romancejunky: It was just a typo. The keys are right next to each other and I touch-type, so it can happen sometimes.
MalokaiKuhlua: Thanks! And I've been planning on putting them together- I'm not sure if I'm going to continue Strawberry Triangles. It just didn't get off to a good start…
XRosarioX: I'm glad- actually I prefer Shion with Chikaru, but I thought, "Why not?" And sorry for the semi-slow update; I had a case of writer's block for a while =P
Stavri: I am planning some Shion/Miyuki fluff in the near future.
Huggler: I actually didn't plan to write them as being exactly friendly, just because (at least in the mangas) Shizuma really didn't like Tamao at all. I figured it'd be kind of like a truce. I also love Shion/Chikaru- I guess I just kind of wanted to try something different.
Kaizer20: Sorry about the wait; writer's block =P And do you mean you and her are alike? Chikaru/Tamao will happen, though it might be a slow process, what with Tamao's Nagisa-obsession.
Kaze Rei: Yep, Shion was a pimp =P I don't necessarily like crybaby!Miyuki, but it was a central theme in the anime, so I was like, "Why not?"
GardenBeauty: Thanks!
Also, I feel you should know that I'm basing Shion after manga-Shion, just because she had more interaction with Miyuki (and she's totally hotter. No, really. Google it.)
I just took a Strawberry Panic personality test and got Amane… *prepares to hang self* But I think it's just because they had a bunch of stupid questions like, "OMG a poodle!" and "I ran out of questions"…plus I'm kind of quiet at first…but still…usually I get Tamao, Hikari or even Yaya once…but Amane…my life has no purpose…
How Can You See With Your Eyes Closed?
Chapter Nine: Falling to Pieces and Coming Together
Miyuki stared at Shion's back, noting her still-rigid form, even now that Hideshi was gone. "Shion…," she began quietly, unsure of what was coming next.
"You weren't going to tell me," the blonde murmured, her back still turned to Miyuki. "You were going to let him take advantage of you and-"
"It's not like I had a choice," Miyuki snapped. "The only reason I didn't argue was so that it would be over more quickly. It's not as if I was in a position to refuse. And now…" Now the true nature of her situation hit her like a ton of bricks. "Now we're…"
"Engaged?" Shion asked, turning to face her, her arms still folded over her chest. Slowly she strode over to the bed and sat down a few feet from Miyuki. "Is that such a huge issue? At least you're free of your parents now- you're free of everything. It's not like I'm going to force you to stay with me or anything." Shion's tone had grown gradually lower until she was practically growling her last few lines, her pride injured by what she thought had caused Miyuki's hesitance.
Miyuki sighed, knowing Shion well enough to know what was going through the Spican's mind. "I just don't want you to be tied down so early, Shion," she said, sounding exhausted. "You've got this great career waiting for you after college, and I'm not going to be anything more than a housewife."
"I don't care!" Shion exploded, turning to Miyuki with a fierce look on her face. "I don't care if that's all you ever are, and I don't care if you're so much more! I just want you to be happy, Miyuki- it's why I won't make you stay with me! You have no idea how much I wish I could just tell you to marry me and have you actually want to instead of practically forcing you into it for your own good!"
Miyuki blinked several times, taken completely off guard. "You want to marry me?"
Shion stared at her with half-lidded eyes, wondering how the Miator president could possibly have managed to mistake her intentions. "Um…I kind of hoped that part would be obvious," she muttered, rubbing the back of her neck.
"I don't mean you want to marry me because you want to save me," Miyuki clarified, her eyebrow raised. "You said you wanted to marry me without forcing me into it for my own good."
The Spican maintained her look of confusion for several seconds before she finally seemed to catch on- at least that's the impression Miyuki got from her violet eyes widening comically. "Uh, no," she said quickly, then frowned. "Well, I mean, yes, but we're too young to get married, and I know I've only just stopped being a total prat to you. But, I mean, I think…I know that if you asked me when I was older the answer would still be the same." She took a deep breath and looked into Miyuki's eyes, for the first time really seeing the fear that was hidden behind them. "I love you, Miyuki, more than I've ever loved anyone before. And I know that it's not ideal, but please do this- if not for you then for me. I won't be able to live with myself knowing I let you stay in this horrible situation."
"You're kind of cute when you get flustered, you know," Miyuki said quietly- flirting was far and away out of her nature, but she couldn't pass up the opportunity to see the Spican fumble around for words and blushing like she was. "I've been prepared to marry since I was ten, Shion," she finally said. "It's not the age thing that bothers me. It's that I don't want to ruin your life before it's even begun." She closed her eyes as if it would all disappear when she woke up; as if she'd find that Shion was still her usual, cutthroat self and she had never even met Hideshi. In a way, it would be preferable to this, trying to save Shion from something she was certainly going to regret. Maybe not now, but in a few years- Miyuki knew full well that she was capable of loving the Spican, but after having watched her parents' marriage being reduced to biting insults on her father's side and heartbroken tears on her mother's side, she didn't know what to believe anymore.
Miyuki was jerked from her thoughts by the sudden appearance of a warm weight only inches from her, and she turned only to be met by a pair of stunning violet eyes. For some reason she felt as if she couldn't move- shouldn't move until she understood the emotion lying behind them. And then it hit her hard over the head like a two-by-four, and vaguely she wondered if this was how Yaya felt all the time. No wonder she was so different… "You love me," Miyuki murmured in a whisper, as if the words would become a lie if she spoke them any louder. "You…really love me, don't you?"
Shion frowned slightly, sitting up on the bed. "Of course I love you," she said. "Haven't I been telling you that for the past month?" Miyuki wouldn't meet her inquisitive gaze. "Is it really that hard to believe that someone loves you?" she asked incredulously, her next words catching in her throat when the bluenette threw her arms around her neck. Shion sat there, unresponsive for a moment before she wrapped her arms tightly around Miyuki, frowning when the other girl started to shiver. "Are you cold?" she asked. She felt the girl shake her head against her shoulder and frowned. "Then what is…" At that moment Shion felt a drop of something wet hit her uniform, and then another, and another.
She pulled away from Miyuki, her eyes wide as she saw that the bluenette was in tears. "Oh no," she muttered. "Please don't cry, Miyuki, I'll do anything…"
The pleading tone in her voice was enough to make Miyuki choke out a watery laugh, wiping her eyes on her uniform. "I'm sorry," she said quietly, her voice hurts. "Only Shizuma really knows how much of a crybaby I can be."
"I-it's not that!" Shion stated loudly, so much so that Miyuki winced. "I just hate it when you cry," she said in a quieter tone, pulling the bluenette back into her arms and hugging her tightly to her chest.
After a few minutes, Miyuki seemed to calm down and she blinked away the remainder of her tears. "I need to get changed," she noted, looking down at her undeniably wrinkled uniform. "And you really need to go now, before the head sister catches you." She was quickly regaining her stern exterior.
Shion frowned. "You're out of your mind if you think I'm going to leave you alone tonight," she said bluntly. "Besides, I don't think the head sister will make a big deal out of it, considering everything that's happened tonight."
"You're too stubborn," Miyuki sighed as she stood and headed for her wardrobe. Not a second later, she found herself being pulled back into another embrace as Shion buried her head into her shoulder.
"And you aren't?" the blonde asked lowly, pressing a kiss to Miyuki's temple. "Just let me stay, alright? We can talk about everything tomorrow."
Sighing, Miyuki turned in Shion's arms so that she was facing the blonde completely. "Fine," she said with a sigh, and before the Spican could say anything else, she drew Shion closer by placing a firm hand around the back of her neck and kissed her. "Just this once."
Shion smiled again- that smile that was still so new to Miyuki- and pulled the bluenette flush against her, dropping her lips down onto the trembling lips of the Miator president. "I bet I can change your mind," she murmured between kisses, and then fell forward, landing on top of Miyuki on the bed.
PGBR
Even calm, level-headed Chikaru had to admit that watching Tamao fawn over Nagisa was one part irritating and two parts heartbreaking. She wondered if this was how the bluenette felt all the time.
They were out by the lake, all of them- Shizuma had called their friends out after their classes were over for the day to discuss something that she hadn't divulged to anyone at the moment. And yet…Shizuma seemed to be the only one missing. Generally one could blame this on Nagisa, but the redhead was sitting right by the bank of the lake, next to an adoring Tamao. Chikaru swallowed back the sour taste with practiced ease.
On the outside, it appeared that everyone had their happy ending- Nagisa and Tamao were practically glued at the hip, giggling together, and anyone would have thought they were a couple. But nobody with two brain cells to rub together could have gotten closer and not seen the sadness and heartbreak in the bluenette's eyes.
Yaya and Tsubomi were seated a bit further up the hill, the pinkette resting her head drowsily on the brunette's chest, her arms wrapped around her waist. But a closer look might have revealed that the pinkette's hands were clasped just a little too tightly around the brunette, and that both of their eyes were somehow drawn to an angelic-looking blonde. It was their expressions that betrayed their true emotions- one set of eyes looked upon Hikari uneasily, almost fearfully, while the other looked upon her simply out of habit, out of subconscious want.
The blonde in question was seated only a few yards away from the couple, beside Amane, though there were a few feet of space between them, and Hikari kept shooting glances at her best friend. They lessened somewhat when she was greeted with a territorial glare from a certain pinkette, however.
Only a few yards away from Chikaru herself, Miyuki and Shion were huddled together, the blonde positioned in between the bluenette's legs as the other girl ran her hands through her hair gently, almost as a wife might do a husband. Shion, Chikaru noticed, looked utterly content, her body at ease for the first time since they were children. Miyuki, on the other hand…her eyes were clouded over with something new- it was almost as if her fingers were moving of their own accord as she stared out into the darkening sky.
Chikaru sighed- was it too much to ask for just one happy ending?
At that moment, Shizuma made her way down to the lakeside next to Nagisa, pointedly putting herself between the redhead and Tamao before turning to the rest of the girls. "We're going on a trip!" she cried excitedly. "I've gotten us all the next week off, so go and pair up or whatever you have to do. I'm with Nagisa-chan!"
This news made Chikaru smile just slightly- things might just be taking a turn for the better, she thought as she stared down at the back of Tamao's head.
PGBR
Tsubomi clung closer to Yaya, her fingers curling unconsciously at the brunette's side as she glared at Hikari and snuggled further into Yaya's chest, staking her claim as best she could.
"Not another one of Shizuma-sama's insane ideas," Tsubomi muttered into the brunette's chest, trying to pull Yaya's attention back to her. She knew that Yaya had chosen her over Hikari, but she couldn't help but wonder if she only did it to know whether Hikari was serious. Tsubomi wasn't stupid- she knew the rules of love. There was no competing with 'the first girl', no matter how hard you tried. The best she could do was hold on tightly and pray that it was tight enough. "I'm not going," she huffed, trying to fold her arms over her chest before remembering that she was still attached to Yaya.
That same brunette grinned playfully, leaning on her right elbow so she was staring down into the very pink face of her girlfriend. "Stop being such an old lady, Tsubomi-chaaan," she sang, poking the pinkette's chipmunk cheeks. "You'll get wrinkles."
"And that would be a pity, wouldn't it?" Tsubomi muttered, suddenly tightening her hold on Yaya as Hikari looked back at them.
"Mhm," Yaya said with a definitive nod. "Tsubomi-chan wouldn't be as cute if she was all wrinkly…I wouldn't be nearly as tempted to-"
Tsubomi clapped her hand over her outspoken girlfriend's mouth not a second too soon- it was becoming a habit. She wasn't sure if she should consider it a good thing or a bad thing that she was so used to stopping Yaya from blurting out everything that was on her mind. "Shut up, baka!" she hissed under her breath before shrieking as something warm and wet caressed her palm. "EEWW! Yaya-sempai!"
Yaya pouted slightly. "What did I tell you about the sempai, Tsu-bo-mi-chan?" she asked, her lower lip pushed out so far that she looked absolutely ridiculous.
"Baka!" Tsubomi flushed, effectively disentangling herself and folding her arms over her chest only to be pulled back into Yaya's arms. "Stop making that face!"
"Then call me Yaya."
Tsubomi looked as if someone had asked her to kill her little brother. "B-but…that's so…that's not polite at all!" she stuttered, then her face dimmed significantly. "Then again, I don't see the point in trying to impress you…"
Yaya grinned and pressed a kiss to a flustered Tsubomi's lips. "Then just Yaya-chan for now?" she asked, staring imploringly at the pinkette until she nodded reluctantly. "Yay! My Tsubomi-chan LOVES me!" she shouted, drawing the attention of every girl sitting by the lake. Tsubomi instantly turned tomato red and smacked the brunette upside the head.
"Shut up, baka!" she snapped, "I do not! And I'm not your Tsubomi-chan!"
For half a second, Yaya's expression changed, but before Tsubomi could place her new expression, the brunette was grinning once more, her lips pressed to the pinkette's neck. "Maybe not yet you're not…" she murmured before biting down, causing Tsubomi to shriek and swat her off.
"Not in public!" Tsubomi snapped. She was about to scold Yaya more when she caught Hikari walking over to them. Her jaw clicked shut and the pinkette attached herself to a confused Yaya, who wrapped an arm around her waist nonetheless. Tsubomi snuggled into the embrace and proceeded to fix Hikari with a surprisingly effective glare. "What is it, Hikari-sempai? It's just that we're a little busy at the moment."
She was silenced by Yaya, who sent her a confused glare before turning to Hikari. "Hey, Hikari," she said with the crooked smile that Tsubomi had grown to love. However, now it only caused her to feel as if someone had forced her to swallow a rock. "What's up?"
Hikari's cheeks flushed and she stared down at her hands. "Well, you know how I just broke up with Amane-sempai?" Yaya nodded, wondering where this was going. Tsubomi's glare rose a few notches, because she was significantly more perceptive than her girlfriend and already knew where this was going. "I was just wondering if you'd mind sharing a room with me," Hikari continued, interrupted by an angry growl from Tsubomi. She looked alarmed for a moment, but decided to continue anyway. "Just because it might be awkward with just me and Amane sempai."
Yaya opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by a fuming pinkette. Tsubomi had just about enough of this- she hadn't said anything to Hikari before because Hikari was Hikari, and no one wanted to upset her. But now she had feelings for Yaya and was some very real competition, and Tsubomi refused to stand down. "I don't know if you're deliberately ignoring our relationship or if you're just blind, but Yaya-sempai is not going to be sharing a room with you," she snapped, standing up and moving into Hikari's personal space. "You had your chance, Hikari-sempai, and you threw it away for a girl you didn't know anything about. Now it's my turn, and I'm not going to give her up to anyone, especially someone who obviously doesn't have any clue how amazing she is!"
She finished her little tirade with a huff, panting slightly, her heart racing in her chest. It was the first time she'd ever stood up to a sempai, but damn it, Yaya was hers, and she'd waited long enough to make it that way! Tsubomi felt a tug at her skirt and she saw Yaya gazing up at her imploringly. Taking the hint, she knelt down beside her sempai.
"Tsubomi-chan," Yaya said slowly, and right away the pinkette adopted a defensive demeanor. The brunette sighed. "I can't force her to share with Amane-san."
"Then she can switch with someone else," Tsubomi growled, her arms firmly placed over her chest.
"Tsubomi…you know what Hikari's like. She's too shy for that," Yaya said in that same soft, reasonable tone that Tsubomi had heard her sister's boyfriends use with her countless times. "She's still one of my best friends, whether you like it or not."
"I don't care if you're friends!" Tsubomi snapped. "What I care about is that she has feelings for you and you're actually considering sharing a room with her!"
Yaya chanced a roguish grin. "Don't you trust me, Tsubomi-chan?"
Tsubomi just scoffed. "Why would I trust you with the girl you were so devoted to only weeks ago?" she asked. Yaya sighed.
"I'm not going to turn her down because you have a problem with it, Tsubomi-chan," she said lowly, and turned back to Hikari. "That's fine, Hikari- Tsubomi can share with Amane-san."
Beside her, Tsubomi attempted to swallow that stupid rock in her throat, but only wound up having trouble breathing. A single tear trickled down her cheek and she brushed it roughly away before Yaya could see it. She watched through clouded vision as Hikari waltzed back towards Amane and Yaya slowly turned back to her. "I promise nothing's going to happen," Yaya finally said, leaning in for a kiss, but was met instead with a sharp slap across her face. She stared at the pinkette, open-mouthed. "What the hell was that for?"
"That was for agreeing to share a room with Hikari-sempai after I told you I wasn't okay with it," Tsubomi snapped before getting to her feet and storming away, leaving a confused Yaya behind.
PGBR
Chikaru watched the scene as it panned out before her.
Then again, maybe not…
Sorry for the short and probably terrible chapter- I hate these in-between action chapters =P