A/N: This story is set in the same universe as my major Kannazuki no Miko fic, Kannazuki no Shimai. Those familiar with that fic will recall that it's a direct sequel to the KnM manga, telling the events of the next cycle, in their next reincarnation. Since that reincarnation was as twin sisters, I suppose I ought to point out that technically this one contains incest, and anyone who gets too squicked by that even though it is just Himeko and Chikane should probably just stop right here.
"Well," Chikane said, surveying the room, "this is it, our home for the next year."
Himeko smiled happily. It was an ordinary enough dormitory room for first-year students at Kamiyatate University: two narrow beds, two desks, one bookshelf, a thin, rust-colored wall-to-wall carpet, and a light fixture in the ceiling. A side door led to the bathroom; they shared a shower and toilet with the next room over, though they'd have to use the public facilities if they wanted a bath. The nameplate outside the door, though, read, "Tsukuyo Asamiya/Hikari Asamiya," their names in this lifetime, and that was what mattered. It was theirs.
"Here's the last box, girls," their father grunted. They stepped aside to give him room to add the case to the small stack in the center of the room. He was a big man, a construction foreman with an unruly shock of dark hair and beard. The only thing he shared with his daughters, though, was that Chikane's knee-length sweep of blue-black hair was nearly the same shade as his. Her blue eyes and porcelain-pale skin, though, seemed to come from neither he nor his wife, and as for Himeko's blonde hair and violet eyes, no one had any idea how they'd trickled down the family tree.
Himeko could have explained it easily enough; she and Chikane still looked the way they had in their past lives as Chikane Himemiya and Himeko Kurusugawa, and probably in a score of unremembered lives before that.
"Thanks, Dad," she said happily and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "You really helped a lot."
"Yes; thank you, Father," Chikane said formally.
"Well, then," he replied, looking from one to the other. "Are you sure that you want to do this? You could just as easily commute from home like your friend Marika will."
"We're sure, Father. I think this is an important step for us, the ability to live on our own a little bit before we step into life."
He glanced at Himeko, and she nodded firmly.
"That's right--and Chikane's scholarship does include free room and board, so we won't be a burden on you..."
"It's not about the cost, Hikari." He smiled at them both. "Your mother and I would miss you, that's all."
"Well, it is only across town," Chikane noted.
"We'll visit lots!"
He smiled at them. "I'll hold you to that."
They shared hugs, and then he left. As soon as he was gone, Himeko dropped onto one bed, squealing happily.
"Finally, a room all to ourselves!"
Chikane smiled.
"Himeko, we've shared a room ever since Mother brought us home from the hospital."
"But that was in our parents' house. It's not the same at all."
"I suppose not."
"So..."
She reached out and took Chikane's hand, feeling the warmth of her skin, then smiled in what she hoped was a flirtatious way. Sloe-eyed and sultry wasn't really natural for Himeko, and it showed when Chikane giggled. That was good too, though; she never got tired of seeing the other girl smile or laugh.
Himeko pulled and Chikane tumbled on top of her. Their faces ended up inches apart.
"H-Himeko, we should unpack..."
Himeko kissed her. It was not a sisterly kiss, but long and warm and sweet, a gentle urging against her lover's lips. Then again, when one remembered how they'd had to fight so hard to find one another, through pain and horror, through violence and blood, guilt and forgiveness, it was no surprise that they weren't willing to surrender what they'd found just because the bodies they happened to inhabit in this incarnation were related. Maybe it would have been different without those memories, but Himeko didn't think so. Their souls had been yearning for each other through countless centuries, cycles of reincarnation, meeting, and separation, before they'd finally, finally found one another. Himeko couldn't imagine herself ever letting that feeling go regardless of memories.
Her arms closed around Chikane as she deepened the kiss. Chikane was hesitant at first--she always was--but she soon succumbed and was kissing Himeko back. Their mouths teased and flirted; Himeko nibbled on Chikane's lower lip and Chikane responded by flicking the tip of her tongue against Himeko's mouth, teasing her lips open so their tongues could meet. Himeko's hands grew bolder, stroking Chikane's back and the silken fall of her hair. She was eager and asking for more, to drown in the other girl's touch, but held off, not forcing things. This was their room now, after all, not a stolen moment where they had to rush to completion or risk running out of time, and Himeko wanted to make the most of it. It was nearly thirty minutes before she even began working Chikane's blouse free from her skirt.
Afterwards, they lay curled together, naked. Himeko was on her back, while Chikane lay on her side, head propped up on one hand looking down at her. It was kind of a naughty thing to put into words, Himeko thought, but she never thought Chikane was more beautiful than after they'd made love, her hair slightly tousled, her eyes heavy-lidded, her skin dappled with perspiration.
"What are you thinking, Himeko?" Chikane said, sliding a fingertip down the bridge of Himeko's nose.
"Are you sure you want to know?" Himeko teased.
"Of course."
So Himeko told her, and was rewarded with a blush, elegant and delicate, that turned Chikane's cheeks the pale pink of cherry blossoms.
"Himeko..."
"It's true! You're always so beautiful, but..." She fished for words, wishing she had her beloved's skill with a deft phrase. "The way you look now, it's because you, um, gave yourself to me?" She reached up and twined a lock of her hair around her fingers. "So...if your hair's a little out of place or your lips are swollen or your skin's shiny from sweat, it's...it's like 'I love you, Himeko' is written right on your body." Now it was Himeko's turn to blush, bright and red instead of ladylike pink. The embarrassment was worth it, though, for the loving expression that shone from Chikane's eyes.
The dark-haired girl bent over and kissed her. "You're a treasure, Himeko."
That's silly; I'm plain and ordinary, was her first thought, but she didn't say it because she knew it wasn't true, in Chikane's eyes anyway. They'd both had to overcome things within themselves to find each other, and in Himeko's case it had been her conviction that she wasn't good enough for someone like Chikane. She knew better now; even though the occasional doubt still nagged her Chikane went out of her way to show her that she was loved. It was very similar to how Himeko tried her best to show Chikane that Chikane's lesbian desires weren't dirty or unwelcome to her, but quite the opposite.
She surprised herself when the thought kindled a fresh spark within her. Himeko reached for Chikane, letting one hand trail down her flank. Chikane arched an eyebrow at her.
"Again? Moving out from home is certainly making you bold."
"Well...we don't want the other bed to get jealous of this one?" she offered, smiling. Chikane laughed and embraced her.
"Do you know, Himeko...in my past life, when I confronted the other Orochi, Sister Miyako tried to control me by trapping me in an illusion of my heart's desire?"
"Oh?" Chikane had never been all that forthcoming about the darker parts of her previous existence.
"It was you."
"Me?"
Chikane nodded.
"Yes, you, but a sexually assertive you. A you who fondled me, who was eager to touch me, who delighted in my responses, who freely offered her body to me for everything I wanted from it. In short, a you who loved me as a lover, not just as a friend. But I broke free of that illusion--I shattered it and destroyed Miyako and the others because I knew that you would never, ever say such things."
"Eh?"
Chikane laughed.
"Could I have been more wrong?" she asked, eyes twinkling joyfully.
"Oh, you," Himeko groaned, blushing.
But she still pulled Chikane's face down to hers for another sizzling kiss.
A/N: I'm utterly convinced that between the two of them, Himeko would be the more sexually aggressive in their ongoing relationship. Even if Chikane is able to move past any lingering guilt over her actual actions, she still has any number of hang-ups over the "rightness" of lesbianism--she even refers to herself near the very end of the manga as "dark and ugly inside" because of that, a claim which Himeko immediately refutes. That combination of factors would make her hesitant in pressing her desires on Himeko. Himeko, by contrast, doesn't seem to have any of those hang-ups once she gets over her concerns about dating out of her league, so she'd not only be eager to act on her own feelings but also want to reassure Chikane that she welcomes Chikane's desire.