Chapter Four: Learning Happiness
Hello once again! JM here with the fourth chapter of "Stolen Fulfillment". Just wanna say really fast that I'm sorry that I can't seem to find a way to consistently update everything, and still stay sane. Work has been… Very difficult for me. But you know, who needs to be sane anyway? That aside, the girls get to have some fun this chapter. Come along for the ride!
Disclaimers: "Something witty about not owning Idolm sters." (I told Asheria5 to write something here, and this is what I get…? Well, it works, I guess…)
"What, really?" Haruka's green eyes went wide and she clutched her hands to her chest.
At her side, Chihaya was also startled, and she nearly dropped the microphone that she was holding.
"Yeah, really," the Producer smiled broadly. "As thanks for us promoting their business with those videos you'd been in recently; the Fun Sun Amusement Park is going to let 765 Productions have free run of the place while their two biggest attractions are under repairs. So while their big roller coaster and that other ride are closed, the rest of the park will be open only to us this coming Saturday."
"That's fantastic!" Haruka exclaimed, glomping onto Chihaya's side. "We can turn it into a date!" She'd clearly already forgotten that the Producer was still around.
"I'll leave you two to your plans, then," the Producer then cheerfully wandered off to give the news to the rest of the idols.
"Haruka!" Chihaya hissed, her face burning red.
"Oh, no body cares!" Iori made a dismissive gesture.
"You're just jealous because you don't have anyone you can be lovey-dovey with," Takatsuki Yayoi laughed.
"Hmph," Iori exclaimed before storming off.
"It's too bad that she's still like that sometimes," Makoto sighed.
Haruka beamed brightly at everyone, too exuberant to hold herself back.
The rest of the week went by far too slowly, at least according to Chihaya. Her days were filled with work and the occasional moment with her girlfriend. They hadn't yet made the announcement to the public about their relationship, and so they couldn't be too affectionate around outsiders. Not that the bluenette would have been that comfortable with PDA in the first place.
The Producer had talked at length with Ritsuko and the manager of 765 Productions, and they had settled on making the girls' relationship a matter of public discourse the day after their amusement park visit. So the few days leading up to the semi-date, Chihaya did two things; sing during the day, and fantasize about what she and Haruka were going to do. Just before they went to bed, they both made sure to call each other, at least long enough to say "I love you".
When the day finally arrived, all of the girls of 765 shuffled into their vans, and shuttled off to the amusement park. The drive took over an hour and a half, but the company was good, and they played games that helped pass the time. Once they made it to their destination, the idols were greeted by the amusements park mascot, and escorted to a lunch area. They were told they could stop by any time they wanted throughout the day and get any kind of refreshments they wanted; including takoyaki, mochi, and yakisoba.
Everyone did two of the tamer rides together, but after that, they were allowed to split up however they wanted. The groups they divided into were fairly predictable. Haruka grabbed Chihaya by the hand and they were off. The brunette dragged the taller girl to every attraction with full speed, eager to jam-pack their one day with as much fun as she could manage. The bluenette went along with her enthusiasm as best she was able to, but Haruka was a bundle of energy that Chihaya just couldn't match.
After a particularly terrifying haunted house, the taller girl tugged the brunette's hand and they stopped at a bench. Chihaya sighed a breath of relief once the wooden bench was supporting her weight.
"What's wrong, Chi-chan?" Haruka asked in concern, wrapping her arms around the bluenette's waist as she joined the other girl on the bench.
"Haruka, it's very difficult to keep up with you, you know?" Chihaya's cheeks turned red with the shorter girl's open display of affection. There was no one else around at the time, but they were still in a public location.
"Oh," The brunette's mouth opened slightly. "Did I go through the haunted house too fast? I thought we were both eager to get out of there. That last mummy was SO scary!"
"That's not what I meant," Chihaya protested. "Though, I was pretty happy to get out of there."
"Then what's the problem?" Haruka's confusion remained painfully evident.
The taller girl smiled softly. Sometimes she lost sight of the fact that Haruka's excitable nature disguised how clueless she could be. It wasn't that the brunette was unintelligent, but her ability to discern subtext was not her strong suit. "I just want to slow down a little bit. Take our time…"
"Oh…" Haruka's emerald eyes dropped down for a moment. "I wanted to experience as much of this place as we could. Make as many memories as possible."
"Haruka…" The bluenette wrapped her arm around the shorter girl's shoulder. "When we look back on this day, I'm…" Chihaya's ears burned, but she pressed on. "I'm not going remember all of the rides. What I'm going to remember is this." Against her basic nature, Chihaya leaned forward and kissed Haruka on the forehead.
The brunette's face flushed with blood at the unexpected sign of love. "I'm sorry, Chi-chan. I should have thought about how you felt a little bit more."
Chihaya shook her head. "It's okay. Let's see if we can't do what we both want."
"That sounds like the best idea ever!" Haruka sprung up to her feet, and once again the bluenette was caught up in the wake of the tornado that is Amami Haruka.
Whoa, this might just be the shortest chapter I've ever written. Well, other than "Chipped Diamond" 2, but I shouldn't count that. It just didn't feel right to write more than this, even after I was away for so long. Also, Chihaya felt a little bit out of character, but I think that it's just the way that Haruka has rubbed off on her. I know the feels in this chapter aren't enough to make up for how long it's been since I last put out anything, but I hope it will at least appease you a little bit! m(-.-)m
