Chapter 1
It had been an accident, of course. Yumi had tripped and fallen on top of Sachiko, and their lips had brushed. She hadn't given much thought to that part at the time, because they'd both been rather preoccupied by the scalding-hot tea that had spilled onto Sachiko's lap.
It wasn't until after everything had been cleaned up, and Sachiko taken to the infirmary for treatment of her burns, that Yumi stopped panicking and apologizing long enough to really think about all that had happened. Her first reaction, other than the embarrassment and remorse, was confusion. What was it that she felt for Sachiko?
She looked up to her, of course; adored her, even. Even now that they were soeurs, Sachiko still seemed so perfect, so unfathomable in some ways. But there were also other sides to Sachiko that Yumi was slowly discovering. The Onee-sama side of Sachiko, the one that watched out for Yumi, took care of her, educated her; The nervous, insecure part of Sachiko, that worried about how to support her own Onee-sama, Rosa Chinensis; The sweet, tender side of Sachiko, that indulged Yumi.
In Yumi's mind, Sachiko was slowly transforming from an abstract, untouchable figure into one made of flesh and blood. And Yumi liked this "real" Sachiko as much as she had the idol, if not more so. She loved spending time with her, would have spent every minute of every day with her if it had been possible, though having all of Sachiko's attention focused on her made her a bit uncomfortable. Sometimes when she was under Sachiko's gaze, she felt rather like a worm being dissected, thoroughly checked for any imperfections. Of course, that analogy was a bit off, as Sachiko's eyes were much nicer than a scalpel, or any instrument made by man, for that matter. In fact, they were more than just nice; they were rather exquisite, just like the rest of her. Cold and cutting at times, and warm and inviting at others. A study in contrasts.
Sometimes, Yumi had trouble meeting those eyes at all, and at others, she felt as though she wanted to gaze into them forever, to become lost in them. It was all rather confusing. Her thoughts on the entire matter were rather confusing, actually, and she found herself unable to arrive at any sort of conclusion regarding her feelings for Sachiko.
Though the whole incident was rather humiliating and she would have preferred never to have to mention it again, ever, she really did need some advice. So, having resolved to just endure all the teasing she was sure she'd get about it, she went to see Rosa Gigantea about it the next day.
Once Sei finished laughing at her (which took quite a while, and was rather irritating, really), she looked at her seriously for a few moments, long enough that Yumi began to squirm uncomfortably under the scrutiny.
"How did you feel when it happened?" She asked, finally.
"How did I feel?" Yumi echoed. "U- um, embarrassed. And off-balance." She made a face.
Sei laughed. "It's just like you to answer like that, Yumi." She paused. "Here's another question, then. How do you feel about Sachiko in general?"
"I- She- She's wonderful, and smart, and pretty, and the perfect lady, and-"
Sei held up a hand, cutting Yumi off. "Okay, okay, I can see that's not going to work. How do you feel about her, personally? What is she to you?"
Yumi blinked. "She's my Onee-sama. She... she's strict, but she always takes care of me, and puts up with my clumsiness, and..." She trailed off, frowning thoughtfully.
"How-" She hesitated, wanting to ask but not sure if it would be overstepping boundaries, bringing up subjects best left untouched.
Naturally, Sei understood. "It's all right," she assured Yumi. "You can ask."
Yumi blurted it out, before she could lose her nerve. "How did you feel about Shiori-san?"
Sei paused, her eyes staring off into the distance. "Like... like I wouldn't have cared if everything else in my life disappeared, as long as I had her. She was the person I loved most in this world."
Yumi frowned again. "I don't think I feel that way about Onee-sama. I like her, a lot, but-" She frowned. "And I- I-" She was bright red now, she knew, and Sei was enjoying this chance to embarrass her, a good-natured smile on her lips.
"You don't know whether you want to kiss her again." Sei was painfully blunt.
Yumi, her fact tomato red, nodded.
"Or any girl," Sei continued. "Am I right?"
Yumi nodded once more, very much regretting her decision to come to Sei for advice. She had a very bad feeling about where this was going.
"Well," Sei grinned widely, "there is one way to test that theory." She put her hands on Yumi's shoulders, leaning in.
Yumi saw Sei's lips approaching hers, almost in slow-motion, and panicked. "No!" she cried, shoving her away. "I- I don't want you to."
Sei stepped back, smiling again, though Yumi thought she saw a trace of hurt in her eyes. "I thought not," she said brightly. "But if you're still not sure, you could always try it with Sachiko." She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. "Though you'll probably have to make it look like an accident again, she's too prim and proper to stand for it otherwise. Don't worry, I'll help you work out a plan."
"A plan?" Yumi asked, her eyes widening.
"Yup. Though I think she'd appreciate it if we spared her the hot tea this time." Sei winked.
She considered for a few moments. "How about this: I get her in a tizzy, and you wait behind the doorway for her to storm out and knock you over. Just like the first day you came to the Rose Mansion."
"B- but what if she doesn't fall on my lips?"
"We do it again until she does." Sei looked at her as though the answer should have been obvious.
"B- b- but-" Yumi tried to protest.
"It'll be fine," Sei assured her. "No problem! Besides, what could go wrong?"
Yumi's heart sank.
