Mayu would visit. Mio would feel guilty about having cast her off so easily, would dread, yet endlessly hope for Mayu's questions about when they would live together. She had promised her that, the first year, to convince her. But Mayu had never pushed, never asked.

It was late already, so Mio suggested they prepare for bed. Mayu looked slightly disappointed, but quickly nodded in affirmative.

Mio felt shy as she pulled back the sheets of her queen-sized bed, wondering if perhaps it was too small for them now. But they fit in fine, she discovered, spooned up against each other. They had gone into the position out of an old habit of theirs; how they used to sleep when sharing a bed when they were younger.

Her body was stiff and wouldn't relax no matter how much she tried. Mayu was behind her with one arm around her waist, also nervously stiff. She heard a sigh, then silence again.

"…What?" She asked into the darkness.

Another sigh, then, "I missed you," she confessed.

"I love you." It was a strange thing to add to the conversation, as it didn't quite suit the topic. But it was as if she had been waiting to say it, without knowing it. It might have been what had been making her nervous. Words that she wanted to say, but didn't know how after all this time. Had feared they would not be accepted.

"Mio!" Came the sad, passionate cry after a moment, and the once stiff arm pulled her closer. Her own body relaxed at that, feeling Mayu's hot breaths and sniffles against her neck.

"I love you too," she said clearly through emotional tears. "Always, always."

Mio turned to comfort her sister. She could see her face faintly, the moonlight coming through the window being enough to make out various gray shapes.

Then she could see only Mayu's eyes, as her face had moved much closer. Soft, nervous lips touched her own, looking out for any hint of disapproval. Mio made sure to give none, sealing the kiss. Mayu sighed again when it was over, but this one was happy and relaxed.

"Good night," they both said at the same time, and giggled.

Their first kiss had been overwhelmingly exciting, but the urge to sleep had won. They dozed off, facing each other.

"So, in the end, you are leaving."

"I-I have to. I think."

"You remember what I promised you?" Silence reigned for a moment.

"I… I was afraid… you would find someone else, and forget about me," she answered, averting her eyes. "But I didn't want to interfere either, so I didn't say anything."

"You don't still think that?"

"No…"

"Then why don't you say anything now?" Mio stared at her twin in the face, urging her with her mind to speak what she had waited a year to hear.

Mayu's face took on a surprised expression. "You… I… yes… why don't I…" Her face appeared perplexed, then relaxed into a peaceful expression after a few seconds of thinking. "Mio, let's live together, like you promised." She looked confident now, much like her old self was when around her sister.

"As you wish, dear sister." Mayu's smiled happily and threw her arms around Mio's shoulders, then went in for a kiss.

The guilt she had been living with, as well as the sadness of missing her twin were gone now. Even if Mayu's school was far away, she would be going home to her sister's arms each night.

And that, Mio knew, was what was best for both of them.