Stars and the Moon
Ayaka Yukihiro heaved a large, heavy suitcase up the stairs to the fifth floor and wheeled it along the ground to the third door on the right. Eyeing the plaque that indicated that this was, indeed, her room for at least two more years, she sighed and heaved the heavy wooden door open with her hip.
Inside, a young woman with long brown hair that was braided in the front looked up from unpacking her small duffel bag. She smiled warmly at the newcomer, who was fretting about the five other bags she had left downstairs. The woman ceased unpacking a few shirts and a couple of battered old books and greeted her new roommate.
"How do you do?" she said pleasantly. "My name's Chizuru Naba, and I'm going to be your roommate. Who, might I ask, are you?"
Ayaka's gaze shifted uncomfortably around the room. "I….am Ayaka Yukihiro, and I want to go home."
Chizuru smiled again at her, a smile that brought Ayaka a strange sort of comfort. "You'll grow used to this place, I'm sure. After all, you do only get out of if what you put into it!" With that, she turned and finished unpacking, then sat down in a large, overstuffed chair and began to read a book of short stories.
The blond looked uneasily around the room before turning downstairs to retrieve the rest of her luggage.
Her roommate had the largest breasts Ayaka had ever seen on a girl her age.
Slowly, but surely, Ayaka was growing to adjust to life outside of her grand house. She still visited frequently, but her parents insisted she would have a better experience if she lived away from home. However, the dormitory life wasn't proving to be so bad, and with a roommate such as Chizuru, how could it be bad? The girl was a domestic goddess: she cooked well, cleaned well, and didn't mind doing tasks such as laundry. It was as though Hestia, goddess of the hearth, had landed upon the Earth and was washing Ayaka's unmentionables.
Ayaka soon learned that Chizuru wasn't an incredibly complex girl. She loved to nurture, more than anything. Her maternal nature had effectively made her the mother hen of the class, and she didn't mind counseling people when they had problems. At Christmas, she was easily pleased with a woolen scarf or a book, particularly collections of short stories. Chizuru would be happy for hours if she had one of her anthologies or a puppy or rambunctious child to look after. She had a peaceful, easygoing nature and could often be found sitting quietly in a chair, either reading or thinking. Her words were careful and well-chosen, and she didn't waste them on flowery dramatics. The one thing she hated was being lonely.
The wealthy blonde could hardly have been more different if she tried. Ayaka was loud, dramatic, and begged for theatrics. She made mountains out of molehills and just as easily tore them down again as new events occurred in her life to dramatize over. She had grand dreams and was often caught with her arms spread out wide and her eyes turned upward, looking far ahead into what was sure to be a grand future. She was placated easily with material goods, but only the finest ones. She fell in love too hard and too often and was the victim of many a broken heart. All that she had in common with Chizuru was her distaste for violence and chaos, but aside from that, the two were as different as warp and woof. The two made unlikely friends: Ayaka tore off on yet another dramatic soliloquy, while Chizuru giggled quietly and glanced up at the stars through the small kitchenette window before returning to the dishes.
"Merry Christmas, Chizuru!"
Ayaka handed her friend a beautifully wrapped package, gleaming silver and white in the lights strung decoratively around the room. Chizuru took the gift and tore off the lovely paper slowly, as was custom. She slid off the lid of the box to find two things: an alpaca scarf in a rich golden knit, and a collection of short stories written by children. The proceeds benefited an orphanage that would begin construction in the spring.
"Ayaka, they are both wonderful, thank you. I will cherish them always." She embraced Ayaka happily before sitting back on her heels and handing Ayaka her gift. Ayaka received from Chizuru an angora sweater in the purest white, and a flower arrangement made entirely of origami flowers, made by Chizuru during her spare time over the past few weeks.
Though the sweater was not of the best quality and some of the papers had been dented in a few places, Ayaka didn't care, because Chizuru had given her these things, and that was far more important than the quality of a sweater.
No one ever accused Chizuru of being bold—that was, until the night she decided to fall in love.
Though one might argue that no one decides to fall in love, Chizuru believed that the stars were telling her to do so. She glanced heavenward and saw the constellations sparkle in a way that moved her heart deeply, and so she decided that she would fall in love.
And she knew exactly with whom she would fall in love.
That night, she brought Ayaka up on the roof with her to gaze at the stars, as they had done several times before. Ayaka was becoming skilled at identifying constellations, though she still couldn't tell Cassiopeia from Cygnus. She traced out patterns with her hands absentmindedly. "Chizuru-chan?" she asked of her friend. The brunette turned her head and inquired of her, "What is it, Ayaka-san?"
"How is it that I could get Negi-sensei to fall in love with me?"
"I'm not sure. I don't think you can force him to fall in love with you. One shouldn't force what does not feel right."
Ayaka sighed deeply. "But it does feel right! So right, deep down in my heart, I know we are meant to be together."
Well, I hope for my sake you haven't looked too deeply yet. Chizuru smirked, and began to put her plan into action. She slowly undid the knot of her tie and slid it off from around her neck, tossing it aside. The night air was still warm with the day's heat; despite this, Ayaka shivered slightly as she inclined her head towards Chizuru. "Ayaka, there are many things that our hearts tell us are right…many, many things." She slid on her hands and knees towards the blonde, undoing one of the buttons on her Oxford as she spoke.
Ayaka blushed lightly and turned away, but Chizuru insisted on holding her attention. She undid another button. "At times like those, when we are faced with conflicting emotions, we must look to other sources for guidance." Another button. "My, it's warm out here, isn't it?"
Ayaka nodded hastily in agreement, her blush spreading further across her face. Why her roommate had to have such large breasts…her cleavage was half exposed, only one more button and who knew, perhaps they would spill from her shirt entirely…
"Ayaka Yukihiro…you should look to the stars for guidance." She slid fully over to Ayaka and rested her breasts on her shoulder while wrapping her arms around her neck. "Would you like to know what the stars are saying?" She undid the fourth button on her shirt.
The blonde looked to and fro, anywhere but the full chest resting on her shoulders and back. She finally resisted temptation and stared longingly at Chizuru's breasts, afraid of what her heart might be truly telling her and yet insanely curious of it as well. "Chizu-chan, what are the stars saying?"
Chizuru smirked. "The stars think that you should forget all about Negi-sensei, and be with me." And she kissed Ayaka full on the lips.
From then on Ayaka knew that perhaps she should take her time and fall in love more slowly.
Somehow, a love that the rest of class 2-A had known to be simmering just below the surface became so blatantly obvious the night after Ayaka and Chizuru had kissed. Bets had been placed on how long it would take the two to recognize feelings for each other, though no one had wagered it would take them nearly a year to surrender to the attraction that the other classmates could sense so clearly. Haruna had congratulated both of them enthusiastically and promised that she would dedicate her latest manga to the two of them. Ayaka blushed bright crimson, and Chizuru gently but firmly declined the offer. Even Negi-sensei was happy for the couple, though Ayaka could not help but search his eyes for a trace of disappointment that she was in a relationship. She found none, and could not help but feel somewhat crestfallen herself.
The next weeks and months passed as they normally had, though something in dynamic between Chizuru and Ayaka had changed. They proceeded with their daily lives as normally as ever, but with stolen kisses in between classes and the occasional fondle. Ayaka assumed that she was the dominant one in the relationship—her personality indicated as such—but it always seemed that wherever Ayaka's wild mood swings took her, Chizuru held the reins and was ready to pull her back to Earth whenever she lost herself in space.
Chizuru's boldness shocked Ayaka from the moment she kissed her atop of their dormitory building. Chizuru was the protagonist, Chizuru was the one to instigate everything, Chizuru decided when it was time to begin, and when it was time to stop before they regretted their actions. Their ministrations and affections never manifested in lovemaking, though Ayaka and Chizuru both would not deny the temptation had been there during several heated moments. Most frequently they lay together on the couch, or bed, and, limbs entwined, kissed and caressed each other passionately.
Ayaka soon learned the ways to hold Chizuru, the way to play her body so as to please her to the fullest. She knew that Chizuru's hands were incredibly sensitive, and massaging them gently with her delicate fingers could make her lover so satiated and so pliable. She knew that Chizuru loved when she fondled her breasts, sucked tenderly at her nipples, and that she enjoyed being kissed nearly everywhere except her mouth. However, Ayaka was quite different, her mouth was easily stimulated by touch, most likely because it was in constant motion. Her legs were receptive to Chizuru's fingertips and many times her lover's mouth had kissed dangerously close to Ayaka's most sensitive, beautiful, and sacred area. Chizuru would often gently touch her there, but the ephemeral feel of her fingertips sent Ayaka into near fits of pleasure, and she would ravish Chizuru's neck, face, and fingertips with her lips.
One night when they were both sixteen, the two had returned to the roof, where Ayaka lay with her head on Chizuru's stomach, the latter's breasts resting on the blonde's head. Negi-sensei had not been her teacher in over a year, and this fact left Ayaka in a lasting depression. She'd tried to hide it as best as she could from Chizuru, but the astronomer was receptive to Ayaka's emotions. She knew that Ayaka was showing up at their dorm later than usual because she was busy talking with Negi-sensei, or inviting him over to her mansion for cookies and tea, or simply mooning over him in some remote location. Chizuru had adjusted to the change easily enough and said nothing when Ayaka swept in, bitter and disappointed, and she offered her lover some choice words of thought and a few tender kisses. Ayaka would seem pleased, and Chizuru would return to cooking dinner or reading her short stories.
Tonight, however, Ayaka was worse than night previously. She seemed on the verge of tears, her eyes were filled with emotion ready to spill over. She looked at Chizuru, her guiding star, for help.
"Ayaka," Chizuru said slowly. "You are not yourself."
Ayaka blinked at her, leaving her expression as nonplussed as possible, waiting.
"You are lacking something in your life. You are not satisfied. You still want Negi-sensei."
Ayaka slowly and painfully nodded. "How long…have you known?"
"Since the very first night we kissed. You gave most of yourself, but you held back. At first I thought you were hesitant about kissing another girl, but when we continued to kiss and you still restrained yourself, I realized that you were not ready to relinquish Negi-sensei so quickly. You always seemed to be looking over your shoulder, hoping that he would be there."
Ayaka let the tears fall from her face freely, sobbing and clutching at Chizuru's bosom like a child. "I'm sorry, Chizu-chan! I'm so sorry! I'm so….I'm so sorry."
Chizuru pulled her close to her and patted Ayaka soothingly, and pushed the girl's head into her breasts. Ayaka always found this gesture comforting. She wept into Chizuru's pillowy flesh and apologized frantically, begging for her forgiveness. "Ayaka, my poor little Ayaka, I never hated you and I never will. I always thought that you would still choose Negi-sensei. You fall in love hard and you fall in love fast." Though Ayaka hated to hear these words spoken about her, she could not deny their truth. She nodded slowly, unable to think of any other response.
Chizuru pulled Ayaka back from her chest and stared deep into her eyes. "Ayaka. I understand that you still want Negi-sensei. I will not stop you. You will not hurt me. I will be able to go on if you want to end this." Ayaka nodded once more, and pushed herself into a standing position. Her figure was silhouetted against the moon. She pulled Chizuru up to stand next to her, the first action she ever instigated. She gazed deeply into Chizuru's eyes, wanting to say thousands of things, to woo her with sensuous words, to sweep her off of her feet, but only "Thank you," escaped from her mouth. She pulled Chizuru into a passionate, dramatic, final kiss, and then, unaware of anything else to do, climbed back down the latter, and left to find Negi-sensei.
Chizuru admired Ayaka for her determination and dedication to her heart. She, too, was dedicated, though she could not force feelings from the person she could see running towards Negi-sensei's dorm, her blond hair streaming behind her. She lay back quietly and watched the stars, and a few tears ran down her face.
She would wait for Ayaka, yes. But she wasn't sure if she would wait forever.
Time wore on and many years passed. Both Chizuru and Ayaka graduated from Mahora Academy, and pursued their different lifestyles. Chizuru did much volunteer work in orphanages around the world until she finally settled in Japan and helped to run a daycare with an elderly woman whom she was also pleased to care for. Ayaka, being of such wealthy background, was not forced to enter the working world, though she did working in floral arrangements for a few years before spending some time on vacation. She dated Negi-sensei for many years until they became engaged. With only a month before the wedding, there were still many preparations to be made and things to do, so she was always busy. Negi had become a permanent teacher at Mahora Academy, and though he had many delightful classes through the years, none struck as happy memories in him as his very own 2-A.
One night in August, the 32-year old Chizuru Naba returned to her apartment to find a beautifully embossed, overly extravagant wedding invitation in the mail. She didn't need to read the names of the soon-to-be wedded couple to know that Ayaka and Negi would be celebrating their marriage in three weeks' time. She did not bother to hide her disappointment from her cat and two fish that lived with her. Tears fell from her face, in a steady, quiet stream. Though Ayaka had never seen her like this before, there was no doubt that the blonde would agree that Chizuru was never more beautiful than when she cried. She sat on her couch and wept, for her lost opportunity and her lost love. Try as she might, Chizuru never found another who stole her heart like Ayaka had. Ayaka was the one, the only one for her, and always would be.
She wrote out an RSVP, which turned into a long letter, which turned into a veritable thesis spanning several pages. However, she could not find an appropriate way to finish it, and thus the letter was stowed away in a drawer and eventually burned. As much as she wanted to support Ayaka, she could not bring herself to go to the wedding, which was to be held in Kyoto. All of 2-A would attend—except for her.
The night before Ayaka's wedding had arrived, and the blonde was a bundle of nerves. She remembered that looking at the stars from the rooftops had always soothed her was she was stressed.
In her nightdress, she climbed the ladder on to the rooftop and lay sprawled across the tiles, gazing longingly at the stars above. Suddenly, she could see Cassiopeia, and Cygnus, and Taurus and the Pleiades and all the galaxies and the planets in a row, and they all told her the exact same thing.
She leapt to her feet and stretched her arms out, towards the heavens, begging to be held again. She looked wildly around for north and she stared in that direction, towards a light she was sure held some significance. She wanted to be held, comforted, pushed against those large, pillowy breasts that were so familiar to her. Feeling abandoned, she dropped to her knees and wept bitterly, her knuckles wiping away her tears just like a child would do. She cried for her mother, for her love, and for her self, as she looked up to the highest part of the sky as the horribly realization dawned on her.
She could have had the moon.