Authors Note: Hey everyone thanks for hanging in here :) i know its a really long time since i posted the last chapter but better late than never right? :D
I rewrote some parts in earlier chapters and added 2 new i hope you all like
reviews are always appreciated
A heavy silence fell between them. Shimako wrought her hands and observed the younger girl who was staring at her feet arms rigid at her side. A posture that didn't help with the brunets' nervousness, now that she was alone with Noriko she didn't know how to start the conversation. How do you tell someone that you are sorry that they love you? That the only thing you want is go back to the status quo. Back to a time were the younger girls face would light up when she saw her and they could spend hours together totally at ease in eacht others company.
Now she lived in a bizarre mirror world, were her mere presence mad Noriko uncomfortable and the younger girl wished to be anywhere but here. It made her unspeakable sad.
Noriko felt the older girls eyes on her and it unnerved her. She felt judged and assessed. A sliver of resentment mad itself known. It wasn't her fault they were now in this situation! She couldn't help it that she fell in love with her soeur. Hadnt asked for days of heartache hours of misery and minutes of sorrow. If she could she would gladly rip her heart out to stop its treacherous feelings that only brought her pain. NO, she wasn't at fault here! Her anger rising like a giant wave ready to bury anything and everything. It was all Shimako's fault! She told her she needed space, she told her they shouldn't see each other and she told her what her mere presence not speaking of her touch invoked in her.
And what did the older girl do? She constantly sought her company brought her in situations were they would be alone and were she had to touch her. It just wasn't right to put the whole blame on her! A small part of her knew she was unfair to her friend, that she didn't intend to hurt her deliberately but she was to far gone in her fury to care now.
Not knowing the powder keg of emotions in her petites soeurs heart, Shimako broke the silence.
"This can't continue." This innocent words, uttered only to demonstrate their shared unhappiness with their current situation and illustrate her helplessness was the cause for Noriko to explode.
"Do you think you are the only one who is miserable!" She took a couple of angry steps in the direction of her soeur, who looked at her shocked after her outburst. Eyed wide and mouth open she stared at the other girl. But Noriko wasn't finished.
"Every day I see you I die a little more, it hurts in here," she touched the place were her heart rests, "it hurts so much that the pain drives me mad! And you have the nerve to tell me this cant continue?! I know it cant! I told you I needed time away from you. I told you!" She accused.
Shimako bit her lip and tried to keep the tears at bay.
"I though we could work…" Noriko interrupted her irrately and minimised the distance between them stopping directly in front of her.
"Could work through this? I cant just turn my feelings on and off I am not a machine!"
Norikos hot breath blew over the older girls face so close were they. She could clearly see the anger and despair in her petite soeurs face. It tore at her own heart.
"Tell me what can I do to make you feel better." Shimako knew she sounded desperate but she was at her wits end and the whole situation pained her beyond words. She just wanted to make Noriko happy again, was that too much to ask?
Before she even had time to rethink her actions, Noriko ripped the cross from around her neck. Destroying the lock and giving her a bloody gash in the process. She refrained from wincing at the wound and dangled the rosary in front of the panicked eyes of the brunet.
"Take this and leave me alone." She regretted the words the moment they left her mouth. Seeing the devasted eyes of her grand soeur. The hurt and pain her thoughtless action had caused she wished for nothing more than she could take back every spiteful word she had said in the last couple of minutes. Her hand holding the cross started to shake slightly. Maria-sama what had she done?
Slowly Shimako raised her own trembling hand, swallowing the sob that wanted to escape her body, and took the symbol of their relationship back into her possesion. She winced as she saw the flecks of blood on the destroyed lock. She gathered all the strength she had left and locked her gaze with that of the onyx eyes in front of her. Hundreds of emotion like clouds were displayed, regret being one of the most prominent, but she focused on the still lingering specks of anger. Righterous anger so she could do what she had to do.
"As you wish." And with this Shimako ran.
"What are they taking so long for?"
"I don't know, Yoshino, I wish I did."
The two second years exchanged concerned glances. They had been waiting for half an hour already. But so far neither Noriko nor Shimako had left the rose mansion. They knew something bad was going on, Noriko hadn't acted normal these past couple of days and although Shimako behaved like always there was something in her eyes that told close observers that she had something on her mind. They wanted to talk to both of them and shed light on what was bothering them. Because how things were right now no one was happy.
Their grande soeurs had left without them. They hadn't wanted to get involved, still persisting that whatever the problem was could only be solved by the parties involved. A sentiment the younger girls didn't share so they stayed but with the advice to be supportive and not pushy.
Yoshino rested on the side of the mansion. On foot bend and propped on the wall, she stared at the sky, a pensive frown on her face. Yumi sat on the steps beside her, hands folded and pressed between her knees, also deep in thought.
"Hey! What's with the gloomy faces?"
Both girls were shaken out of their rigour by the familiar voice. Before them stood no other then the former white rose. Clad in jeans and a white button down shirt, the wind ruffling her short hair, and a roguish grin on her face, Sei looked as carefree as always not to mention handsome. No wonder some of the first years still talked about her admiringly. Yumi could quite good remember an incident were Sei had visited her and one girl had fainted. Only because of some, for Sei standards, harmless flirting and charming smiles. Yumi still had to chuckle every time she thought about that.
"So who died?"
"No one, but you might be the person who could find out what was going on."
Sei cocked her head inquiringly.
"Me? Why me? I don't even know what's going on?"
"Well, the thing is…"
Before Yoshino was able to finish her sentence the door to the mansion flew open and a form bolted through it. Yumi not expecting the fast movement fell from the stairs with a yelp, colliding with Yoshino who had vacated her spot near the wall the moment she heard the door open.
Sei acted lightning fast, grabbing the arm of the person passing her, effectively halting her escape.
"Shimako what's going on?"
The second year had her head bend. Her slight frame was shaking so hard that even if the blonde hadn't held her hand she would have felt it. Convinced that her former soeur wouldn't run away, she let go of her arm. Glancing at Yumi and Yoshino for help she was met with equally clueless faces.
"Can we leave here?" a whispered plea.
The university student brought her gaze back to Shimako, who was now looking at her pleadingly with her azure eyes a shade darker. She looked on the verge of tears barely keeping it together. Sei was at a loss for words, never before had she seen the younger girl like that. What could have had happened? Mute she nodded.
A slight rustle from the direction of the door made all of them turn their heads. Noriko stood in the doorway.
Instantly everyone felt the tension in the air. Sei looked from the first year, features grim and body unmoving, to Shimako. The second years form was rigid; her hands were balled to fist and clenched tightly. Something silver, sparkling in the sunlight caught her attention. Without hesitation she grabbed the brunettes arm and lifted it. Sawing what was held in the white rose hand, the other two second years gasped shocked. Shimako's rosary!
"Why do you have that, Shimako?" Sei asked cautiously. She had no idea what was going on. She thought Shimako had found the perfect soeur in the younger girl. They complemented each other wonderfully. An in Noriko the young white rose had found an anchor, someone who brought her out of her shell a little and helped her to appreciate the small things.
"Because I gave it back to her."
Noriko left the doorway and walked down the steps, all eyes on her. Her face was a mask. No visible emotion present. She looked like the living dead. Resigned and with no hope.
"There are certain circumstances, which are of no concern for you right now, which are making it impossible for us to stay soeurs. I am not sure if I will be able to settle the problem but I will try. So if you would excuse me, I have to get to a rehearsal."
Sidestepping a worried Sei, who still held Shimako's hand, and two too shocked to speak yamayurikai members, the former white rose en bouton left hurriedly in the direction of the gym. Was there blood on her neck? The former rose frowned worried. What the hell happened here?
The blond, sensing the need of her soeur to leave as well, tugged on the other girls arm to indicate her attention to do just that.
"I guess we will be leaving too, see you another time!"
She didn't give Yumi and Yoshino a chance to reply and just turned around and started to walk briskly towards the gate, taking a downtrodden Shimako with her. Sei let go of her ex-soeurs wrist, instead intertwining their fingers. Instantly she felt a grateful squeeze. Deeply disturbed over the scene she just had witnessed the blond swore she would get to the bottom of this mystery.
