Miranda's eyes fluttered open; that is to say, one did. Her other one tried to, but its vision was blocked by bloody gauze. She was in a hospital, for sure – white walls, medical equipment all around her. The sunlight shone in through the window, filtered by curtains that gently rippled in the autumn breeze. Miranda glanced around; the room she was in was small, and she was the only one inside. Kira was nowhere to be seen. She tried to move but groaned; it was suddenly and rapidly apparent that her whole body ached. Her normally well-kept hair was pasted to the size of her face, and she winced as her arm moved to remove it.
“Oh, dear, no, it's okay, I'll get it,” A nurse said, scampering over to Miranda. She moved her hair away and began making sure Miranda was okay. “How are you feeling?”
“Ow,” Miranda said wearily. “What...what happened?”
“You and your girlfriend got assaulted, miss,” The nurse said sadly, shaking her head. “Bigots, I imagine. You're a registered beta neo, right?” Miranda nodded numbly, now realizing why she was alone in a single room – confidentiality. “I'm sure the police will want to talk to you about the incident. It might please you to know two of the individuals that attacked you poor girls were apprehended.”
“Yeah, they called us unbound and...goddesses, I thought they were going to kill Kira,” Miranda whimpered. The nurse nodded gravely at the mention of the slur. “I'm glad the cops got a couple of them, at least.”
“The fourth is still at large, but the man that Frank O'Connor shot is here in the hospital,” The nurse said, holding a hand to Miranda's arm upon sensing her anger. “Please don't confront him. Let the police handle it, dear.”
Miranda nodded slowly, letting her anger subside; it ached as it left her. “Is Kira okay?” She asked, glancing up at the nurse with her navy blues. The nurse nodded. Miranda sighed heavily, relief pouring out of her. She settled in the bed, closing her eyes against the pain. The nurse began helping extract her from her bandages, and she moved along with the process. The doctors came in, informing Miranda that she had been lucky; her body, while bruised and battered, wasn't broken. Kira was alright; despite running an insanely high fever, she seemed perfectly fine, albeit a bit bruised. Miranda and Kira were asked to stay another day until their injuries healed up to the best of their ability, and then were to be released.
Kira and Miranda met up that night, one of the nurses bringing Kira in to talk to her. Miranda had whimpered apologetically upon seeing the bruised side of Kira's face, but the redhead had hugged her close and inspected her thoroughly, making sure that Miranda was okay. The nurse left them alone for a couple of hours that night, and though the television was on, neither girl really paid too much attention to it, choosing instead to lose themselves in conversation.
“...and I thought, that's it, that's what I want to do – I want to teach children about us, about neo humanity,” Miranda admitted, looking into Kira's eyes. “I know, being a schoolteacher isn't exactly lucrative, I could get a much better paying job as a geneticist or something...but kids are important. They gotta know it's not okay to – to...”
“Beat up neos in the street, call them Unbound, and threaten to kill them for eating at a diner?” Kira mumbled, playing with her hair in that cute way Miranda loved.
“Yeah, that,” Miranda replied hastily. “You sure you're okay?”
Kira smiled. “Believe it or not, I've been through worse. London is not a forgiving place for deltas. We're neos, but our powers aren't...we really can't use them to defend ourselves. It's not like I can throw candlelight at people.” She nodded slowly. “I'm fine, lovely.”
“Good,” Miranda said. She winced as her bandaged eye hurt her. “I hate those bastards.”
“Don't hate, Miranda,” Kira stated firmly. “It makes them win. If we hate, we'll use our powers to hurt and harm, and then they'll actually have a case against us. We're not gods, we're just...different.”
Miranda nodded and winced again as she reached for a cup of water. She sipped it quietly and focused her eyes back on her redheaded crush. “What do you wanna do, Kira?”
Kira's eyes unfocused, staring off into the darkness of the room, pensive. “I dunno.”
“No idea?” Miranda's curious, slightly disappointed tone made Kira's eyes snap back onto her.
“Geneticist is always appealing; I'm intelligent enough,” She said. “But there are so many. I want to do something real, something that will change the world because I did it, not because I was on a team. I know that sounds selfish, but I – I don't know. I want to matter. I want the world to know the name Kira Northvale, not because she is the daughter of Reginald Northvale or the neice of Cedric Percival Dougherty or the --”
Miranda spat water, leaning forward as she tried to stop herself. Kira's eyes were wide with confusion and surprise. “You're – YOU'RE CEDRIC DOUGHERTY'S NEICE?!” Miranda exclaimed. “The General of the North. London's Thor – he's your uncle.” There was not a man, woman or child who did not know Cedric's name from history, when he campaigned for and eventually led the fight for neo human rights in the Purity Wars.
“Uh, yes,” Kira said, frowning. “But like I said that's not what I want to be --”
“No, no, I understand...I do,” Miranda said, nodding slowly. “But the man – he could call down bloody lightning, Kira, how are you a delta neo...?”
Kira raised and lowered a shoulder. “Bad roll of the dice. You see why I want to make a name for myself. My family eclipses me, and the Northvales...I've got my dad's money, and his estate and his legacy because, wanna know why? There aren't any Northvales left. I use his name so it won't die out. So what's that leave me? The Doughertys, and their endless claims to fame.”
Miranda swallowed hard and touched Kira's arm; the fever was on heavy, Kira was practically burning to the touch. “I'm sorry, Kira. Can we talk about something else?”
“Yeah,” Kira said, huffing and settling down. She blinked a few times and sighed. “Sorry.”
“It's fine...please, Kira, it's...it's okay.” Miranda said. Kira looked hurt, vulnerable. Miranda wanted to comfort her, but she also did not want to aggravate the redhead's fever.
“Miranda, I...look, I don't know what you've...what you've been feeling since we started...seeing each other. But I've really enjoyed this. You're wonderful.” Kira said, her eyes twinkling in the dim light. Miranda's heart skipped a beat. Euphoria flooded the ravenette's body and soul. She stared at Kira's gorgeous face; her delicate features, angular jawline, emerald eyes, plush lips. Was now the time? Kira's eyes slowly half-lidded, and the redhead leaned in slowly. Miranda gulped, swallowing hard, and followed Kira's lead.
The girls' lips met, and both melted into the other in different ways. Miranda gushed, leaning forward to accept every drop of Kira's sensual kissing that the redhead would allow her. Her hands trembled as she ran them up the deep curve of Kira's back, and then the little ravenette moaned as Kira's own hands tangled themselves in her hair. Tongues met, tasting each others' lips and mouths in lustful curiosity. Their warm bodies pressed against each other; Miranda could not believe just how warm Kira was. The redhead smiled coyly and bit Miranda's lower lip as the two of them broke the kiss, a single strand of drool connecting the girls' lips.
“H-hnnfngb,” Miranda mumbled. “M-my...my mouth is still...still bleeding. Sorry, K-Kira...”
Kira just licked her lips, a simple motion that made Miranda's legs tremble and her voice catch in her breath like a newly lusting schoolgirl. “Delicious,” The redhead said with a sultry grin. “I'll need to get myself more of that...” Miranda hoped Kira would just tackle her. She yearned to feel the girl tear her neck open with her teeth, and to Irae be damned who caught them. “But not here,” She tapped Miranda on the nose and grinned. Suddenly, her ears perked up, and she snapped her attention to the television. “Miranda! Turn that up!” She requested.
Miranda quickly grabbed the remote nearby and turned up the volume. Kira watched, her eyes wide in concern.
“...agents have found,” The news anchor was saying, standing in front of a charred, destroyed building. Around him, police and government scientists went in and out. “But it has been confirmed that the genetic makeup of Doctor Hasif Nurala, better known as the beta neo vigilante 'Orion', has been found in the ruins of Hotel Siracco.”
Kira's eyes got even wider and she reflexively gripped the bed. Miranda put a hand on her but recoiled; Kira's skin was painfully hot. “K-Kira...your fever...” Kira winced and buckled, but she kept her eyes on the television.
“Doctor Nurala was a renowned pyrokineticist, and disappeared around the time of the blaze,” A gruff military man announced, interviewed by the news anchor. “Sad to say, given his contributions to the world, but we have placed a warrant and a bounty for his arrest concerning the Siracco Incident.”
Kira grabbed the remote from Miranda and turned the television off. Her body trembled; Miranda looked at her, concerned and scared, and upon seeing this, Kira softened instantly. “Oh, I'm so...so sorry,” Kira mumbled, reaching out to Miranda. “Please, don't...don't see me like this.”
“Like what?” Miranda asked quietly, confused. But Kira just stood, kissed Miranda on the cheek, and left, silently crying. Miranda swallowed hard again; what just happened?
Settling into her hospital bed, Miranda closed her eyes. Such a whirlwind of events...but that kiss. That fucking kiss. It had been everything she had ever desired. Kira had worked her way into the darkest corners of Miranda's mind. Everything about the ravenette's soul was pointed at Kira. Worries coated Miranda's thoughts as sleep took her; what if Kira associated Miranda and that kiss with the Incident that likely claimed her father, and everyone she knew in Prescott Heights? No. No, Kira wouldn't...she would be able to see past that, certainly? She wouldn't associate Miranda with such an awful...
Sleep came fast, surprisingly.