Woahs, two updates from me within the same months? Impossible! :) Seriously, while the imminent release of Dragon Age 2 which throw a bit of a wrench in my release schedule, I do intend to update frequently.

Hope you'll enjoy this chapter! It came out a bit longer than expected, but I hope you won't mind.


Opposites

Chapter 9 - Ultimate Horror

Shizuma groaned slightly when her eyes fluttered open. She found herself staring right into a ray of sunlight which penetrated the mostly darkened room through a small seperation between the drapes.

Her bare skin shifted against the softness of the duvet as rolled from her stomach to her side. It took a moment for the blissful memories of the previous night to return to her. As it turned out, Sei-chan's room mate had been given a leave of absence to attend her parent's 25-year anniversary. A most fortuitous happening. Shizuma considered Sei to be one of her favored girlfriends. The Lulim student was smart, non-judgemental and one of the more passionate and experienced lovers Shizuma had the pleasure to spend the night with. And what a night it was.

In fact, the memories were so blissful, she had a taste for an encore before class. She felt around in bed but found it empty besides herself.

"Sei-chan?" she asked groggily.

"Here," sounded the voice of Sei-chan, a somewhat sad edge to her words. Shizuma shifted so that the sun wouldn't blind her and found Sei-chan, wearing a night shift, sitting at her desk with her back turned to her.

Shizuma yawned slightly. "Sei-chan, why don't you come back to bed?"

"Shi-chan," Sei started heavily. "I... I can't do this any more."

"Hm?" a confused Shizuma cocked her head to one side.

"You don't even realize what I'm talking about, do you?" Sei replied bitterly. "No, of course you don't."

"What is this about?" Shizuma sat up in bed, not bothering to reach for her clothes.

Sei chuckled slightly, wry and bitter. "I love you, Shi-chan. I've told you many times before. I love you so very much, in fact. But... you don't love me back."

"I don't love anyone," Shizuma replied softly. "That's just not how my brain is wired. You've always known this."

Sei nodded, still not turning to face Shizuma. "I know. Did you know I actually lied to myself? I told myself I could make you love me if I'd just try hard enough. But it's not working. It'll take a very special girl to make you fall for her... And as much as it pains me, I am not that girl."

Shizuma closed her eyes. "Sei-chan," she whispered. "Don't we have fun?"

"We're playing at being lovers," Sei replied with a chuckle. "And don't get me wrong, whenever we've went out on date, Shi-chan, I had a hell of a lot of fun with you. You've made me laugh so many times with your wonderful wit and antics. Our kisses were heavenly, and all the nights I spent in your arms... magnificent, but..."

"Isn't that enough?" Shizuma asked softly. "Sei-chan?"

"I think I'm just a selfish person," Sei-chan sniffed. "I don't want to share you with anyone. I want you all to myself. I want to be the center of your universe. I... I just want you to love me back."

"Sei-chan," Shizuma sighed heavily. "I can't give you want you are asking for. I just can't give you more than this. And I'm sorry about that."

"It almost sounds like you actually mean it," Sei chuckled in spite of herself.

"Can't we continue just having fun?" Shizuma asked softly. "You can't say you haven't enjoyed your time with me."

"You don't understand," Sei sniffed. "You just don't understand at all, do you?"

"Then make me understand," Shizuma said.

"I'm hurting myself by being with you," Sei said. "I need to get over you. Find a girl who will love me as much as I love her. By staying with you, I am killing my own happiness. I'd... hate to lose your friendship, Shi-chan, but... we can't be pretend-lovers any more. I need more than just fun. I need to choose for myself now."

"I..." Shizuma kept her eyes downcast. "I guess I can understand that. And I do value your friendship, Sei-chan. Sure we can't be friends with benefits?"

Sei laughed for a moment. "I'm sure, Shizuma. I think we need some time apart, though. I can't look you in the eye right now. I'm afraid that if I do, I'll change my mind and jump right into your arms again."

"Not such a bad fate, is it?"

"Yes," Sei nodded sadly. "Yes, it is."

Sei suddenly got up and rushed into the bathroom. Shizuma looked on with interest as Sei came out having dressed into her Lulim uniform in record time. "I suggest you get dressed, or you'll be late for class. Goodbye, Shizuma."

The door opened and shut, leaving Shizuma to sit back in bed, wondering what the hell just happened. "Well," she whispered to no one in particular. "This is new."


Osaka was beautiful this time of year. The Shinkansen had delivered Chikaru and her girlfriend Shion at her home city of Osaka where they would be staying at her family home over the weekend.

For Chikaru, it was wonderful to be home again. She loved this city, had grown up here and looked forward to showing Shion around and introducing her to her childhood friends.

Shion looked a little nervous, as she tended to be in crowds. Still, Chikaru had to admit Shion looked lovely wearing that black skirt and shirt, covering it with a brown leather jacket, even if the backpack was looking rather out of place. Chikaru herself was wearing a frilly blue summer dress and a reed sun hat.

Oh, they were going to have so much fun!

But before all that, there was just one teensy weeny little thing to do before all that. Just a small, little thing, really. Hardly worth mentioning: she had to tell her parents that she's a lesbian and that Shion's her girlfriend.

The thought alone made knots in her stomach.

"Hey," Chikaru giggled when she saw the look on Shion's face. "You're more nervous than I am! That is not allowed! They're *my* parents."

"Easy for you to say," Shion replied nervously. "They're *your* parents, like you said. They already love you. I'm the one who's going to have to work hard for acceptance."

Chikaru had to admit that Shion had a point. Shion took out a small box and opened it. It contained a traditional small gift for the host, in this case, a box filled with onigiri. "I should have gotten something more expensive, I think."

"It's fine," Chikaru replied. "My parents might actually take offense at expensive gifts. They know your family is very rich, so my father especially might think you'd be trying to intimidate them."

"Alright then," Shion said, still not feeling very reassured.

"Hey," Chikaru put her hands on Shion's shoulders. "Just be yourself."

"Not very good advice, Chikaru-chan," Shion laughed nervously for a moment.

Chikaru's family home was still a bus trip away. Soon enough, the girls found themselves in a sleepy suburb with one or two story family homes, separated by walls and narrow roads. Above them were clear blue skies and birds in the sky. Sun and warm temperatures abound.

It was nice to walk through her old neighborhood with Shion. She was eager to point out the many spots important to her from her childhood, ranging from the houses of friends, playgrounds, parks to icecream stands. Chikaru was also regularly greeted by old neighbors and often stopped for a brief chat during which she happily introduced a rather timid Shion.

Finally, Chikaru's house came into view. It was a lovely Japanese style two-story family home, brown in color yet with a mosaic of colorful roofing tiles. There was room for a yard both in front and back of the house, and on the roof stood a large satellite dish rather than the more common aerial antennae.

Chikaru smiled broadly as she caught glimpse of two boys who had been looking out the top floor window. A few moments later, two young boys followed suit by a happily barking basset hound rushed out of the gate.

"Chikaru nee-sama!" yelled out her brother Tomo.

"We missed you!" yelled out her other brother Kisho. The two boys were fraternal twins of the same age. Chikaru knelt down and took both her brothers in a fierce hug. The family dog tried frantically to find a place to happily jump up against Chikaru.

Behind her, Shion looked on with a slight twinge of jealousy. She was an only child, and hardly saw any kind of affections between family members in the Toumori household.

"Hey, it's the girl who yelled at dad!"

"The cool girl!"

"Boys," Chikaru admonished. "Be polite to Shion onee-sama. She's a dear friend of mine."

The two boys bowed politely. "Good day, Shion onee-sama," they spoke simultaneously.

Shion returned the bow and the greeting. Soon enough, the excited boys ran back into the house to inform their parents that Chikaru had arrived. Just as Chikaru and Shion had entered the yard, they were greeted by Chikaru's mother, Minamoto Ai. Mother and daughter had a startling resemblance, to the point that they currently even had the same hairdo.

Chikaru and her mother hugged for a moment. Shion watched on and felt like an intruder. Combined with the fact that she had no idea how Chikaru's parents would react to the bombshell which would be dropped on them later, Shion found herself to be incredibly nervous.

"Shion-san," Chikaru's mother bowed. "It is nice to see you again. You look well."

"I thank you for your hospitality," Shion bowed politely and held out the onigiri. "Please... accept this small token."

"Thank you," Ai took the gift. "I'm sorry but we don't have any spare guestrooms. I'm afraid you'll have to share Chikaru-chan's room."

Shion blushed slightly, making Chikaru giggle. "Uhm, that's perfectly fine."

The girls exchanged their shoes for comfy slippers at the door. Shion could immediately see that there was a lot of warmth in this household. The house was much smaller than Shion was used to, but it was lovingly maintained and was filled with knick knacks and photographs of the family. The living room they passed seemed comfortable, well-loved and often used.

Just before they headed up the stairs, Kisho and Tomo were back and ran all around them bombarding them both with dozens of questions. But Chikaru simply held up her hand, silencing the boys immediately. "Boys," she started. "There'll be plenty of opportunities for questions later. Right now, Shion-san and I want to get settled first. Is that okay?"

Both boys nodded and Shion and Chikaru made their way to the second floor where Chikaru had her room. Being the oldest child, Chikaru had the biggest room. There was a western style one person bed against the right wall, and because it was a corner room, she had the luxury of having two windows. A well-used writing desk with a laptop was underneath the window next to her bed, while book cases slipping over with mangas, books and figures lined the left wall. The walls were decorated with blue wallpaper and several sexy posters of female idols. On her bed lay several well-loved stuffed animals.

In the middle of the room lay a comfortable looking futon which Chikaru's mother had prepared for her. Shion put down her backpack and removed her toiletries to put them in the bathroom later. Other than that, she had brought her own pillow and a clean set of clothes.

A knock on the door alerted them to the presence of Minamoto Ai. "When you girls are settled, you both may come down for a glass of fizzy lemonade. Also, Shion-san, when we bathe in the evening we share the hot water and since you are our guest, you will of course be the first to bathe."

"Thank you," Shion bowed at Ai.

"I must say," said Ai. "You've just spent six weeks at home and already you are spending the weekend with us. Not that I'm complaining, of course, but I hope you haven't gotten homesick."

"No, no," Chikaru said. "I, uh, just wanted to show Shion-chan my house and my neighborhood."

"Ah, yes," Ai winked at Shion. "Our daughter is quite taken with you, Shion-san. In fact, you were almost all she ever talked about when she was here with us," she chuckled. "'Mom, let me tell you about the time Shion-chan and I...' or 'This reminds me of when Shion-chan and I...'. Oh, she missed you terribly. And she was always telling us about the things you do together. I'm glad you are such a good friend to my daughter."

Shion looked at Chikaru and saw that she was blushing.

"Oh, well," Ai said cheerfully. "I'll go prepare the lemonade for you."

After Ai left the room, Chikaru grimaced and started patting off her bed-spray. "Darn," Chikaru said. "Looks like our cats claimed this room for their own since I left. There's hair everywhere."

Shion looked out of the window and into the yard, where Chikaru's little brothers were playing. "I really like your house," Shion said.

"Glad to hear it," Chikaru smiled. "I'd think it'd be a lot smaller than you're used to."

"Heh," Shion smirked. "It takes me five minutes to walk from one side of the Toumori estate to the other. And if I get really lucky, I might even run into someone along the way. This is much better."

"I expect to see this estate at some point," Chikaru smiled and put her hands on Shion's shoulders. "And I'm really curious about this grandmother of yours."

"We will," Shion smiled. "I just have to find a right time when she's actually at the estate. I can tell you one thing, though."

"What's that?"

"There's no way in hell she'll be making us fizzy lemonade," Shion laughed at the thought. "A shame, really."


Shizuma made her way through the hallways of the Dorms after classes had finished. She hadn't seen Kaori all day yet and missed her in the cafeteria at lunch. Inquiries at the Miator school building had confirmed that Kaori had been excused from afternoon classes.

The silver-haired girl stood outside the room assigned to Kaori and knocked. "Kaori-chan?" she said. "It's Shizuma. Can I come in?"

"Enter!" sounded a cheerful voice from the other side of the door.

"Righto," Shizuma said as she opened the door. "What do you want to do today? We still haven't visited Spica and..."

Shizuma stopped in her tracks as she saw the spectacle before her. Kaori was wearing her uniform, but lay on bed, propped up by a few pillows. Her sleeve had been tied up and rubber tubes had been connected to her arm through hypodermic needles. The tubes carried blood from her body into a machine which stood next to her bed.

It was abundantly clear that Kaori was undergoing one of her two weekly dialysis sessions. Shizuma could hardly contain her disappointment. She had very much looked forward to taking another walk with Kaori, after all.

"I'm happy you're here, Shizuma nee-sama. I'm afraid we won't be doing any gardening today," Kaori smiled as Shizuma took a seat next to her on the bed. "I'm glad that Miator has its own dialysis device so I don't have to go to the hospital, but... it's just so boring. The nurse had to go to the station because she's the only one on duty today, but she gave me this big red button to push if something'd go wrong."

Shizuma looked at the tubes, the machine and Kaori. "D-does that hurt?"

"No, it doesn't," Kaori said. "And I usually feel a lot better afterward. Sometimes I get muscle cramps, but those usually pass quickly."

"Good to know," Shizuma smiled gently.

"Funny," Kaori returned the smile. "Nobody ever asked me that question before."

"In that case, I am glad I am unique," Shizuma winked at Kaori.

Kaori giggled at that. "It's just that it's very boring. I have a weak constitution, so the dialysis has to be slow. It usually takes three hours and I still have two to go."

"What do you do during those three hours?" Shizuma asked, finding it mind boggling to be confined to inactivity in a bed for so long.

"I can't sleep or I might shift and yank out the tubes, so I usually just talk to the nurse, watch a little TV, listen to music or read a book," Kaori said.

Shizuma nodded. "The Dorms have no TV, and since your things haven't arrived yet you have no radio, no MP3-player and no books to read."

Kaori nodded with a slight smile. "I'm bored out of my skull," she laughed briefly. "And I've counted the boards in the ceiling five times already. So I'm glad for your visit, Shizuma nee-sama."

After that, Shizuma made it her personal mission for the day to un-bore Kaori. Shizuma and Kaori chatted animatedly about the events of the day, up to and including a prank she pulled on her homeroom teacher, chasing off two annoying Spica students who were picking on the new first years and about catching two younger students kissing in the garden. The stories made Kaori smile and giggle, which in turn made Shizuma feel much happier.

"Shizuma nee-sama?" Kaori asked. "May I ask you for a favor?"

"Sure."

"Miyuki-san told me that you often carry books with you into class."

"Did she now?" Shizuma raised an eyebrow. Of course, Miyuki was right. Most classes were so boring and Shizuma passed all the tests with flying colors anyway, so she often brought novels which she covertly read during class.

"Will you read to me from your book, Shizuma nee-sama?" Kaori asked with eager eyes. "I'm sure you have a beautiful reading voice."

"Uhm, I don't know," Shizuma looked away. "The book is in English..."

"I can follow English," Kaori said. "And you can fill me in when I don't understand something."

"I..." Shizuma bit her lip. "I'm not sure you'll like it."

"Shizuma nee-sama?" Kaori asked again, this time with some concern. "Are you embarrassed?"

Shizuma closed her eyes and sighed. "It's just that most tell me a girl isn't supposed to like stories like this. In fact, Miyuki is quite vocal about it. I tend to keep my literary preferences to myself as a result."

Kaori's gave Shizuma an encouraging look. "Don't be embarrassed. How will I ever know if I'll like the story or not until you've read it to me? And I won't judge you for it. Promise."

Shizuma looked at Kaori and it was easy to see that the smaller girl was sincere. She still felt some hesitation, but quickly relented.

Shizuma shook her head and grinned. "Alright," she said. "But remember, it was *your* idea."

"If Shizuma nee-sama likes the story, then so will I!" Kaori said resolutely. "And if you can't finish it now, you'll just have to read me the rest of the story the next time I have dialysis Promise?"

"Promise." The silver-haired girl took the book from her bag and climbed onto the bed. She lay down besides Kaori and cracked it open. It took her a few moments to find the right page.

"Alright, here we go," Shizuma said and scraped her voice. She continued in perfectly un-accented English. "Chapter 1. The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents. We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far."

Kaori pressed against Shizuma and lay her head on Shizuma's shoulder, to look at the text as Shizuma read. "The sciences, each straining in its own direction, have hitherto harmed us little; but some day the piecing together of dissociated knowledge will open up such terrifying vistas of reality, and of our frightful position therein, that we shall either go mad from the revelation or flee from the light into the peace and safety of a new dark age."

Much to Shizuma's amazement and joy, Kaori completely ate up the story. It would be only one of many she would read to her before the dialysis session would finally end.


The day at Chikaru's house passed quickly. After enjoying their lemonade, Chikaru and Shion chatted with Ai and played with Tomo and Kisho.

Chikaru's father, Okabe Ito, returned from the office far earlier in the day than he usually would. The first thing he did when getting home was treating his daughter to a fierce hug. It was no secret to Chikaru that all members of her family missed her terribly and were happy to have her back over summer break. Her brothers had even cried when it was time for Chikaru to leave for Astraea Hill again.

After about half an hour of conversation, the family moved to the dinner table to eat the meal Ai had prepared. Many different bowls with several Japanese dishes were placed on the table, ensuring that there would be something for everybody.

"I hope you'll make a habit of visiting us over the weekend, Chikaru-chan," Ito smiled gently while eating his Miso soup. "We need your smile to brighten our day. And you, Shion-san," he turned to the blonde Spican.

"Hm?" Shion looked up.

"The way Chikaru-chan talks about you, it's as if the you're the sun goddess Amaterasu come down to earth," Ito said. "Thank you for being a good friend to my daughter, even if you are a Toumori."

"I suppose there's a compliment hidden in there," Shion replied harshly. Chikaru guessed she had not intended it to sound as harsh as she did, but she knew Shion was proud of her family and her name and would not have it sullied by anyone for any reason. Chikaru wasn't surprised, however, since her father's action groups and the Toumori family had had a checkered history of butting heads over all manner of labor disputes.

This trip was meant to tell her family about her relationship with Shion, but Chikaru had been struggling to find the right moment. Her family was... odd, by Japanese standards. Her parents didn't believe in marriage as an institute, and thus never married. They had Chikaru when they were second year students in university and after university became professional activists. Both her parents were involved with several unions as negotiators and legal consultants. Her father especially could be passionate and fierce about worker protection and rights.

Even her name, Chikaru, wasn't a traditional Japanese name in any sense of the word.

Chikaru found herself very nervous indeed. She wondered why - her love for Shion was pure and she knew her family to be open-minded and kind. Looking over at her girlfriend, she could see Shion was just as nervous.

"Chikaru, honey?" Minamoto Ai asked. "Are you feeling well? You've been so quiet and you seem a little pale. You've hardly touched your food. Are you feeling ill?"

Chikaru took a few deep breaths. It was now or never.

"Mom, dad," Chikaru started. "Shion and I have something important to tell you."

Shion's increased breathing next to her let her know that this was the point of no return.

"What is it, honey?" asked her father Ito.

"Shion and I... we're girlfriends."

There. It was out.

However, her parents didn't seem too phased by this.

"Yes, we know that you and Shion-san are friends already," Ito spoke. "You introduced us at Family Day back on Astraea Hill, remember?"

"No," Chikaru pressed. "We are girlfriends."

Ai raised an eyebrows. "What are you trying to say, Chikaru-chan?"

Shion and Chikaru shared on look, one encouraging smile. Shion took Chikaru's hand and squeezed it lovingly. "Mom, dad," Chikaru spoke with new-found courage. "Shion-koi and I are girlfriends. We're in love."

From the stunned expressions on her parents faces, it would take a few moments for this information to sink in.

"I..." Ai Minamoto blinked for a moment. "I... that's wonderful, Chikaru-chan. Chikaru-chan, I'm so happy that Chikaru-san has found someone to love, Chikaru-chan. I'm glad you had the courage to tell us, Chikaru-chan. I mean... it's great, Chikaru-chan."

"Mom?" Chikaru asked softly. "Why are you saying my name so often?"

"I'm not doing that, Chikaru-chan. Chikaru-chan must be confused. Don't be confused Chikaru-chan!"

Chikaru's father Ito, who had been silent until now, rose from his seat and angrily pointed at Shion. "So... You think you're good enough to date my little girl? DO YOU?"

Shion, startled by Ito's outburst, shifted her chair, only to have its legs caught behind a rug. She yelped as the chair toppled backwards and landed on the floor with a slam.

"Shion-koi!" Chikaru got up from her seat and ran to her girlfriend. "Are you okay?"

"I landed my head," Shion rubbed her scalp. "Ouchie."

Tomo and Kisho, looked at each other and giggled. "Nee-sama and Shion-san sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"


Miyuki was already at the cafeteria sitting in a booth, pouring over some papers she had been asked to review for the student council when she noticed out of the corner of her eye that Kaori and Shizuma had entered the cafeteria as well.

She smiled, placed the papers in her bag and walked over to them. After a brief and gentle greeting, the three friends picked out their meal for the evening. As their schools were expensive and private, the Astraea Hill cafeteria offered a wide variety of delicious means, ranging from simple to elaborate, from traditional Japanese to Western. Around them, many girls were enjoying their evening meals while the three of them found their way back to their booth.

Once again, Kaori had opted for a simple meal, traditional Japanese Udon. With her special dietary constraints, Kaori's choice of food was limited. As such, many traditional Japanese meals were perfect for her.

Miyuki noticed with surprise that Shizuma had taken the same meal as Kaori had. An odd choice for her, since she knew Shizuma almost always ate western meals in the evenings.

"So, what has Miyuki-chan been up too all day?" Shizuma asked while Kaori gently sipped her bowl of green tea.

"Swamped with council work," Miyuki sighed. "We were all set on having the school ambassadorial soiree here at Miator, but Spica came up with a proposal first and the school board decided to award the honor to them."

"And I should care... why?" Shizuma smirked, making Kaori giggle slightly.

A flash of anger shot across Miyuki's face for a moment before she relaxed again. "I suppose it can't be helped. And I suppose I should be proud. It was Shion-chan who drafted the proposal. And I have to reluctantly admit that it *was* better than mine. I'll have to work harder next time."

"Student surpassing the master," Shizuma winked. Miyuki supposed it was her own fault - she had helped Shion during her first months as Spica Council Secretary with all manner of advice, after all.

"I fear I have created a monster," Miyuki smiled.

"I'm sure Shion-chan will be delighted to hear that," Shizuma grinned.

"And then there was... the unfortunate case of Suzumi Tamao," Miyuki shook her head. "Poor girl."

"What happened?" Kaori asked with some concern.

"Well, there was an odd number of students in the first year enrollments," Miyuki said. "It happens from time to time, and it means a girl will get a room to herself."

"How is that a bad thing?" Kaori asked. "I have a room all to myself."

"You are a very rare exception to the rule, Kaori-chan," Miyuki said. "In any case, Suzumi-san pulled the shortest straw and was assigned a single room. She didn't take the news well."

"What happened?" Shizuma asked.

"Suzumi-san has convinced herself that she was given a private room because no other girl wants to live with her, while in reality it was just dumb luck," Miyuki sighed. "I spent the better part of the day sitting with her at the Sister's office while she was bawling her eyes out trying to convince her otherwise. So far, I'm not having much luck. Suzumi-san is heartbroken."

"Poor thing. Why not just swap her with another girl?" Shizuma asked. "I'm sure there's lots of girls who would like a private room."

"It's against the rules," Miyuki shook her head.

"Lulim and Spica allow for girls to swap," Shizuma replied.

"Not in Miator," Miyuki said. "The rules clearly state..."

"Oh, screw the rules!" Shizuma said with intensity. "If a rule makes a girl unhappy, just break it."

"The rules are there for a reason, Shizuma!" Miyuki retorted. She groaned inwardly - Shizuma could be so reckless, and see things is such an easy manner. Didn't Shizuma realize that such matters weren't always as simple as she thought they were?

"There's nothing I can do about it," Miyuki continued. "I'm trying to get her assigned to a nice couple of third years as a room-temp but otherwise, her only hope is to wait till a transfer student in her year comes to Miator. It's just that simple."

Shizuma shook her head and muttered some expletives under her breath. "That's moronic, and you know it," she sighed.

"Maybe there's something we can do to cheer her up?" Kaori asked. "Hey, maybe she can be my room temp? I live alone and I don't often have time or energy to tidy up my room."

"I think that's a lovely idea," Shizuma crossed her arms and glared at Miyuki, challenging her to retort.

"But... Kaori-chan, you're only a second year," Miyuki sputtered. "I can't..."

"Didn't you just say Kaori-chan is a special case?" Shizuma smirked. "The rules don't really apply to her, do they?"

"But..." Miyuki sighed, knowing she had been defeated. Two against one. "Alright," she sighed. "I'll bring it up during the next council meeting."

"Well," Shizuma relied. "It turns out you're human after all, Miyuki."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Miyuki narrowed her eyes.

"As for you," Shizuma winked at Kaori. "You're supposed to be our room temp, but you've never even cleaned up our room once. And now our room temp gets a room temp of our own? Unfair, says I!"

Kaori playfully raised her chin to issue a mock-challenge to Shizuma. "Special circumstances, Shizuma nee-sama."

"Yeah, likely story," Shizuma shook her head.

"I'm sure Kaori-chan has better things to do than to handle your dirty underwear, Shizuma," Miyuki said before sipping her tea.

Shizuma cocked her head sideways. "I'll have you know I change my underwear every single day. Which is more than I can say about a certain roommate I know."

"Shizuma!" Miyuki hissed. "You know perfectly well my new clothes haven't arrived from home yet! I have to make do!"

"Uh-huh," Shizuma crossed her arms and looked at Miyuki with a playful grin on her face. "Anyway, Kaori-chan, why don't you send your new room temp over to our room sometimes?"

"She's only saying that," Miyuki told Kaori. "Because she hasn't been bothering to clean anything for the past two weeks. And I'm certain that having to tidy up your piles of discarded clothes, your stacks of trashy novels and scrub out the ink stains from your desk will *really* cheer up poor Suzumi-san."

Shizuma sighed. "Alright, alright, I'll clean up myself. Tomorrow. Maybe. If I feel like it."

From the corner of her eye, Miyuki saw that Kaori was really enjoying this exchange between them. This was a good thing.

"Hey, Kaori-chan," Shizuma winked. "Why don't you... come by later tonight? As our room temp. You don't have to clean up anything, just wear the maid uniform. Just for show. And giggles. And... pictures..."

"Horny Shizuma is being horny," Miyuki snorted.

"Hey!" Shizuma protested. "I just think she'll look cute!"

Miyuki rose from her seat and slapped the top of Shizuma's head. "Pervert!"

"HEY!" Shizuma protested loudly while rubbing her scalp. The spectacle was enough to make Kaori giggle again. Soon enough, all three friends were laughing heartily enough to attract the attention of everybody in the room.

Life was good.


Chikaru sat on her bed in her room, clutching her favorite teddy bear to her chest. Her teddy bear had seen a lot of use - it was missing an eye and an ear and its fur had long since lost its shine. But that didn't matter to Chikaru. The bear had been a comfort to her so many times before - she had held it when she had fallen off her first bicycle and hurt both her knees. She had held it when she cried over the death of her beloved grandmother. She had held it when she first realized that going to Lulim meant living away from her family. And now, she held it because it everything had gone wrong.

Chaos erupted after the dinner. Tomo and Kisho were all over the place giggling, while her father was accusing Shion of stealing his daughter. Meanwhile, Chikaru's mother had gone really quiet, deep into contemplation.

Chikaru was scared. She was very scared. She had ran upstairs while Shion was being taken to the living room by her father and had been sitting there on bed ever since.

A knock on the door sounded. "Chikaru, honey?" asked her mother. "Can I come in?"

"Y-yes," Chikaru replied softly. Her mother soon came in and closed the door behind her.

"Oh, honey," she whispered when she saw her daughter sitting on the bed holding her bear.

"Mom?" Chikaru asked softly. "Do... do you think I'm... not normal?"

Minamoto Ai closed her eyes and sat down on the bed next to her.

"Oh, honey," Ai smiled softly. "No, no, no..."

"Come here," she said, opening her arms for a hug. An opportunity which Chikaru gladly took. "No, honey. I don't think you're not normal."

The sincerity in her voice made Chikaru feel a little bit more at ease. "Then why... what happened downstairs... Are you angry with me?"

"It's just a lot to take in, Chikaru-chan," replied Ai. "And even a bit of a shock. I'm not angry, not at all. It's just that... I'm worried."

"You don't have to be!" Chikaru said quickly. "We..."

"No, no, I'm not worried about you," said Ai. "I'm worried for you. We're your family, we love you. And I'm guessing you won't find those kind of prejudices at Astraea Hill. But... you see, there are people out there who will judge you harshly for being with another girl. And I hope you can deal with that."

Chikaru nodded. "I haven't really thought about it," she replied.

"Oh, Chikaru," whispered Ai. "You're so young still. Do you even know what love is? What it feels like?"

Chikaru closed her eyes. "Don't give me this, mom. I know what Shion-koi and I share is genuine and beautiful. I know I am in love with her."

Ai looked her daughter deep in the eye, and offered a smile afterward. "You do. I can tell. But... give it some time. See if you feel the same a year from now. Two years from now."

Chikaru was about to protest, but her mother put a finger to her lips. "Maybe you'll feel different in a few years, or maybe you won't. In the end, it doesn't really matter," she spoke with a soothing tone. "Just take the time you need to sort out your feelings and don't think like you have to be pressured into anything. Not by her or by us. Only you yourself can know what your feeling are."

Chikaru kept her eyes downcast. "Mom," she whispered. "Can you and dad accept me, if this is who I am?"

"Oh, honey," Ai hugged her daughter again. "You're my daughter and I'll always love you, no matter what. Your father will come around. You know how protective he can get. In fact, I should head downstairs soon to make sure he hasn't subjected Shion-san to Chinese water torture yet."

"She'll be fine," Chikaru said. "Dad is harmless."

"Frankly," Ai winked. "I'm really quite proud of you that you had the courage to tell us so quickly."

Chikaru frowned. "Wait... you *knew*?"

"I suspected," Ai smiled. "From the way you treated each other when we first met at Family Day back at Astraea Hill. And from the way you've been talking about her."

Chikaru chuckled in spite of herself. Her mother had always been perceptive, a trait which Chikaru had apparently inherited from her.

"So," said Ai. "There's some important matters left to discussed. Have you two kissed yet?"

"Mom!" Chikaru protested loudly. "That's private!"

"I'll take that as a 'yes', then," Ai said. "Did you like it?"

Chikaru blushed a little and answered the question with a shy nod. Everything about it was heavenly - from the soft touch of brushing lips to the electric touch of their tongues meeting.

"So, have you two... gone all the way yet?" Ai winked.

"Mom!" Chikaru was shocked. "We... we haven't... I mean, we..."

"It's okay, sweetie," Ai smiled gently. "So... would you like to? Go all the way with Shion-san, I mean?"

"Mom!" Chikaru hissed, red as a beet. "I... we... I..."

"I'll take that as a yes," Ai winked. "So, what's stopping you? Are you both shy? Have you two even talked about it?"

Chikaru blinked. Certainly, Chikaru had thought about it, but simply considered it something that would happen automatically in time when they were both ready. That is not to say, however, that the thought of making love to Shion wasn't an enticing one.

"Well, if you want to, I fear you'll have to take the initiative. She's a nice girl, but she seems a bit stuffy," Ai replied thoughtfully. "Then again, the stuffiest prim and proper persons often have the dirtiest minds. She could very well be a tiger in bed."

"M-mom!" Chikaru blushed again.

"Trust me, Chikaru-chan," Ai smiled softly. "Two women making love is quite different than a man and a woman making love. Both are good, but not in the same way."

"M-m-m-mom?" Chikaru questioned.

"Oh, don't look at me like that," Ai said, putting her finger to her lips. "Before I met your father, I experimented a lot, you see? Hey, I know, I could give you some tips if you like. I know some things you can use to really make Shion-san melt like butter and swoon in your arms!"

Chikaru's mouth moved up and down as if she were a goldfish. And right now, poor Chikaru wanted to be everywhere on the planet but here.

"Really," Ai continued relentlessly. "It's all in how you flick the tongue and twist the fingers, sweetie. Here's what you do..."

Chikaru had been a horror fan all her life. For many years, she had read books, seen movies, played games, all subject of horror ranging from psychological torture and visceral gore to the bizarre and the twisted nightmares of Eldritch Creatures lurking on the edge of sanity. But none of those many experiences could have ever prepared her for the ultimate, terrifyingly evil horror of all:

Sex tips from mom!


Shion felt as if she was the subject of a police interrogation. She sat in the middle of the living room with two of the lights shining in her face as Chikaru's father was pacing around the chair she was sitting in without saying a word.

Ito was a kind man under normal circumstances, but in this situation Shion had to admit she was rather frightened by him.

"Right," Ito said. "So, you are dating my little girl, hm?"

Shion nodded. "That is correct, sir."

"I have several questions I wish to ask you, and you must answer truthfully," he spoke. "I'll know if you are lying! I am a labor dispute councilor, and I know how to read people to a fault!"

Shion gulped. "I will not lie, sir."

"First of all," Ito spoke. "Do you have other girlfriends besides Chikaru?"

Shion narrowed her eyes. "Certainly not!" she said angrily. "And I resent the implication!"

Ito seemed satisfied. "I'm sorry, but I just had to know."

Shion nodded, but wasn't feeling any less furious.

"Second question," Ito replied. "Did you sleep with my little girl?"

The Spican girl blushed. "I... I...!" Shion protested. "We do... sleep in the same bed... sometimes... but we... we only hug. And kiss. But mostly hug. Nothing more than that."

The answer seemed to satisfy Ito. "That's good," he said. "Because my Chikaru is far too young for that sort of thing. Another question."

Shion nodded as Ito stood in front of her and looked her in the eye. "Do you have... sexual desires towards my Chikaru?"

The blonde Spican gasped. Sexual desires? Shion closed her eyes. Yes. Yes, she did have sexual desires towards Chikaru. She was only human, after all. And a hormone filled teenager. In fact, when she was alone, late at night, she would often fantasize about lying Chikaru on her bed, undressing her, kissing her, caressing her nude body, making loving to her. She often wondered when they would or should take the next step up from hugging in bed.

Shion didn't answer the question. Instead, she blushed and looked away. She decided that she really wanted to be somewhere else right now. Maybe Jamaica. Or the North Pole.

"Aha!" Ito narrowed his eyes. "Well, you can forget about it! My Chikaru is not going to sleep with anyone until she's at least 30! And I will not run the risk of Chikaru being saddled with a teenage pregnancy which will ruin her life!"

Shion blinked. "Uhm, excuse me? Pregnancy? How will Chikaru and I go about to achieve that?"

"Uh, sorry, I made this speech for a boyfriend," Ito buried his head in his palm. "It's kinda hard to change a speech I've practiced about 200 times in my head in preparation for this day."

He turned off the lights and sat down on the couch. "God, what have I just done? I've been behaving like a complete ogre, haven't I?"

Shion bit her lip. "Sir, I didn't want to put it to so many words, but... you asked some very humiliating questions to me."

Ito closed his eyes and groaned a little. "I got carried away here. I hope you can forgive me for it. I'm very sorry, I'm just... so worried about my little girl. You can understand that, can't you?"

Shion nodded slightly.

"It's just that," Ito sighed. "One moment, my little girl is bouncing around on my knee, giggling. The next, she's off to a private school and falling in love. It's... a lot to deal with all of a sudden. I need some time to wrap my head around the idea that my Chikaru is romantically involved with someone."

Shion saw the love and worry in his eyes. This man worried for his daughter in a way Shion had never seen in her own parents. "It's not you," Ito continued. "And it's not because you're both girls. That's a non-issue here. It's just... this whole situation."

And that was it, really. Ito was worried about his daughter and said so on numerous occasions, but he never spoke a word of protest against the fact that his daughter was in love with another girl. In Shion's eyes, Chikaru's father was worthy of respect for this very reason.

"I understand," Shion nodded. "And I can completely understand your reasoning."

"You're nice girl," he said. "Nicer than I expected a Toumori to be. I've been butting heads with members of your family for over a decade."

Shion chuckled. "I guess I'm not like my family, then. I'm not sure if that's a compliment or not."

"I judge people as individuals," Ito spoke. "You seem alright to me."

"Thank you," Shion replied.

"Just don't break her heart," Ito said.

"I promise," Shion said sincerely. "I will never break her heart."

Ito chuckled for a moment and looked Shion in the eye. "How about we start over?" he said, extending his hand. "Hi, I'm Okabe Ito. Chikaru-chan's father. Pleased to meet you."

"Toumori Shion," Shion nodded and shook Ito's hand. "That is correct, sir. Pleased to meet you as well."

"So, tell me how you and Chikaru-chan first met," he asked.

"Well, that's a funny story, actually," Shion started off. "You see, I had just arrived at the school grounds and decided to take a brief walk through the forest..."


Later that evening, the girls had retired to Chikaru's room for the night. After brushing her teeth, Shion had changed into her night clothing and got into the futon. Chikaru was already in her own bed, and watched Shion.

"Well, that... wasn't so bad, was it?" Chikaru smiled softly.

"You weren't the one who had to endure your dad's speech," Shion chuckled.

"It'll get better once he gets used to the idea," Chikaru replied. "He can just get a bit... overprotective at times. And it's lot for them to take in."

"I agreed," Shion replied. "He was nice about it, though. What about you? You looked so pale and traumatized after your chat with your mother."

"I don't want to talk about it!" Chikaru called back in a painful croak of a voice.

"Are you sure?" asked Shion with some concern.

"I said I don't want to talk about it!" Chikaru hissed and rolled on her bed while rubbing her temples. "Dear god, I need a memory enema."

"Was she okay about... us?"

"You could say that," Chikaru nodded. "If anything, she was a little *too* okay about us. But let's talk about something more pressing."

"Such as?"

"Shion-koi," Chikaru spoke in a sultry voice. "Why are you in that futon on the floor when you could be in my bed with me?"

Shion looked at Chikaru. "I don't know," she replied thoughtfully. "It's a very small bed. We'd be very close."

"Shut up, get in bed and hold me," Chikaru grinned.

Just as Shion was about to climb into bed and Chikaru's arms, there was loud thumping noise coming from the floor. Or rather, the living room beneath said floor.

"That's dad with the broomstick," sighed Chikaru.

"Shion-san!" sounded the muffled voice of Chikaru's dad from downstairs. "Return to your own futon kudasai!"

Chikaru shot Shion an apologetic smile. Shion groaned and got back into her futon.

"Well," Chikaru smiled. "He didn't say I couldn't join you in the futon, now did he?"

Shion grinned and waited for Chikaru to join her. Unfortunately, the same thumping noise could be heard again.

"Chikaru-chan!" sounded her father. "Get back into your own bed kudasai!"

Chikaru grumbled and returned to her own bed. Unfortunately, they had forgotten something very important. "Shion-koi, we haven't shared a goodnight kiss yet," Chikaru said.

"Let's remedy that," Shion said softly as the both of them got up from their beds for a hug and a kiss. Unfortunately, that damn broomstick got in the way once more.

"Girls," Ito called up again. "At least 1 meter apart from each other at all times, kudasai!"

Chikaru growled slightly as she rolled back into bed. "I'll have a little chat with dad in the morning. He needs to know I get cranky without a kiss before bed," she replied.

"I'd like to do something about that, but I don't have telescopic lips," Shion laughed in spite of herself.

"Ah, don't worry. He'll get used to it."

And then the broom started again.

"Girls, no talking about kissing. Got to sleep kudasai!"

"Is he going to keep this up all night?" Shion groaned.

"Probably, yes. Don't worry. It'll get better. Dad can just get a bit… overprotective," Chikaru smiled.

"I've noticed," Shion replied.

Suddenly, a loud yelp could be heard from downstairs, followed by a thud.

"Hm," Shion frowned. "I wonder what that was."

"If I were to hazard a guess," Chikaru bit her finger. "That would be mom discovering the broom marks in the ceiling and, uh, explaining to dad why he shouldn't do that anymore."

"So..." Shion bit her lip. "No more broomstick from Hell then."

"That's right," Chikaru's eyes lit up. "No more broomstick from Hell!"

The girls giggled briefly as Chikaru left her bed and crawled into the futon with Shion. The first thing the girls did was to share a loving kiss.

"Goodnight, Chikaru-chan," Shion smiled while running a hand through Chikaru's raven locks.

"Goodnight, Shion-koi," said Chikaru while tickling Shion's belly button.

Soon enough, the two girlfriends drifted off to sleep in each other's arms.


Next time, Kaori and Shizuma relationship deepen, while Chikaru and Shion return to the school grounds and get involved in the dangers of school politics.

Also, the passage which Shizuma read is from Call of Cthulhu, the story. Feel free to look it up on the internet as it's A) very good and B) public domain.