29

After breakfast, Karin returns home with the groceries. After placing the items on the counter she walks into the living room and sits on the sofa.

"Do you need help with anything?" Karin hears Akane call from the kitchen.

"No, I'm fine. I just need a minute to relax," Karin responds smiling to herself.

When she arrives at Akane's house, the younger woman is nowhere to be seen. Karin frowns slightly wondering if she'd left early for work or if she's still asleep.

Karin enters the house carrying a box full of clothes which she planned to donate later. Once she makes her way into the lounge room the redhead spots her sitting on the sofa, her feet tucked underneath her body and a book in her lap. Karin slowly drops the box onto the coffee table next to her and decides to sit beside her.

"What are you reading?" Karin questions curiously watching as the redhead scans the page.

"I found this book at one of the thrift stores on the road. It had some good information on how to handle certain types of disorders. I haven't read most of it so it's probably useless for now but I figure I might read it a little bit more."

"Sounds great," Karin responds nodding her head approvingly.

"Have you been resting properly? Do you feel better after sleeping a couple of hours?"

"Yes. I slept well for once."

"Good. That's good."

Karin continues studying the girl next to her silently. Although she tried to look relaxed, she couldn't hide the worry lines forming on her forehead. Her eyes are also filled with sadness and frustration. The younger woman notices that the blue in her eyes looks dulled somewhat.

"Karin, what happened to my mother? I mean, I know that you told me that the police believe that she committed suicide but…"

The younger woman trails off, waiting patiently for an answer.

"We don't really know right now. We're still searching," Karin says softly. "But you shouldn't worry about what happened to your mom. Everything will turn out in the end."

"I hope so."

Karin nods her head, hoping that the older woman understands what she's saying. The silence settles around the room, both unsure of how to continue their conversation. Eventually, the redhead decides to break the silence.

"Why don't you take a shower and get dressed? You can use mine if you'd like."

"You don't need to do that Akane. I've got my own clothes here."

"Please let me, it's not an issue. Plus I would feel a lot more comfortable if I knew that you were clean and dressed before we left."

Karin hesitates for a moment before nodding in defeat and making her way towards the bathroom.

Akane turns around and makes her way towards the kitchen; she needs to start dinner. While she washes the dishes Karin thinks about the day before and how she had woken up in a warm embrace by someone whom she cared deeply about. It didn't seem real.

She shakes her head and continues washing the dishes in silence, trying to push the thoughts out of her mind.

A while later Karin emerges from the bathroom fully dressed and makes her way to the living room where Akane is waiting. The brunette stops dead in her tracks when she sees the redhead laying on the couch in nothing but a black bra and underwear. Without thinking she rushes towards the couch, dropping the rest of the clothes in the hallway as she goes.

"What are you doing?!" Karin exclaims nervously.

Akane sits up and pulls the cover over her naked body, giving the younger woman a smirk.

"Well hello. Didn't expect you to be so interested in what I'm wearing," She says in a suggestive tone of voice.

Karin blushes and stares at the floor embarrassed by her reaction.

"Come on now, give me a kiss."

Karin leans forward and gives Akane a small peck on the lips. They remain standing in place, staring at each other quietly for several seconds.

"Well I guess I should go," Karin eventually says, breaking the silence between them. "Thank you for everything."

"You're welcome Karin. It was my pleasure to spend time with you last night."

"You could always come back and visit whenever you're free."

"Maybe sometime next year. Right now though I am going to miss being alone with my book."

Karin starts walking towards the front door, turning her head back slightly towards Akane and smiles at her.

"See you later then. Don't forget to lock the door behind you when you leave."

"Of course I won't."

Karin leaves the apartment and locks the door behind her leaving the older woman behind with the sound of the door closing echoing through the hallway. The redhead walks towards her car, still unable to believe what had just happened earlier in her life. She unlocks her car and climbs inside before placing the keys into the ignition and starting the engine.

Chapter 2

Karin walks towards the door, unlocking it and entering the apartment. After setting the boxes of clothes on the kitchen table she heads into the living room, dropping herself into the chair in front of the TV. She turns on the television and begins watching a random documentary until she becomes bored and decides to go into her bedroom to change into some more comfortable clothing. After changing into some loose fitting shorts and a t-shirt, Karin picks up her laptop and opens up her laptop, ready to get started on her research for the following week.

Karin spends the remainder of the afternoon researching in an attempt to find answers for herself regarding her symptoms. After hours of searching she finally finds one answer. Her research results indicate that there may be an underlying psychological reason behind her problems. She tries to think back to the times she felt sick or tired in the past few months. She recalls several instances where she had fallen ill during the summer vacation.