A/N: This is actually the very first story I wrote for MSGM FF. While it follows the original storyline of Volume 1 of the light novel (episodes 1 – 3 of the anime) fairly well there are, because of the different point of view, some additional scenes; along with some gratuitous "service" at the end just because it was fun.
I hope you enjoy. Please feel free to review or comment.
I do not own any of the characters of MSGM. All such honors belong to Oyuki Konno.
Chapter 1
Click, click, click, click, click . . .
"Never take one shot when 4 or 5, or a dozen, will do" was the motto that Tsutako Takeshima lived by; that and to never go anywhere without her camera. Tsutako wanted to become a professional photographer upon her graduation from college. Her love affair with the camera had begun towards the end of her elementary school days when she had the chance to wander the high school division of Lillian Girls Academy one year during the school festival. The photography club's exhibit of various types of cameras – from new to ancient – and the artfully presented photographs that had been taken with these uncanny devices had sealed her fate.
She had gone straight from the festival to her piggy bank and that poor, porcelain animal had given up its life to help purchase her first digital camera. Although cheap by comparison to the higher quality cameras available at the time, the photos that first camera had produced were, at least in her opinion, exquisite. She had discovered an innate talent for finding and taking photos that became the envy of every amateur photographer in the school. While she frequently took photos of flora, wildlife, and scenery, her favorite subjects would always be people; particularly high school girls.
Due to her outgoing personality, charm, and obvious love of her art, she seemed to be able to win over all but the most stubborn of her targets. This ability also made her the darling of the school newspaper staff. Although she was not an actual club member, the editors and writers for the Lillian Kawaraban sought her out as photographic support for their most troublesome articles. These typically fell into the area of gossip, innuendo, and your basic tabloid journalism (no one said that the editor's were above reproach in the performance of their art) but Tsutako took it all in stride. She loved taking photos of people in all kinds of situations and seemed to luck into being in the right place at the right time more often than not.
Thus, she found herself once again in the perfect position for the perfect picture.
It had begun as a joke.
Yumi heard the soft clicking of a camera shutter and sighed in resignation.
"Come out, come out, wherever you are Tsutako-san," she called.
Tsutako came wandering up over the low rise of a nearby ridge, laughing at being caught out. "You are getting very observant Yumi-san. Most people would never have known I was there, let alone taking their photo. So what was that expression just now? That was a new one."
"Never you mind Tsutako-san. I just had some things on my mind, nothing special," Yumi replied with a smile for her friend. She had been studying on the lawn outside the education building in her favorite spot and enjoying the early summer sunshine. Katsura-san was off at her tennis club and she had thought Tsutako was at the photography club.
"What brings you here Tsutako-san?" she asked, "I thought you had club activities today."
"Nope, just like you I'm simply enjoying the day and taking the opportunity to capture some exciting expressions from my favorite target," she giggled, sitting down beside Yumi.
"I thought the Rosa Chinensis en Bouton was your favorite target," Yumi said with a frown, "How did I suddenly get moved up a spot?"
"Since you're here and she isn't," the bespectacled photographer replied with a grin.
"What do you mean? She is right over there," Yumi said, pointing across the lawn towards a small copse of trees.
Tsutako followed Yumi's finger and, sure enough, there was the usual object of her camera's desires, Sachiko Ogasawara. Putting the viewfinder to her eye she focused the telephoto lens and brought the image of Sachiko-sama closer. She was sitting on a bench, brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear, and reading a text book preparing for the end of semester finals, just like Yumi-san.
"When did she get here?" Tsutako asked with a thoughtful expression, "I didn't see her when I passed by earlier."
"Just a few minutes after I did," Yumi replied, "I saw her arrive with a few members of the Sachiko-sama Fan Club trailing behind. She turned and said a few words to them, they bowed briefly and then they left. She's been sitting there ever since."
"You know Yumi-san, interestingly enough, I think I could probably find Sachiko-sama these days just by following you around," she ventured with a serious look. "There is something to be said for the theory that two people, destined to be together, will eventually find each other."
"Now who is dreaming," Yumi huffed in annoyance. "If I happen to see Sachiko-sama sometime during the day I consider it a bonus. I do not search her out nor, I am sure, does she even know I exist, let alone search me out. There are such things as coincidences and, in a school setting with a limited amount of open space it is not uncommon for two people to run into each other every so often."
"So you say, but I think I might like to experiment with this," Tsutako said with a grin, "my muse is kicking up a storm."
And so Tsutako had taken to following Yumi-san around, surreptitiously of course, just to see if her hypothesis was correct. Based on what she saw in front of her this morning, she had no doubts whatsoever.
The scene was absolutely beautiful: two young women, dressed in the modest school uniform of Lillian Girls' Academy, standing directly in front of the white stone statue of Maria-sama. The girls were facing one another, the taller one gently fixing the collar and scarf of the smaller.
The taller had a serene smile on her face, as if her thoughts were solely for the one in front of her. The smaller girl, on the other hand, looked as surprised and awed as a field mouse when spied by an owl; struck immobile and unable look away from the taller girl. You could see the adoration in the girl's eyes despite the over-awed appearance.
As the taller girl moved off, her job obviously complete, Tsutako reviewed the shots just taken on the camera's small display screen. It was always hard to tell until she had actually printed out the shots, but it looked like shot 2 was probably the best of the five she had been able to snap in quick succession. After the tens of thousands of pictures she had taken since first picking up a camera she had a pretty good idea as to which would be the most suitable for printing and possible publication. In this case she was sure that she had one for display at the upcoming school festival – given, of course, that she could obtain the permission of the two subjects. She never published photos of individuals without first obtaining their permission.
Luckily she knew both girls and knew it would be easier to approach the shorter of the two first. Even she was awed and, to be honest, slightly afraid of confronting the taller girl without some backup.
The shorter girl, Yumi Fukuzawa, was a first-year high school student here at Lillian just like herself. She had spoken to Yumi many times since the entrance ceremony almost five months ago and had found her to be a sweet and charming, if somewhat innocent, unassuming and unsure girl that would go out of her way to help the few friends she had. With her shorter stature, light brown hair that she kept in two short twin tails, and large, expressive, dark brown eyes, she was the epitome of that meek field mouse. Her one fatal flaw, if you could call it that, was her face. Though undeniably cute, she could never keep her face from displaying all of the emotions that passed through her. It was sometimes startling, sometimes funny, and always entertaining to watch her as thoughts and emotions flitted across her features. The greatest thing about her was her approachability. She could never turn anyone away.
The taller girl, on the other hand, was almost the exact opposite of Yumi. Sachiko Ogasawara was the school idol. Always prim and elegant – a proper Lillian girl – she also came across as somewhat cold and aloof. Some went so far as to call here the "Ice Queen". She obviously cared about both Lillian and the girls attending the school, but her sometimes harsh attitude made her unapproachable by many. And, she was the Rosa Chinensis en Bouton, petite soeur to Youko Mizuno, the current Rosa Chinensis, and member of the Yamayurikai, the student council here at Lillian.
Where Yumi would easily be considered cute and good looking, Sachiko was more classically beautiful. Her tall slender frame and long black hair, accentuated by her ever present poise and grace, made her the poster girl for Lillian more so than anyone else in the school.
No, Tsutako knew she couldn't approach Sachiko-sama directly without some sort of support, and Yumi met her needs perfectly. She would wait until classes ended for the day before approaching Yumi with her request. It also gave her time during lunch to validate and print just the right shot that she was sure would tantalize Yumi the most. Tsutako even had a tentative title for the photo: "Discipline".
Smiling guiltily to herself as she walked towards her classroom, she knew that she was going to end up using Yumi somewhat, but that Yumi would also be getting something from the deal with an opportunity to once again stand in the presence of the girl she so admired.
-0-
Lunchtime found Tsutako in the photography club room plugging her camera's USB cable into the club's computer to download the photos she had taken that morning. Of the five shots of Yumi-san and Sachiko-sama, shot 2 was indeed the best of the lot. It took almost no time to clean and print a color glossy 5 x 7 of the photo and, with a somewhat devilish grin, she looked forward to the end of classes.
Despite having cleaning duty for the day, Tsutako was able to catch up with Yumi just as the girl was finishing up her own cleaning of the music room with a few other girls.
"Yumi-san," Tsutako called.
"Tsutako-san, have you finished cleaning the classroom already?" Yumi asked.
"Yes, do you have a few minutes you can spare me?"
"Of course," responded Yumi with a smile, "how may I be of assistance to our 'ace photographer'?"
Her classmates excused themselves and hurried off to their club activities while Tsutako and Yumi moved to a quieter location down the hallway.
"Let me get to the point," Tsutako started with a smirk, already knowing exactly where this would be going. "You know that I always obtain the prior consent of my subjects before I publish any photos of them; for example, photos like this . . ." she grinned, holding up the recently printed photo for Yumi's inspection.
The brown haired girl's reaction, while predictable, was everything Tsutako could have hoped for. Eyes widening with desire, her hand tentatively reaching for the photo, Yumi asked, "C-can I have this?"
"I thought you might ask that," Tsutako teased, holding the photo just out of Yumi's reach. "I know you are a fan of Sachiko-sama's . . . and I don't mind giving you a copy . . . but I have two small conditions."
"Conditions," Yumi stammered again, still reaching for the photo kept just beyond her grasping fingers.
"That's right, conditions. Neither one should be beyond your capabilities," she continued. "First, that you allow me to display the photo at the upcoming school festival in the photography club's exhibit," Tsutako intoned.
"Tsutako-san," Yumi laughed hesitantly backing away now, hands clutched to her breast, but still wanting that photo, "you must be joking."
"I promise you, this is no joke Yumi-san. I think that this photo has a good chance to win me first place in the photography contest.
"The second condition" she went on as Yumi once again began reaching for the photo, "is that you help me get the Rosa Chinensis en Bouton's permission to display the photo as well."
Yumi's eyes widened again, this time with trepidation, and she started backing away once more from Tsutako as if to put distance between herself and these small conditions. "You can't be serious. You can ask Sachiko-sama yourself. You don't need me!" she exclaimed.
"Despite what you may think, Yumi-san, even I find those in the Yamayurikai to be somewhat . . . intimidating. They seem so much above the rest of us that, at times, they are simply too difficult to approach," Tsutako admitted quietly.
"And you think that it would be any different for me," Yumi squeaked.
"Think about it Yumi-san, Sachiko-sama does not bother herself with the uniform scarf of just any underclassman," Tsutako pointed out waving her finger in front of Yumi's nose, "and yet this morning she retied yours with her own two hands. Do you know how amazing that is!
"Look at this picture," she said, once again presenting the photo for Yumi's inspection. "You look just like soeurs; like an onee-sama correcting the dress of her petite soeur."
"Oh, I could never presume . . ." Yumi exclaimed, hands to her mouth and utter shock in her large, expressive eyes at the thought of her and Sachiko-sama as soeurs. Tsutako could easily read her thoughts as they flashed across her expressive features. It would be beyond impossible. Yumi was plain; uninteresting; a nobody. There was no way that someone like Sachiko Ogasawara would ever be interested in someone like her. These were the thoughts that flashed through the pig-tailed girls mind and were easily deciphered by anyone that knew her.
Tsutako sighed to herself. Yumi's lack of self-confidence was sometimes so painful to see. She was cute, vibrant, funny, friendly to anyone that gave her half a chance, and one of the kindest people that Tsutako had ever met. Yumi just couldn't see herself the way others saw her. She had made a lot of progress since Tsutako had first met the girl. She and Katsura-san had made it a project since the beginning of the school year to try to instill some amount of self-confidence in their little fledgling. She knew she wasn't the best person to help, but she promised to do everything in her power to see that 'potential Yumi' come to fruition. If she could only gain even just a little more confidence in herself, Tsutako could see her becoming a major force on this campus.
And so, after a few more minutes of persuasion on Tsutako's part, the two girls found themselves walking along the cobbled path towards the Rose Mansion, the home of the Yamayurikai, Lillian's student council and, hopefully, the current location of one Sachiko Ogasawara, Rosa Chinensis en Bouton; a girl that, if Tsutako was to be perfectly honest with herself, was sometimes one very scary lady.
I did warn you that this was from a slightly different point of view didn't I. :) As always, comments and reviews are more than welcome.