Blossoms of July
In stark contrast to the size of the house, a short girl rose slightly onto her toes to press the doorbell. She stepped back, gripping the handle of her small wicker basket as she waited to be received by the residents. After a few moments she heard a faint click from behind the door. The handle turned and it swung inwards, revealing the form a woman with dark green hair.
"Oh, hello, Yutaka-chan!" she greeted with a warm smile, as the girl bowed politely. "How are you this morning?"
"I'm really good, thank you!" Yutaka said brightly. She was waved into the porch and slipped her shoes off. "Excuse me!"
"I assume you're here to see the birthday girl? Minami-chan told me you'd be coming over." Yutaka nodded and the woman smiled again. "It's a little early, but I think I heard some noise upstairs a little while ago. I think Minami-chan will be happy to see you!"
"Thank you, Iwasaki-san!" Yutaka bowed again and turned towards the staircase. Minami's mother smiled to herself at Yutaka's expression: it was nice to see someone so happy and carefree these days, especially if they were a friend of her daughter's.
Yutaka ran lightly up the stairs, her stockinged feet making little noise against the carpeted steps. Basket still in hand, she made her way along the hall to Minami's bedroom door. She knocked lightly against the wood. "Minami-chan!" she called lightly. No noises were heard from inside the room. "Minami-chan, are you there?" Still nothing. Yutaka turned the handle and swung the door open as she lightly called, "I'm coming in!"
On the other side of the door, Yutaka's gaze was met with the sight of Minami still lying, curled-up, in her bed. Yutaka smiled and quietly closed the door behind her. She walked around the bed to look at her properly. Minami's arms clutched her sheets around her torso, a slight frown creasing her brow as she continued to dream. Standing by the sleeping girl's bed, Yutaka muttered gently, "Good morning, Minami-chan!" Something in Minami's expression changed, and she seemed to relax slightly.
Enjoying watching her friend as she slept, Yutaka pulled over Minami's desk chair to sit on. Slowly, over the next few minutes, the tension in Minami's body disappeared. Her arms slid slowly under the covers away from her chest, her legs shifted and stretched, and the frown on her face broke; reverting to her normal, peaceful expression. Yutaka giggled silently at her friend's cute sleeping face: lips parted slightly and the corners twitching upwards in a small half-smile.
This lasted perhaps for ten minutes, until Minami turned over to face the door. As she did so, her sheets fell away, revealing her bare shoulders and back. Yutaka blushed with the realisation that Minami wasn't wearing anything to cover her chest, thankful her friend had turned away from her, that she wouldn't be staring at her breasts. Does she usually sleep topless? she wondered to herself.
Shortly, she caught herself staring at the skin of Minami's back. Her face heated, but still she kept looking. She sat there, noticing the soft curves of the flesh over her shoulder blades, the small bumps along her spine, the creases at her armpit...
Surprisingly, she hadn't noticed how the shoulders she was gazing at had tensed again as their owner had turned. After enduring the intense gaze on her back for a few minutes, Minami finally grabbed the sheets and pulled them tightly around her neck. "Oh! M-Minami-chan, good morning!" Yutaka blurted out, surprised at Minami's definite movement.
"G-good morning." Minami mumbled. She turned to meet Yutaka's eyes, only for a moment, her face bright red as she made sure not to let any more skin show. "C-could you pass me...my..."
Yutaka followed her gaze before passing a crumpled t-shirt to her friend, turning her own burning face away as Minami covered her naked chest, the swish of fabric on skin filling her mind. "How long were you awake?"
"...Not long." Yutaka turned around again as Minami uneasily fidgeted with the folds of her shirt. An awkward silence hung between the two: Yutaka surreptitiously noting that Minami had, in fact, been wearing pyjama bottoms; Minami thankful that Yutaka wouldn't be able to ask why she hadn't been wearing her shirt. Realising she would have to back her claim that she had just woken up, she asked "...How long have you been here?"
"Only a few minutes..." Neither completely believed the other. Suddenly remembering the basket, Yutaka presented it to Minami. "I brought this!"
"Thank you." Minami opened the basket as Yutaka looked on, smiling. Inside were a chew toy, made of white leather and tied to look like a bone; a blanket, with pictures of anime style puppies printed on it; and some dog biscuits. Minami looked appreciatively at Yutaka, "I'm sure Cherry will love them."
"I wonder where she is right now?" Yutaka wondered.
"She might be in the kitchen, or lying in the sun outside." Minami slid out of her bed. "If you can wait for me to wash myself, we can go see her together."
Yutaka nodded, "Okay, I'll wait here!" Minami left the room and she lifted a teen magazine to read while she waited. She skipped past the pages of idol news and health advice, including advice of enlarging one's breast size, settling to read a few short manga strips. Minami returned a few minutes later, flushing as she noticed the magazine Yutaka was reading, but didn't say anything. Standing behind Yutaka, she opened her wardrobe and changed into a light shirt and jeans. Although it had her taken a minute or so to change, Yutaka hadn't turned the page.
Minami picked the basket up off the bed. "Let's go."
"Oh, okay!" Yutaka dropped the magazine onto the desk and followed her out of the room. Coming downstairs, they saw the hallway empty of the white fluffy dog. Minami's mother was sitting at the kitchen table, gracefully sipping tea as she read a book.
Crouching in the corner of the room, Minami showed Yutaka the basket and cushions her family had just bought for the dog. Yutaka giggled as she saw how big it was. "Look, look! I can even fit into it!" Yutaka's shoulders shook with laughter as she lay down in it, curling her knees up to her chest and resting her cheek on her hand. Minami had to turn her face away from the cute pose for fear of something showing in her expression.
Minami's mother, looking on behind her, laughed at the sight. "Don't you look adorable? Why don't you just live in the basket?"
"Oh, no!" Yutaka pushed herself into a sitting position, "It's Cherry-chan's present, and she hasn't even got to use it yet!" She had noticed that there were no long, white hairs caught on the cushions.
"I don't think she'd mind sharing, although it might be a bit squashed in there!" She noticed her daughter, fidgeting distractedly with a fibre on the handle of the basket. Had the green-haired girl the same interests as her other friends, thoughts of doggy-ears and a tail might have been floating around in her mind.
"...Is Cherry outside?" Minami asked at last, not quite meeting her mother's eyes.
"Yes, I let her out just before Yutaka-chan arrived." Minami nodded and stood up, taking the basket across to the windowed back doors.
Yutaka crawled after her for a moment, barking "Woof, woof!", before blushing at herself and hurriedly following Minami outside. Minami's mother laughed aloud again before turning back to her book, a small smile still on her face.
The early morning coolness had long since transformed into a beautifully warm July day. Birds sang in the trees of the garden, melding beautifully with the distant rush of mid-morning traffic; the sound of rustling leaves came with the breeze as flowers gently bobbed their heads; and there, in the midst of it all, lay Cherry. In the shade of the parasol she had found a cool place to sleep the day away as she waited for the peace of night time. Her head lifted as she heard Yutaka close the wooden-framed door, before dropping it inelegantly back across her forepaws, showing her great pink tongue as she yawned, and closing her eyes again.
As though eager to be spoiling the dog's nap, Yutaka gleefully ran over to stroke the big dog's fur, it's eyes wincing when she patted her head. "Good morning, Cherry-chan!" she crooned sweetly. "Aren't you just a lovely big dog? Happy birthday!"
Minami crouched down beside her to scratch behind her ear. "Happy birthday, Cherry." Cherry opened her eyes in recognition of her master, before submitting herself to more petting.
"I brought you some presents, Cherry-chan!" Yutaka giggled, pulling the basket over. Cherry snuffled as the sound of crinkling plastic wrapping brought the smell of dog biscuits. "Is it okay?" she asked. Minami nodded and the suddenly attentive Cherry tugged the biscuit out of her hand. Suddenly standing up, the fluffy canine had decided to brave the sun's heat for a few minutes and walked across to the flowerbed.
Minami deadpanned at the sight, "She's just going to bury it again. She'd better not dig-up any shrubs..." Yutaka just laughed.
When she had finished hiding her treat away, Cherry took a few laps from the metal dog bowl in the shade of the house, before dropping down in the shade of a small tree growing beside the house. Of course, Yutaka quickly got up after her to stroke her fur again. The dog turned her head away in annoyance.
"I have this for you as well, Cherry!" Yutaka proudly presented the leather chew-toy. Cherry sniffed curiously at it for a moment, before taking it between her teeth. She tugged at it, holding one end down with her paws for a while, until seeming to realise that she wouldn't be able to eat it at all, and leaving it on the ground beside her.
Minami picked it up again, waving it half-heartedly in front of her pet's nose until she turned her head again in disinterest. "...She'll probably play with it again later." she assured Yutaka, although she didn't seem too bothered by Cherry's lack of attention.
"She has it for when she'll want it, that's what's important!" she smiled, stroking the dog's gently rising and falling flanks.
The two girls sat there for a while, enjoying seeing the big white dog in peace, as well as the gentle sounds of nature in the garden, and the sense of companionship they felt between them in the silence. Minami was the one to eventually break the silence. "If you're feeling hungry, we could have lunch right now?"
Yutaka looked into her eyes, happiness bright on her face. "I'd like that, Minami-chan."
Minami cleared away the plates of their generous lunch as Yutaka looked again to her basket. "Oh! We didn't show Cherry-chan her new blanket..."
"Why don't we put it in her basket and we can show her when she comes in for a sleep?"
"That's a good idea!" Yutaka smiled brightly. She unfolded it as she walked across the room to the basket. Minami came over to help straighten the folds. "Konata-nee-chan gave it too me." Yutaka explained, indicating the anime style puppies patterned onto the blanket. "She bought it by mistake because she thought it was merchandise for an anime she liked, but it turned out to be from something else when it arrived, so she gave it to me."
"That was nice of her."
"I'm glad that Cherry's going to be making good use of it. I hope she likes it better than just lying around outside."
"I'm sure she will, especially when the weather gets colder." Yutaka nodded in agreement. She reached to straighten a fold that Minami had noticed herself, and their hands brushed together. They jerked their hands away in embarrassment, although they savoured the memory of the contact. The slightly awkward moment was ended by a noise from the door. Through the glass they saw Cherry, pawing the wood of the door. Minami stood to let her inside, and the dog quickly slipped inside.
Sensing the moment, Yutaka called over, "Cherry-chan! Look at this blanket I got for you!" Cherry stopped, turning her head towards Yutaka. Her gaze found her new, blanket-lined basket for a moment, before stalking off and dropping onto the floor of the hall. Minami deadpanned again and Yutaka smiled. "It'll be here when she wants it."
The two girls spent the rest of the afternoon watching TV, talking and playing games. They passed Cherry a few times, still lying in the hallway where they had left her. They enjoyed spending the day together, and hardly noticed as the day passed by. Before they knew it, it was the evening, and Minami's mother was calling them downstairs for dinner.
"Okay! We'll be right there!" Minami called. They got up off their seats on Minami's bed and made their way downstairs. As they entered, they noticed that Cherry had moved beside her food bowl, and had taken a few mouthfuls before seemingly going back to sleep.
Throughout dinner, Yutaka kept glancing over at the dog, wondering why she hadn't decided to lie in her basket instead of on the floor. Minami's mother smiled at her concern. "Don't worry, Yutaka-chan, she acts like this every evening. She'll find her way over to the basket sometime tonight."
"Okay..." Yutaka didn't seem completely convinced. After dinner, and she had thanked her host for the meal, Yutaka moved over to the basket again and curled-up inside it. Minami, who was still eating her ice-cream dessert, almost dropped her spoon in surprise at seeing this again. "Cherry-cha~n!" Yutaka crooned to the dozing dog. "Don't you want to come and lie in your big new bed?"
The ice-cream on the spoon in front of Minami's face began to melt from the heat of her cheeks, while her mother laughed jovially at the sight. "Lucky dog..." she thought to herself, almost bitterly, when Cherry didn't react to Yutaka's call. Then, as though reading her mind, Cherry got up and walked over to Yutaka, whose face broke into a smile of triumph. She dog stood beside her for a moment, glancing down into the red-haired girl's face, before burying her snout quite far up Yutaka's denim skirt..
The girls' eyes went wide with surprise as Minami's mother almost burst with laughter. Yutaka could do little to move the dog in her position, and it was a few seconds before Minami was able to get up, face radiating heat like never before, and purposefully drag Cherry away. Yutaka quickly stood up, taking a few steps away from the basket as she hid her eyes behind her bangs. Minami absently let go of Cherry, who quickly settled into her basket and closed her eyes.
No-one spoke as the waves of laughter gradually faded away. Minami's mother finally calmed down enough to speak. "Oh, Yutaka-chan! I'm sorry, but that was so funny!" she started giggling again as Yutaka finally glanced at Minami, a red tinge still on her cheeks. "Why don't you girls go and play: I'll clean up. It's getting late, so why don't you just stay the night? Minami-chan wouldn't mind that, would you?"
"...Um...No, that's fine..." Minami muttered.
"Okay then. Yutaka-chan, you should give your uncle a call, to let him know you're staying over."
"Right..." Yutaka was finally able to speak, wincing as Minami's mother continued to giggle. She went upstairs to find one of the house's cordless phones, her face hidden from Minami's sight.
Minami noticed Cherry looking up at her. "That's not very nice, Cherry. Bad girl." Cherry huffed, looking at her sidelong as though reproaching her, before turning her head away again. "Thank you for dinner." she said to her mother, shoulders still shaking with mirth, before following Yutaka upstairs.
"Yutaka! Where have you been all day? Konata left for work hours and I've been here, by myself, bored all day! Care to give me an explanation?"
"Oh," Yutaka responded. "I'm sorry, uncle. I've been over at Minami-chan's house since this morning. They invited me to stay the night, but if you'd rather I came home-"
"What? No! By all means, stay over at your little friend's tonight! In fact, I practically insist! Now, you girls enjoy yourselves, alright? I won't keep her waiting for you any longer! Goodnight, Yu-chan!" #Click#
Yutaka sweat-dropped, staring at the phone in her hand. "`I won't keep her waiting for you`..." She turned around and saw Minami standing by the door. "Um, my uncle said I can stay..." Minami nodded. They were in Minami's room, Yutaka sitting on the bed as she made her phone call.
"...Yutaka, are you okay? Cherry surprised you and-" Minami stopped as Yutaka shook her head.
"No, I'm fine. It's just that..." Yutaka didn't finish. She seemed to struggle internally with something, and Minami came over to sit next to her. She took a deep breath, "Onee-chan said something this morning, and-" she hesitated, as her cheeks reddened again. "-I didn't think she was serious. But when I opened the basket earlier, I found..." Unable to say it aloud, she reached into the basket they had left there and pulled-out a headband with brown, floppy ears, and a belt with what looked like a tail attached. Minami blushed as she guessed what her friend's cousin had implied. Yutaka carefully hid her face again behind her bangs. "Because of that, it was in the back of my mind all day. That's why I did...the thing in the basket. You were busy watching Cherry and I-" she caught herself as she began rambling. "When she stuck her nose up...up my skirt...it really...surprised me..."
Minami, not usually one to make physical contact, gently put her arm around Yutaka's shoulders. Yutaka hugged Minami's waist, leaning her head against her shoulder as the constant rhythm of her heartbeat gently helped her calm herself. Feeling the smaller girl relax beside her, Minami put her other arm around her hugging her closer to her.
A few minutes later they separated, as they heard footsteps coming up the stairs and along the hallway to the room. Minami's mother opened the door, seeing them sitting awkwardly beside each other before asking, "Yutaka-chan, did your uncle say it was alright for you to stay over?"
"Yes, he said he's fine with it."
"...I'll get the futon out." Minami offered, moving to get up.
"Actually, Minami-chan," she was stopped. "I think the sheets that I usually keep aside for the futon are all being washed right now." She looked to her daughter. "Do you think she'd be able to sleep in with you?"
Yutaka blushed visibly while Minami, relatively calmly, said, "Yes, that should be okay."
"That's great!" Minami's mother said, pleased with how the problem had been sorted-out. "Well, I'm going to go to bed now. I'll leave it up to you two when you want to sleep: all I ask is that you don't make too much noise. Goodnight!"
"G-goodnight!" Yutaka stuttered.
"Goodnight." With one last smile, Minami's mother left the room, closing the door behind her. Only now, after taking a quick glance at Yutaka, did Minami show any embarrassment at having to share a bed with her.
"M-Minami-chan, I don't have any pyjamas."
Minami's mind raced for a moment at what this statement might entail, before she regained control of her thoughts. "...I have an old pair in my bottom drawer...You might fit into them."
They had spent the last hour or so talking amongst themselves, avoiding for a while the topic of having to sleep together. Eventually, Yutaka's yawning indicated that it was about time to be going to bed. The girls had turned away from each other as they changed, blushing at the thought of what the other was doing just behind them. Turning back around, Minami's gaze was met with the sight of Yutaka: hair loose around her shoulders; sleeves falling past her wrists; trousers far too long at her ankles; and shirt unbuttoned at the top, revealing the line of raised skin along her collarbone.
Minami's pyjamas, on the other hand, left little to Yutaka's imagination, as there was little there to fantasise about at all. The girls only looked at each other in glances, eyes darting away whenever they saw the other looking. Yutaka slowly moved towards the bed, slipping under the covers as Minami, on the other side, did the same. They lay there in silence, constantly aware of the presence beside them on the descent-sized bed until, eventually, Minami turned-off the lamp.
After a few minutes of silence, Yutaka spoke. "Minami-chan." she muttered. "Thank you for letting me visit today. I really enjoyed it."
"...No, thank you for coming, Yutaka. I had a lot of fun today..."
"I think Cherry-chan enjoyed herself too, in her own way!" Yutaka laughed, before falling quiet. "Minami-chan..." she said hesitantly, a few moments later. "When I was doing...you know...the doggy thing..." Minami turned to look at her, making Yutaka even more uncomfortable. "...I was...watching you to see what you thought." she eventually blurted.
For a moment, Minami wasn't sure what to think. "...Why did you want to know that?"
Yutaka turned to meet Minami's eyes with a strong, determined gaze. "I was wanting to try and look cute...for you." Despite the darkness hiding much of her features, her resolve wavered and she turned her face away, unable to look Minami in the face any longer.
Minami turned away as well, collecting her thoughts at the meaning behind Yutaka's words. She felt her friend shaking beside her through the mattress. In her mind, she eventually brought together the words, "...You always look cute to me...Yutaka..."
Yutaka gasped slightly, shaking harder for a moment before stopping. She rolled over to face Minami. "...Really?" Even in the dark, it was easy to make-out Minami's nod. Suddenly very shy, Yutaka hesitantly reached her arms out to Minami, who had already reached her arms out to pull Yutaka to her chest. They lay there in each others' arms for a minute, enjoying the closeness of their bodies, and their hearts beating together. Yutaka turned her face up to Minami's, who licked her lips with the tip of her tongue in anticipation. They closed their eyes, faces inching closer, until a warm softness consumed all their other senses.
Suddenly, the door clicked loudly open, and the two girls sprang away from each other in shock. A faint light entered the room from somewhere in the house, unbroken by any silhouette in the doorway. Instead a low panting noise filled the room, making the two girls panic for a moment, until a familiar weight leapt up onto the bed and settled down between them.
"Cherry!" Minami said, relieved. "You're not sleeping in your basket?"
"I don't even know what I thought she was!" Yutaka laughed, stroking the big dog's soft, thick fur. The two girls petted Cherry for a little while, before remembering what had been interrupted. There was hardly any room left, with the dog lying between them. Lying back down, they held the other's hand, lacing their fingers together.
"Goodnight, Minami-chan." Yutaka mumbled sleepily.
"Goodnight, Yutaka."
I love you...
A.N. This was originally written for Zokusho's fourth Challenge (Someone's birthday is coming, and Yutaka wants to make it special)on his Mostly Lucky Star Forum, but since I'm so far past the revised(?) deadline (blame a certain nature documentary and '70's comedy show), I have accepted my need to forfeit my right to earn votes. It's not stopping me from publishing it though, and I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it!