A/N:
"Hey, Himawari!"
"Oh, hey Sakurako…"
"What's wrong?"
"Oh, nothing, it's just that, well…"
"Well what?"
"We didn't get any screen time last week!"
"We got mentioned…"
"That's not good enough! Author!"
*Yawn* What? I was taking a nap…
"We demand more screen time!"
"Yeah, what Himawari said!"
Uh girls…
"Now I know that may not be easy, but I think Sakurako and I are underrated in this series…"
Uh, girls…
"…but I think that you could pen us in some more screen time!…"
Girls…
"…At least give us a paragraph or two!"
GIRLS!
"What?"
I had planned to dedicate this whole chapter to you two!
*moe blink* "Eh?"
Yeah! This is an interlude!
*raises hand*
Yes, Sakurako?
"What's an interlude?"
It's like a break in-between the main story where we distract and focus on one thing in particular that doesn't get enough attention as it should. You've probably seen them on albums and stuff like that. They're a nice little something to distract from it all!
"Oh, well, that sounds cool!"
"Yeah, Sakurako and I thank you a lot!"
Ah, no problem, I felt it was necessary. Now don't just sit around, you guys have to get to the story, hayaku, hayaku!
"Thanks again! C'mon Himawari!"
"Coming!"
Alright, now that they're out of the way, time to get down to the A/N….Oh, you're all here…Well this is awkward…Um, ONWARD TO THE STORY!
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
As Ayano announced that the meeting was adjourned, Himawari and Sakurako rushed out of the Student Council Room, hand in hand, happier than they had ever been. It didn't feel unusual for them to be getting along one minute then 'battling' another, that's just the way their relationship worked. But no matter what happened, they always ended up making up, busies and messy hair inclusive. They reached the school gates in no time flat, and got to talking.
"So," Sakurako began as the couple continued walking, "what do you want to do?"
"I don't know," Himawari replied, "what do you want to do?"
"Oh no…" Sakurako said, her voice ridden with horror.
"What is it?" Himawari inquired.
"It's starting…" Sakurako replied, her voice now sounding more like a narrator from a horror movie.
Himawari was getting a little frightened at these happenings, and shakily asked, "Wh-what?"
"The 'What do you want to do?' Loop…" Sakurako's voice melodramatically echoed as Himawari gazed onward with a blank stare, her terror completely gone at the realization that this was merely one of Sakurako's gags.
"What are you talking about?" Himawari asked as she gave Sakurako a little shake to snap her out of it.
Upon regaining her senses, Sakurako replied, "Well, in any anime or manga, whenever anyone asks 'What do you want to do?' and someone replies with the exact same thing, it just goes in an infinite loop until they eventually arrive at some location that serves as a plot device or something like that, so the author can avoid scripting intricate conversation, and merely play off of even based occurrences."
Again, Himawari gave a blank expression to Sakurako and just said, "Eh?"
"Oh forget it…" Sakurako said with a heavy sigh.
"Jeez, we've been going out for two months now," Himawari moaned as they reached a crosswalk, "and I still don't get you sometimes."
"What's there to get?" Sakurako inquired, her face painted with curiosity.
"I mean, like, the inner machinations of your mind." Himawari replied as she poked Sakurako playfully on her forehead. "Wow, that sounds kind of dorky now that I say that out loud…"
"Yep!" Sakurako cheerfully agreed.
"You weren't supposed to agree with that!" Himawari replied, flustered.
The January-to-February transition around the town was showing in a multitude of ways. Storefronts were going full out for Valentine's day, as pink and red flourished everywhere. Flower shops set up bouquets of roses of all shades and hues, and bakers stood signs outside their doors and in their windows that all read generally the same thing; 'VALENTINE'S DAY CAKES, CHOCOLATE ARRANGEMENTS, ALL _% OFF', or something to that accord. Even the town fountain had little hearts hung up all around it, along with Cupid statutes that adorned the streetlights as well. Bridal shops were also prepping up, as Valentine's day was, as expected, notorious for weddings. They offered discounts on dresses that seemed outrageous, and Sakurako and Himawari intensely questioned how they managed to stay financially afloat, given the ridiculous prices they were slashing.
"Hey, Himawari?" Sakurako began as the two continued down the main boulevard, still hand in hand.
"Yeah, what's up?" Himawari replied as she gazed around at more of the attractions and scenery.
"Did you ever window shop at bridal stores?" Sakurako inquired, as she gazed onward at a bridal shop or two.
Himawari stopped for a moment, and let herself be pulled by Sakurako over towards a nearby bridal shop window. The mannequins were clothed in the most elegant dresses the girls had ever seen in their lives. White had never looked so gorgeous, as the lace on the dresses seemed to glisten in the winter sunlight.
"You know what?" Himawari began as she gazed ever onward at the beautiful dresses, "I don't think I ever have…" she wistfully finished.
"Ever what?" Sakurako inquired, her tone, one of pure mesmerization and awe at the sight that she was beholding.
Himawari shot a moe-style glance at Sakurako, and replied, "Window shopped for bridal dresses. You asked me if I ever had, remember?"
Sakurako countered with her own clueless look, and simply said, "I don't know what you're talking about, but let's go!" and dragged Himawari into the bridal shop.
"JeeeEEEzzz!" Himawari moaned as she was yanked inside the store.
The store's exterior belied the elaborate interior. Upon entrance, the girls took off their jackets and exposed their school uniforms underneath. Inside, eloquently dressed mannequins made everything look appealing, and the staff there were equally as beautiful. The walls were painted eggshell white, and all over women walked in and out of dressing rooms. Some raved over how the dress fit perfectly, and that they wouldn't change a thing, while others ranted over the most minute of details, such as the threading didn't look flashy enough, or the dress didn't show enough of their midriff. Tables were also littered around the store with minor jewelry and accessories, to top off the look, but most were, in all actuality, things that the store had overstocked on that hey need to liquidate quickly.
Sakurako barged forward on into the store, leaving behind Himawari, who took a more delicate approach, and cautiously approached everything she could.
'What am I doing in here?' Himawari thought to herself as she looked over at an energetic Sakurako who was looking at herself in the mirror with various little trinkets on her wrists or pendants around her neck. Himawari softly smiled to herself, and resumed looking through sample dresses, and thought to herself, 'Oh yeah, that's why…'
After about five minutes or so, Himawari reconvened with Sakurako, and a store attendant came over to check on the couple, asking, "Hi, I'm Grace; is there anything I can do for you two today?" The woman in question, was a young girl, she couldn't've been more than 22, with dark auburn hair that was tied up in a bun, glasses, and a white low cut shirt that exposed the cleavage of her more than noticeable midriff. Himawari cringed a little bit upon noticing that detail, but quickly regained her composure as the woman gazed onward with a cheery smile.
"Oh, n-no," Himawari shakily began as she crossed her arms over her midriff, "we're just looking-"
"Is there any way we could try on some of these dresses?!" Sakurako interrupted, eliciting a wail from Himawari.
"Why of course!" Grace cheerily replied. She led the couple to the fitting rooms, sat them down on a couch in a room with a 180 degree mirror, then left for a minute, and came back with a moving rack that was lined full of dresses. Both girls' eyes widened as they walked over to the rack and sifted through the dresses, until they both selected one. Grace squealed out of glee at the two, then led Himawari to her dressing room, and pointed Sakurako towards hers.
"Wait, how come you have to take Himawari to her dressing room," Sakurako began, "but I have to go to mine myself?!"
"I have some things I want to discuss personally with Himawari." Grace cheerily replied, "Don't worry, I wouldn't dream of trying to steal her from you." Grace gave a playful wink at Sakurako.
"Okay," Sakurako equally as playfully replied, "but don't succumb to her deadly (booby) charms!"
Grace giggled, "I'll try not to!"
"Did I hear something else in there?" Himawari inquired.
"It was nothing!" Sakurako replied as she dashed off to her dressing room.
Himawari heaved a sigh before going along with Grace to her fitting room. Himawari took off her school uniform, and hung it up, but as she was about to turn around, she felt two hands grab right around her breasts; hands that were, upon a look behind her, revealed to be none other than Grace's. She instinctively squealed, pushed Grace's hands away, and backed up. Grace let out a playful giggle and stated,
"Yep, we're the same cup size!"
"Huh?!" Himawari exclaimed.
Grace sat down as Himawari disregarded the previous happening and went on with putting on her dress. But as Himawari got the dress on, Grace began to explain herself.
"I was just like you in middle school." Grace began. "Madly in love, but heavy-chested for my age. So when the other girls saw me, even the girl I loved at the time, they tended to get a little…"
"Jealous?" Himawari said as she pulled the dress up around her waist.
"Precisely…" Grace replied, her tone somewhat morose, "But I guess that's the way some people are. Some people flourish before others, and some don't. The key is figuring out how to make the best of your situation."
Himawari mulled over these words right as she was pulling the dress over her breasts. She noticed just then that the dress was a strapless dress, meaning only one thing; cleavage. And in Himawari's case, plenty of it.
"Did you do this on purpose?!" Himawari exclaimed as she finished putting her dress on, spun around, and pointed at her midriff.
"Definitely!" Grace replied as she struck a thumbs up pose and stuck her tongue out to the side.
'Not even denying it?…' Himawari thought to herself, 'Well, at least she's honest…'
Grace looked up at the ceiling as she continued her story, "Anyways, long story short, the girl and I got in an argument over the chest thing and didn't speak for that entire first year of middle school. I was devastated, I'd thought that I'd lost my one and only true love; but you know what?"
Himawari sat down on the dressing room bench next to Grace as she inquired, "What?"
"When we finally got back to talking again," Grace continued, "I accepted what hand I was dealt. Not only that, but I figured if I had this hand, that I was going to flaunt proudly for all to see! So the next day, totally against school dress code, I came to school in a low cut shirt, much like the one I'm wearing now, and made sure to accentuate as much of my breasts as I could without showing them bare. That day was the day I was expelled from Nanamori Girl's Middle School, but it was also the day my future wife and I shared our first kiss. I remember waiting outside the school for her, and how she ranted and raved about why I had done a crazy thing like that, but after a minute, she calmed down and told me that she was proud of me."
"Proud?!" Himawari gasped as she almost fell out of her seat.
"Yep," Grace replied, "she said she was proud of me because I didn't hide what I had for once, and had not only flaunted it in the face of the student body, but the staff as well. Moral of the story: be a little proud about what you have once in a while, and it'll pay off big in the future. Trust me." Grace gazed down at a locket that she pulled out of her pocket that had a picture of her and some other girl. She had a lower lip piercing on the girl's left hand side, long, black hair that had blue and yellow streaks, a tattoo of a key on her left arm, and she just exuded an aura of a punk rocker. "Yume…" Grace pined, "every moment we're apart hurts more than anything could ever hope to…but you know the feeling right?"
Himawari's face was flushed a deep red, "Well…." she demurely replied.
"I'M REAAAAADYYYYY!" Sakurako exclaimed from outside the dressing room.
Himawari perked up and her face was painted with a colossal smile, as it always was every time Sakurako pulled these antics of hers. However, Himawari quickly became self-aware of her actions due to Grace's giggle.
"Come on." Grace said as she calmed down, "It would be rude to make your bride-to-be wait."
Himawari nodded in consent, and slowly walked out of her dressing room with Grace in tow, carrying the tail of her wedding gown. When Himawari saw Sakurako dressed in the gorgeous gown, she couldn't believe it. Sakurako's dress actually had straps, a veil, and was embroidered with small rhinestones about the neck area. Sakurako was a vision of loveliness, and somehow, you could tell Sakurako felt the same way about Himawari. The two walked up to each other, intertwined hands and fingers, and walked up to the enormous mirror. The two admired one another, exchanging compliments, until Sakurako said,
"Um, Himawari?"
"Hm?" Himawari inquired as she turned to Sakurako.
"Y-you're chest is in full view…" Sakurako demurely stated.
Himawari was taken aback by this rarely seen side of Sakurako; she was like a lost little kid who didn't know which way to go, but spoke her opinion indifferently. "Yes," Himawari replied, "Yes it most definitely is. Do you…like it?"
'Brace for boob joke in 3…2…1…' Himawari thought to herself as she anticipated Sakurako's response.
"Yes." Sakurako boldly replied as she grabbed Himawari's other hand and drew her close. "I most definitely do. You should do it more often."
Himawari was in shock and awe for yet another time today. She turned to Grace for a minute who gave an encouraging nod to Himawari, as if to say, "Go for it!"
That was all the encouragement Himawari and Sakurako needed. They drew each other closer, and passionately kissed. They felt a little awkward at first in the presence of a semi-perfect stranger(despite the fact that they had kissed multiple times in public, Comuket for example), but this one felt different. It was as if this kiss signified a lifelong commitment, the culmination of every emotion that they had ever felt, as if to say that they did truly accept each other for who they are, and ever will be.
It was true love; true, eternal, love.
The couple thanked Grace for all of her help, left the boutique, and continued their walk home. Their conversation continued as always, they began with the simple topic of the release of one of their favorite artist's new album, but somehow they strayed off on the tangent of the overuse of the 'Breaking the 4th Wall' tactic in media. As the two walked down their neighborhood's walkway, Sakurako brought up an interesting topic,
"Hey, Himawari?"
"What is it?" Himawari inquired as she tightened up her winter jacket with her free hand.
"You know our kiss back at the boutique?" Sakurako inquired.
Himawari's face was instantly painted a deep red, but she was able to mutter out, "Y-y-yeah?"
"Do you think that Ayano and Kyoko ever had a kiss like that?" Sakurako inquired.
Himawari pondered the subject for a minute, but when they reached the front door to Himawari's apartment building, she finally spoke up, "If they love each other like we do, definitely. But what's up with bringing them up randomly?"
"Just making pleasant conversation." Sakurako replied with a smug grin. The two kissed, then went their separate ways. As Himawari entered her apartment, she cupped her hands over her heart, and moaned a little bit to herself before collapsing on the floor out of glee.
Kaede walked out of the hallway to her home, up to her sister and said, "Nee-chan, not again…" Kaede sighed as she grabbed Himawari by her feet and dragged her onwards to her room.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
A/N: Well, now that they've got their screen time for this week…Thanks for reading this little interlude! I know you were expecting the dance and I promise you that's coming next week, I'm just putting some finishing touches on it even as I type this and wowza baby this thing is a doozy if I ever saw a doozy, but I think you're going to like how it all ends up. Also, pardon the shortness of this, but I have exams this week, and that interfered with my ability to lengthen this, as I had to divert my attention to that, but next week, it's back to the natural length! Anyways, as always, rate, review and follow this story to keep up-to-date with everything that happens with this lovely little tale! Again, I can't thank everyone here enough for taking the time to read this story, and I'm happy that I can do something people truly enjoy.
Also, I'm now working on another story in the Shingeki no Kyojin (Attack on Titan) section of FanFiction called, "High School Daze", and it's basically an AU where humanity's strongest are forced into surviving the trials and tribulations of average high schoolers and the drama, comedy, and romance that ensues. If you could, and if you enjoy my writing here, go check it out, I PROMISE it'll be worth the read!
And if you don't, that's ok, I still love you! 3
Until then, have a fantastic day/week/month/year of your life, and I will see you next week!
