A House is Not a Home

First fic in a while. Hope you enjoy! Oh, and please R&R so I can get feedback on whether or not to make this a two-shot, or maybe a story. Thanks!

They stood, side by side in front of their new home. It wasn't huge, but it wasn't tiny either. For them, it was perfect. For them, it was home.

"It's a beautiful home right, Umi-chan?" she looked up at her wife. Her arm was wrapped around the older girl's waist as she leaned against her masculine, yet feminine figure.

"Indeed it is, Kotori." she had her arm wound around the ashen-haired girl's shoulders, holding her close. They had finished moving in and were simply relishing their new home together.

Kotori tip-toed slightly, bring Umi's face down towards her's. Their lips met gently, but contained as much as love as it would if they kissed passionately.

Umi had grown over the years and was a good 2-3 inches taller than Kotori. Her body had also become more toned and solid with added years of kendo and archery. But no matter how hard her body may seem, or how calloused her hands got, she was as gentle as always.

Kotori herself hadn't grown much in height, but she was more endowed than she was in high school. Her breasts were fuller, and her hips formed sharp curves on her figure. But just like back then, she was still a very gentle person.

"I love you, Kotori." Umi leaned her forehead against her lover, holding her closer by her waist. She stared into those bright, amber eyes, falling in love all over again.

"I love you too, Umi-chan. Always, and forever." she looked back at her lover's large, brown eyes that caught her attention the moment she peeked behind that tree.

Their lips met again in a deeper kiss than the previous. Umi's rough hands caressing Kotori's smooth cheeks, while the latter's soft hands held the former close.

They had vowed since Umi first proposed to her that they would be there for one another, and love another through everything. They would buy a house for the two of them to live together, for as long as they live.

But a house is not a home, unless the one who you hold most dear is by your side...

"Umi-chan, can we go out this weekend?"

"I'm sorry, Kotori. I don't have time. I have a deadline this week and I can't afford to spend time not working on this."

"But, you've been stuck with deadlines for the past few months. You should take a break once in a while..."

"...and I want to spend time with you."

"I'm sorry. I have a shorter time to complete these chapters now, and with the dojo to take care of, I don't have time."

Kotori was about to say something else before Umi immediately got back to work. Umi had been really busy and stressed lately since she had to publish her new book while inheriting the property of the dojo.

She understood the bluenette had lots of responsibilities, but she couldn't help but want to be close with her like they used to.

Leaving Umi at home to give her her privacy, Kotori went to meet with her seniors. She walked over to the store where the couple worked and entered, earning a pair of smiles and greetings.

"Hello, Kotori-chan. Long time no see." Nozomi greeted.

"Oh, hey, Kotori." Eli peeked her head in from the back.

Eli and Nozomi owned a popular jewelry store together. Lots of people came by to buy, sell, and repair jewelry, but it seemed it was quiet that day. Kotori was happy about that.

"So, what brings the little bird here?" Nozomi asked as her junior sat on a stool across the counter.

"Well...I just wanted to ask for advice, I guess." Kotori sighed and leaned on her arms against the cold glass. She looked down at the array of rings behind the glass.

"This is where Umi-chan bought my ring from..."

"What's wrong, Kotori?" Eli walked outside and stood beside her lover. She placed a kiss atop her head before directing her attention towards the younger girl.

"I feel like Umi-chan is spending less and less time with me..." she muttered quietly.

"Well...she does seem to have more on her plate than usual." Eli offered.

"I know but...I don't know. I just want to spend time with her." Kotori got up and leaned on her elbows. "For the past few months, she's been buried in papers for her new book, and forms for the dojo. She doesn't sleep much anymore and I've never even seen her eat a decent meal as of late."

"She's just busy, Kotori." something inside her began to crack after hearing that so many times. She's asked her mother about it and she's said the same thing.

"But, she should take breaks sometimes." Kotori insisted.

"Kotori-chan, just give it a bit of time. Once Umi-chan has taken ownership of the dojo and has caught up with her deadlines, all will be well again." Kotori snapped at that.

"And how long will that take?! It's been months since I've had a conversation with her that didn't involve work. She's a lot more distant than she used to be. She used to tell me when she was tired and stressed. Now she barely acknowledges me!" Kotori had kept in all her frustration and loneliness for the past few months inside her, willing herself to keep thinking that Umi was just busy.

"Kotori, calm-" Eli tried saying, alarmed by the sudden outburst.

"No! You know what? Why don't I just ask her? She should have plenty of reasons other than 'I'm busy'!" she then stormed out, ignoring the 'Kotori's and 'Kotori-chan's.

The door was thrown open, and then slammed shut as Kotori rushed into the house. Umi jumped slightly at the sound and cautiously walked over to see what happened.

Kotori stood with tears running down her face. Her breath was uneven as if she had just ran a marathon. And her hands were fisted by her side to prevent herself from exploding.

"Kotori...are you okay?" Umi slowly approached her wife. Kotori normally never got angry, but when she did, it was always easy to just step away. Although, Umi couldn't take seeing the girl like this. All her thoughts about her new book and the dojo flew out the window as she tried to see if she could comfort her crying lover.

As Umi reached her hand out, Kotori slapped it away. The bluenette was undoubtly startled by this, but held her ground.

"K-kotori...what's-"

"Oh, so when I start crying you all of a sudden care?!" Kotori couldn't take it anymore. All of her pent up emotions began pouring out and she didn't know how to stop them.

"What do you mean? I've always cared."

"No you haven't! Have you ever considered how lonely I've been for the past few months?! All you've been doing was burying yourself in work and haven't spent ANY time with me! This may sound selfish, but you and I are married, and we barely have conversations anymore!" Kotori's voice had gone up and octave as she yelled at the bluenette. She looked perplexed but worried at her sudden upsurge.

"I'm sorry...but I've been really busy lately. I had already postponed by deadlines during my parents' funeral so I have to catch up. And if I don't get the forms and documents filled out for the dojo, it'll be sold to someone else." Umi tried to reason. Yes, she had been spending less time with the ashen-haired girl, but she has been trying to catch up with everything so they would go back to their normal routines.

"Why do you even need to inherit the dojo?!" Kotori's eyes widened at what she herself had just said.

"Wait, no! I never wanted to say this!"

"It's just a building!"

"Why can't I stop..."

"It's not like it has any significance to it if you lost it!"

Kotori's eyes widened as she peered up at Umi's shocked face. Although, that face went from shock to anger.

"No significance?! I grew up with my parents there! They raised me there! They were raised there! Their parents and their grandparents were raised there! That is a precious place to me, and you may not think its all that important, but it is to me!"

"I-I..." Kotori tried to stop herself from saying anymore, but she couldn't.

"I'm sorry. Okay?! I have to write these chapters so I can help support us. I have to complete these documents so I can inherit what is precious to me. If you can't accept that then maybe I should just leave!"

"Then maybe you should!"

"No..."

Kotori slapped her hand over her mouth after she said that, keeping her eyes drilled to the floor. She didn't dare look at Umi.

She watched as Umi's feet walked back into the house. After a few moments, she could hear the sounds of zippers siding, and hangers having the clothes on them being ripped off. She could hear the sounds of Umi's books being hastily taken from her shelf and thrown on top of one another.

Kotori couldn't stand anymore and stumbled over to the nearest wall, sliding down it and burying her face into her arms and knees as she continued to cry.

After a few short minutes, she heard the rolling of wheels across the floor and their snack cabinet opened up. She could hear the scrunching of chip bags and the plastic wrapping of fruit bars being carelessly thrown into something. One final zip and some shuffling, and she could hear the rolling again.

"A luggage..."

Umi briskly walked passed her, and Kotori dared to lift her head up to watch the back of the bluenette. The older girl slipped on a sweater and sandals, throwing open the door and taking the luggage, with her.

"Go after her, she's right there! You can still stop her from leaving!"

The door slammed shut and the sound of wheels rolling against cement soon disappeared. The house was quiet, just like it always was. But now, the house was both quiet, and empty.

Kotori went to sleep early that night, hoping to get her head cleared before she had to work the next day. She worked for a company that designed clothes for children, teens, adults, and even celebrities. She normally worked from home and would email her designs to her head of whatever project she was working on. But the head wanted her to come into the office the next day to discuss some things with the whole team.

She ate leftovers from the night before and sulked towards their...well, her bedroom. She scanned the room as she stood in the doorway. Half the closet was empty, half of Umi's books were missing, and all her paperwork that Umi had on her desk was gone.

Kotori crawled into bed and tried to sleep, but saw that she couldn't. She knew Umi worked late into the night, so Kotori never noticed when Umi would slip in for bed. But she always felt a distinct warmth during her sleep. She didn't know how she felt it, she just knew it was there. But now, that warmth was no longer nearby, and she longed for it like she had never longed for anything before.

As fatigue began to take her, she felt the familiar presence of salty tears that always accompanied her during her times of grief.

At work, Kotori tried her hardest to both stay awake, and hold enough focus to pay attention to the discussion. Her co-workers seemed to see that she was exhausted, so tried to get through the meeting without disturbing her too much.

"Here, Minami-san. The others and I took some notes about the discussion. You can email me later if you have any concerns or objections about anything. You can also head home. You look exhausted."

She was surprised by it all, but she gratefully took her co-workers' generosity and headed home after thanking them for the nth time.

As she got back though, Kotori realized that it didn't feel like home anymore. As of now, it was no longer a home. Just a house.

This routine went on for a few days longer. She woke up, ate her fill, reported for work, and went back to sleep. She repeated this several times a day whenever she got hungry, but went back to sleep almost immediately afterwards.

She had showered once during the past three days, but she soon didn't feel the energy to bathe anymore.

Kotori was laying in her bed when her phone went off. She stretched her arm out to grab it and look at the name.

[Honoka-chan]

She waited for the ringing to stop and simply returned the phone from where she got it. Laying for a few more seconds trying to fall asleep, her phone went off again, but it was a text this time. She stared and hesitated before groaning, reaching out and grabbing her phone with a huff.

Honoka had sent her a text message this time. She opened it slowly since she was still drowsy from laying in bed for so long.

[Hey Kotori-chan! It's been a while, hope you've been good! The girls and I decided to have a meet up later today. I know you're busy, and this is really short notice, but I hope you'll come! We'll be meeting at the maid cafe you used to work at. Hope to see you there!]

Kotori realized she hadn't told Honoka about her fight with Umi yet. She had been having this deep feeling of dread and she didn't want to socialize.

She also noted that Honoka said she was "busy". In all honesty, she wasn't all that busy all the time. Umi was the one that always had her hands full with something.

"Maybe Umi-chan will be there..."

Kotori shook her head and buried her face into her pillow, sighing audibly. She groaned again before reluctantly getting up.

Walking to her bathroom, she got a good look at what had manifested over the past few days. Her hair looked as if a cat got in a fight with it and her eyes with red and puffy on the sides, and she has black circles below them. Her complexion was slightly more pale than she remembered and her amber eyes were quite dull as she stared herself down in the mirror.

She sighed again before undressing to get in the shower. When she stood under the raining drops, she noticed how cold they were against her bare skin. It wasn't as warm as it used to be.

Although, after lots of time of contemplating, she realized her house had lost its source of warmth. After all, it was just a house.

"Kotori-chan!" the ginger glomped on her ashen-haired friend as soon as she saw the familiar bun atop her head.

"Hehe, it's been a while, Honoka-chan." Kotori smiled, patting the head of her childhood friend. She hadn't smiled in a while.

"Are you okay, Kotori-chan~? You look like you've been crying." Honoka noted. Kotori stuttered, quickly making an excuse.

"I-I'm just tired...that's all." Kotori muttered quietly. Honoka hummed in thought, but then burst into another smile and dragged her friend to their table.

"Nya! Kotori-chan!" the orange top jumped onto the girl. She honestly wasn't surprised by these hugs anymore. She had grown up with Honoka after all. Although she enjoyed the tight hugs, she missed the warm and secure embraces of a certain individual.

"It's been a long time, Rin-chan." Kotori responded. She greeted the other girls as she sat herself down next to her childhood friend. She noted everyone was present except Eli and Umi.

"So, how have you been lately, Kotori-chan?" Hanayo asked.

"I've been okay. The project I'm working on at the company is going really well. How about you all?" Kotori answered curtly and directed the question back at the others. She wanted to keep as much attention away from her as she could. She didn't want to get into unnecessary conversations.

Hanayo and Rin happily talked about their restaurant. It was a cozy place to go to eat that prized their rice and ramen. Honoka talked about how she inherited her family's shop which was still as successful as ever.

Maki nonchalantly talked about her duty as a surgeon. She also said she would still compose music every now and then. Nico proudly spoke about her rising population as an idol. And being the stubborn couple they were, Maki and Nico began arguing back and forth once again.

Ignoring them, Nozomi followed the conversation as she spoke of the jewelry store she and Eli ran. She noted it was pretty successful. Then she moved to the topic Kotori hoped would be avoided.

"So...how's Umi-chan?" she asked. Her expression turned serious ever so slightly. Only she and Eli knew about her fight with Umi. They were there before the fight after all.

"Um...sh-she's okay. She's been pretty busy but she's okay..."

"...I think."

"Speaking of which, where is Umi-chan?" Honoka asked, oblivious of Kotori's conflicting feelings during this discussion.

"Sh-she's...I don't know." Kotori tightened her fists and hid her face behind her bangs.

Maki and Nico had stopped arguing and Hanayo and Rin had worried expressions across their faces.

"Kotori...chan?" Honoka warily placed a hand on the younger girl's shoulder. The contact broke Kotori as she cried into her hands. "What happened...?"

"I...I g-got i-i-into a f-fight with...

U-umi-chan." her figure trembled as she tried to explain herself through her sobs.

"I-I y-yelled at her...f-for some...thing t-that wasn't h-her fault. Th-then...I couldn't s-stop y-yelling. And then...I t-told her to l-leave." Kotori lifted herself up and furiously wiped at her eyes. She caught glimpses of worried expressions on her friends' faces.

"B-but...I d-didn't m-mean to. I-I couldn't s-stop...and m-my body wouldn't m-move t-to catch h-her before sh-she le-eft."

She felt Honoka gently embrace her while she rubbed her back. Kotori continued to cry before her breath hitched when Honoka whispered something that wasn't comforting words.

"U-umi...chan?" Kotori almost stopped crying right then and there. She slowly seperated herself from the shorter girl and hesitated before she turned around.

She turned to face the older girl whose wrist was grasped by a certain blonde. She looked exhausted, almost identical to what she had looked like when she looked herself in the mirror.

The older girl opened her mouth to say something, but she closed them, refusing to voice out what was on her mind. She turned around to try and leave, but the blonde kept her grounded in place. The bluenette tore her arm from the blonde and was walking away again.

"Go after her!"

Kotori told herself. Her body still hesitated though. Why? She's right there!

"Get up! She right in front of you!"

Kotori watched silently as the bluenette quickly approached the door of the cafe.

"Go!"

At the last moment, Kotori got up and ran. With tears in her eyes, she launched herself onto the bluenette, tightly wrapping her arms around the older girl's waist. She continued to sob against the taller girl's shoulder, her grip gradually getting tighter.

She felt her captive shift slightly. Her captive awkwardly turned in her arms and hugged her back, holding her body close by her shoulders. The bluenette rested her cheek against the side of Kotori's head, holding it to her chest and rubbing her back.

The small gesture made Kotori bawl even harder, gripping the older girl's sweater, afraid that she would lose her again if she let go.

"U-umi-ch-chan...I-I-I'm s-sorry." Kotori choked on her tears, both coughing and sobbing all at once. But despite all the tears, Kotori felt warm for the first time in a while.

"It's okay...don't worry about it." Umi tried to calm down the girl. She couldn't stand seeing her like this...she never could. It hurt her inside knowing that her walking away was the reason the normally cheerful girl was now crying.

"N-no!" Kotori seperated herself, immediately missing the warmth of her beloved. Her hands now clutched at the front of Umi's sweater, still afraid to let go. "I-it's all my fault. If I h-hadn't said-"

Umi had seen enough. Not able to see the girl continue to blame herself for what happened, she closed the distance between them and pressed her lips firmly against the younger girl's. She tasted salty tears, but could care less.

Moments after, Umi seperated and wiped the rivers of tears that ran down Kotori's face. She leaned their foreheads together, and the two were taken back to the day they first bought their house.

Slightly embarrassed, Kotori moved to press herself against Umi again, relishing in the warmth that emitted from the older girl.

"I l-love you...Umi-chan. I'm really sorry so...please don't leave me again."

"I love you too, Kotori. I'm sorry for leaving, and I'm sorry for not prioritizing you enough."

"Nnn..." Kotori shook her head furiously against Umi's chest, eliciting sounds for her argument.

"Hehe...I guess we're both at fault then." Umi chuckled lowly, hugging the smaller girl tighter.

The bluenette looked ahead and faintly smiled at her friends who had helped her plan this. She was grateful for them, and always will be.

"Hey."

"Umi-chan? Don't you have to finish that last chapter for your book?"

Kotori was just about to turn to bed when the bluenette approached and sat on the dark green covers beside her.

"I finished them...over the past few days." she looked down slightly, obviously still a bit uncomfortable about their argument. "I've finished everything already, so it's fine." Umi then flashed her a rare smile, something Kotori was proud to say she's seen quite often.

"Hehe, then come in, silly." Kotori giggled playfully while pushing the covers open. Umi slipped inside and positioned herself behind the ashen-haired girl, catching the subtle scent of lemon and strawberry. Kotori always smelled refreshing.

Kotori turned to bury her face in Umi's chest again. She tugged her waist closer and nuzzled into Umi's bosom, taking in the scent of green tea and sakura flowers. Umi always smelled soothing.

Umi set her chin atop Kotori's head and secured her arms around the smaller girl's shoulders. Kotori had her head tucked under Umi's chin and enfolded into her chest. She then folded her arms between her and the sturdy body that clung to her, instantly feeling warmth.

"Ah...this is what it was."

"I love you, Umi-chan." Kotori snuggled ever closer and closed her eyes to allowed herself to immerse into the warmth that enveloped her.

"I love you too, Kotori." Umi kissed the top of her soft hair and fixed herself to be able to hold Kotori as close as she could.

Before falling asleep, Kotori indulged in the warmth once more. This was the same house and the same bed she had slept in for the past three days, but now, it felt like home.