I do want to make something clear before I go further with this fic- I have nothing against Sachiko, or the Sachiko/Yumi pairing. I think that it's sweet, and unlike many characters, I believe that while Sachiko is stubborn and focused on perhaps the wrong things, she does have a good heart and she does love Yumi. I just believe that Touko has…more capability(?) to love Yumi. She isn't restrained by her family's expectations, and (in my opinion) would be quite protective of Yumi and would be much more conscious of how her actions might affect her, unlike Sachiko, who seems not to see that.
Artistia: I hope that Touko's more…dominant side will gradually start to make its appearance. It's rather hard to keep her in character and still have her showing more affection to Yumi, but when you think that she's competing for her, it gets a bit easier. I hope Touko became a little more bold in this chapter? I feel sorry for Noriko as well, but I don't think Shimako will be able to stay silent forever ;)
Watashi No Meru: Hopefully that's not a bad thing- I used the first chapter as a prologue and focused on an in depth character study. And Jealous!Touko is adorable, right? Yoshino and Rei won't have as big a part in this story, but I figured they had some Onee-sama drama too, so…I was thinking that would come in around the next chapter, and with that I could also get some of Shimako's POV out there, since she and Yoshino are in the same class and all. And you're right about the unnoticed love thing =)
Lunar Adept: I'm glad it caught your attention, and I hope it lives up to your expectations!
CelticX: Thanks! And I honestly hadn't thought too much about Minami and Tsukasa- actually I kinda freaked cuz I was like 'wait, I didn't mean to bring in an OC!' xD But I'm glad you liked the characters and I probably will mention them again, at least to close off their story =)
Hyoyeong: Yes, World War III may break out over Yumi xD I don't think Sachiko would give Yumi up, but I don't think Touko would if she set her mind to it either. And did I say Sachiko wasn't changing? I believe that was another reviewer. But if so, then I misspoke =P I think Sachiko has already changed a lot for Yumi, but I just think Touko would be BETTER for Yumi if that makes sense at all. And I don't mind the long review- in fact, longer reviews make me happiest =)
Summary: The Roses reflect upon their relationships with their respective soeurs.
I'm hoping to have this story kind of expand to include everyone's thoughts and relationship drama and stuff so…yeah…except Eriko's, cuz she's in love with a man, so I seriously dgaf. I'm bi, but for some reason I only like fem/slash fics.
For Every Fallen Star, Another Hopeful Heart
Two: Give Me Time
Author: xXLiStLesSXx
Today was a good day, Touko decided.
She'd managed to get Yumi away from Sachiko by being sulkier than usual and refusing to give Yumi a reason why, knowing that the older girl wouldn't give her a moments' peace until she knew the truth (she was very, very grateful for the acting skill she'd been born with, underhanded as it was). She was now walking alongside her, their fingers intertwined because Yumi wanted to make up for whatever it was she'd done.
And then Touko felt her good mood slipping through her fingertips as quickly as it had come as a familiar figure came into view. Gritting her teeth, she folded her arms over her chest and sniffed petulantly, waiting for Yumi to finish whatever she needed to with her stalker.
"Good morning, Kanako-chan," Yumi said with her trademark bright smile, and Touko felt a twinge of jealousy at the sight. What had that lumbering basket case done to deserve such a smile?
"Good morning," Kanako said shyly, returning the smile and sending Touko a not-so-subtle glare, which Touko promptly returned with a haughty smile, forcing herself to remember that Yumi had chosen her, not Kanako. "I was just wondering if you wanted me to walk you to class."
Touko felt a familiar, burning sensation engulfing her like an inferno, and this time, she didn't bother to hold back as she stepped in between Yumi and Kanako. This time, she had the right to intervene, and you could be damn sure she was going to exercise it. "Onee-sama already has a petite soeur," she practically growled, her figure tense and her little body as big as it could get- she did hate Kanako's height advantage. She was sick and tired of the Amazonian girl following Yumi around looking like someone had kicked her puppy to death, and she certainly wasn't going to put up with more competition when she had the right to abolish it. "Therefore, I don't understand why you continue to follow her around when you are obviously not wanted."
"T-Touko-chan," Yumi began, both shocked and touched by Touko's fierce reaction to Kanako's overly affectionate behavior. But she had to stop the drill-haired girl before she crushed the tall girl's spirit beneath her tiny feet. "I can handle this. Kanako-chan, you are welcome to help out around the Yamayurikai, but I do have a petite soeur." Touko shot Kanako a cheeky smirk, to which the tall girl returned a death glare. Yumi's smile froze in place as she felt the full force of the tension between them until Touko shot Kanako a cold look she'd learned from Sachiko, successfully sending the girl away, albeit reluctantly.
"Touko-chan," Yumi said once Kanako was out of hearing range, "was it really necessary to be so mean?"
Touko huffed, folding her arms tightly over her chest and turning away from Yumi to hide her flushed cheeks. "Sometimes I wonder who the onee-sama is here," she muttered, her blush darkening when Yumi wrapped her in a tight embrace. "W-what are you doing? We're in public, onee-sama!"
Yumi giggled. "Arigatou, Touko-chan," she whispered into the tense girl's ear, finding Touko's flustered state quite adorable.
"Hmph!" Touko replied with a huff, tossing the bangs out of her face and hesitantly hugging Yumi back. "Onee-sama should learn how to take care of herself." An evil smirk became apparent on the younger girl's face. "Who knows what could happen if I'm not around and she gets cornered by a group of rabid first-years wanting her affections…"
"Touko-chaaan!"
Touko giggled madly at her onee-sama's reaction, feeling like her old, mischievous self again for a moment before she pulled away from the older girl slightly so that she could see her face. As Yumi's mocha eyes met her own, she was overcome by a strong, almost irrepressible wave of protectiveness- she'd never had anything she'd needed to protect before, after all. Her parents never paid much mind to her and Suguru and Sachiko had each other, but here was this girl who had crashed into her life with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer and somehow Touko looked into those mocha eyes and saw something she needed to protect from the cold, uncaring world that Yumi was so obviously too good for. The world Touko knew all too well. She brushed a stray hair from her onee-sama's face, her smirk fading into something more gentle as her hand paused at Yumi's cheek. "Don't worry, onee-sama," she said, slowly allowing her hand to slip away from the warm skin of the girl she'd fallen in love with so very quickly, "I'd protect you."
Even though you love her.
PGBR
"I'd protect you?"
Touko pouted as Noriko laughed hysterically at Touko's retelling of the events of that morning. "How obvious can you get?"
"You forget we're talking about onee-sama," Touko replied rather sharply, still miffed at Noriko's reaction. "It's not like I tried that on Shimako-sama or anything." Noriko's eyes hardened almost imperceptibly, and Touko groaned. "Not that I would," she said, rolling her eyes so far back they might have gotten stuck that way. "You know that better than anyone."
Noriko grumbled under her breath.
"Anyway," Touko continued, "you aren't eating with Minami-san today?" Noriko shook her head. "Why not?"
"Bored of me already?" the black-haired girl teased her friend, who rolled her eyes and huffed. "It's because I don't want to interfere between her and Tsukasa- it's about time she told her how she feels."
Touko smiled wryly. "Should either of us really be saying such a thing?" she asked, a flicker of sadness dancing through her mischievous eyes.
"Under normal circumstances, no," Noriko agreed, "but it's pretty obvious that Tsukasa-san is in love with Minami-san as well, and she wasn't too thrilled that we were spending so much time together."
"Ah, so that's what those glares were about," Touko mused, her gaze shifting to the small blonde a few seats away. "I thought she was glaring at me."
Noriko raised an eyebrow, and Touko groaned in exasperation. "No, really!" she cried. "It wouldn't be anything new, with all of Onee-sama's fans." The spiteful tone in which Touko spoke the word 'fans' gave away everything that the drill-haired girl had tried to keep hidden.
"You're being dramatic," Noriko said blandly, though she knew that there was quite a bit of truth to Touko's words. "Well, you've more than hinted to her that you like her, but does she have even the slightest clue that you might like her like that?"
"I could ask you the same thing," Touko muttered, stabbing at her bento. "At least I don't outright lie to onee-sama when she asks me what's going on like some people I know," she said pointedly, eyeing Noriko with more than a little bit of a hint. "She's not going to buy your lame excuses forever, you know. I thought you were going to show her how you felt?"
Noriko looked down at her own bento. "It's not as easy as I thought it'd be," she said after a moment. "Onee-sama's a lot more perceptive than Yumi-sama, so it's not like I could just ease into it or anything."
"It'll be worse if you keep pushing her away and she ends up confronting you about it," Touko pointed out. "You might have a good poker face, but no one can lie to Shimako-sama for forever, especially not her own petite soeur."
"Talk to me about that once you've told Yumi-sama how you feel," Noriko replied as a way of cutting off the less than pleasant conversation.
PGBR
The only hint that Sachiko gave of her displeasure of the increasing closeness between her Yumi and Touko was a subtle flicker in her deep blue eyes. They'd darken just so every time Touko dared to touch Yumi with a look in her eyes that told Sachiko it was more than sisterly love she felt. It was a hint that flew right over Yumi and hit Touko like the buzz of an electric shock. You couldn't place where exactly the feeling was coming from at first, but once you found it, you jumped away as quickly as possible.
Only Touko wasn't jumping away- she was holding on, suffering Sachiko's cold stares for the sake of her feelings for her onee-sama. As much as Sachiko loved to see Touko finally giving in to Yumi's offer, she was quite horribly selfish, as one who had never before had to share so much as a shirt might be expected to be. Two conflicting emotions were waging war on each other within her- her wish for Touko's happiness and her need for her own.
Because as much as she hated to admit it, she'd become dependent on Yumi- her petite soeur was her sun, and without it, she'd be plunged back into the darkness that she'd resided in for years, back into an endless, grayscale future with Suguru and back into the coldness of her own heart. And Touko…Touko could have Yumi- Sachiko could learn to share, as long as she didn't steal Yumi's heart away from her in the process.
Because Sachiko knew that if anyone was capable of stealing Yumi's love from her, it was her cheeky little cousin with the spark of mischief in her eyes and the fear in her heart. Fear of abandonment, of betrayal…but somehow Yumi had managed to work past those barriers and melt Touko's heart just as she had Sachiko's.
It didn't surprise Sachiko at all, of course- really, she should have thought of as much. But how could she possibly have expected Touko to fall for Yumi as much as, or harder, than she herself had? Conniving, distrustful Touko wasn't supposed to fall in love with (her) Yumi, and even if she had, she certainly wasn't supposed to accept her feelings as such. She was supposed to run, to be afraid to feel love for the first time in her life, just as Sachiko had been.
But that wasn't true- she saw the fear in those deep gray eyes. It had always been Touko's biggest downfall as an actress- she could smile and laugh and scheme all she wanted, but those sad, lonely eyes could never tell a lie.
And that's what landed Sachiko here, watching Touko with wary eyes as the younger girl walked into the Mansion, clinging to Yumi's arm the way she used to cling to Sachiko. It was all an act, of course- Touk0's motives weren't so innocent, but it was probably the most the younger girl felt she could do without arousing Yumi's suspicions. Yumi looked blissfully unaware of Touko's true motives, and seemed to be ecstatic that the drill-haired girl was showing her more human side so freely. Sachiko sighed.
"Really, Yumi," she murmured fondly with a shake of her head, her chin resting in her left hand as she stared out the window, "Even now, when you hold both our hearts in the palm of your hand…"
PGBR
Touko practically skipped into the Rose Mansion, both her arms wrapped around Yumi's left. It was perfect- a position that she'd taken so many times with Sachiko (back when she wasn't competition, back when she was still her Sachiko-oneesama) that Yumi wouldn't suspect a thing. Noriko was already there making tea, and she shot Touko a disparaging look.
"Really?" she murmured under her breath. "Yumi-sama might not see through it, but she forgets about Sachik0-sama…"
"Hmm?"
Noriko jumped, turning on the spot to find her onee-sama gazing at her with imploring eyes, a small smile lighting up her features. "Uh…" That's real eloquent, Noriko. "Nothing just…talking…to myself…" She trailed off, feeling stupider and stupider as she went on.
Shimako's lips twitched downwards just slightly- Noriko might have missed it if she wasn't always so enthralled with her onee-sama's every expression and feature. But once she caught the motion, it was impossible to ignore the flicker of confused dejection in Shimako's lovely eyes.
Good going, baka- not only is she suspicious, but now you've gone and upset her too.
She sighed and slumped (decidedly unladylike) into the chair next to Shimako, hesitating for only a moment to consider sitting across from her instead. But then she would have to look at her onee-sama and those beautiful, concerned eyes that would never shine with anything but friendly love for her framed by soft, light brown curls that she'd never be allowed to stroke for the entire meeting, and it seemed as if she always looked too long or too fast and she'd rather just stare at her tea, thank you kindly.
"Noriko…"
And now Shimako was looking at her with that half-frown that she only ever did when she was hurt, and Noriko felt her heart break in her chest. But what was she supposed to say? What was she supposed to do that Shimako wouldn't see through immediately? Telling herself she would prove her feelings and actually doing so were two very different things, and although Noriko hated feeling scared and powerless, she hated feeling alone more than anything, and if Shimako hated her for what she felt…
Rei began to talk about the upcoming holidays and Noriko did the first thing that came to mind- pretended she hadn't heard her onee-sama's soft spoken complaint. It was stupid and cowardly and the worst thing she could have done, and she regretted it immediately because she could feel Shimako gazing at her with that same hurt expression for the rest of the meeting.
But she didn't know what else she could do.
PGBR
At the end of the meeting, Sachiko stood gently slid her hand into Yumi's before Touko had the chance to attach herself to her onee-sama again. Yumi's face instantly flushed crimson, and Touko forced her eyes to the ground as she trudged along behind them. It was funny, really- she'd laughed at Yumi's various expressions so many times, but never in her wildest dreams had she imagined that they could hurt her so much. And she could swear that Sachiko was dangling Yumi just out of her reach, like a puppet master who controlled every move her puppet made. Where Sachiko went, Yumi would follow, and Sachiko knew as much- she had to.
And she had to know how much it stung Touko to see yet another thing she cared about- loved, even- being ripped away from her.
Touko wanted so badly to hate her cousin, but she could never bring herself to do so, because after all, wouldn't she do the same thing if she knew Yumi belonged to her? Wouldn't she do everything in her power to protect that bond and wouldn't she feel proud, flaunting that bond in front of those who contemplated taking it away?
Sachiko loved Yumi as much as Touko did- she wouldn't pretend to be naïve. Touko didn't deserve Yumi any more than Sachiko did, but wasn't it unfair that Sachiko had gotten to her first? Wasn't it unfair that every little thing she loved was ripped away from her until she was taught not to love anymore?
Was this a lesson, then? She allowed herself to fall back in love when she'd been taught to deny her own heart, and now it felt like everything was falling apart again, and all she could do was stand and watch as the girl who meant everything to her was snatched away by the girl who meant everything to her, and all she could do was keep the tears at bay to hold onto what little dignity she had left.
No.
Touko gritted her teeth, her hands clenching tighter around her bag. No, she would not just let Yumi slip through her fingertips. If she fought Sachiko and lost, then so be it, but she would not just stand and watch yet another precious thing be ripped from her tentative hands.
-ending notes: Not really any other than I what I stated in the beginning, that I'm going to try and expand the storyline.
