I don't know these characters, but I didn't need to. Lovely bit of hot morning reading! I liked the end too - poor lass. Just as no good deed goes unpunished, sadly in this world, no vulnerability goes unpunished either.
Thank you for sharing! :)
I did spot a couple of typos while I was reading:
loose/loosing - lose/losing, gilt - guilt, and how deep that actually rivalry
Oh, it's good to have you bad, Melrick! :D
I must say, you've done a wonderful job of capturing Kizuna's frustration, and her quickly dissolving reserve. It's entirely understandable for her to be frustrated, and even more so to look to someone else for the comfort and caring she feels is missing in her relationship with Kiseki. Takahashi was so intent on comforting her, and seemed so interested in Kizuna for her own sake. But there are things even stronger than love, it seems!
Thank you for a delicious read!