Mayu didn't spend most of her life living with Ia for nothing. The moment Ia came home, Mayu knew that something was wrong. The girl was downcast, her eyes fixed on the floor, her gait sluggish as she shuffled into the house like a walking corpse. Yup. That meetup with Yukari and SeeU definitely did not go well at all.

Inwardly, Mayu sighed, It looked like it was up to her to give Ia yet another pep talk. As she walked over, she turned over several possibilities in her mind as to what could have gone wrong this time. Naturally, the only reason for Ia's dejected mood has to be Yukari, since it seems that Yukari was the sole motivator for many of Ia's moods, and Mayu could hazard a guess that it had something to do with SeeU as well.

"What's up?" asked Mayu once she got to Ia, who was shuffling out of her snow-encrusted shoes.

Ia stared up at Mayu, her eyes blank. "It's hopeless, Mayu. I have no chance."

"What's wrong this time? What, did SeeU not like you or something?" That was definitely possible. If Yukari really held SeeU's opinion in such high esteem, that could be a problem. Still, no need to bring that up now, not when Ia's already so down. "Well...even if she doesn't, that has nothing to do with you and Yukari!"

Ia heaved a huge sigh, her frame seeming to shrink as she exhaled. She slumped against the door she had just come in from. "SeeU hates me, but that's not the problem."

Mayu frowned. She didn't like where this was going. In fact, if her instinct was right, this could turn out to be a major headache.

Without any need for further prompting, Ia continued. "SeeU...SeeU likes Yukari too." With that, whatever force that held her against the door disappeared and she slowly slid to the ground, back against the door until she hit the ground with a soft thump. To Mayu's alarm, Ia's eyes were starting to look red, her voice growing quieter and quieter with each successive word. "And if SeeU likes Yukari, then...then I have no chance. She's known Yukari for so much longer and Yukari tells her everything, it's hopeless, Mayu, hopeless!" Ia buried her head in her hands, her shoulders shaking. "I wish none of this had ever happened! I wish...I wish Yukari had never moved in...then I wouldn't have to feel like this!"

Shit. Mayu quickly decided to abandon any wisecracks she had in mind in favor of sitting next to Ia and putting her arm around her shoulder. "Hey, come on, Ia, you don't really wish for that. Even though it hurts, you had a lot of fun times with Yukari, right? And it's too early to give up, you know," Mayu gave Ia a hopefully reassuring squeeze. "Just because SeeU likes Yukari doesn't mean that Yukari likes SeeU. It's not like it's totally hopeless. Besides," Mayu added, "what's so great about SeeU? I bet that you're a thousand times better."

Ia choked out a half-laugh. "She's really pretty, Mayu, and she's really smart, and she knows a lot about movies, and...and she and Yukari have a lot in common, they're both outgoing and popular. I have to try so hard, but SeeU doesn't look like she's trying at all."

It really seemed like SeeU was putting a huge toll on Ia. Mayu inwardly frowned. She didn't take kindly to people hurting the ones she loved, but she had to manage her protectiveness and possessiveness. Mayu closed her eyes, took a few deep breaths, and calmed herself. It wasn't as though SeeU had outright done anything to hurt Ia other than, well, existing...right? "Ia, please. None of that matters. So what if she's pretty and smart? You're pretty and smart too. And maybe she and Yukari have a lot in common, but haven't you heard the saying, 'opposites attract'?"

Ia sniffled and glanced up. Her eyes were red, tear tracks standing out clear on her face. "That's a dumb saying," she said, "and it's not even true, there are lots of psychologists and professors who dispute that."

Mayu groaned. "Okay, maybe it's not a tried and true rule, but the saying must have come about for a reason, right? And it's not like you and Yukari have nothing in common. You both like to cook and you both like to read. What does SeeU have in common with Yukari other than movies and being outgoing? How is that better than what you have in common?"

Ia frowned, resolute in her misery. "W-well, that doesn't change the fact that Yukari tells SeeU everything! Why would she need me if she has SeeU?"

"We've already gone over this, Ia!" Mayu didn't often seriously lose her patience with Ia, even if the girl sometimes had a tendency to go into circles, but fuck, Ia was quickly undoing all of the progress she made in building her self-esteem. "If you want Yukari to tell you more about herself, you have to ask. And so what if SeeU likes her too? Think about it this way," Mayu said, "and listen very carefully, okay? You listening?"

Ia sniffled, rubbed her nose, and nodded. "Y-yeah, I'm listening."

"SeeU liking Yukari doesn't change anything," said Mayu. "If Yukari likes her back, then they'd be dating by now. And they aren't, right?"

Ia stared at Mayu, dead silent, eyes wide as though Mayu had said something heretical. Mayu began to fear that perhaps she had made some kind of mistake. "Uh...they aren't, right?"

Ia bit her lip, suddenly looking very thoughtful. "No...no, they aren't."

"There you go," said Mayu with great relief. "If anything, that means your chance with Yukari is even better! Since SeeU's been liking Yukari for who knows how long, I assume, and Yukari hasn't done anything yet. You can do it, Ia. You just have to be more confident."

"More confident..." Ia said to herself, and sighed. "But it's hard, Mayu. I look at myself and I don't see anything."

"Maybe you haven't been looking long enough," said Mayu. "Maybe you're looking at the wrong places."

Ia sighed, again, and drew her knees up to her chest. "Maybe. Or maybe there's nothing there at all."

"Come on, that's not true. I'm sure that if you asked Yukari, she'd have a whole list. She has to be friends with you for a reason."

"I guess," said Ia, and she rubbed her eyes. "I hate feeling like this, Mayu. I don't know anything, I don't know what she feels or how she feels."

"Well, as your knowledgeable stepsister, I have to inform you that if you want to know what she feels, you need to ask."

"I know that much," said Ia, and she put a hand over her chest, her eyebrows furrowed. "This really hurts, Mayu...I think I might understand a bit why you threatened that girl with craft scissors. It hurts to even think about SeeU staying over at Yukari's place right now. She could be doing anything, they could be watching a movie together and cuddling as we speak and it really, really hurts."

Mayu winced at the mention of the craft scissor incident. That had gotten her in a heap of trouble with the school...and her parents...and most importantly, the person she had a crush on. Not that Mayu could help it. When she fell, she fell hard. If anyone got in the way of that, well...too bad for them. "Yeah, well, don't follow my example."

Ia managed a small laugh. "I know, you don't need to tell me." She rubbed her eyes again, exhaled, and looked up. "Thank you for all the help. I guess I'm a pretty hopeless older sister, huh?"

"Hey," said Mayu with a smile, pulling Ia towards her in a one-armed hug, "it's all just part of the job description. Anytime, Ia. But what's with the sudden gratitude?"

Ia shrugged. "I guess...I don't know," her gaze became distant, "I just feel like...no, I know...that I need to be more confident. And I need to tell Yukari what I feel...otherwise, I really might lose her to SeeU. And it hurts a lot, Mayu, it hurts a lot just thinking about it, and I don't want to hurt anymore."

Mayu blinked. "Wow. I guess all you needed to get off your ass about this whole thing was a rival to shake up the status quo, huh?"

Ia sighed. "I...maybe it's just because that...well, now that SeeU's here, it's a lot easier to feel, or imagine, what it would be like if..." Ia trailed off and shook her head. "I can't word it very well, but I know that I need to do something, and I know that I need to try. I mean, it's still scary, and I still don't want to lose Yukari as a friend, and I don't want her to think of me as a freak, and being touched...I'm...I'm still not used to that, and all of that is still there, but at the same time, I don't want to keep feeling this pain." Ia looked at Mayu, her eyes large and pleading and frightened. "You know what I mean, right? It's so much worse than being touched, Mayu. It's a million times worse."

Mayu nodded and pulled Ia towards her in a hug. "Don't worry," she said. "I know exactly what you mean."

-o-o-o-

"Are you sure you weren't bullying Ia today?" Yukari asked SeeU, her face set in a frown as the two of them sat in her room. They were about to play a round of Mario Kart on Yukari's Gamecube, but then Yukari asked this and, well, SeeU could tell just from that that they weren't about to fire up the television and play a few races anytime soon.

"I'm sure, I'm sure," said SeeU, her voice betraying her irritation. Why was Yukari so concerned about Ia all the time? "Come on, Yukari."

"Hmmm," said Yukari, her voice quite clearly full of doubt. "She was definitely acting strangely today, though. I know she's shy, but..." Yukari sighed, "I wanted you two to get along. I thought maybe if you two met up, you guys would see what's great about each other, but nothing like that happened at all."

"Like. I. Told. You," said SeeU, over-emphasizing each word, "it's impossible."

Yukari glared at SeeU. "Impossible, my ass! You were practically interrogating her about 3-Iron earlier. She probably just got scared and dejected. I told you that she's shy, you can't just force all of your opinions down her throat!"

At first, SeeU felt nothing but shock - Yukari had never yelled at her before. In fact, SeeU didn't even realize that Yukari was capable of it; the girl was always so calm and cheerful that somehow it never even crossed SeeU's mind that she would ever be angry, much less angry at her. SeeU's gut churned, and she closed her eyes and tried to calm herself down. It...it hurt, being yelled at by Yukari. It was enough to make SeeU want to go back home, enough to make SeeU wish, even harder, that Yukari had never moved out of Artech, that Yukari had never met Ia. Because what about SeeU's feelings? Yukari just completely disregarded them, doing whatever she wanted, dragging SeeU along to meet Ia when SeeU didn't even want to. All SeeU wanted was to hang out with Yukari, to be with Yukari, like the old days, to hang out and shop and have fun and watch movies, but now it seemed like all Yukari cared about was Ia. SeeU bit back all of her emotions, and instead looked down at her hands. "I'm sorry."

There was a pause, and then SeeU felt Yukari scooch over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. SeeU looked up, and Yukari was biting her lip, purple eyes looking straight at SeeU's. "No...I'm sorry too. I didn't mean to yell at you. You're spending your break here, and it's my job as hostess to make sure you have fun. And, well," Yukari looked away, "being yelled at isn't exactly fun."

SeeU turned her attention back to her hands. She felt as though if she looked at anything else, the force of will that was currently binding her together would fall apart, and that was the last thing she wanted, especially in front of Yukari. So, SeeU wasn't looking at Yukari when she asked, "You care about Ia a lot, huh?"

There was a silence, and then SeeU felt Yukari pull her into a hug. SeeU squeezed her eyes shut so that she didn't have to see - so that she didn't have to subject herself to whatever expression Yukari was making, so that she didn't have to see Yukari's hair and arms and everything because if she did she would miss it, she would miss all of Yukari, too much to let go. "Hey, hey," said Yukari's voice, soft and soothing, her hand gently rubbing SeeU's head, "don't worry, okay? You'll always be my best friend."

For a moment, SeeU wondered if Yukari knew about how she felt. Why else would she dodge the question? But SeeU didn't want to believe it. If Yukari really knew, such a response would a rejection. Better to believe that Yukari was concerned about her, better to believe that Yukari thought that SeeU was asking out of a fear of being replaced as 'best friend', rather than fear of losing her chance of ever having Yukari love her back. SeeU sighed and opened her eyes, staring blankly at Yukari's room, collecting her thoughts and piecing together her composure. After a few moments, she plastered on a smile and pulled away from Yukari, who was looking at her with worried eyes.

"Well," said SeeU, her cheerful tone sounding high and forced to her own ears, "I knew that already. Come on," she turned towards the television, "let's play Mario Kart."

"SeeU..."

SeeU didn't need to look back to know what kind of expression Yukari was making now - most likely sad, most likely regretful, maybe even guilty, and while SeeU knew that it was ungracious of her, she wanted Yukari to suffer, just a little bit, for what happened earlier. It was childish and immature of her, but SeeU wanted Yukari to feel just a little bit of what she was feeling now. In lieu of saying anything, SeeU turned on the Gamecube.

"Hey, SeeU," SeeU could hear Yukari scooching closer to her, "I'm sorry. I guess I...I lost my temper. It was hard to get Ia to open up when I was just getting to know her, and she just seems so skittish all the time, I wanted her to be comfortable..."

God, even in her apologies, all Yukari seemed to be able to talk about was Ia. SeeU tuned her out. She didn't want to hear anymore. The confidence she initially had when coming to Yamaha was practically all gone. How could she stand a chance against all this mounting evidence that Yukari cared for Ia, and cared for her a lot, too? Even though Ia was so sheepish and so timid earlier, Yukari was practically head over heels for her. Still, it galled SeeU to lose to her. After all, SeeU was friends with Yukari first, wasn't she? Even though the chances were low, so low...it wasn't as though it was completely hopeless, right?

"It's fine," said SeeU at last, her voice as calm as she could make it. "It's completely understandable. I mean," she turned back to smile at Yukari, "I get that Ia's your friend here. Look...let's just play some Mario Kart, okay? I wonder if you've gotten any better since moving to Yamaha."

Yukari examined SeeU, her purple eyes probing and worried. Still, she seemed to have picked up on SeeU's desire to change the subject, for she let the subject drop and put on a half-smile as she picked up a Gamecube controller. "I don't know...I haven't practiced a single bit."

"Me neither," SeeU said, turning back to the television screen. "Let's see who's the queen of the losers, then."

-o-o-o-

Next morning, a clear winter day. The snow was beginning to melt, and Ia was sitting at the kitchen table boredly polishing off her breakfast of toast and eggs. After last night, Mayu had treated Ia to a late night showing of some new action movie at the local movie theater, and it was enough to get her mind off of her troubles, at least for a little while. However, Mayu had plans with her friends today, and thus, Ia was home alone.

Normally, Ia wouldn't mind, because Yukari was almost always down to hang out or talk. But now, after last night, well...Ia found herself wishing that Mayu was here to walk her through everything. Even though Ia was determined to do something more concrete about her relationship with Yukari now, she still had no idea as to what, exactly, she wanted to do. SeeU was going to be staying for a whole week, and somehow Ia doubted that Yukari would be willing to leave her best friend at home while she went around town with Ia. Which wasn't fair, really...SeeU had nights to spend alone with Yukari, and Ia, well, she wouldn't be spending any time alone with Yukari until SeeU left.

Still, Ia couldn't just sit here and do nothing. The talk with Mayu last night had been cathartic, in a sense, and Ia knew that if she wanted anything to happen, she had to step up. Somehow, Yukari didn't seem like the kind of person who would spontaneously initiate anything on her own, despite her outgoing personality. If Ia wanted their relationship to move beyond friendship, it was going to have to be Ia who makes the first move.

But...how could she do that? Ia put her head in her hands. She had absolutely no experience in this. Furthermore, she still had that weird...thing about being touched. How could she move her relationship with Yukari beyond friendship if it felt like she was about to get a heart attack every time Yukari touched her? Ia raked a hand through her already unruly hair and sighed. All of the resolution she felt last night was beginning to fade. She couldn't do it. How could she? She was just Ia, that lonely weirdo who sat by herself in class, who couldn't deal with being touched, who couldn't establish that human connection with people that everyone else could so very easily. She was just a fucking freak and why the hell would someone as great and as perfect as Yukari ever feel anything close to what Ia feels, and...

No. Ia curled her fingers into her hair. She had to stop thinking that way, otherwise she would never move on, otherwise she would never get to tell Yukari how she felt. Ia had to push all those doubts and insecurities away, at least for the moment. It was a temporary fix, but it would have to do. Sighing, she grabbed her phone and hit the messenger button, hesitating as she tried to figure out what to say to Yukari so that they could meet up. After a few moments, Ia began to text.

Hey, do you want to hang out today?

After a few minutes, her phone pinged with a new message and Ia hurriedly opened it. Sure enough, it was from Yukari.

ofc! what do u wanna do? where do u wanna meet? :DD

Well, from that text alone it didn't seem like SeeU did anything last night to make Yukari hate Ia or anything, thankfully. Ia pondered. It would be reasonable to assume that whatever Ia suggested, Yukari would bring along SeeU.

Surprisingly, after meeting SeeU the other day, Ia didn't actually dislike her or anything. Sure, SeeU was definitely rude, cold, and standoffish, but...she at least acknowledged Ia's feelings, and respected them enough to tell her what she felt for Yukari in turn as opposed to sneaking around and not telling her anything at all. Of course, SeeU wasn't suddenly Ia's favorite person or anything like that, but it was good to know that SeeU was...what...honorable? Ia wasn't sure if that was the right word, but whatever. It would have to do. After raking her head for ideas, Ia sighed. There really wasn't much to do in Yamaha. Might as well suggest the mall. Yukari definitely enjoyed going there, and Ia had a sneaking suspicion that SeeU was the mall type too. Even though SeeU was Ia's rival, it would be best for all involved if they had as much fun as possible.

How about the mall?

The reply was near instantaneous.

gr8! seeu and i will meet u at ur place in half an hour!

-o-o-o-

Sure enough, Yukari and SeeU rung the doorbell after half an hour and Ia answered it. Yukari looked bright and cheery, dressed in a thick-looking scarf with her hands stuffed in the pockets of her duffle coat. SeeU's expression was more complicated - she looked like she had either just woken up, or not gotten any sleep.

"Morning!" Yukari chirped. "Ready to go?"

Ia nodded and smiled, grabbing her coat from the hanger. "Yeah, I'm ready."

Yukari grinned and turned towards SeeU. "This mall's pretty small compared to the ones in Artech," she said, "but there's still all the basic brands and stuff."

SeeU yawned. "Don't worry, Yukari, I didn't expect too much from this place."

Ia stuffed her feet into her shoes. "I think the next train should be coming in soon...we should probably get going."

"We've been ready," said SeeU. "We're just waiting on you right now."

"O-oh," Ia mumbled, feeling heat rush into her cheeks. "Yeah. Right. Sorry." She hurriedly stepped outside, the icy air filling up her nostrils. It was colder than she thought, and she shivered as she closed and locked the door behind her. Damn...she should have brought a scarf or a hat or something.

"Cold?" Yukari asked. "Do you want my scarf?"

Ia almost agreed, but then she caught a glance of SeeU's expression and thought better of it. "N-no, I'm fine! Besides, then you'd be cold."

Yukari laughed, exhaling visible puffs of breath in the winter air. "Hey, it's just a bit of cold! It's no problem at all, I can handle it!"

"I don't want to get you sick or anything," Ia protested.

"You worry too much," said Yukari, and before Ia could say more she could feel Yukari wrapping her scarf around her neck. Despite herself, Ia couldn't help but to snuggle into it a little - it was a very comfortable scarf, and it had Yukari's soft, floral scent on it too. "See? Much better, right?"

"Here," said SeeU abruptly, holding out her own scarf to Yukari, "take mine."

Yukari blinked at SeeU. "Huh? Why?"

SeeU scowled. "Because you'll be cold without one, that's why!"

"Didn't I just tell Ia that I'm fine?" Yukari laughed. "Seriously, SeeU, you worry too much. I'm a strong girl, I can take care of myself." Yukari mimed flexing her muscles. "Anyways, I seem to remember you being the one who's more sensitive to cold, so you should keep your scarf. You're like, shivering."

It was true. SeeU definitely seemed a lot colder without her scarf than with, her shoulders slightly bent inwards to conserve warmth as her arm held out her scarf. Ia glanced between Yukari and SeeU.

"You can have your scarf back," Ia said. "I don't really need it."

"Wow, all these scarves," Yukari sighed. "I only have one neck, you know. Besides! You two need it more than I do. Here," she took SeeU's scarf and wrapped it back around SeeU's neck, "there you go, much warmer, right? Anyways, we won't be outside for long anyways, we're spending the day at the mall. Speaking of which, I think I see the train station! Let's go!" That said, Yukari immediately ran off, her shoes crunching the snow, leaving visible footprints behind. There was nothing for Ia and SeeU to do but follow her.

Thankfully, the train was just pulling in when the three of them reached the station, and after a hurried rush to buy tickets and a brief tangle over who sits where, SeeU, Ia, and Yukari managed to find seats on the train. Ia had snagged a window seat next to SeeU (Yukari cited 'bad ankles' as a reason to sprawl out on two seats, but Ia had a sneaking suspicion that Yukari just wanted to avoid a scuffle over who sits where), and looked outside. The landscape never seemed to change, the land outside blanketed in snow, the trees spindly and dead.

"What a depressing view," SeeU leaned forward on her seat to catch a glimpse of the world outside. "Winter is the worst."

"There isn't that much to see here," Yukari agreed. "You can definitely tell we're out in the country. Anyways, what made you decide to go to the mall, Ia?"

"Oh...well...SeeU hadn't gone yet, and we already looked at part of Yamaha's business district yesterday, so I thought it would be fun to go."

SeeU blinked at Ia, quite obviously surprised. "Really?"

Ia glanced back at SeeU and nodded. "Yeah. Oh, there's a movie theater at the mall too, so we could watch something if you want. Um...because you guys like movies, right?"

"Oh. Uh...yeah," said SeeU. "Yeah. I'm really picky, though."

Strange. SeeU was being much less confrontational today than yesterday. What happened? Did Yukari talk to SeeU about it or something? Ia sucked at her lips and examined SeeU. She definitely seemed less aloof and confident than yesterday. "Um..." said Ia, unsure of how to proceed, "maybe we'll uh, find something you like."

"Yeah, yeah," SeeU settled back in her seat, her scarf almost completely covering her mouth, "we'll see."

A silence.

"Thanks," SeeU mumbled, so quiet Ia almost couldn't hear.

Ia looked over at her. SeeU's eyes were resolutely looking away. Ia had no idea what to say other than an awkward, "no problem."

In the back, Yukari looked elated, her eyes wide and her smile one of the largest Ia's ever seen. "Wow! See, I told you that you guys could get along!" She fell back in her seat, eyes closed and arms crossed, looking awfully pleased. "If you all could just get over all that...grumpiness yesterday, it's really not bad, right?"

Wow. Were Ia and SeeU's interactions really so bad that that horribly awkward conversation was such an exciting event for Yukari?

"Anyways," said Yukari with a smile, leaning forward on the seat so that her head was in the space between's SeeU and Ia's seats, "I've decided. You two are going to hang out during this mall trip! I don't want my two best friends to hate each other, you know? We can meet up afterwards, catch a movie, and head back home, but you two are gonna be on your own for the rest of this trip."

Ia's face flamed red at how close Yukari's face was, barely catching her words. "O-okay," Ia said meekly, even though she had planned the trip to include all three of them. It seemed like Yukari would be happier this way, and Ia was quite willing to do whatever Yukari wanted her to do for her happiness.

SeeU, on the other hand, seemed more skeptical. "Really? Won't you be bored, wandering around the mall by yourself?"

"Oh, it's fine," said Yukari, a teasing note creeping into her voice. "I'm a big girl. I tie my own shoelaces and everything. I can handle being in a big scary mall by myself."

Ia expected SeeU to put up more of a fight, to protest having to spend the day with Ia as opposed to with her best friend and crush, but instead SeeU sighed and looked away. "If that's what you really want."

"Indeed it is," said Yukari cheerily, but then her smile became softer as she gave SeeU a pat on the head. "Thanks a lot, SeeU. I'm really happy you're trying."

SeeU ducked her head so that her face was no longer visible, hidden by her scarf. She said something, but it was muffled by the scarf, and Yukari grinned and turned her attention to Ia. "Take care of SeeU, okay? Make sure she doesn't get lost and that she gets a snack every half hou-"

"God, Yukari, I'm not a kid," SeeU interrupted. "Geez."

"I'm just kidding," Yukari laughed. "Well then, ladies, it seems like it's our stop. Shall we go?"

I have two midterms, two papers, and one coding project coming up. Naturally, that means fanfic updates! Hope you guys enjoyed! And for those who are concerned about Strange Duet, I promise it's not abandoned! Anyways, I hope to update soon, but for now...it's time to actually do my work, haha.