off limits | petalz

13

Yunjin's band was halfway through "Hold on Tight" when Kazuha noticed that Sakura was asleep.

Kazuha had to give props to the girl; falling asleep during a pop-rock concert wasn't something that could be easily done, but it seemed that Sakura had accomplished just that. She was fast asleep, her head lolling, her eyelids drooping as she slept. Her fingers were still tangled with Kazuha's lazily. The position her head was in looked uncomfortable, bent awkwardly over her chest, her hair falling all around her face.

Her sleeping face, though- her sleeping face was surprisingly cute.

None of the worries or hesitations plagued Sakura's face when she slept. She did not awake- even as Yunjin screamed the lyrics, or the crowd howled at Minjeong's winking at someone among them. Not even as Ryujin banged out a furious chorus on the drums or Aeri slammed a riff on the keyboard. She slept all through that.

Kazuha had half a mind to nudge her awake, but she didn't; she instead just continued to watch the concert, her thoughts racing at Sakura's fingers in hers.

Just then, the song ended, and the band executed a smooth transition into their interlude- Good Bones. Aeri started to speak fast in Japanese, opening the song, and Kazuha jolted up in excitement, inadvertently jostling Sakura.

Kazuha froze instantly- terrified for a moment that she had awoken Sakura, but the girl didn't move.

Kazuha exhaled, reassured- until she became aware of a soft weight on her shoulder, and looked down to see a mess of light brown hair there.

Shit.

When Kazuha moved, Sakura's head had dropped onto her shoulder.

Kazuha panicked for a good ten seconds. Should she prop Sakura back up? Should she leave her? Should she slide out and leave Sakura to drop?

In the end, Kazuha didn't move, leaving Sakura's head on her shoulder and their fingers intertwined.

In Kazuha's panic, she'd missed the song, so she jumped a bit in surprise when she noticed the band performing their next song, their debut single Fearless. Yunjin was singing as Kazuha paid attention, humming along, watching as Minjeong launched herself into a killer guitar solo, accompanied by Ryujin smashing the drums.

Her eyes slid over the crowd. Mostly unfamiliar faces in AESSERA T-shirts, but others in everyday clothing just enjoying themselves. There were a few familiar faces, however- Kazuha noticed Rei and Riki at the front, holding a sign that said, We Love You, Aeri; she saw Yu Jimin with her arms crossed, trying to look apathetic while Minjeong shredded on the guitar meters away from her, a teasing grin on her face. She even noticed Chaewon, standing next to some tall guy with spiky dark hair, and assumed that it was Yeonjun. The nerve. Kazuha rolled her eyes and turned to find others she knew, and noticed the three Lee siblings a row over.

She couldn't exactly wave at them, so she took a deep breath, untangling her fingers from Sakura's, and reached over to hold Sakura's waist so that the girl wouldn't fall over. Kazuha grabbed her phone, her hand now free, and sent a text to Hyunseo. Look behind you.

The seventeen-year-old was eagerly cheering along, but when her phone buzzed, she ripped it out of her back pocket like it was a hot piece of metal on her skin. A grin split her face and she whipped around, waving her hands and screaming, "ZUHA UNNIE!"

Thankfully, Sakura didn't wake up, so Kazuha took it as a sign to smile and wave back at Hyunseo. The younger girl grabbed her sisters' arms and dragged them over. Jieun and Hyein stumbled behind her, Hyein's face lighting up at the sight of Kazuha. Jieun smiled and said hello, Kazuha adjusting herself to wave back so that Sakura wouldn't fall.

"I didn't know you were here! Did you know Zuha was coming?" Hyein accused, pointing at Hyunseo. "I had something to give her and I left it at home!"

"Aw, Hyeinnie," Kazuha grinned, readjusting herself again carefully. "What'd you get? You know you didn't have to."

"It's a sample. A food sample. And it was in a nice box and everything too," Hyein accused. Then, turning to Kazuha, she continued. "Me and Leeseo went to this really cute Japanese place and got mochi. And I was gonna give Zuha some!" She pouted, frustrated, and shook her head. "Next time, then. You should totally come with us! And Kento. And maybe Sakura, too." She furrowed her brow, pointing at the sleeping girl.

"Speaking of which, any reason she's passed out on your shoulder?" Jieun asked, lowering her voice to inquire about Sakura's current state.

Kazuha bit her lip. Should she tell? No, she decided. Not yet.

"Kento's away, so I'm showing her my favorite parts of Seoul until he gets back. She apparently sleeps very easily," Kazuha answered, shrugging nonchalantly.

Just as she spoke, Minjeong's fingers shredded out a violent F power chord, her hands suddenly deviating into a wild guitar solo. The noise shot through the venue's sound system like a bullet, and it reached their ears with a burst of intense shriek. Sakura's head snapped up and crashed into Kazuha's chin, snapping the younger's head back so abruptly that she saw stars.

"Apparently not," Kazuha amended. She'd bit her tongue in surprise, and it hurt, but the remark made Hyein and Hyunseo giggle, while Jieun clicked her tongue and reached inside her bag for something cold to relieve the bite Kazuha had accidentally given herself.

"Oh, shoot, I'm sorry," Sakura apologized, still sleepy. She looked up, rubbing her eyes, and reached up to grasp Kazuha's face, turning it left and right to check if she was okay. "I didn't realize I'd- um."

A fast-moving pink blush was starting to spread across Sakura's face, and Kazuha felt her face heat up as one crossed her face as well. "No, it's okay! You were just, um, sleeping, and I didn't want to, uh, you know, have you get an, um, neck cramp."

Fantastic. She'd stuttered so much that it was a wonder she still knew how to speak Korean.

"Oh, um, thanks then," Sakura replied, her face incredibly red as she shook her hair out of her face. The Lee family had slunk away in the meantime, and Hyunseo was back to fangirling over Ryujin, while Hyein cheered on Aeri and Jieun sat back, looking only mildly interested in the concert.

"You're, uh, welcome."

It was then that Kazuha realized that their fingers were still intertwined. Sakura appeared to have noticed it too, because she looked down and smiled gently.

"Thanks. I don't like-"

"-loud noises and flashing lights," Kazuha finished before she could even think. "Don't worry. I had a friend a while back who was afraid of the same thing. I've got you."

The words were out of her mouth before she could realize what exactly they carried, but the smile was already spreading across Sakura's lips. The gentle upturn seemed to illuminate her whole face, and Kazuha felt an identical grin tug on the edges of her own mouth.

"I know."

Without trying to imagine the heavy implications of that statement, Kazuha turned back to the concert, a goofy grin on her face and her heart running a million miles a minute.