Stolen Fulfillment – An Idolmasters Story

Pairings: ChiHaru

Chapter One: Knowledge of Happiness

This is, in my opinion (stressing "IN MY OPINION"), the 2nd least appreciated pairing in yuri, like… period. So when my one-shot for this couple, "The Defining Moment" was met with almost immediate appreciation, I was ecstatic. I've never actually played any of the Idolmaster games (T-T), but I loved the anime; so this story will be taking place sometime shortly after the events of the anime.

I've been told by a few people that my making notes at the beginning and end of every chapter and story is slightly annoying, but I can't help it. One of the reason's I'm writing these stories is to make a statement, and these notes are part of it, so please, allow me my follies.

Along those lines this story is dedicated to "Aamnesia". (In a good way, I promise.)

Usual Disclaimers: I do not own Idolmasters, Chihaya, Haruka, so on and so forth. (I do share my rabid love for this couple with my fellow fangirls/fanboys. [Though I personally think the fangirls are better. XP])

Amami Haruka had to admit, being an idol was not precisely what she had thought it would be. First: she never seemed to have a moment for herself; she was always in a hurry to the next performance, appearance, or broadcast. Second: she had thought that she had prepared herself for all of the negative downsides that came with being in the eye of the public, and she couldn't have been more wrong. Third: even though she absolutely loved the songs, dances, scripts, and acts, some of them wore on her more than she had imagined they would. Fourth and most importantly: She had very little time to spend with her best friend, Kisaragi Chihaya, as they both had so much to do, and very little of their work featured the other.

The brunette was currently at the new main office for 765 Productions, listening to some sort of lecture about the importance of something or other with the other idols; she had stopped paying attention long ago, too tired to listen in. Not that she was usually inclined to be disrespectful in situations like this. Normally, she'd pay close attention to whatever the company wanted or needed her to do, even if it was just a reminder of things that had already been stated. Today, however, between all of the work she'd had lately and her frustration with certain circumstances, she was unable to keep her focus on the speaker.

As she sat on the comfortable leather couch, her mind drifted back to her blue-haired friend. Actually the label "Friends" didn't really apply to them anymore; though it suited their purposes well enough. Their relationship had taken a new course not long after the concert where the bluenette had regained the voice she had lost after receiving a trauma from the media exposing the accident that had killed Chihaya's brother. Haruka let her mind wander back to the time when their relationship had changed.

Rehearsal had just ended for an upcoming show featuring Chihaya, Haruka, Iori, Miki, Makoto, and Yukiho. Chihaya grabbed a water bottle and was drinking to satisfy the thirst that the practice had created when Haruka came over to her.

"Hey, Chi-chan." The brunette said lightly, grabbing a water bottle for herself.

"Hello, Haruka." The brown-eyed girl responded in a friendly manner, happy for a moment where it was just the two of them.

Haruka was fiddling with her water bottle, rather than taking a drink, and her silence belied some kind of matter keeping the normally gregarious girl from speaking.

"What's going, Haruka?" Chihaya asked, turning to face the shorter girl completely, her hand with the water bottle going to her side.

Hearing her voice again, Haruka turned back to the bluenette and smiled. It was a forced smile, and she knew it. She hadn't intended on doing this today, but being so near the one she loved was almost unbearable.

The realization had come to her when her friend had been on the stage and the music was playing, but Chihaya hadn't been singing. When the brunette had grabbed a mike and came out to sing for the bluenette, it had dawned on her. The feelings she felt were not simply those of one friend for another. They ran deeper, truer, and clearer. Of course knowing this and doing something about it were two entirely different things.

On impulse, Haruka grabbed the other girl's hand and led her out into the hallway and didn't stop until they had rounded a corner. Letting the hand she was holding drop her eyes followed the hand, and she found herself still unable to speak. She had thought that with just the two of them, she could give her words voice, and finally get the restraints around her heart loose, but they just seemed to tighten.

"Haruka, you're starting to scare me." Chihaya raised a hand to grab one of Haruka's. Her other hand, still holding the water bottle, lifted up against the bluenette's chest. "You can tell me anything you want to. I owe you everything, you know."

The feeling of her hand being held so tightly by the other girl started to give Haruka hope. "Chihaya…" The brunette started. "I…" She lifted her eyes a little bit, and saw the water bottle in the other girl's hand. Without stopping to give it another thought, the shorter girl reached out and grabbed the water bottle with her free hand and brought it to her lips. In one go, she swallowed the whole thing and then dropped it into a conveniently nearby trash bin.

"Haruka!" The bluenette exclaimed, a blush rising to her face at the indirect kiss that had just occurred.

"Ever since the concert where you regained your voice, I've been wanting to do things like that with you." The green-eyed girl said quickly. Then she backpedaled, realizing that she hadn't been clear enough. "I mean, more directly… Uhm," she paused, a blush rising to her face. "I mean… Uh… I haven't been able to get you off my mind." She finished lamely.

"What… Do you mean?" the taller girl asked cautiously. A flame of hope began to flare in her chest, one that she was unfamiliar with, but welcomed all the same.

Haruka's blush increased in intensity, and she averted her gaze. "I mean that I want to k-k-kiss you." Her eyes rose quickly to make sure that her message was clear. "I don't mean that I just want to kiss you!" She said hastily. "I think I've fallen in love with you, Chi-chan." She reached out and took the bluenette's free hand with her own. "And I want to spend more time with you. I want to do everything that we can together!" She concluded her speech and realized that her voice had almost risen to a shout; which caused her to flush with embarrassment.

"Oh." Chihaya said slowly, letting the words sink in. Then it hit her. She'd been feeling the exact same things, from the moment that Haruka had appeared at her door before the embarrassment of a concert had occurred. In addition to dealing with her brother's death again, and the new feelings that the brunette's visit had stirred within her, she'd continued to lock herself away. That moment, though, that the other girl had come to sing for her, and with her: it had shattered something in the bluenette. Now, she found herself aching to reach out and give comfort to the girl in front of her, who seemed so fragile waiting for her answer.

"Haruka…" The taller girl pulled the hands that she was holding, forcing the brunette closer and then rested those hands on her hips. The brunette froze at the gesture, and a look of wonder crossed her face as the bluenette removed her hands from Haruka's and placed them on the shorter girl's waist. Thus embraced, the bluenette leaned forward and rested her forehead against the other girl's; smiling as her vision filled with her friend's visage.

A heart-wrenchingly poignant moment for the two girls passed as they stood, basking merely in the presence of the other; eyes locked and wondering.

Hesitating, her movements small and uncertain; her eyes watching for the brunette's reaction, Chihaya inched forward. The shorter girl understood immediately what she wanted and waited patiently, a tender smile offering encouragement. Seeing the desired approval, the bluenette brought her lips to meet with Haruka's.

The kiss was swift, a brief meeting of soft lips, but the feelings imparted, and the emotions that the kiss finally unlocked, were intense, overwhelming.

Haruka decided that she needed to feel more, needed to GIVE more, and she pushed slightly with the hands that still lingered on the bluenette's slender waist; swinging her own hips forward as she did, gently forcing the taller girl against the wall. Leaning forward, she let the pressure of her hips and body pressing into the bluenette's keep her there and raised her hands up to frame the face that held those beautiful bronze orbs. She ran a thumb slowly, curiously, along the pale pink of Chihaya's lips, her eyes never leaving those of the other girl's.

The bluenette's breathing had quickened, and the shorter girl could feel her heartbeat drumming against her own body, pressed as tightly as she was to the other girl. She moved even closer, bringing her mouth up to let their her breaths linger and mix; a scant inch away from their lips touching; half-closing her eyes as she did so. Through those lidded eyes she saw the taller girl's eyes close completely and she knew that Chihaya was surrendering to her.

She replaced her still slowly moving thumb with her lips, quickly pressing closer to gently, ever so gently, nip on the bluenette's lower lip. As she did, she felt the other girl's fingers tighten slightly against her waist and smiled into the kiss. Grazing her teeth subtly against Chihaya's lower lip, she moved her mouth up slightly, deepening the kiss; withdrawing when she felt the taller girl's lips move in response to her own.

The bluenette opened her eyes and Haruka moved to rest her head against Chihaya's shoulder and her arms around the taller girl's waist, suddenly exhausted. "I really do love you." She managed to whisper, her lips brushing the other girl's neck as she did.

"I love you too." Chihaya whispered into the brunette's ear.

The intense new emotions had drained the two, but as they heard a voice calling for Haruka, they remembered that they were not here for just the two of them, and they separated reluctantly. "Haru-chan!" They heard a voice calling.

"Haruka."

"Haru-chan!"

"Haruka!"

The brunette finally startled into wakefulness with the feeling of someone shaking her slightly. She opened her eyes and looked around to see that she was still sitting on that leather couch in the new 765 Productions office and couldn't help but feel a quick surge of bitter disappointment that she was awoken from her memory.

"Haruka, are you okay?" She looked up to see Makoto standing in front of her, the Producer and Ritsuko behind her. The other idols were spread around the room, but her eyes only sought one, and she noticed that person watching with a concerned look on her face.

The brunette nodded quickly to Makoto, forcing her eyes away from a certain blue-haired girl. "Yeah!" She replied forcefully, her energetic personality returning full force after her dream. "I guess I was a little tired, but now I feel like 110%!" She sprung up off the couch to prove her point.

The Producer smiled encouragingly. "You have a good dream, Haruka?"

She smiled brilliantly. "Yep!" She couldn't help a very faint blush reddening her face. "The best!" She turned her smile to Chihaya and saw the bluenette blush and turn quickly to pretend to be busy.

So that's chapter one! It's a little bit shorter than I would have liked, but I just couldn't manage to find a way to make it longer without butchering the ideas I have for chapter two. And there will be a chapter two. You know, barring unforeseen death, maiming, or worst of all, damage to the computer.

Check out my profile page for story updates and to see my plans.

Reviews and criticism is SO much more than welcome! If you only have hate to spread though, I suggest hugging an open fire.