Okay, public announcement!
I've found a beta, so if you've got any complaints, tell her :3 (just kidding, just kidding :p)
Now, enough babbling, on with the story!
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Shizuma grinned inwardly as she watched her best friend from behind the curtains. Miyuki was slowly approaching the house, looking at the huge mansion, trying to take in all the glory of the villa at once.
I should've invited her here more often, after all she was and still is my best friend. I wonder why I never did…but she's here now, and that's the most important.
Wow, Shizuma sure is lucky to have a house like this, I've seen it before, but I've forgotten how gorgeous it was…
Miyuki ripped her gaze from the mansion and focused on a tiny movement she'd noticed from behind a window. She could've sworn she'd seen a silhouette behind the curtains.
Shizuma…what game are you playing this time?
She noticed the front door was wide open and hesitated as she entered the mansion. She knew Shizuma was unpredictable, but she found herself surprised, again, when she noticed a little white note on the table in the lobby.
Hey there Miyuki, and welcome again to my mansion. Before we see each other again, let's play a little game to see if you're still capable of finding your way to me shall, we?
Miyuki smirked at the little white paper in her hand. Shizuma, what are you up about now?
She remembered her playing hide and seek together with Shizuma and some other friends of Miator. Somehow she and Shizuma always succeeded in finding each other, even in the strangest places. Even the treasure hunts, organised by the sisters of the three combined schools had no secrets for the two girls. Their friends often joked when playing hide and seek, the duo would consider the game as a treasure hunt, Shizuma being Miyuki's treasure and vice versa.
So she wants to know if I'm still as good in treasure hunts as I used to be? My dear Shizuma, you would be surprised. Well, let the game begin!
She quickly scanned the note for more information, surely Shizuma wouldn't let her search the whole house without even a single clue? Ah! There it was; a little verse at the bottom of the note;
Find the clue, but find it in time,
For it brings you closer, with every chime.
'For it brings you closer with every chime…chime, chime, a clock?' Miyuki talked to herself as she paced down the lobby. If she remembered correctly from the last time she'd visited, there was an ancient grandfather's clock in the…hall! She turned around and saw the ornament on the other side of the hallway. Not wasting another second she walked to the old looking thing and watched it more closely.
'Right, now what? It would bring me closer with every chime…' She was abruptly shaken from her thoughts as the clock began tolling.
'Uh-oh, that doesn't sound good…wait a minute, she wouldn't mean…' Hastily she opened the wooden doors of the clock and peeked inside. There it was, a tiny little paper, shoved between the two pendules.
Careful not to get her fingers crushed, Miyuki pulled the note out of its hiding place and closed the little doors again. 'Now, let's see what's next.' She unrolled the paper and read it out loud, wanting to hear her own voice. She was convinced hearing herself saying things helped her analyzing situations and finding solutions. It had worked before, and she was sure it would do so now.
When still a girl, innocent and young,
There was something Miyuki couldn't bear to hear.
It was this, one ridiculous song,
Can you still remember it, my dear?
'Really, Shizuma!' Miyuki laughed after reading the message. 'That was such a long time ago, I never thought you'd remember!' She felt herself being pulled back 5 years ago. She and Shizuma where 13-14 years old and it was summer vacation. She'd finally gathered enough courage to ask Shizuma to come to her house and stay over. It'd been the first and last time they'd left the dorm, after that they'd stayed there untill graduation, never leaving Astrea's domain, except for little trips now and then. But they'd never visited their family.
It had been a wonderful day. She'd picked Shizuma up from the trainstation, thrilled to bits to see her best friend again. They'd gone to the park to talk about their holiday so far, then they went to the shopping street, window shopping for the whole afternoon. She'd been pleasantly surprised when, on their way to Miyuki's home, Shizuma stopped and turned to face her best friend.
'Close your eyes, Miyuki!'
Miyuki giggled and obeyed, wondering what Shizuma would be up to. She felt the blonde fumble with her hair, and already opened her mouth to ask what she was doing, when Shizuma clapped her hands. 'Now open your eyes Miyuki and look in this mirror!' Shizuma held up a little mirror and Miyuki curiously looked at her own reflection.
Shizuma had tied a beautiful, blue ribbon in her hair. 'See? It matches the colour of your hair perfectly!' Shizuma said, gently brushing a stray of hair behind Miyuki's ear. Miyuki didn't know what to say, but felt tears falling from her eyes, trailing down her cheeks.
'Oh Miyuki, you're such a crybaby!' But Shizuma smiled and hugged her best friend. After that she grabbed her hand and pulled Miyuki with her; 'Come on, let's go to your house, I'm starving!'
Miyuki's parents were friendly and polite, but during dinner Shizuma noticed the distance they were keeping between their daughter and themselves. But all went well and they made some conversation, so everything was fine…until they had finished their deserts and the two girls were making their way to Miyuki's bedroom. Suddenly, a young man about 17 years old, came down the stairs, stopping dead at the sight of the two friends.
'Hello Miyuki and…Miyuki's friend?' He looked at Shizuma without any real interest and directed his attention back to Miyuki, who was looking very pale all of a sudden.
'What's that in your hair, Miyuki?' The blue haired girl flinched at his cold and severe tone. 'A ribbon…' Nothing more then a whisper came from her lips and Shizuma understood Miyuki was afraid.
'I can see that's a ribbon, but what's it doing in your hair?! Haven't I told you that I do not wish for my future wife to wear childish things like that? But you never listen, do you?!'
At this words the young man grabbed Miyuki by the hair and pulled it so Miyuki had to bent her head backwards in order not too break her neck. 'I'll make sure that you understand the message this time.' He reached into a drawer and took out a pair of scissors. Miyuki let out a soft cry, eyes widened in terror. One fast cut and the ribbon fell on the floor, together with some locks of blue hair. 'Now, be a good girl and don't ever do that again.'
Miyuki nodded. He released her and casually continued his walk. When he was out of sight, Miyuki picked up the ribbon, together with the hair and stuffed it in her pocket. Without one word she grabbed Shizuma's hand again and led her to her room. It was there, when she'd closed the door, she let herself allow to slid on the floor and cry.
'Oh Miyuki!' Shizuma lowered herself to the floor and sat next to her friend, draping her arms around the smaller girl's body. 'Shh, shh, it's okay now, he's gone.' She knew from the rare times Miyuki told her about her family, that man was her fiancé and that she was destined to marry him; an arrangement that was made when she was only a baby. He was never nice to her, always picking on her, telling she should behave like a lady, not like the child she really was.
Shizuma ran her fingers through Miyuki's hair, trying to comfort her still crying friend.
Whait, when I was little, my mother used to sing a song for me when I was sad…Shizuma remembered. How did it go again?
'Sur le pont, d'Avignon, L'on y dance, l'on y dance, sur le pont, d'Avignon, L'on y dance tout en rond.'
Shizuma sang softly in her friends ear and after a couple of minutes she felt Miyuki relax a little in her arms, lifting her head so she could look at Shizuma with her teary brown eyes. Shizuma smiled and kept on singing.
When miyuki finally stopped crying she felt a little embarassed. 'I-I'm sorry Shizuma, now your ribbon is all torn…The blonde girl shook her head. 'It wasn't your fault but…his…' Miyuki heard the anger in Shizuma's voice but said nothing of it. Instead she walked to the large mirror in her room and looked at her hair. One side was much shorter then the other, now her fiancé had cut off a large amount of hair on the right. Without speaking, Miyuki reached in her drawer and slowly pulled out a pair of scissors of her own. Her lips trembled but her hand didn't hesitate when she brought the scissors up to her hair and cutted through it untill it reached halfway her neck.
'Now it's of the same length again.' She looked at the blue locks at her feet. Shizuma felt a cold fist of rage clenching her heart and swore to herself that if that bastard would ever hurt her Miyuki again, he'd pay!
'Oh, Shizuma, one request?' The blonde looked at her friend and nodded.
'Don't ever sing that song again, it's a bit…' She let her voice trail off, not wanting to offend her best friend.
'A bit childish and ridiculous heh?' Shizuma grinned. 'Ah well, I don't know, I think it suits you perfeclty'
Shizuma!!
Ever since then, Shizuma sang that song to tease Miyuki, in which she always succeeded.
'Alright then, my friend, where are you?' On the bridge of Avignon? That's a bit far isn't it?' Suddenly it hit her. In the middle of the garden, there was a little river and across that river was a bridge!
Miyuki quickly left the house, ignoring the dark clouds that were forming in the sky.
Oh great…now where was that river again?
Scolding herself for not remembering the exact location, she crossed the forest surrounding the mansion until she reached the cliffs. Suddenly it began raining and before she knew it, Miyuki was soaked to the bone.
'Ah, this is just fantastic, really. Come on, where's that bloody river?!' Miyuki gasped and giggled. Had she really just said that? Oh dear, what unlady like…ah well, at least no one had heard her saying it. Ah! There it was! From the corner of her eye she saw the river and not too far from where she was standing, the bridge!
Once she'd reached her destination she looked around, but Shizuma was nowhere to be found.
'I didn't misunderstand the message now did I?' She wondered as she brushed a few wet bangs from her face.
'Of course you didn't Miyuki, I'm right here.'
Miyuki startled and spun around to see Shizuma standing in a little pavilion; hiding from the rain. She smiled happily when she saw her blue haired friend and approached her, ignoring the rain that was falling from the sky.
'I knew you could do it! I'm very proud of you!' She said as she stood in front of her best friend. Miyuki simply nodded before getting pulled in a strong embrace. She threw her arms around the blonde and hid her face in the curly hair, wanting to smell their scent again.
'Missed me, Shizuma?'
'Only a lot!' Miyuki grinned and pulled back from the hug.
'Now, Miyuki, let's dance shall we?'
Confused, Miyuki looked at Shizuma. This later chuckled and picked Miyuki's hand while laying the other one on her hip, encouraging the other girl to do the same. Then she led Miyuki to the bridge and they began dancing.
'Oh, Miyuki…I'm not sure but I could swear I'd heard you curse a little while ago? Care to explain before we head back to the house?'
Their giggling could be heard miles away as the two friends continued to dance in the rain.
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Uhm, translation of the song:
Sur le pont, d'Avignon: on the bridge of Avignon
L'On y dance, l'on y dance: There they dance, there they dance
Sur le pont, d'Avignon: on the bridge of Avignon
L'On y dance tout en rond: There they dance all around
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Okay, fourth chapter is ready. I hoped you liked reading this. Sorry for treating Miyuki so badly in this chapter, but I really don't like her being in an arranged marriage so I pictured her fiancé as a really stupid, cold and mean guy. Ah well, you can forgive me for this, ne?
I'd like to thank all the people who've reviewed and I hope I can fulfill your expectations. I'd also want to thank my beta, Chupachupa and Azfixiation for introducing me to her.
Please let me know if you liked it, and if not what could be better.
Disclaimer; If I'd been born some years ealier, I would've owned Strawberry Panic, but allas! I was too late, now somebody else owns it and I can only dream of owning something myself one day…drama drama XD