A/N: Hey everyone, here is the start of a shorter story. I was originally going to do a one shot, but I think it will work out better as a short story. So here is the first part of it, I hope you enjoy it and for those following Strawberry Rivals I am still working on it, chapter 4 is pretty much done and 5 is being worked on.
"O-Onee-sama, I have a question." Fukuzawa Yumi said as Ogasawara Sachiko put the paper she was reading down in front of her. It was a little unusual for Yumi to be telling her she had a question instead of just asking it, though Sachiko figured Yumi didn't want to interrupt her.
"What is it, Yumi?" Sachiko asked as she noticed her friend Rei glance over to her out of the corner of her eye. Today hadn't had any meeting or anything like that, but it had been a busy day of catching up on anything that needed to be. Shimako and Noriko had already finished what they had left over and left, Yoshino had to leave early to do something at home, leaving Rei behind to finish the little work left over. Sachiko and Yumi however took the time to just look over a few things, they didn't really have much actual work to do, they more or less wanted check over their stuff. If you were to ask Rei though, she would say they just wanted to spend time with one another.
Though they were sisters and the student body would probably agree that they were always together, the two seemed to think they barley spent any time with one another. Many students simply thought their sisterly bond was just that strong, but the members of the Yamayurikai had come to a different conclusion. A conclusion that Rei had talked with Sachiko about before.
Yumi paused before taking a deep breath, she was afraid of being rejected, but this was the perfect opportunity to ask. They were almost alone, it was almost time to go, and Sachiko had mentioned earlier when they arrived that they should spend more time together. "W-Well, I was wondering. . . I always spend the night at your house...So... I guess what I'm asking is. . . Perhaps you would like to sleep over at my house sometime?" Yumi asked a bit hesitantly as she fumbled her words around in a nervous mess.
Sachiko's only reaction was a surprised expression along with an obvious look in her eyes, that Rei picked up on right away. Thankfully Yumi had been looking at the table and not at Sachiko.
Rei quickly got Sachiko's attention with a hand gesture as she gave her the thumbs up and silently mouthed, "this is your chance." Of course Sachiko's only reaction was to blush slightly as she recalled all of her conversations with her friend Rei about Yumi. It had taken a long while for Sachiko to finally come out with it, but only about a month or two ago Rei had finally gotten the words from the proud Ogasawara's mouth.
"Fine, Rei. . . The truth is...I...love her, but I can't tell her. She would be disgusted." Those were the words that Rei had been looking for and when she finally got them the long process of trying to convince Sachiko that this wasn't a one sided love began.
Of course that wasn't an easy process trying to convince Sachiko that. Unfortunately for Rei, Sachiko had been dealing with the fact that she might very well be a lesbian and that had done a number on her mind. Thankfully Rei had been there for her though and helped her with these thoughts. Thankfully Rei had seen early signs of this possible development in her friend. It started with Sachiko's hate towards men, which was a very obvious one for Rei. Figuring it might be a possibility, Rei started to look into it more and noticed, that most girls in the school talked about boys from Hanadera, while Sachiko seemed to only think of Yumi. The more Rei payed attention to Sachiko's actions, the more and more she started to question her friend's sexuality, especially once Yumi came into the picture.
Sachiko blinked a few times after thinking back to her confession about Yumi to Rei. She realized she still hadn't answered and it had been about an hour, which in reality was only about thirty seconds, but for Sachiko this was a tough questions that brought up multiple what if's. "Yumi. . ." Sachiko started with another quick glance to Rei who only gave her a nod for encouragement. "I would love to, Yumi. When were you thinking?"
Yumi looked up from the table with rosy red cheeks and a silly smile on her face that instantly brought a smile to Sachiko's. "This Friday, maybe? I mean if you're not busy." Yumi said as Sachiko chuckled at the enthusiasm in Yumi's tone, the young girl seemed so excited to mention Friday, but then instantly change her tone to a more serious one realizing that Sachiko may be busy. "I—f that doesn't work, then there is always Saturday night, or the weekend after. I guess it doesn't—"
"Yumi, Friday will be fine, you don't have to worry so much." Sachiko said still smiling as Yumi stopped talking, caught her breath and gave Sachiko a slight apologetic bow, she had let her excitement and unlimited energy catch up with her again.
"S-Sorry, I am just happy, Onee-sama." Yumi admitted before glancing back to the paper she was reading, this time with a bright smile on her face.
Sachiko could only smile at this action, Yumi had tried really hard to keep her excitement in check. It was also funny to see her try to be so professional at this time. Sachiko always found it endearing, which hadn't gone unnoticed by Rei.
Later that day. . .
"I will see you tomorrow, Onee-sama. Have a good good night." Yumi said with a slight bow as Sachiko smiled and bid Yumi a farewell also.
"Yes, I will see you tomorrow, but do you think it would be alright if I call you later tonight? I would like to discuss the sleepover if you don't mind." Sachiko said as Yumi happily nodded.
"Of course. I look forward to hearing from you tonight." Yumi said before taking a step back and waving one last time before turning to leave for home.
Sachiko stood and watched for a minute as Yumi walked away from her, she loved that the girl was so excited for her to come over. At the same time though she felt a lingering sadness, almost an empty feeling, no doubt emotions brought to life from a one sided love. Sachiko took a deep but noticeably troubled breath.
"You know you're getting depressed over nothing." Rei said as she approached Sachiko a moment later, she had been watching the whole thing. This daily farewell was always followed by Sachiko looking a little depressed, like she missed the chance to say something that she so desperately wanted to. That she so desperately needed to get off her chest before it consumed her mind and drove her to true depression.
"I'm not depressed." Sachiko replied a little firmer though a long time friend like Rei would still notice the slight change in tone from her normal voice.
"Sachiko, I've told you a hundred times. She loves you just as you love her. . . Is it so hard to believe that Yumi might also be... unsure of her sexuality." Rei said a little awkwardly.
"You mean a lesbian, like me?" Sachiko asked with a hint of resentment in her voice.
Rei remained silent for a moment before taking a deep breath. Sachiko only ever gave this hint of resentment when talking of Yumi. "You know I won't call you that, but if you are going to say it, then yes. I also don't think you should be ashamed of that, Sachiko."
"I'm not ashamed, I'm afraid." Sachiko stated firmly before taking a deep breath. "I'm afraid of the consequences that follow this...choice."
"Afraid?" Rei asked a little confused. Obviously she could understand to an extent that Sachiko could fear what her parents would think and possibly what they would do.
Sachiko turned to Rei a moment later and gave a slight nod. Rei could see the uncertainty in her friends eyes. "I'm afraid that if I tell Yumi, she will be grossed out. I'm afraid of what Yumi might say if you're wrong. . . I mean what would you think if your Onee-sama told you she was in love with you and a lesbian?"
Rei remained silent for a moment as she considered Sachiko's words. There was truth, though honestly her Onee-sama telling her that she is a lesbian wouldn't exactly be shocking. In Sachiko's case, no one would see it coming. The only thing Rei could think of to say was, "what if she is in love with you also though?"
Sachiko shrugged as she let out another breath. "I know, but even if she was then I still have the fear of what others would say, let alone do."
Rei could tell that Sachiko was having a mental battle that could probably rival the intensity of world war three. "Sachiko." Rei said as she grabbed Sachiko's shoulders and looked her square in the eyes. "Everything will be fine. Even if by some slim chance I am wrong, Yumi would never turn her back on you, nor would any of your friends. I'm living proof of that. You came to me and told me about these feelings and even told me further that you might be a lesbian...and I'm still here, telling you that there is nothing to worry about. . . That girl that leaves her house twenty minutes early everyday so she can stand at the front gate of the school to greet you every morning, she will still be doing that. The very same girl that also skips eating with her friends to eat lunch with you in the greenhouse everyday, will still be eating lunch with you. That girl that you fear will run away when you tell her you love her will still be by your side every step of the way, even if I am wrong."
Rei sighed as Sachiko stared at her speechless. "Now you can't tell me that the girl that does that every single day and so much more, doesn't love you. You can't tell me that she would leave your side because of something as minor as this."
Sachiko blinked a few times as Rei went silent. She was speechless, Rei had never given anyone a talking to like that, but she had a point. Yumi had always been their for Sachiko, more than even her own Onee-sama. Yumi had always followed Sachiko and even when Sachiko was frustrated and upset, Yumi would be their to calm her. Yumi had always been there, whether Sachiko truly needed her at the time or not. Of course these frustrations were usually brought on by the fact that Sachiko couldn't bring herself to tell Yumi how cute she looked or how much she was falling for her.
"Sachiko, I'm telling you. That girl loves you. The way Yoshino says she speaks of you is enough to know that you are by far number one in her life. So please, take a chance. Tell her how you feel." Rei said a minute later as Sachiko snapped out of her thoughts.
Sachiko smiled as she placed a hand on Rei's shoulder catching the girls attention. "Rei, thank you. I know I've been bothering you with this stuff for far too long, but you're still here." Sachiko said as Rei gave her a smile. "I think I will try and tell her at the sleep over."
"If you want to thank me, then just promise me one thing." Rei started as Sachiko looked at her seriously and nodded. "You won't try to tell her, you will tell her at the sleep over."
Sachiko glanced away from Rei for a moment as she thought about the words carefully. "I. . . promise." Sachiko said, which felt more like signing her soul away to the devil really.
"Good, be sure to tell me how it turned out, though I already have a fairly good idea of what might happen." Rei said with a grin as Sachiko looked at her for a moment confused. "Pucker up!" Rei teased as she turned away from Sachiko and started to walk towards home leaving Sachiko wide eyed and blushing, something that would probably make the front page of the school newspaper if anyone saw.
Sachiko could only touch a finger to her lips as she thought about the possibility of sharing her first kiss with Yumi. The thought sent a rush of mixed sensations coursing through her body, enough to the point where she could only shiver a little and let out a big breath. "I should probably be getting home." Sachiko told herself as she turned and started down the street towards her house, the only thing on her mind now being how she should tell Yumi.
A/N: So there is chapter 1, I hope you enjoyed it. I don't have much else to say about this one at the time that wasn't mentioned at the beginning, except maybe that this was originally supposed to be the flashback portion of the one shot I had planned. This worked out better though because I think it let me get through exactly what Sachiko is feeling right now, which I hope I did decent on ;x. Anyways I hope you enjoyed!