A/N: This is my second fanfiction... I'm sorry if it is not of the best quality. I started this earlier in the week when I was sick myself, and I often tend to feel a lot like Yumi when sick... I don't want to cancel plans, and I just want to be with the person I care about most. I didn't think I was going to write another fanfiction anytime soon... but the idea presented itself during my illness and just would not leave my mind until I wrote it.
Titling it was also a difficult thing! I decided to use "Sparkle, Sparkle, Dream" based on the newest light novel title.
Enjoy!
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"Onee-sama... onee-sama...onee-sama... onee..." In a delirious state these were the only words Yumi could muster while snuggled in her well-worn comforter.
Despite Yumi's silent pleas, Sachiko did not exist within Yumi's room. She had shuffled off to bed at eight o' clock against her will. Yumi's forte had never been hiding her true status; therefore, her mother quickly discovered just how ill Yumi had been and sent her to her room.
In a matter of minutes, whatever logic remained within Yumi in her sickly state fleeted from her quickly. Her eyes fluttered sleepily for a moment, and soon after they relaxed to a closed state.
"Yumi."
It rang in Yumi's ears as soft, bold, and concerned all at the same time, yet it was only a simple utterance.
Yumi grinned immeasurably in this moment. If she could not truly be with her Onee-sama in her room then she would suffice with a wonderful dream.
"Onee-sama..." She tried to make her voice sound somewhat bold; however, the end result of her attempt was a meek whisper.
"Yumi, come with me." Sachiko beckoned to Yumi, waving her pale white hand to signal Yumi to approach her. On her wrist resided a thin silver braclet, and Sachiko herself wore blue jeans, navy blue heels, and a casual pale pink sweater. Her sapphire eyes glistened with merriment that Yumi desperately wished to know the motivation of.
Without speaking, Yumi treaded through a lush meadow to reach Sachiko. Radiant flowers of every variety seemed to poke out from the tall grasses, and a gentle breeze caressed the entire area.
"Pajamas? Why are you wearing pajamas, Yumi? Did you not remember we made a date on this day and rush yourself in order to meet me on time?" Sachiko appeared to be absolutely quizzical, and propped her index finger under her chin and tilted her head to one side.
A sudden wave of horror passed Yumi. She looked down to see a tanuki print set of cloth pajamas covered her body. In reaction to the confirmation of her realization she could only stare at the ground while she felt the heat gather in her face.
An abrupt wind blew through the meadow once again, and Yumi pulled her arms around herself. "Onee-sama, I am sor-"
Before Yumi could even muster the strength to finish her apology, Saciko wrapped her arms around Yumi gently. The raven-haired girl then lowered her head to Yumi's petite shoulder.
"Do not be ridiculous, Yumi. You will become ill lest I help you keep warm. Here- I brought an extra old sweater of mine along." With those words, Sachiko delved into a white satchel and retrieved a pale red sweater adorned with roses on the front.
Slowly, she raised the sweater over Yumi's form and cautiously guided Yumi through each of the openings within the garment. With her new protection from the cold, Yumi was beaming at Sachiko.
"Thank you, Onee-sama. But where are we going?" Inquisitive as ever, Yumi's words were reflected in her honestly befuddled face.
Sachiko only smirked at Yumi before bursting into a fit of small giggles.
"The fireworks, Yumi! Honestly! I should think you would remember with how excited you were about viewing them!" Holding her right arm across her midsection, Sachiko grinned at Yumi once again. Her azure-colored crystal eyes held only Yumi in their sights.
To be able to see Sachiko process such emotions brought a warm tingle to Yumi's heart. She pressed her hand to the red-rose sweater, closed her eyes, and smiled vividly. After a few moments, however, Yumi's eyes flew open.
"But Onee-sama! It's daytime!"
"Honestly, Yumi. You are such a silly girl." Sachiko replied with a face that displayed only honesty. "When it is dark out, is it not night?"
Yumi blinked twice, and then scanned her surroundings once again. It appeared to be very late into the evening all of the sudden. Confusion gripped Yumi intensely, yet she felt compelled to stare at her Onee-sama for even a figment of an answer.
Without an exchange of words, Sachiko's chilly eyes turned to Yumi's large chocolate eyes. An extremely faint blush passed her exquisite features. Sachiko swiftly produced a rather large blanket from her belongings, and carefully folded the fuzzy fabric on the small blades of grass. Lowering her form, she beckoned Yumi to join her by patting an area next to her on the cozy blanket.
Obedient as ever, Yumi quickly plopped herself down on the blanket next to Sachiko. She drew her legs closer to her body, wrapped her arms around them, and tucked her head on top of her knees. Yumi was absolutely clueless about what her Onee-sama was thinking. Even if this was a dream, she still felt pangs of fear that she may upset Sachiko in any way. She berated herself at least somewhat for not at least telling Sachiko how she felt, or allowing herself to be brave enough to at least sit closer to her.
Abruptly, the sky flashed a multitude of brilliant colors. Furious reds, dancing blues, vivid greens, and glowing yellows and oranges tinted the dark canvas of the heavens in large patterns. Small booms accompanied the show of lights in the far distance.
Yumi could only smile. She swore she could now see a small amusement park light up in the distance, and all of the sudden the turn of events made a bit more sense. She must have imagined how a perfect date at the amusement park with her Onee-sama would have ended. Yumi quickly sprawled out on the blanket with her arms and legs spread out while the fireworks continued to rumble the night sky. Her heart beat vividly as she caught Sachiko viewing her once again.
Yumi closed her eyes peacefully while she snuggled into the comfortable blanket. Sachiko rested her hand on the top of Yumi's head, and the silver bracelet she was wearing dangled and glimmered from the light of the fireworks.
"Yumi... I... I have something to tell you." Sachiko began nervously. "Yumi, I..."
Yumi murmured on the blanket. The clutches of exhaustion were claiming her, and she did not possess the energy to halt the progression of her tiredness.
"Yumi... yumi...yumi... yu..."
Slowly, Yumi's eyes opened. Even while in a blurry state of vision, she could see the small display of her digital clock that read 10:30 P.M.. Her bedroom was darkened of course, and she sat up in bed slightly while rubbing her eyes. Yumi did not believe she would be well enough to attend school the next day; however, she sighed with relief upon realizing that it was Saturday night. That is when the dream made absolute sense- she was supposed to have an amusement park with Sachiko the next day, but had to cancel on short notice from her fever.
"Yumi. Are you awake?" A soft voice rose from the area to the left of Yumi in her bed.
"Mmmm... yes. I think so." Yumi responded casually, and then realized another person was in the room with her. Was she still dreaming? Her eyes widened a great amount, and she turned to where she had heard the voice.
"Onee-... Onee-sama?!" Soon after her discovery, Yumi's cheeks turned an even more furious red.
"Yes, Yumi. Are you feeling any better? I can not help but feel responsible for your sickness... if I had been there to take you home on Friday, you would not have had to walk home in the rain." Sachiko grasped the fabric of her pajama bottoms, and stared at the bed. She cast a worried look in Yumi's direction.
"Onee-sama, I'm sure I got sick all by myself. Even so... how did you get here?" Yumi was still definitely confused as to why Sachiko would bother to venture this far to tell Yumi information that could easily be conveyed by phone.
"To be absolutely honest, Yumi... I wanted to see you. When you canceled, I was very saddened. Once I listened to your message fully, I thought you would be too sick to answer the phone. As a result, I requested a ride to your house, and asked your mother if I could stay the night. I brought you some of the best medicine I could find as well, but I can only hope I have not made you upset by doing this, Yumi." Sachiko lowered her gaze away from Yumi's eyes once again. Yumi thought for a moment she saw a blush pass Sachiko's face.
("To be absolutely honest, Yumi... I wanted to see you.")
The message replayed in Yumi's mind almost endlessly. She grinned vividly, and stretched out a little. Even so, Yumi's confidence still played a brutal game against her. She did not desire to break this perfect moment; however, she had to know more.
"But why, Onee-sama? I mean... I'm not worth that kind of attention, and honestly, I'm not too sick now... promise!" With those words being spoken, Yumi drew her comforter to the bridge of her nose and blushed slightly.
"Yumi, you are such a silly girl. Of course you are worth my attention, especially as my petite soeur." She lowered her pale hand to Yumi's forehead with a look of concentration on her face. "In addition, you still have a fever! As your Onee-sama, I am not leaving you until you feel better, Yumi. I will not budge on the matter." She stared at Yumi's eyes as they widened, and she smiled warmly in her petite soeur's direction.
Yumi felt it was time. With a shaken look on her face, she swallowed hard and decided to make the final leap.
"Onee-sama, I... I... that is to say... uhmmmm..." The words would only sputter from Yumi's mouth. She cursed her inability to gather the words cohesively.
"What is it, Yumi?" Sachiko closed her eyes and grinned at Yumi slightly, encouraging her to go on.
"Onee-sama, I love you... a lot. I'm sorry!" With that, Yumi dove under the comforter as if hiding from a monster under the bed. She thought of ways she could rationalize the words that had escaped her mouth. The most ideal seemed to be to place the blame of the effects of a fever on her mental state.
Sachiko gasped slightly in hearing Yumi's words. Yumi only buried herself further under the blankets in a futile attempt to disappear from the world in this moment. Plucking the worn comforter up by the corner, Sachiko stared at Yumi with what appeared to be a comforting look in her sapphire eyes.
"Am I scary, Yumi?" She started. "Did you expect me to be terribly upset?" Sachiko knew it was probably inappropriate, but she giggled anyways. In order to stop herself, she pressed her slightly closed hand to her pink lips.
"Onee-sama... you're not upset? But why?" Yumi's voice came out muffled from her own fears.
"I was planning on telling you tomorrow, during the fireworks after our amusement park date... I was so sure you already knew, though! And I was very nervous you would break our bond over my confession... I practiced how I was going to tell you all week, and had trouble sleeping at night." Sachiko displayed a look that rarely passed her features, one that involved her pursing her lips and staring upwards thoughtfully with a vivid red blush on her cheeks. "I could not help but laugh at the fact that you feel the same way, and that I was worrying for nothing." She smiled widely, and looked at Yumi's quickly reddening face.
"I love you, Yumi. I'm sorry that it took so long for me to say, but I lacked the confidence to do so even though I had already broken my arranged marriage." Sachiko absolutely beamed at Yumi, and then planted a small kiss on her forehead.
It was all a little too much for Yumi to bare. She was exhausted from her fever in addition to feeling absolutely at peace from hearing those words from her Onee-sama.
(I love you, Yumi.")
Sleep claimed Yumi, and she rolled over and breathed peacefully. Sachiko looked at her sleeping form, and listened to her even breathing. She closed her eyes while placing her arm next to Yumi's and interlacing their fingers together.
"Good night, Yumi."
