You may not believe me, but I plan to have Haruka acting more in-character now.
Hey, don't look at me in that tone of voice; I really mean it.
Stop! STOP LAUGHING AT ME!
Chapter 4 - Swing Your Partner
It was mid-February, and Haruka's life was finally getting back into an acceptable routine. Strangely, the upcoming Valentine's Day holiday was the cause, but not for the conventional reasons; thanks to the reason behind the day, there were plenty of students losing their cool, their minds, and their sense of decorum - and reining in law-flouting knuckleheads with a dis-
respect for decorum was Haruka's bread-and-butter. Finally, the world made sense again, even if half of the time she and Yukino were brain-storming on catching what student did which crime, Chie and Aoi were hanging around, too.
To be honest - and Haruka was nothing, if not brutally honest - the two younger students weren't bad at it. Yukino was excellent at casting a net, getting every possible suspect, while Chie and Aoi, mostly Aoi, noted which students were busy at the time and who had been unaccounted for. If it weren't so useful, it might have bothered Haruka that the two girls seemed to know so much about what everyone else was doing; someone else might have wondered what they were doing...okay, everyone knew what they did with the information, Haruka just didn't care. As long as they used their powers for Good (Aoi smirked when Chie had to take down some of the more questionably-placed cameras), Haruka was okay with it...although, she reminded herself for the umpteenth time, it was now Yukino's decision whether or not to do something about it. Haruka was just glad there was a clearly-defined task at hand to accomplish, and that she had a part to play in it.
One complication the coming season brought was that by Yukino's request, Haruka was going to give friendship chocolates to Chie and Aoi. One big complication was that Chie also liked spicy foods, so Haruka had decided to give Chie some chocolate-covered candied chillis. She had decided to, but she was embarrassed to find out that she couldn't seem to wrap a box without eating one. Or two. Sometimes five. Haruka couldn't help herself; the candies had the perfect mix of sweet chocolate flavor and chilli spice, and Haruka almost eaten a cotton glove, because they were that good! Haruka desperately hoped that Yukino made sure someone would give her a box of them, although if she didn't keep sneaking them from Chie's gift she may not need it.
What Haruka did need right now, was some help from someone to wrap up her gift. Haruka ran down her list of friends, trying to think of someone she could ask, that could keep a secret, and (her nose wrinkled cutely as she frowned thinking of Shizuru) wouldn't tease her half to death in the process. After a short while, she came up with the obvious choice: Aoi Senoh. Surely she must have been able to keep her own gifts a secret from her friend, at least for the short time it took to get and give it. Fortunately, Aoi's gift was already wrapped, and thus easier to deal with. Popping one more delightful pepper in her mouth, Haruka cursed her lack of self-control, and went off to find and talk to her newest friend.
Aoi Senoh fully understood the meaning of the Chinese curse, "May you live in interesting times." Her life over the past year had been very interesting, and in turn also confusing, horrifying, chaotic, puzzling, frustrating, and at the oddest of times, both crowded and lonely. At least the upcoming Valentine's Day celebrations meant that Nao spent more time out of the dorm room than in it - not that Nao was bad per se, just that, "interesting" is a great word to describe the girl. Speaking of interesting girls, it reminded Aoi to work on getting a certain one-track-minded senior to be a little more open to socializing with... A knock on her door interrupted Aoi's internal rant, and ever curious, she opened it to find the object of her conceern.
Barely slowing down to acknowledge the courtesy, Haruka barged right on in, mind, as usual, filled with the one issue most concerning her. She thrust the box of candies into Aoi's unexpectant, but conveniently-placed hands, while trying to figure out how to explain her problem without looking like an out- of-control wild child. Now even more curious, Aoi opened the box, while Haruka hemmed and haweed about not being able to control herself. As she gathered more of an idea of what the issue with the chocolates was, Aoi's eyes brightened, and her mouth began to bend into multiple curves, resembling Cupid's bow. Carefully, she plucked out one of the chocolate-coated goodies, and without warning, poked it right through Haruka's still-moving lips.
Having thouroughly enjoyed the treat, Haruka opened her eyes, still chewing and smiling, a soft sigh humming past her lips. When she saw Aoi curled up on the sofa, she knelt down to see what was the matter. Aoi reassured her by gesture, not yet trusting her voice not to squeak...or make an untimely confesion, for that matter. Still concerned, if only mildly, she sat down by Aoi, hand still on the other girl's knee.
Trying to make the quiet slightly less awkward, Aoi pointed out that Haruka really seemed to like those peppers. Haruka then did something so out-of-the-blue that Aoi could only react to it's rarity: she pouted. "I know, it's interminable. So you see my problem, right? Could you do this for me as a favor?" Haruka asked bashfully. "Ooh, yes...I mean," Aoi embarrassedly corrected herself, "uh, sure, it's no problem at all. So, are they really as good as...I mean, you obviously enjoy them a lot...uh..." Aoi was at a loss as how to continue her line of questioning without sounding like she was propositioning Haruka, which was not what she was trying to do right now, not at all!
Haruka pondered the question at its face value, giving it some serious thought. "Uh, yeah, I do like them - they're spicy like normal peppers, but they're so sweet from the nannying process, and the chocolate, of course." Aoi cocked her head to the side, trying to figure out how nannying a pepper could make it sweet..."Oh - I'm sorry for interrupting you, but did you maybe mean to say 'candying' for the peppers?" Haruka, caught in mid-speech, stopped abruptly, blinking a few times, mouth hanging open in confusion. Once she figured out what Aoi was talking about, she blushed, her mouth drawing up into a pretty smile, though the hand behind her head suggested happiness was not quite what Haruka was feeling. "Yeah, I do that a lot - misuse a word when I'm excited - I hope it doesn't offend you." Aoi smiled prettily, waving her hands between them. "No, no, it's endearing, in a way, makes you seem less intimidating. I can see why Yukino thinks so highly of you."
Again, Haruka paused in mid-gape; she always thought Yukino considered her a little childish, which was why she worked so hard to establish herself as an authority figure. "Yu-Yukino thinks highly of me?" Aoi smiled again, saying "Of course! She's always saying things about how you would do or say something to be proper, or give comfort. And seeing how you can be so strong and smart, but still have some human faults, makes you seem more approachable. It's very sweet...kind of like those beloved candies of yours." Aoi wrinkled her nose a little at the end, making a cute way to attract one's attention to how she'd brought the conversation back to what Haruka had been talking about before the interruption. _Subtle, and artful_, Haruka thought, _without making you feel like she's trying to fool you, like that bubuzuke-onna. I think I like this girl..._
"Would you like to try one?" Aoi raised the box in her hand and shook it.
"I thought you brought these over to be wrapped - won't you be missing more candies, even if I just take one?" "It's okay," Haruka replied. "I pretty much ate a whole box of them already, so I put the last ones in this box. I wanted to make sure I left enough to be a good gift, in case I wanted more. I see you licking your lips; you can go ahead and try one - like I said, I overkilled this last box to be sure."
Aoi blinked like a startled deer. "Over...killed?" Haruka giggled and blushed lightly, saying, "Pardon, I should have said 'overfilled' there. Yukino would have just said the right word." Haruka sighed slightly; not that she would deny her friend a new romance - especially since if anything, she'd gotten better at her job - it's just, sometimes Haruka missed having her at her side. Aoi heaard the little sigh and melted just a little inside. She knew what it was like when a friend that you spent all your time with, finds love and makes you feel abandoned, even if you still hang out a lot together. Setting the candy box aside in a safe place, Aoi impulsively threw her arms around Haruka's waist and gave the older girl a big, long, hug. At first, Haruka returned it gratefully, but as it went on, Haruka started to wonder if she were taking advantage of the girl in some way.
Haruka found herself feeling more awkward about the hug. Not that it didn't feel good, in fact that was the problem; hugging Aoi felt a bit too good. She couldn't remember the last time she'd hugged someone, but was willing to bet that the someone was Yukino; it would have had to be her, since she - or Shizuru - were the only ones who would have dared get so close. She couldn't help but notice, though, that Aoi felt different in ways both subtle and distinct, most distinctly in that...Haruka smiled a little lopsided smile. _Be Honest, Haruka_ she told herself for the fifth time today. While at times it felt like less, or even a little more, Yukino was always like her _imouto_, her little sister - maybe it was Yukino's more girlish, petite frame, or the way they looked out for - and up to - each other all the time, but Yukino (and her parents) felt more like family than a friend. As for the bubuzuke, Shizuru was Haruka's foil, her Great Rival, and also like another sister. Like a constantly plotting, scheming, flirting, misleading, position- and ability-
abusing sister, but still, like a sister. Aoi Senoh, despite being a week younger than Yukino (and why did that piece of information come so readily to mind...), well, hugging her was not like hugging your kid sister.
Reluctantly, with almost as much difficulty as it took to resist those spicy chocolates, Haruka made herself put Aoi away. She thanked Aoi for the sentiment, but added that she was really alright, and that she was glad that Yukino was finding happiness with Chie, despite not having her friend around as containedly as she had before. Haruka did not mention any other reasons she might be glad for Yukino getting close to Chie, and told herself that it was decorum, not deception, that held her tongue. Aoi giggled, and mentioned that maybe she should stay next to Haruka, since it sounded like Haruka meant to say "constantly" instead. Haruka blushed, not only for the wrong word, which she did all the time, but for the new feelings that were creeping into her heart.
Thinking that Haruka was just worried about her "slip of the tongue," Aoi made more conversation about the candies. Ever the curious one, and believing herself inured to spicy foods from Chie's habits, Aoi tried one, nibbling delicately at the tip. At first, all she tasted was sweetness and the flavors of the chocolate, and the fruit. A little curious herself, Haruka waited until Aoi prepared to take another tiny nible at the pepper, and then gently - but firmly - poked the pepper into Aoi's mouth. Surprised at the action, Aoi reflexively opened her mouth just enough to draw Haruka's finger in and flick the tip with her own tongue. Haruka embarrassedly removed the not-so-offensive digit, but the suction from Aoi's mouth made it come out more slowly than Haruka had anticipated.
Feeling both bashful and flirty from Haruka's actions, Aoi gave much more attention to the heat she felt in her cheeks and in her stomach, that what was slowly, but surely, coming from the candied pepper. "Oh, it's so sweet," Aoi exclaimed, covering her mouth, being full. Still feeling the effects of the sucking on her flesh, Haruka only nodded, neglecting to mention that the heat of the pepper was in its center, so the longer you held it in... "Oh, that is a little...oh! OH!" Aoi had chewed up the sweet treat a little too long for her own comfort, finding out the hard way that Haruka, like Chie, loved her "spicy" things, REALLY spicy. Tears once more in her eyes, but for her own pain now, Aoi couldn't talk, and the juice in her mouth just kept getting hotter and hotter.
Seeing that Aoi was in distress, but not knowing exactly why, Haruka quickly reached behind Aoi, striking the suffering girl on the back. This caused her to suffer from both hot pepper juice in her mouth, and the start of a bruise on her back. However, it did help, in a way; Aoi swallowed the pepper, thus moving the fiery burning sensations from her mouth into her stomach. It didn't make it less painful - at first - but at least, it let Aoi talk...well, it let her cry and gasp for water, which was good enough for Haruka to work with to continue. Recognizing the signs, Haruka went first to the refrigerator, then the cupboard to get a glass, and filled it with milk. Then holding it, she came back and gave Aoi small quick sips, so that she didn't end up giving herself a milk bath. After the initial panic wore off, Aoi took the glass, and drank a good half of it, before giving it back to Haruka. Feeling a tingle on her own lips, Haruka went ahead and finished the glass.
Heart still pounding in residual panic, Aoi sat back, gasping, and tried to catch her breath. Haruka held up the glass in silent questioning, but Aoi shook her head, closing her eyes to better slow down her racing heart. Haruka stood for a while, glass in both hands, watching as Aoi took her breaths deeper, and slower, each time. While Aoi was nowhere near as well... endowed as Haruka was, what she did have she wore well. When Aoi sat back up with her eyes open, Haruka remembered suddenly that the bit of milk in the glass would be tougher to clean off if it dried, so she turned around, and rinsed it out in the sink. Haruka apologized for causing such problems with her peculiar tastes, while she used a sponge-on-a-stick to finish washing out the glass. Aoi interrupted her, saying that no, it was just fine, that she had just been surprised at their unexpected potency, and she wasn't expecting to find something both so sweet and spicy in such an attractive package. Haruka turned to face Aoi in time to see a fetching, whimsical smile on her face, before her eyes locked on to Haruka's. It was only about two or three seconds that they stared at each others, but it felt like more, both in duration and meaning.
Aoi broke the spell first, looking down, then to her side, to retrieve the candy box and holding it up, repeated herself, "Eh, package, yes." She re-opened the box, pulling out the little crinkled cups that the eaten candies had rested in, shaking the box to get the rest to settle, pulling two more out to finally make the last ones lay in order. "Um, I think this is a good gift for Chie; she loves spicy stuff, too, and as good as the chocolate is, she'll like that the peppers are still peppery. Ah, The box is still a little full, but it closes and more candy is better then not enough, ne?" Aoi gave a simple smile, but inside she was nervous, hoping that she hadn't played her hand too boldly, or not boldly enough. Aoi was most worried that she would be following too closely in Yukino's footsteps, even though she had already gained the auburn-haired girl's blessing to do...whatever it was you could call what she was doing.
As Aoi went to get some wrapping paper for the box, it occured to her that she was a little unsure just what it was that she was doing. Following in Yukino's footsteps wasn't all that bad, after all; she was best friends with Haruka - all four girls were on a first-name basis, Chie mostly by gumption - and had stuck close by her, literally, for years. Aoi didn't want to spend years cultivating a bond, especially not to have Haruka find someone else - and Haruka would find someone else, she was simply too cute not to have someone hanging around her, no matter what the excuse. Aoi took time out to move her "special collection" of stuffed toys out of the way, to get to the seasonal wrapping paper in the back of her closet, simply kneeling on top of her futon bedding; all the while, she still argued the idea of "what are her intentions" with Haruka to herself. She spent so much time at it that she didn't notice how overbalanced she was...until she couldn't _not_ notice it - she slipped, and was stuck in an odd position, partly in the closet. _How ironic_, she thought to herself, _"partly in the closet" is more Natsuki's style than mine. Oh well, I guess it's time to work on making that bond better_, Aoi resolved. "Haruka, would you come in the bedroom and do me a big favor, please?"
Glad to have something constructive to do to get her mind off of the inappropriate thoughts she had started to entertain about her new friend, Haruka quickly went to Aoi's aid, only to find... "Teddy...bears," Haruka confusedly remarked, upon seeing the huge tribe of stuffed creatures. Even Aoi's clothes seemed to have a teddy-bear theme, judging by the triangular patch of cloth poking out from the closet, sitting on top of...wait, what was that? Then, the "cloth" wiggled up and down in a distinct manner that highlighted that the bit of grey draped around it was...Aoi's school skirt! "Yeah," Aoi's voice came, muffled but calmer now that she knew help was at hand, "I like to collect cute things, so - oh...OH!"
It only now occured to Aoi just what her over-extended position must look like from the outside. To confirm her suspicions, Aoi asked directly: "Haruka, what are you looking at?" Blushing, Haruka tried to reasured the younger girl, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, they just grind in with all of the other stuffed toys here! I wasn't staring...much, and they are kind of brute. I should not be making advantage of your predictions, here." Haruka was very embarrassed to have not only been staring at Aoi inappropriately, but to have been caught at it. She tried to pull the girl's skirt down but its slipping and bunching was part of how and why Aoi had been trapped. Haruka just wound up getting Aoi further stuck, and patting her bottom in the process.
This then made Aoi blush, since she could feel what Haruka had tried to do, as well as what she had done...which was both embarrassing and kind of a turn-on. Then Aoi weakly laughed, as she realized what she was about to ask Haruka to do. "Um, Haruka, " Aoi began cautiously, "I think you'll need to push me in to get me unstuck. My arms are stretched out, so - ow!" Aoi cried out as Haruka shoved said arms into the cinderblock at the corner of the closet. Aoi giggled as she thought of how her next requests would sound. "Please be gentle with me, Haruka, I'm just a young girl, I've never done this before." Aoi laughed out loud, both at the silliness of her situation, and at how sexy her remarks sounded. Then Aoi yelped as she felt a smack on her vulnerable backside.
Haruka frowned slightly as she looked at her hand - and most assiduously did _not_ look at where that hand had just been. _I must have been hanging out with that bubuzuke-onna for too long; she's starting to rupture me just like she has that motorcycle-riding harridan girlfriend of hers._ Haruka looked suspiciously at her hand, thinking, _I swear I liked that spank, and not in a "you deserved what you got" way._ "You shouldn't be teasing me, by the way," Haruka said softly, "I get enough of this from Fujino-san." _Who would love to be in this position, especially if Kuga were stuck like this._ "I was trying to see the humor in it - please don't leave me, Haruka," Aoi apologized. "I wouldn't do that, that would be mean. You should help out by not sounding so much as if you were flirting. I'll be gentle on you now, be ready." Haruka took a deep, bracing breath, and...gently...placed her hands back on Aoi, then...gently...pushed Aoi's hips past the sticking point. Aoi sighed in relief, at which Haruka's hands spasmed, and she shouted, "Don't make sounds like that, it sounds like you're doing something naughty!" Aoi just giggled again and remarked, "Well, the way your grip is on me," arching her back to move said "grip" for emphasis. Haruka apologized again and took her hands away as she got up. Aoi kicked her feet a bit for attention, and said, "Um, not stuck any more, but...help, please?"
After pulling Aoi out of her closet - by the hand, this time - Haruka stood over by the sofa while Aoi measured and wrapped the box, placing a golden string around the package instead of a ribbon. In silence, Aoi handed the wrapped box to Haruka, who thanked Aoi for the favor, as she all-but fled for the door. As Haruka left, Aoi said in a surprisingly quiet and serious voice, "Would it be wrong, if I said that, when you rescued me, that I liked it?" Blushing, Haruka stammered, "Ye-yes, tha-that would be wrong." Aoi nodded in acceptance, saying, as she closed the door, "Okay, because it felt very, very...wrong, then."
-
A/N: Oh, my, is it warm in here, or is it downright HOT!
So, what does Haruka do? First, her best friend gets a girlfriend. Then her new friend seems like she wants to be a girlfriend.
Or is it Haruka that wants her to be a girlfriend?
Does Haruka want her to be a girlfriend?
Does Haruka want her?
Does Haruka...?
