Under the hazy moonlight, their silhouettes clung together as if the world had shrunk to just the two of them.

The air carried a faint scent of wine and something unspoken, intoxicating and dreamlike.

Yueci Ru’s soft laugh drew Nishikino An’s attention.

She could hold her liquor, but tonight she’d drunk far too much—her movements heavy with intoxication.

Nishikino An turned, puzzled.

Yueci Ru only grinned, her bright eyes fixed on An’s face. For once, the usual melancholy in her brows had vanished.

"You smell so nice…"

Cheeks flushed, a whisper of alcohol clinging to her, Yueci leaned in to nuzzle An’s neck.

An suppressed a shiver at the ticklish touch on her shoulder. *She’s drunk.*

"Already? Let me take you to your room."

An chuckled softly, placing a hand on Yueci’s shoulder to help her up.

Suddenly, a tingling sensation shot through An’s wrist—Yueci had grabbed her hand.

She lifted An’s palm, spreading it flat before her blurry gaze.

*Weird… so many fingers.*

Dizzy, An’s hand multiplied into overlapping shadows in Yueci’s vision.

Yueci’s thumb traced the calluses at the base of An’s fingers, rubbing the rough skin. She blinked, head tilting in confusion.

An didn’t pull away. The touch ignited the alcohol in her veins, and emotions she’d long buried surged against the cage of her heart.

Her gaze darkened as she watched Yueci.

"Hehe…"

"An-an~ Look how small my hand is!"

Oblivious to the storm she’d stirred, Yueci pressed her palm against An’s, skin to skin.

Youthful softness met An’s weathered hand—a stark contrast.

An’s fingers were long and strong, nails neat and clean.

But her skin had lost its youthful smoothness, hardened by years of labor into something steady, mature.

Warmth flared where their palms touched. Yueci compared their hands, noticing how much larger An’s was.

"Hmm…"

Her eyes, glazed with drink, shimmered under fluttering lashes.

Thoughts moved slowly. She stared, struggling to react.

Then, as if struck by an idea, she turned pleading eyes to An’s face.

Dim lamplight and moonlight draped Yueci’s exquisite features in soft shadow, lending her an ethereal distance—as if she might shatter and vanish into the silent night…

An’s eyes widened. A flicker of panic crossed them.

"Don’t go!"

A raw, broken cry tore from Yueci.

The world spun. One moment Yueci was sitting; the next, she lay flat on her back, the weight of a body pinning her down.

Her head thudded against the floor. Shoulders trapped beneath firm hands.

Above her, An’s eyes burned with obsession and madness.

An straddled her, knees locking Yueci’s hips, palms pressing hard into her shoulders.

Dazed, Yueci lifted her free hand and cupped An’s face.

Time had left its marks. Lines etched by years.

"Mmm…"

"An-an… why did you… grow up without me?"

Yueci frowned. Something felt wrong.

An froze. She stared down at Yueci’s unchanged face, then bowed her head, hiding her expression.

*Heh… heh… heh…*

A low, raspy chuckle vibrated against Yueci’s chest. Bitter. Mocking.

"Yeah… yeah…"

"Why did I grow up so fast…"

An’s smile cracked—a broken mosaic of grief and resignation.

Yueci Ru was her sun. He’d made her barren heart hear spring’s song.

Alone but never self-pitying. Weak but never surrendering. Unlucky but never broken.

An admitted it: she’d fallen for his spirit. What began as partnership had twisted into something deeper.

Just being near him, hearing his voice, could quiet the violence inside her.

He had what she’d never possessed. What she craved.

She wanted to love him.

But he disappeared.

Darkness flooded An’s eyes. Her grip tightened. Yueci gasped in pain.

"Ah… An-an… you’re hurting me…"

Yueci still cradled An’s face like a treasure. Her thumb brushed the long, jagged scar cutting across An’s cheek. "An-an… does it hurt you too…?"

Just looking at it made Yueci’s own skin ache.

An’s throat tightened. Words choked back.

*It hasn’t hurt in years…*

"It hurts… God, it hurts…"

She buried her face in Yueci’s neck, arms locking around her like chains.

*Don’t vanish. Not again.*

That day—she’d finally tracked the shadowy boss of the gang she’d infiltrated. Afraid of what—or who—he might be, she’d followed from afar. She never saw his face. Only the blade’s flash.

She’d dodged decapitation by inches.

Her right eye was saved, but half her vision gone. Light now stabbed like knives.

*Of course it hurt.*

But she’d never regretted it.

Yueci’s woody scent filled An’s nose, sobering her.

A shadow hardened in her eyes. *You’re back now… You’ll never leave me again.*

"It’s late… Shall we go to your room?"

An lifted her head. *Slow. Don’t scare her.*

*Twenty-three years I’ve waited. What’s a little longer?*

But Yueci’s eyes were closed, her face peaceful in sleep.

An sighed, a soft smile touching her lips. She lifted Yueci in a princess carry.

Only now—the solid weight, the warmth against her chest—proved this was real. Not a phantom of her longing.

She’d carried him like this once, racing to a hospital. The memory was faint, but she remembered how fragile he’d felt…

Just like now.

She laid him on his bed, tucking the blanket around his shoulders.

Watching his serene face, An’s smile turned predatory. She slipped out, clicking off the light.

"Goodnight."

"My Sleeping Beauty."