Hello again, my friends, and welcome to chapter 9 of "How to Fully Enjoy Summer Nights"! As you are aware, I have decided not to change the title so it would be easier for you readers to follow. I don't have much of an introduction this time, I don't want to give away anything in the chapter this time. I can tell you, though...many, many things happen and it will be the longest yet. Hope you enjoy it!
Disclaimer: It should be a given that I don't own Strawberry Panic. But I do own a lot of other things that probably don't matter to you all. However, if I DID own Strawberry Panic, Hikari would have taken an AK-47 and started shooting the hell out of Kaname, only to have hear jailbait butt PWNed. Oh, and Amane would get that sex change she needs.
A/N: I won't be done right after the last chapter. There is still the Epilogue. I know I didn't write a Prologue, I never really thought about it. Also, "Thoughts From the Author" will be out after the Epilogue is complete.
Chapter 9: Fate Takes It's Toll
The last day of the Astrea group's summer trip dawned bright-but-gloomy. It was one of those days where they didn't have any idea what they were supposed to do. Tsubomi and Hikari were staring transfixed at the TV, watching the LOGO channel. It was a sappy love Soap Opera, and they were engulfing themselves in it. Kaname rolled her eyes and looked to Momomi...who was watching too.
"Come on, stop crying over some stupid show. It's not painfully overwhelming, you know." However, Kaname's words of disgust did not reach the girls' ears where they were, and she rolled her eyes and left the couch.
"Bored?" Shizuma asked her as she wandered over to her and Nagisa, who were playing Clue.
"Painfully. If I have to watch another Soap, I'll...I'll..."
"Shizuma, you can't do that! That's cheating!" Nagisa wailed, trying to reset Shizuma's move. Shizuma only smirked and looked back to Kaname.
"You're welcome to play Clue with me and Nagisa, if you wish."
"Might as well...haven't got anything else to do."
And so Nagisa, Kaname and Shizuma continued playing Clue. The search for who killed Mr. Boddy was going nowhere after twenty minutes, seeing as Kaname and Shizuma kept messing around with the game pieces, leaving Nagisa very disgruntled.
"Excuse me! Can you two stop acting like little kids and get back to the game?" Nagisa asked sharply as Kaname and Shizuma threw cue cards at each other across the room.
Shizuma smirked at Nagisa and threw another card at Kaname, who growled. "Oh, lighten up, Nagisa-chan. Playing it all the way through is no fun!"
Nagisa crossed her arms, giving Shizuma her trademark raised-eyebrow-look. "I wish Tamao-chan was here. I bet she'd play the game the right way."
And that was the only thing that Shizuma needed to coax her into playing the game right. They spent the next hour and a half playing the game, and finally figured out who the murderer was.
"I KNEW it was Colonel Mustard!" Nagisa exclaimed, punching a fist in the air. "I win!"
"Obviously it was him," Kaname said, rolling her eyes. "He's the only one who's named after a food product."
That got a laugh out of Shizuma, and earned her a glare from Nagisa. "You two are so immature!"
Kaname and Shizuma shrugged at each other as Nagisa left the room in search of something to do, huffing. "What did we do?"
"No idea," Shizuma said, crossing her arms in thought. "We were only having fun...gosh."
"Some people don't know that people are always ancy when they're bored," Kaname said, and Shizuma nodded.
After a few hours, Yaya emerged from the hallway in her green striped pajamas, yawning and rubbing her forehead.
"Bed hair...damn I hate it..." she said groggily, shaking her head. She had never heard the summer home this quiet before, and wondered what everyone's deal was.
Well, she thought, it's time for Nanto Yaya to add some life into this trip. She smirked to herself and walked over to the three girls watching TV, and sat right on Tsubomi's lap.
Tsubomi blinked a bit at Yaya's sudden appearance, then smirked. "What a way to say "good morning"."
"Stuff it before I crank out the blowhorn," Yaya said, shoving Tsubomi's face into the couch, who let out a muffled "Hmmph." "So, what's our plan for today?"
"I have no idea..." Hikari said in a monotone voice, still staring at the TV.
"Me either," Momomi offered, in the same monotone voice. Yaya shook her head; she would never understand the wonders of daytime television for the life of her. She usually spent her time reading Sci-Fi books or spending time at the library. Tsubomi's antics during her school days at Astrea Hill had influenced her in the biggest way possible. Since she had been spending so much time at the library with Tsubomi, she found more time to study and that had evidently brought her grades up.
But, as she was reminded daily, Yaya had made an influence on Tsubomi's personality as well. She was no longer stuck-up and pompous(though she was to an extent), but now she was a bit more caring and loving towards others, and listened to what they had to say. She was also able to appreciate fun a lot more when she needed to. It was..as she had told Amane...a growing experience. Though that didn't stop them from being immature...not in the least bit.
"Yaya-chan..." Tsubomi's voice suddenly entered her ears.
"Hai?"
"You're suffocating me!"
"Oh...sorry about that," she said, and took her hand away from Tsubomi's face, watching her gasp for air. Yaya smiled a bit and watched the rest of the Soap with Tsubomi in her arms.
Oh yeah, she thought. This is the life.
--
Later on in the day, it was time for Tsubomi's first job interview...and she was as extatic as she was nervous. She kept twittering around as Yaya fixed her tie and collar with a calm expression on her face, trying to drone out all of Tsubomi's rantings.
"I mean, what if I don't get the job, what if they don't like me, what if they think I'm stupid, what if I mess up?" Tsubomi said frantically in one breath as she ran around their room, trying to situate herself. Yaya simply stood there, swinging around the car keys Shizuma had let her borrow.
"Oh please, Tsu-chan...don't get so wound up about it. Just tell them what they want to hear and wing through it, that's how I go my first job."
"And what was your first job?" Tsubomi asked as she stuck a pen into the front pocket of her vest.
"I was working at Mc.Donald's. And lemme tell you, discounts at Mc.Donald's and all the small-sized fries you can eat really take you places in college. Now..." She placed her hands on the younger girl's shoulders, trying to steady her. "Calm down, take a deep breath and drink some water. You'll do fine, I promise."
Tsubomi was able to steady her breathing within the next few minutes, and she looked a bit calmer. But Yaya could tell the girl was still a nervous wreck. Yaya decided to take a bottle of water with them, just in case, and they headed for the door. They were instantly hailed by Hikari and Amane, who were on the couch still watching the Soap.
"Tsubomi-chan! All dressed up and stuff, I see?" Amane said, smiling a bit. "I remember my first job interview. I breezed through the whole thing."
"See?!" Yaya exclaimed. "You're gonna be fine, Tsubomi-chan."
Tsubomi nodded a bit, smiling at her. She was indeed feeling a lot less self-concious. "Thanks, everyone. I-I'm sure I'll do...fine..." She twitched a bit as the thought of the job interview loomed closer.
"Do your best! Ganbatte kudasai!" Hikari said cherfully, patting Tsubomi on the shoulder. Tsubomi nodded at her and they high-fived, then she exied the house with Yaya at her side.
"You know what? I feel better," Tsubomi said as she sucked the water out of the top of her watter bottle as she sat next to Yaya in the car.
"That's good," Yaya said, having nothing better to say. She started up the car and drove out of the parking lot towards Best Buy. A few minutes later, Tsubomi was walking into the store with a smile on her face, waving back at Yaya, who smiled at her lover and waved back. Tsubomi never ceased to make her proud.
It was about an hour later when Tsubomi came back to the car, breathing heavily as she walked up to the driver's window. Yaya had fallen asleep while waiting for her to get back. Tsubomi sweat-dropped and poked Yaya in the side. This was, of course, amazingly ticklish to her and she squirmed awake.
"Whaaa? I was having a dream," she said, rubbing her eyes.
"Yaya-chan, I got the job," Tsubomi said, grinning widely. "I'm going to actually...earn money! For the first time ever!"
Yaya smiled at her sleepily. "Hey...that's great, Tsu-chan! And guess what...?"
Tsubomi blinked, obviously confued. "What?"
"You get to pay for everything now! Isn't that great?!"
That particular cheek earned Yaya a scowl, and she giggled as they drove back to the summer home.
--
"Okay," Kaname announced as the day wore on, and there was only about five hours left until they were due to leave the summer home. She was standing within a big circle of girls, many of whom were wondering what they were doing in a big circle. "I have something to say...There is absolutely NOTHING to do!"
"I think we've been aware of that for quite some time now, Kaname-san," Hikari said through a smirk.
"...Anyway, I propose that we do something. You know, to kick off the summer. What do you think?"
"I think it's a good idea!" Momomi piped up, for the sake of her lover. "We need to plan some extra-cirricular activities to do while we still have time left..."
At the word "extra-cirricular activities", Kaname sweat-dropped and Yaya could be heard snickering.
Momomi looked confused. "What? What's so funny?" Kaname shook her head.
"Anyways..." Kaname continued, ignorning Yaya's fit of giggles. "We should get ideas of what we're going to do."
"Beach?" Nagisa suggested.
"Hey, that sounds like a good idea. Massage oil, sunscreen, wet swimsuits..." Yaya said, smirking at Tsubomi, who rolled her eyes.
"How about we settle for something simple? We haven't got much time left," Tsubomi said.
"Good point there," Kaname said, probably the first compliment she had given to someone other than Momomi. "I can't believe I just said that, but whatever. Hm...we..."
"We could stay at home and watch TV!" Hikari offered.
"NO. We've done that for a few hours already. We need to do something that won't rot out our brains after two hours."
The whole group went silent. "We have to call up Kizuna and Remon. They've always got stuff we can do."
And so they did. And after a half an hour, Kizuna and Remon showed up at the door, arm and arm as usual, smiling deviously.
"Okay, who do we need to tail this time?" Kizuna said, and Remon hurriedly took out a pad of paper and a pencil.
Nagisa smiled at the two girls. "We don't need to tail anyone. We just need to you two to...um...tell us what we can do for the rest of our trip, because we're bored."
"Well, you can always go rafting..." Kizuna said thoughtfully.
"Or canoeing," Remon piped in.
"That's the same thing!"
"...No it's not. Rafting is with a raft...canoeing is with a canoe."
"What's the difference?" Kizuna asked, looking irritated.
"A canoe is a boat-looking thing, and a raft is flat and made of wood."
"You could go to the park or the beach," Kizuna said, continuing what she was saying and ignorning Remon's "smart-ass" comments.
"Or you could go to a resturant..."
"Or you could go to Six Flags or Waterworld..."
"Thanks, guys!" Nagisa said, smiling at them, then she turned to the group. "So...what do you think?"
"The beach sounds nice," Momomi said, looking to Kaname for approval. She blinked at her and nodded curtly.
"So it's the beach!" Nagisa said, clappning her hands together. A chorus of cheers sounded.
"Me and Kizuna will go get Kagome-chan," Remon said, and they left. Shizuma blinked at them and got out her cellphone.
"Who are you calling, Shizuma?" Nagisa asked as she latched herself to Shizuma's arm. Shizuma smiled at her and pressed a number on speed dial.
"A certain best friend of mine who totally needs to get out of her house for a change."
--
At the beach, everyone started setting up for their small picnic. They set out blankets and huge umbrellas, and of course, no trip to the beach was complete without hot dogs and hamburgers. Yaya refused to change into her bathing suit in front of everyone, wanting to surprise them. Tsubomi complained by telling her she'd seen it already, and Yaya only smirked.
"You haven't seen me actually wear it, have you?" she asked slyly, winking at Tsubomi. Tsubomi pouted and shook her head.
"Then quit whining and being a baby about it," she said, rubbing Tsubomi's head gently, and went off to the nearest changing facility. Under a beach umbrella, Nagisa and Shizuma were conversing about Miyuki, who was due to show up in another half an hour.
"Miyuki-sama seems such happier now that she doesn't have to go through that horrible arranged marriage," Nagisa said thoughtfully, smiling. She recalled the day she had found out. Miyuki was practically in tears over the phone when she had talked to both Shizuma and Nagisa over the phone, they had been having a three-way conversation on the phone...even though Shizuma and Nagisa happned to be in the same house, not technically in the same area of the house. But having a three-way conversation with Miyuki without having to share a phone seemed like the smart thing to do at the time.
"True, she is a bit happier now that she's a free, single, lesbian woman," Shizuma said, smirking a bit as she squirted out another blob of sunscreen and applying it to Nagisa's skin. "The problem is finding someone for her..."
Nagisa crossed her arms, thinking. "...You're right. Everyone in our little group is all paired up. Except for Tamao-chan..."
And suddenly, like a huge truck had just hit her, Nagisa's face broke into a wide smile. Shizuma shook her head and bonked Nagisa on the top of the head with the bottle of sunscreen.
"I know what you're thinking, and you can forget it. Miyuki's not going to be interested in a younger girl, no way," Shizuma said firmly. "I know Miyuki very well, and she's not the dominate type that you think she would be, not in the least bit."
"Could have fooled me," Nagisa said, rolling her eyes. "She talks tough enough."
"That's my Miyuki," Shizuma said, smiling proudly and waving towards the parking area. Miyuki appeared in a t-shirt and shorts, followed by a stylish beach bag that carried her belongings.
"Konnichiwa," she said formally to her two friends, and sat down next to Shizuma. She looked a bit more mature than she usually did, her hair was starting to grow out and it was more teal than navy now.
"Konnichiwa, Miyuki-sama!" Nagisa said brightly, as though her and Shizuma had never been talking about her. "Have you had a nice summer so far?"
"Pleasantly quiet," Miyuki replied in her "professional" voice, and she lay on the blanket, closing her eyes. "Though...I am partly glad that Shizuma's forced me to spend a day out in the sun."
"Forced you?" Shizuma asked with a raised eyebrow. "You came here on your own accord. It wasn't as though I'd kidnap you from your own house..." Though Shizuma's eyes glinted evily at the thought. She probably would have. A few minutes later, Nagisa looked over to the changing stall, and her mouth dropped open.
"Shizuma..." she said, and she tugged on Shizuma's bikini top. Shizuma turned her head to the stall, blinked for a minute, and let out a cat-call whistle. Yaya had just exited the changing stall in her red-and-black bikini with a grin on her face, and was heading to where Hikari, Tsubomi, Kizuna, Remon and Kagome were. Shion and Chikaru miraculously met up with them as soon as Yaya came out of the stall, and Chikaru pointed while Shion stared in disbelif. There was no denying it: Yaya looked exceptionally hot. One look at Tsubomi's face told everyone that "It's Getting Hot in Here" was looping again and again in her mind.
"Oh my god," Shizuma said, smirking. "Now, if I didn't have Nagisa and Yaya didn't have Tsubomi, I'd totally bang her."
"Of course you would, you almost totally banged everyone before we met," Nagisa said to Shizuma, smirking. Shizuma gave her a sideways glance and wrestled her down onto the beach blanket. Miyuki rolled her eyes and smirked at them.
"If you two would stop 'wrestling', I've got some important news," she said professionally, and Nagisa stopped with Shizuma's hand on her face. Shizuma stopped as well, not taking her hand away, causing Nagisa to squirm a bit.
"What is it? You haven't found a lover, have you?" Shizuma asked, looking midly interested.
"No," Miyuki said, giving her a look. "No, it's not me. It's your little friend Chiyo-chan."
"Chiyo-chan?!" Nagisa and Shizuma both said in unison.
Miyuki nodded. "Hai. And do you know who?"
They shook their heads.
"Kagome-chan."
"Kagome-chan?!"
"Hai."
Shizuma and Nagisa looked at Miyuki, then looked at each other, then looked over to Kagome. She did seem a bit happier than usual, she was actually smiling instead of giving everyone that creepy blank look, and she kept looking at her cellphone. For some reason, Shizuma and Nagisa also noticed that she wasn't carrying the infamous Oshibaru with her.
"What happened to Oshibaru-san?" Nagisa asked Miyuki curiously.
"Chiyo-chan will be taking care of him while Kagome is here today," Miyuki said, smiling at the two girls. "They're so cute together, it's amazing how these girls have changed in the past three years."
"I know," Shizuma sighed. "It's almost unbearable to think about. Remember when we were in second year, and Momomi and Kaname were so short?"
"Of course!" Miyuki said, smiling. "The good ol' days. Kaname always had a sad look on her face. I wonder why...?"
"Her childhood wasn't too happy," Shizuma said sadly, as she watched the now older Kaname trying to coax Momomi into the water with her. "Her mother died that year."
Miyuki shook her head. "Sad. And you know, she seemed a bit more depressed after she first met Momomi."
"Oh, that's because they didn't get to know each other right away. Hated each other, the two of them. Withered in each others' presence. But for some reason, they ended up spending more and more time with each other, and from what Chikaru and Shion both told me..."
"Those two were able to hook them up," Miyuki finished, rolling her eyes. "Sometimes I wonder where Kizuna and Remon got their devious attitudes from..."
And as though that thought floated through the air, both Kizuna and Remon bolted past them and jumped into the water, splashing every nearby person. Kizuna spit water out of her mouth at Remon, who pouted at her.
"Kizuna, that's gross!" she cried, dunking underwater and washing it off. Kizuna rolled her eyes.
"Oh, come on, it's the same water we're swimming in right now." She suddenly looked over to the other younger girls and waved. "Hey, guys! Come into the water!"
Kagome looked to Tsubomi and nodded, running off after them. Tsubomi heasitated a bit, then waved at her. "I'll be there in a second!" She ran off to the two diving boards. Hikari stood poised at the top, getting ready to jump...but backing out at the last minute because it was "too high."
"Oh, come on, Hikari!" Yaya was saying, pouting and looking irritated. "Just jump down and you'll be done with it!" Hikari refused to move an inch.
"Hikari, don't make me come up there!"
More silence and a bit of whimpering.
"Hikari!"
"But Yaya-chan! It's too high!" Yaya rolled her eyes and climbed up about five stairs, ran across the diving board and pushed Hikari into the water. She watched her completely nose-dive into the water and giggled when she came up, looking shocked and disheveled.
"YAYA-CHAN!"
Yaya was too busy giggling to notice the other person pushing her in after Hikari. A particularly pink-haired person, who leaned against the safety bars and smirked. Yaya glared up at her and spit water out of her mouth.
"TSUBOMI-CHAN!"
"Hai?" she asked, still with that smirk on her face.
"You can forget us ever having sex!" she called, and Tsubomi's face flushed heavily.
"Yaya-chan! That's not fair!"
"It is from down here," Yaya said, smirking a bit. "Oh, Tsubomi-chan! Watch out behind..." But she was too late. Another person bolted down the diving board and pushed Tsubomi off the edge, practically making her fall on top of Hikari. They looked up and noticed Kaname now standing there, looking very superior and tall, smirking down at them.
"Look, the kiddies are all wet now!" she said in a mocking voice. She felt another set of legs rushing at her and she planted her feet, so she wouldn't be pushed in as well. She turned around to see Momomi, who was determinedly pushing Kaname in the side, smiling.
Kaname's eyes narrowed. "Now, you really think I'm letting you push me off?"
"You will eventually," Momomi said sweetly, and that continued in a ferocious battle on top of the diving board. The other girls were having fun chanting and picking sides as the younger ones joined them. Miyuki, Shizuma and Nagisa were the only ones not in the water now, along with Chikaru, Shion and Amane(whom really had no desire to be there at the beach). They all shared a blanket and watched as their friends enjoyed watching the battle. It took about ten whole minutes before Momomi finally slipped on some water and fell, though grabbing onto Kaname's wrist and also bringing her down. The other girls cheered heartily at the "Super-Epic Win", as Kizuna called it. They spent the rest of their time at the beach eating and going for swims, but also to have time to chat with their lovers. Miyuki, after being forced into the water and feeling completely put out because of all the couples everywhere, left early while everyone journyed back to the summer home.
--
The trip to the beach had been tiring enough, but as soon as everyone entered the summer home, it was time to start packing. And it was very tedious, as well. Some things had been scattered all over the summer home for the past few days, such as an assortment of books, which mostly included Tsubomi's Disney books or Harry Potter theory novels, VHS tapes, pens and pencils, notebooks and laptops. After an agonizing forty-five mintues of searching, they finally got the summer home looking fresh and clean, the rooms spotless and their bags packed.
"Is everyone ready to go?" Nagisa called. A chorus of "Hai!" followed, and everyone said good bye to their short-lived paradise.
--
The trip back to Nagisa and Shizuma's house was uneventful, except for the many make-out sessions(mostly supplied by Kaname and Momomi), movie watching and moments of complete silence...only broken by one of Yaya's famous outbursts which got every girl in the car laughing, even Kaname.
"Oh, Yaya-chan, you're so embarrassing..." Tsubomi said, rolling her eyes as she and Hikari sat between Amane and Yaya, playing Harry Potter "Scene It?" and eating a family-sized back of Doritos, which was passed among the whole of the group about an hour previous, which left Hikari and Tsubomi with half the bag...which was still a conseriderable amount. "And Hikari, that's way wrong. Wingardium Leviosa was first used in Book 1, not in Book 5. And Hermione's cat's name is Crookshanks, not Scabbers."
"Oh, Yaya-chan, you're soooo embarrasing!" Yaya mimiked, smirking at her girlfriend, who glared at her.
"Stop copying me!"
"Stop copying me!"
"Yaya-chan, I'm trying to concentrate!"
"Yaya-chan, I'm trying to concentrate!"
Tsubomi gave her another glare and rolled her eyes, looking back to the laptop screen. "Sometimes you're just so...unbelievable!"
"At least I don't obsess over characters that aren't REAL!" Yaya shot back.
"Well at least I don't laugh my stupid head off each time I'm watching Monty Python and the Holy Grail!"
"Hey, that movie is funny!" Yaya defended. "And besides, it isn't as worse as being on your fifth time reading Harry Potter 7, which came out a week ago!"
Sparks flew between the girls like a thundering storm, shrouding the entire of the car and scaring them all into silence again. They stared at each other for a few seconds, then Yaya burst out laughing.
"Oh MAN, you should have seen your face, Tsubomi-chan! Priceless!" As Yaya laughed her butt off, Tsubomi was glowering at her with a look of utmost irritance and impotence.
"Honestly! Why don't you just grow up?!" These words wouldn't impact Yaya in the slightest for another few hours, since she was so used to Tsubomi calling her immature. However, there was more silence than talking bewteen the two for the rest of the trip. Hikari did her best to get them to talk to each other a bit more, but her efforts seemingly went down the drain...however, even though they didn't speak, Tsubomi still lay on Yaya's arm while she stroked her hair gently. Hikari smiled a bit, Those two really care about each other, she thought. Hikari watched as Amane plugged in Guitar Hero to the PS2, which was hooked up to one of the built-in televisions in the back of the driver's seats.
"Amane, you don't know how to play that game," Hikari said, raising an eyebrow and questioning her girlfriend's memory. Amane waved the comment off like a fly.
"Honestly, what could be so hard about hitting a little plastic thing to get the colored notes?"
Hikari paused for a minute. "...You strum to get the notes and chords, and you have to hold some fret buttons down to keep the chords going, and sometimes you have to use the whammy bar to make the chords have an echo to it."
Amane simply stared at her, seemingly lost for words, and Hikari sighed and gave up. "Oh fine, don't listen to me and learn the proper way. Go ahead and bull shit the whole thing, see if I care."
And Amane did just that...to Hikari's dismay. She taught herself how to play the Easy mode in the space of about twenty minutes. It simply made Hikari livid and turn green with envy. She had to practice for a whole week until she could get the hang of Medium mode. Well, she supposed that Amane was good with a lot of things...but sometimes it just didn't seem fair to her. Amane simply had to do it once and be good at it...others, like her and Yaya and Tsubomi, had to push themselves to the limit to be able to excell and work harder. Of course, not all of them were born with massive, paycheck-earning families. She decided not to worry about it and leaned on her lover's shoulder while she practically burned her fingers off in Guitar Hero. However...it was something that she worried about. What if she decided that she liked her sports and things more than she loved her? Would she stop seeing her, thinking that she would be "just a distraction"?
No...she told herself, mentally slapping herself in the face. "Amane would never think of me like that...would she?"
"Amane?"
"Hai?" Amane looked over at her, gazing into her eyes. Hikari seemed slightly lost for a minute, gazing back at her, their faces seeming to attract to each other like magnets...then Hikari pulled back.
"I wanted to ask you something..." She gulped a bit, looking at her knees.
"I'm listening."
"...Has there ever been a time...when you thought of your games and sports and stuff more than me?" she asked softly. "You know, like your horesback riding that you still carried on with after you graduated, and had to leave for two months for reigonals and practicing?"
Amane gave her a look. And it wasn't just any look, it was a look of pure blankness, a look that Hikari couldn't read. She couldn't tell if she was upset, angry, happy, exited...she couldn't even tell if she wasn't feeling anything at all. She then sighed and put the plastic guitar down, taking Hikari's shoulders gently.
"Hikari...how can you think I'd do such a thing? There has never been a time...after we've been dating...that I've ever thought of anything more than you. You've been at the forefront of my mind ever since, do you understand? Nothing...and I repeat, nothing...is more important to me. Do you understand?"
Amane's words made the biggest impact they could. Hikari sobbed heavily and hugged her tightly, Amane's words of comfort never entering her ears. She was now too deep in thought to even fathom the ability to listen or move her body. The only thing she knew...the only thing that filled her mind and body and soul...was the love for the girl she was holding onto, and would forever hold onto. And that was a promise.
--
As the small mob of girls made one last trip to Mc. Donald's and drove up to Nagisa's home an hour later, everyone exchanged their mournful good bye's. Girls were hugging each other, crying, begging others not to leave them. The most impacted couple, however, was Yaya and Tsubomi, who didn't live anywhere near each other and who's families did not get along in the slightest. They probably wouldn't see each other for the rest of the summer...or as Tsubomi saw it, the rest of their lives.
"Tsu-chan, it's not that serious..." Yaya cooed while holding the small, pink-haired girl while she constantly cried into her shoulder.
"B-b-but Yaya-chan! It IS that serious! We never get to spend any time together! And if we do, we have to make up the lamest excuses! Do you know how many times Hikari has had to cover for me so we can ATTEMPT to see each other?! How many times have we actually seen each other since you graduated?! Three? Four?"
Yaya examined Tsubomi's face. Her expression was unfathomable, her eyes were red and puffy, and her crossed arms completely finished the look of utter disgust, depression and defeat. They gazed into each other's eyes for a minute or two, then Tsubomi huffed and walked away. Yaya sighed and sat silently on the curb of the sidewalk, waiting for her father. Hikari came over to her and lightly patted her best friend's shoulder.
"Hey, Yaya-chan...are you going to be okay?" she asked, looking at her with that melting, concerned look. Yaya looked at her with a grave expression on her face, turning away again. She hated Hikari having to see her and Tsubomi acting this way towards each other. She could feel the eyes of the other girls piercing her back and the back of her forehead, she heard a few people whispering, a few of them went to try to comfort Tsubomi, who was pacing and huffing and waiting impatiently for her parents.
"...I'm going to be fine," she said, though the tone in her voice made her words lose meaning. The hollow, saddened tone that made Hikari's heart shrivel up. "We just need our space, I guess."
"Space, Yaya-chan? I think you two need quite the opposite," Hikari offered, raising an eyebrow. "You need to spend more time together, or it's going to tear you two apart. Do you know how many times me and Amane see each other? I see her at least once a week."
"Good for you," Yaya said indifferently, lowering her head to her knees. Kaname soon joined the two girls, sitting next to Yaya.
"What's going on with you two, anyway?" Kaname asked, her expression serious. Yaya's head suddenly shot up at her voice, and she watched her. Kaname hadn't ever been so direct with her. In fact, she wasn't that direct with anyone except Momomi or Shion. Maybe, just maybe...they were becoming real friends. But she wasn't going to get her hopes up.
"We're just having one of frustrating couple moments, that's all. It'll pass over soon," Yaya said reassuringly, thought not all convinced herself. Hikari and Kaname actually exchanged concnerned looks, and waited for their parents with Yaya. As Yaya's father came up to the house, smiling and waving as usual, Yaya stood up, gathered her things and started to walk over to the car with Kaname and Hikari.
"Hello, dad," Yaya said, trying to smile for the sake of him. She always made sure that her father never saw her down and depressed. He always tried so hard to make her happy.
"Hey! Did you have fun?..." But then he noticed Tsubomi, and his brow furrowed. "What's wrong with Tsubomi?"
"Oh, she's just having a few problems. That 'time of month', you know," Yaya said, smiling a bit. Even her father could see through her empty smiles like no one else could(besides Tsubomi). But if he could see that she was depressed, he didn't say anything about it."
"I see, well let's get goi-oh, hello there, Tsubomi-chan," he said, and Yaya turned her head. There she was, standing right next to her. Tsubomi apparently was calmed down, but her facial expression was still cold.
"Konnichiwa, Nanto-san," she said politely, bowing. "I see you got your car refurbished?"
"Oh yeah, me and Yaya fixed it up real good before summer break started. You should see this girl under a car, she's a madwoman!" he said, laughing. Yaya smirked a bit at Tsubomi. She didn't like the fact that Yaya was into such boyish things like Football and cars and video games. "Anyways, are you coming down with the family to Six Flags later this summer, Tsubomi-chan? Season-long tickets! Even this girl's mother is going!" he said, patting Yaya on the shoulder.
Tsubomi gave Yaya a look, which she returned. "I'll have to ask my father about that, Nanto-san. It has been nice talking to you," she said formally, and Mr. Nanto waved her off. Tsubomi gave Yaya a long, sickening glare and all of a sudden hugged her. Yaya was taken off guard, but hugged her back happily.
"I'm only hugging you so we can say we've done something when saying good bye to each other," Tsubomi muttered under her breath, as to not be overheard. Yaya's father was too busy talking to Hikari and Kaname.
"Really?" Yaya said, raising an eyebrow. "Thought you were just going to run off without saying good bye, did you?" Tsubomi smiled a bit and continued to hug her until Yaya's father honked the horn at them, causing them to scatter away from each other.
"Hey! Romeo and Juliet! Hurry up, we haven't got all day!" he called. Yaya and Tsubomi gave each other a flushed good bye, and Yaya entered her father's car, waving at each other. She saw that, in the course of her waving, Tsubomi was also being picked up by her pompous, rich, protective parents in their yellow-tinted Mustang convertible. Yaya didn't spare them a glance as they drove past quickly, but as expected, her pocket vibrated a second later. She took out her cellphone and found the highlighted message:
"My parents really suck."
Yaya smirked a bit and messaged her back:
"Well, at least one of them do, not sure about your mother."
She smirked a bit and placed the phone back in her pocket. She didn't get a reply back.
--
As everyone left, and the only ones who were still there were Nagisa, Shizuma and Miyuki, they all entered the new "Hanazono/Aoi" residence together, and sat down at the couch and sighed simultaneously.
"Finally...peace and quiet!" Shizuma said while Nagisa gently lay in her lap. She stroked her red hair gently, looking to Miyuki, who wached them wistfully.
"I thought it was a good thing for us to be able to see everyone again! Because you know, we're not going to be able to be all together like that after I graduate," Nagisa said thoughtfully, and a bit dissapointed. "I'm so glad Yaya-chan graduated early, with her grades being so good. Who thought she could pull through that?"
"I did. I always know smart people when I see them. Like you, my darling Nagisa-chan..." Shizuma said, looking down at her love. They smiled at each other and started kissing furiously, while Miyuki watched with her head tilted. After a few minutes, they pulled away from each other and looked to Miyuki.
"You know, if you were thinking, we actually noticed that you were still here, which is why we conitinued," Shizuma said slyly, smirking at her best friend, who glared back.
"Oh, that's funny! Very witty!" she said sarcastically, throwing a pillow at her. "Honestly, I can't imagine being in this house and not having to hear you two knocking boots."
Shizuma gave a short laugh and went to wrestle Miyuki to the couch as Nagisa blushed. It was true, however. Maybe she and Shizuma were a bit too...sexually active. Honestly, there didn't go one day without them making out, or touching each other, or...it could just go on and on. But wasn't that what couples were supposed to do? Maybe she was taking this in the wrong way, but she still wondered...what shaped her and Shizuma's relationship? Love? Trust? Lust? Jealousy? Pride? There were still so many questions that she needed answered...and would probably never get answered. As she pondered these things, she watched as Miyuki took her cellphone and talked to her parents, who were outside, and waved at her like she was supposed to, not really seeing or hearing anything. Nagisa watched as she left the house, closing the door, and took the oppritunity to ask...even though Shizuma was on top of her and undoing her shirt within five minutes.
"S-Shizuma! Wait on a second!" she said frantically, blushing. Shizuma smiled and nodded, though still ontop of her.
"Alright, Nagisa-chan. What's on your mind?"
"Who said anything was on my mind?" Nagisa asked, side-stepping the question and looking away. Shizuma knew that better, though. She pinned her arms to the couch and stared deep into her eyes.
"Nagisa...you do know that you're going to have to tell me...eventually. Or shall I just force you to tell me instead...?" she asked, and Nagisa didn't have any time to argue. Shizuma covered her mouth with one hand and gently, softly caressed her body with the other, her soft skin fanning over Nagisa's, making her shiver. Her face turned red, either from lack of air or the touching, she couldn't really tell. After a few seconds, when Shizuma's hand casually slipped down Nagisa's shorts, she squirmed a bit and let out a muffled,
"Okay, okay! I'll tell you!" Shizuma took her hand off of her face and smiled
"I told you."
Nagisa glared a bit and sighed. "I was thinking about...us. Our relationship. What...what keeps it going, Shizuma? I never understood it...I never understood how me and Tamao could never be together, how Yaya and Tsubomi still continue to love each other even though they fight, how can..."
But her words were lost as Shizuma gently took her chin in her gentle, long fingers. "Nagisa, there's nothing really specific that keeps a relationship going. Sure, it's trust and care and responsibility...but nothing nurtures a relationship more than interaction...and love."
Nagisa smiled and leaned into Shizuma's arms. "That's it?"
"Maybe a bit of responsibility here and there," Shizuma added as an afterthought. Nagisa giggled lightly and jumped on top of Shizuma, quickly closing the curtains.
They were going to be having a long night.
