Ohayou Gozaimasu

So a few notes, first is this chapter is split between both Akari and Kyouko because I couldn't decide who was better to tell the tale with and decided to split it approx 1/4 Akari, 3/4 Kyouko, the split is at the second line break. Next chapter will be all Akari and there may be a few side-stories to tell after I'm done with this particular tale, Which will be in 3-4 chapters (after-school/home, sleepover, climax) aslo this one is a big one because I had fun, can't promise they'll all be the same size from now on. Second note is about Kyouko's speech and thoughts, because of her past identity as essentially a more teary version of middle school Akari my headcanon is that she loathes to be taken seriously and thus actively suppresses her sensible side, along with her sarcasm and embarrassment in order to 'play' the perfect boke; hence her thoughts in my story are quite a bit more venomous than most depictions of her. Third is no way in hell am I doing Ayano's puns. Its not that I don't find them funny (although I'm not a big pun fan I'll admit) its simply that my Japanese is way too beginners course for me to even attempt to string together a clever location based pun using Japanese words as the base. Final note - Kawaii Kouhai Keiji is literally Cute Underclassmen/Junior Cage. Cage in japanese is just phonetic unless it's a specific type of cage or is a synonym, which there were quite a few, but I wanted the triple K_i because it looked kinda nice.

That's all for now, enjoy.

Disclaimer - Namori-sensei is the masterful creator of YRYR, I am simply a fan who enjoys the characters.


Chapter 4 - Symptoms

Akari watched the floor as she walked through the 2nd years' corridor, carefully manoeuvring around her senpai so as not to appear to rude. She was completely oblivious to the stares following her as she went. The whispers too, 'Hey isn't that girl always with that Sakura Demon?' 'Her hair looks so cute; I wonder where she got it done.' 'Damn first years, can't even be bothered to look at us, huh. Need to teach them some respect', were summarily ignored. Not that she as doing it on purpose, it was simply the fact that she was already giving her full attention to something no one else could see. Chinatsu smiled when I surprised her with her forgotten bento today. The lanky redhead stopped for a moment and remembering the way her best friend's face had lit up earlier began to giggle to herself, freaking out every 2nd year that happened to be watching. Too elated to hold it in she looked up and began to skip to Kyouko's class, slowing to an awkward stop when she realised that she'd been skipping in full view of all her senior students. Her faced burned red and she spun around to see if anybody had seen her embarrassing moment. Every student in the hallway was looking away from her, even those whose bodies were facing her way. Oh good, nobody saw. Sometimes I'm really glad I'm mostly invisible. She straightened her skirt and entered the classroom with a loud but polite "Shitsurei shimasu." In the hall the assembled student body let out a collective sigh and turn back to their conversations, trying to ignore the fact that they'd all, each and every one, just tried to make one awkward kouhai feel a little less embarrassed.

"AH! It's Akari!" A loud voice boomed across the mostly empty classroom, followed by an equally loud blonde girl whose cheek collided with hers and began rubbing up, down, side to side and then away, followed by a brief lick which made her squeal and squirm her way out of Kyouko's slightly perverted embrace (the otaku's hands had mostly been attached to Akari's butt for the duration). She was about to greet (and admonish, I swear) her childhood friend when a shrill voice cut straight to the point.

"TOSHINOU KYOUKO! What do you think you're doing? You can't just molest a random student, even if she is your friend." Ayano's domineering pose complimented the stern look on her face. It was a shame the effect was a little less overwhelming than it had been in Middle School, when she'd been the tallest. Now she only just beat Chinatsu when it came to height, which most of the girls had decided was not particularly hard to do. This didn't stop Akari from being awed by the sheer force of her personality every time they met however and she still referred to the older girl with polite and respectful language. "Have a little decency for once in your life."

"So they can't be random huh?" Kyouko pretended to look contemplative for a second before sending the Student Council President a grin filled to the brim with lewd cheekiness. "So it won't be a problem if I molest you then?" She added a few waggling fingers to emphasise her point. Her intended victim blushed bright red.

"A-a-a-a-a-a-are you kidding me!" She shouted. Her face became even brighter after a moment, probably due to visualising that particular scenario. "O-o-o-o-of course you can't m-molest me! It's a flagrant violation of school rules and the l-l-law! I-i-it's unwholesome and p-p-p-p-perverted! So…. N-no!"

"Buuuuu… stingy," was Kyouko's reply. "What am I going to do without my daily dose of AyanoBits?"

"When did I become your daily dose of anything? And what the hell are 'AyanoBits'?"

Another huskier and much quieter voice cut in with, "What are you, some perverted old man? Sit down and shut up the pair of you."

Akari turned to find a white haired girl with glasses standing next to her, if not for the disgruntled expression and the pale green eyes she would be the spitting image of her elder twin sister. "Good Morning Chizuru-senpai," she said, greeting the more calm and quiet member of this trio of 2nd years.

"It's past noon," the younger Ikeda curtly replied, still she smiled at her beleaguered kouhai and said, "It still sounds too formal Akaza-chan, you can relax around me a bit more. I'm not going to bite your head off or anything."

"Hai!" The young redhead sent a sparkling smile in reply.

"Then can I relax a whole lot more then?" Kyouko purred, sidling up beside the newest target for her seemingly incurable sexual harassment and making a rather childish kissy face.

Chizuru pushed her glasses up her nose and sent a withering glare her way. "You come any closer and I'll cut your lips off." Akari and Ayano shivered at the unconcealed malice in her voice, whereas the blonde idiot simply pouted.

"Sniff sniff… you're so cold Chizuru-chan," turning her face away from her friends and pretending to sob. "You needn't bury your love for me under words of hate any longer… sniff…" She turned back with a surprisingly serious look on her face. Clenching a fist in determination, "Now come, take off your pantie- AAAH! JOKE! It was a joke! Wait, Chizuru-san, no Chizuru-sama. Yaaaaaaa-"

Akari watched the two 17 year old girls tear about the classroom with a stone-faced smile; she didn't know what to say, although it wasn't as if she'd never seen Kyouko being chased by an angry victim/target before. She turned towards her upstanding senpai to apologise for her childhood friend's actions only to find Ayano standing there watching the spectacle with a faint grimace and a look of utter defeat in her eyes. "Sugiura-senpai! Are you alright?"

The older redhead turned to her and let out a humourless laugh followed by a pained smile. "Ah, I'm actually kind of glad they waited until lunchtime today. Sorry about this Akaza-san." Akari repressed the urge to embrace the sorrowful sight before her; it's rude to just hug your senpai! Ayano turned back to the 'chase' to see Kyouko narrowly dodge a grasping hand aimed at her throat while spouting a defiant line that was surely taken from whatever the blonde girl happened to be watching recently. "Was she always like this?"

"Kyouko-chan?"

"Mm"

"Hehe, actually until she started Middle School Kyouko-chan was a huge cr-" Akari's reminiscing was cut short by two hands clamping over her mouth. The chase seemingly forgotten, Kyouko now stood in front of her lanky kouhai with a nervous smile on her face and a wild look in her eyes. Everyone in the classroom had turned to see the usually boisterous girl go quiet, even Chizuru, obsessed with the destruction of that Certain Annoying Blond, had stopped her assault out of curiosity.

"Go on," the white haired girl goaded. An unmistakably malicious smile on her face. "'Kyouko-chan' was a huge what?" The perverted otaku shivered this time.

"Mfffbblee," was the younger girl's only response, still silenced by her friend.

"N-nothing important," Kyouko replied, her voice betraying a very untypical wavering. "Hey Akari!"

"Mm?"

"You're here for something right?" Her voice was now syrupy sweet, trying her hardest to push the conversation away from her embarrassing past. Violet eyes sparkling, Akari nodded her head enthusiastically and began to mumble a worded response into her older friend's hands. "Yosh yosh. Let's all sit down and chat, ne?"

"AH! Trying to change the subject," the violent Ikeda accused.

"I second the sit down idea," Ayano suddenly cut in. "Neither of you have eaten lunch yet anyway." As if on cue both Kyouko and her attempted murderer's stomachs growled in protest.


With the four girls now quietly assembled around three desks pushed together the remainder of their classmates seemed to ignore them. Probably not anticipating anymore free entertainment, Kyouko thought. I wonder if I should make another ruckus later… a glance Ayano's way killed any desire for that however. Maybe not. The glare the short redhead was sending her way was not one that would allow her to wriggle out of a scolding this time, regardless of how big her crush was. I wonder how long she's going to drag this Tsundere act out. Not that I mind though, she's pretty cute as is. "Hehehe."

"What are you giggling at now, Toshinou Kyouko?" Still with the full name? Aaha, whatever.

"Nothin', just an amusing anecdote for my doujin," she lied seamlessly and popped the cap on her green tea. Turning towards her childhood friend and putting on a graceful air, "Now Akari-sama, whatever seems to be the matter? Come, you may ask me anything?" The blonde waved her hand in a graceful manner. "I shall do my utmost to fulfil your expectations."

"What manga is that from?" came the acerbic and slightly muffled voice to her left. She glanced to see Chizuru, now in non-murder mode, chewing on an onigiri. Nothing you'd be familiar with, unless you happen to like BL and Butlers, shame Chinatsu isn't here. She'd definitely get the reference. Kyouko took a large but dignified sip from her tea to bite down the comeback and play into her adopted role.

"Um… Kyouko-chan," Akari was obviously a little nervous. Aw, she's so cute like that. "What's it like? Being a lesbian?"

"TOSHINOU KYOUKO!" the now tea-saturated President shrieked. Ah, that was my bad.

"Haha," she laughed, rather weakly. "Sorry about that." Kyouko stood up and grabbed her gym towel out of her bag before moving around the group to dry the shorter girl's face and hair.

"Sorry Sugiura-senpai!" the taller redhead was now flustered, like a puppy caught chewing a slipper she looked about trying to find some way to alleviate the situation.

"Don't apologise," Chizuru said after swallowing the last of her rice ball. "It wasn't your fault that this pervert spat tea everywhere." Pervert again? At least I'm not crushin' on my sister.

"But-" Akari's protest was cut short by Ayano's hand and a gentle smile.

"Chizuru's words, however harsh," the younger twin looked away at that, "are correct. It wasn't you who suddenly decided to have a ridiculous reaction to a simple question."

"Simple?" Kyouko couldn't help that slipping out. What was simple about that? Akari asking me stuff like that; it's like Yui's mum coming up to me and asking what my favourite sex position is. It's way out there. Too much gap, not enough moe!

"Ah, it was a relatively simple question," the blonde had stopped moving the towel and the still-drenched President took the opportunity to make sure her ears were dry inside. "A little unexpected maybe," then shooting her 5-year crush with a glare that'd make a snake back off, "but no excuse to spit a drink all over someone. What are you, a cartoon character?"

"Haa…" She had no response so she simply returned to towelling dry the older girl's hair.

Ayano, satisfied that Kyouko had been suitably scolded turned her attention to her still flustered kouhai. "Akaza-san, I understand your choice of whom to ask this question, but could you tell me why you're asking?"

"Mm," Akari wrung her hands together. "Actually, I'm a bit worried lately. China-ch- I mean Chinatsu has been all out of sorts lately and I can't figure it out. I thought maybe it was something she thinks I wouldn't understand and…" her cheeks flashed red "and that's the only part of her I don't know anything about." That's for sure, ever since me and Yui graduated the pair of them have been joined at the hip but Akari's practically immune to sexuality.

"Are you sure it's not a family problem?" Chizuru chimed in. "Those kind if issues can be hard to talk about even amongst friends."

"Nope," Kyouko replied without a beat. Stilling her hands for a moment, "No way in hell Chinatsu-chan would keep any sister dramas from Akari after what happened last month." Akari dropped her head in response. Yah, if only I hadn't forgotten about all that stuff in Akane's room. Sorry Akari.

"Huh?" Both of her classmates seemed to want to know more.

"Nothing relevant to this discussion, don't ask again." The force in her words seemed to surprise the pair of them, but they simply nodded in response.

"Well," Chizuru tried to move the discussion away from sisters, bet that's hard for a siscon. "What about her parents?"

At that Akari lifted her head and let out an awkward laugh. "Heehe, um… It might sound a little insensitive, but Chinatsu doesn't really care very much about her mum and dad."

"Eh?" the white haired girl seemed a little surprised at that while under Kyouko's hands she noticed it was now the older redhead who had dropped her head. Kyouko-Memo #10234 - Parents, delicate subject around Ayano-tan. Avoid for now.

"What do you mean 'out of sorts'?" She interrupted eager to get the considerate little Tsundere back in the conversation so she could focus on drying her hair rather than dwelling on serious stuff. "She hasn't been all that different to me; I've still got a footprint on my arse from last night to prove it." The otaku winced as she remembered the tiny pink haired bombshell literally booting her out of what she liked to refer as the Kawaii Kouhai Keiji.

"Well," more hand-wringing. This sounds a bit more serious than I thought; Akari isn't usually a worrywart for no reason. Although this is her beloved 'China-chan', so who knows. "You remember the spaghetti we had last night?"

"Oh yeah! That was delicious," she licked her lips unconsciously. "Up there among Yui and Oppai-chan's best. I didn't know you could cook that well."

"Chinatsu made it."

"Shit!" Shit! Shit! Sheee-iit!

"Toshinou Kyouko! Don't curse in the classroom." Ayano turned up to admonish her but stopped when she saw the anxious expression plastered across her pale face. "I-is something wrong?"

"Yoshikawa Chinatsu is the worst cook on the planet." Her reply was toneless.

The younger Ikeda scoffed, "Oh come on you're just exaggerating like usual." She turned to the younger girl seated across from her for confirmation but like her currently-moist friend stopped dead at the way Akari simply nodded in reply to Kyouko's statement.

"No, Chinatsu is about as much of a cook as Kyouko-chan is an upstanding citizen." Was the younger girl's reply. Her childhood friend narrowed her eyes at that, Hmmm, I feel like that's something most people would say in jest Akari-han. Jeez, who taught her how to slander me like that?

Her classmates looked a little horrified at the comparison but nodded in understanding. Ouch.

"Ahum!" Kyouko coughed, trying to get away from the public opinion regarding her own depravity. "Chinatsu-chan has an extraordinary creative talent. If she tries hard to make anything; meals, a painting, a scarf, even a daisy-chain. It turns into something human eyes were not meant to look upon."

Ayano touched her lips as if remembering a crucial fact. "Didn't she win an art prize in Grade 8 for that portrait of Omuro?" Omuro? Don't think much of Saku-chan huh, Ayano?

"She passed out from a fever about two hours after she finished that. The less attention she gives something she's making, the better it is."

"Meaning a gourmet meal would be something she threw together in a muddle?" Chizuru offered, making an educated guess.

"More than a muddle," the blonde started to pat dry the President's neck, enjoying the way it flushed red at her touch. "A muddle would be 'Mom's Home-Cooked Dinner', both of you have had a meal at Yui's place before right, or something Oppai-chan cooked for her skinny tsundere lover. It was that good. That's not 'oh my, something is on my mind' Chinatsu-chan, that's more of a 'help, I'm slowly going crazy' Chinatsu-chan."

"I see," Ayano's gaze settled on their kouhai, standing she was taller than all three of them but sitting there, hunched and wringing her hands together she gave off the impression of a lost child. "It's hard."

"Huh?" This time it was Chizuru and Kyouko's turn to be a little confused. Akari locked eyes with the Senpai she admired the most out of the few she felt comfortable around.

"It's really hard being gay sometimes." The older redhead picked at some invisible spot on her desk. "You fall in love just like any other normal girl; experience all the ups and downs that entails and then you pour on three more gigantic concerns. If you're lucky the first is no problem, all it requires is people who accept you after all, but it can be hell for someone who can't find those kinds of people. I don't think Yoshikawa-san needs to worry about that one, ne?" Akari flashed a small grin and shook her head, yeah no worries there. "The second is sort of related, what if that girl isn't gay? What if she's homophobic or simply just not on that side of the fence?" Kyouko felt a tiny pinch in her chest, a forgotten remnant of a crush she gave up more than half a decade ago. "And then there's the hardest one. If someone doesn't accept you it's hard, but you can move on. Same if your love turns you down just because you don't have a penis." Akari and Chizuru both blushed at the normally uptight Ayano casually blurting out the word 'penis'. That was kind of hot; I wonder if I can get her to say more dirty words? "But how hard do you imagine it is to know that the object of your affection is not opposed to love between the same sex, but that you aren't the one she's looking at? You aren't the one she wants to touch. Someone who accepts who you are even has the same sexual inclination, but no feelings for you." The blonde's hands pulled away then, because the wrench in her gut at Ayano's words made her want to huddle up and die. Aaaaah. What am I supposed to say here? "So, in summation. It's hard being a lesbian, especially if you have a tendency to be overly imaginative or a worrywart." The look on her face was so serenely sad that even Chizuru swallowed the blunt statement she'd prepared. Kyaaaah! This is way too awkward…. Akari, say something please.

"Is that how it is?" The younger girl looked thoughtful for a moment; apparently digesting everything she'd just been told. Then worry, and slowly panic took over. "AH! China-chan's extremely imaginative. Ah no. What do I do?" China-chan? You slipped there Akari, but 'extremely imaginative' is an understatement. That girl could out-sop the cheesiest shoujo mangaka in a heartbeat.

Kyouko rested her hands on her Tsundere friend's shoulders, feeling them tense up at the action, and let out a gigantic sigh to clear her head. Aa-ah, I hate having to be serious Kyouko. "How about you tell me exactly what she's been doing that's so out of sorts, besides the marked improvement in her culinary technique."

Akari nodded, the worry draining a little from her face. "She's been avoiding me every now and then; sometimes she won't even look me in the eyes." Ara? "Then she'll just clamp up or run off. And her sleeping's been really bad since we moved in together, she's always tossing about in the morning like she's having a nightmare so I have to talk to her so she can calm down." Ara ara? "She hasn't come to the public bath with me since Spring Break, and whenever I'm getting dressed she seems like she wants to yell at me, she goes all red and shakes." Oh, I never thought you were this dense. "I want to tell her she can say anything to me," No one could say that you twit. "But I don't know how to bring it up. What should I do?"

Chizuru dropped her forehead to the desk with a loud 'thunk'.

"Poor Yoshikawa-san," Ayano whispered.

"Akari," Kyouko started but finished with an even bigger sigh than the last.

"Huh?" The poor girl seemed clueless.

"I knew you were immune to hormones but I didn't think you were this oblivious. Didn't you claim a couple of weeks ago that you could always tell what Chinatsu-chan was thinking?"

"Only when I'm touching her," her childhood friend protested. "She won't even let me hold her hand lately." Of course she wouldn't. It's embarrassing as hell holding the hand of a girl you're crushing on. Even if she is your best friend. Especially if she's your best friend.

"Argh!" The blonde idiot furiously mussed up her hair and pointed at the lanky redhead. "BAKA!"

The look on her face was priceless and she wished she had a camera. Chinatsu would probably sell me her soul for that expression. The mixture of confusion and hurt was sublimely cute, it almost made her want to suddenly ignore this whole thing and just draw it. But regardless of how irresponsible she seemed to her friends, she wasn't about to brush all of this aside.

"I'll talk to Chinatsu sometime soon, I'm pretty sure she's going to flip out but whatever. It's way to pitiful to leave it as is. I might have to stop molesting her too."

"You just said something rather outrageous then," Chizuru piped up. "So you are aware it's called molestation."

"Of course I'm aware," Kyouko put on an affronted face. "I just don't care because it's fun."

"Toshinou Kyouko! That was even more outrageous."

"If you're gonna stop molesting the pink-shrimp why don't you stop trying with me as well?" The white haired girl said while cracking her knuckles in what she must have thought was a rather menacing way. Screw it; I'm not holding back my tsukkomi this time.

"What are you, a Showa manga delinquent? Lame, Chizuru-chan, way too lame." Her frequent attacker's eyebrows twitched at that. "Whatever, I don't need you anyway," she leaned down next to Ayano's face and gave her a peck on the cheek, "I've got Ayano-tan… hmmm, still tastes like tea."

"T-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-" the Tsundere flushed a red that was nearly as deep as her hair, her eyes looked they were about to start spinning and her mouth just bobbed up and down, stuck on a single consonant. "T-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-"

"Ah, whoops," the blonde scratched her head and awkwardly smiled at her other two friends. "I think I broke her."

"Moron." Was the only reply the cold Chizuru had for that.

"Well Akari," she turned and grabbed her clueless kouhai and guided to the door of the classroom, eager to get the girl away before Ayano exploded or whatever was about to happen. "I hope this has helped a little."

"Yes," she answered seriously gah, so earnest. "I've got to try understand Chinatsu a little better so that I can help her when she decides to open up to me. I don't think I understand the feelings, but I realise that it must be really hard on her." You have no idea. "I knew it had something to do with me. You were right! I am a baka!" Oh, maybe you do have an idea. "Yosh, Please tell me when you know what it is so I can fix it right away. Ah! What's wrong Kyouko-chan?"

Kyouko slowly removed the palm of her hand from her face and rested it on Akari's shoulder, "I'll do that Akari. Leave it to me." Being this romantically oblivious has to be some sort of crime.

"Hai!" Just as she was about to turn and leave her face made that 'oh-I-just-remembered-something' look she'd seen countless times on the younger girl's visage. "Um, Kyouko-chan?"

"What?"

"Would you like to come over to Yui's this weekend for a sleepover?"

The question was perfectly harmless coming from Akari, but she felt as though her veins had frozen. Yui. She had mentioned her once or twice during their discussion, it was inevitable, she'd spent more time with Yui than anybody else she knew, including her parents. Despite being the elder of the two, it had always felt as though her raven haired friend was something like an older sister. I think that but I've barely spoken to her for nearly two weeks.

"I'm not sure Yui would want me over, I haven't exactly been the best buddy lately. We've barely spoken this last week. I mean it's not like I like it bu-"

"I don't like it when you two aren't talking either. It hurts a little in here." The redhead made a melancholic face and pulled her hands against her chest. Every piece of Kyouko that resisted the suggestion of making peace melted, her blood boiled hot again and she actually felt a blush. Argh, damn that was so freaking touching. I feel like I've done something bad to Chinatsu just by witnessing that.

"I-" her voice caught. Akari, apparently under the impression it was hesitation followed with…

"Yui also said there's two litres of Rum-Raisin waiting for you." That cunning bitch. Kyouko's stomach answered for her with a growl so loud a few of the 'corridor peeps' as she liked to call them turned to stare at her, though she was a bit taken aback when they spotted her younger friend and immediately turned away. I wonder what that was about.

"You've got me. I'll go," she said, giving up in the face of a miserable Akari and the promise of her favourite food.

"YATTA!" The lanky teenage girl wrapped herself around the perverted otaku, feeling equally affectionate but for once keen to maintain her dignity as a senpai she reached up and began to pet her dear childhood friend on the head.

"I'll talk to Yui after school, okay?"

"Hai!" Akari straightened up and gave her one of her most adorable thousand watt smiles before running off.

"T-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-" Ayano was still short-circuiting when she sat back down.

"Ayano?"

"T-t-t-tan?!" She finished with what now seemed like an over-exaggerated squeak. The she noticed that Kyouko was now staring at her with a smirk on her face. Somehow she managed to blush even brighter before squealing and running out of the room at full speed.

"Heh," the object of the embarrassed girl's affections snorted at her friend's reaction. That was hilarious and adorable. I wonder what you call that combination?… Aa-ah I'm tired, I had to be serious Kyouko way too much today. She looked at Chizuru, happily (I think) munching on another onigiri then at where the red-haired and red-faced girl had been. No way she's gonna tell me off in that state. A sly grin curled across the blonde's face.

"Ne, Chizuru," she said, eager to set off on another ruckus.

"What?"

"What colour is your bra today? Oh, and if that's too embarrassing, then the colour of your nipples will do."

She dodged the first punch as it cracked through the desk where her head had been a split second before hand, and ran off, dodging the rest by a hair, running across the desks to reach the door while a murderous Ikeda chased her heels. Ah, my day just isn't full without a hair-raising escape.