Chapter 2

Sayaka's parents were business partners who spent a lot of time working overseas. Therefore, Sayaka was usually left to tend the house by herself throughout most of the year. In spite of living in this house for the last month, Kyoko had not met them once. Really, she knew very little about them other than the detail that they were almost never home.

"So," Kyoko started, through a mouthful of food. "What's the big deal anyway?"

Kyoko had gotten dressed and took a quick run down to the store to buy breakfast, since whatever Sayaka had planned was already completely ruined. She admittedly wasn't very good at dealing with tender moments, if that's what this was, so she wanted to give Sayaka a few minutes to chill out before getting to the bottom of whatever it was about. Now she was back, and they both sat at the table, eating the breakfast sandwiches that she had bought for them.

"I don't know," Sayaka said, looking quite embarrassed and nibbling at her sandwich. "Sorry to have worried you."

"Do you always get like that when your parents come home?"

"They give me a lot of responsibility with taking care of the house. So I just want them to think I'm doing a good job with it. Guess I got a little crazy this morning, huh?" She laughed and scratched the back of her head. Kyoko knew her well enough to know what that laugh meant: there was something she wasn't saying. She always did that when she was trying to hide something. Kyoko eyed her suspiciously.

"Yeah no kiddin'," Kyoko looked around. "Well, this place is spotless now. So it's all good, right?"

"Well, I usually cook dinner for them on their first night back... so there's still that to take care of."

"Ok, no problem! We'll just run to the store and pick up a few things." Thinking about the possible dinners turned Kyoko's eyes to stars and she started to drool. "Hehehe, what're ya gonna make?" She shook herself out of it, and coughed to regain herself. "Anyway, when do they get here?"

"They said around eight."

"Ok then, nothin' to worry about, there's plenty of time." Kyoko put a thumb up and grinned, but Sayaka still seemed troubled. Kyoko's hand lowered and her grin faded away from her face. Seriously now, what's her deal?

"It's not just about dinner. I don't know... the thing is I haven't told them about you yet."

"Yeah, so what? You can just tell them tonight. I can't wait to meet them." Sayaka's frown deepened and she slunk back a bit. Now Kyoko really was getting worried. She still had no idea what this was about, but she had never seen Sayaka act like this before. Then an idea hit her and she thought she understood. "Hey, don't worry, I'll behave myself, I promise. I'm a big girl, you know." And she laughed it off, expecting Sayaka to respond with some laughter too, but Sayaka only sunk further and further into her shoulders. "B-besides," Kyoko's eyes shifted away, "I eat over Mami's all the time and if someone like her doesn't mind me..." It was another weak stab at a joke, but the humor had faded completely from her voice at this point.

"Kyoko, I was thinking, maybe you should find somewhere else to stay for the next couple of days." Sayaka finally said. "They won't be here long and then you can come back." She started to brighten up as she went through this plan of hers "Yeah, that way they don't have to know and-" Sayaka continued talking, going through the details of her little plan, but Kyoko wasn't listening to the words anymore. She was hurt. What hurt her the most is that Sayaka actually seemed to be brightening up from her little solution. Or, maybe it was the fact that Sayaka thought there needed to be a solution in the first place.

Am I really that much of a problem?

"Sayaka..." Kyoko cut in, meekly. "What are you talking about?"

Sayaka was suddenly snapped out of her own rambling thoughts. She saw the hurt expression on Kyoko's face, and more importantly she saw that Kyoko had put down her sandwich, still only half eaten. In all the time Sayaka had known Kyoko she had never once seen her not finish a meal. She kicked herself on the inside, just now coming to the realization of how thoughtless she was being.

The best thing she could have done at this point is just apologize. Or even better: knock herself on the head and make a joke like: 'Oh, there I go being all crazy again, what AM I talking about, haha?' If she did that, then maybe she could have gotten a laugh out of Kyoko and all this would be forgotten. That is not what she did, however. Instead, she tried to defend her position.

"Well, I mean, don't take it the wrong way. It's just my parents are... Well..." She thought hard, reaching for the right words. "I mean like, around someone like you..." Those were the wrong words.

Kyoko's face stiffened. "Someone like me, huh?" She stood up. "Ok, I get it."

"K-Kyoko wait," Sayaka said, realizing she had just said the totally wrong thing. She reached after her, but Kyoko turned away and started storming off. Sayaka got up and followed her out into the hall. "Hey come on, you know what I meant." She caught up to her just as she was reaching the front door.

"Yeah I do know what you meant," said Kyoko, one hand on the doorknob, the other draping a coat over her shoulder. "You meant exactly what you just said!" And with that she pulled the door open and stormed outside.

Standing on the front steps, Sayaka called after her: "Wait! I didn't mean it like that! Come back!" but she could do nothing but stand there and watch as her lover disappeared down the street.