I've returned! And it's time to turn out some new stuff, so let's start here! I don't own Azumanga Daioh. But, you don't either. : P
Chapter 11, "A Change of Position".
So far, things between Tomo and Kagura had been strong. They did everything together, and the latter's experiments were becoming bolder. This, of course, irked Yomi to no end. At this rate, she'd lose any delusion of being with her childhood friend. And the more she brooded this ill ending, the more determined she became to do something about it. The question was simple: How? She hadn't the slightest clue what could have happened to turn the tide in Kagura's favor. She'd done everything right, hadn't she? There was a mutual understanding between herself and Tomo that the harsh words they exchanged weren't serious...right?
She sighed as she sat at her desk in her room, hovering over the homework that should have been started hours ago. "This whole thing has been going downhill from the start. If I want any chance now, I'll have to do something drastic...but...what opportunity would just present itself like that? It's just my luck..." she thought aloud, rubbing at her temples. She wasn't aware until several moments later that her phone was ringing. Sighing again, she picked it up.
"Hello...Oh, Chiyo-chan! What's up?" she asked, feeling somewhat better.
"Hello, Miss Yomi! Summer vacation's next week, and I'd like to ask if you'd want to go to the summer house with us again?" the young child replied.
"Uhm, well...hey, wait a minute," Yomi stopped in mid-thought, a devious plan forming in her mind, "is Tomo going?" she asked quickly.
"Uh? Yes, she is, I've already called her! So, will you be able to make it?" Chiyo answered.
"Yeah, of course! Thanks, Chiyo! I've gotta get off now, so I'll talk to you later, okay?" Yomi finished things up.
"Of course! Goodbye, Miss Yomi!" Chiyo ended, and hung up the phone. As Yomi set her hone down as well, her plan was in formation.
'You bet I'm going to be there. I wouldn't pass this chance up for the world!' She thought, a smile playing across her face. This would be the perfect opportunity to play her cards right, and possibly boost her standing, in Tomo's eyes...
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Once again, the group of girls assembled at the Mihama estate. Among the first there were Sakaki and Kagura. The former sat under the large tree in the front lawn with Mr. Tadakichi, while the latter fidgeted uncomfortably, awaiting her girlfriend's arrival.
"Something wrong? You look nervous..." Sakaki murmured, getting the other's attention.
"N-no, nothing's wrong. I'm just kind of...well, nervous." Kagura fumbled the same words Sakaki had just spoken, causing her to sweatdrop. Most of the others were surprised at how much, though little, the normally stoic girl had opened up since the whole affair between her three friends. But the thought passed, as peculiar things about her would pop up from time to time. Next to arrive was Osaka.
"Hey, ya'll. Are we the only ones here?" she drawled, still a bit tired from waking up earlier than usual.
"Yeah. Yomi should be here soon, and I'm sure Tomo's going to take her sweet time." Kagura replied, a bit bothered by the last fact. Lately, their contact had been a bit strained, with Tomo feeling guilty for not spending as much time with Yomi. She thought nothing of it up front, but that single twitch in the back of her mind told her to be more wary. However, her mind switched from concern to worst-case-scenario survival mode when the screeching of rubber on road alerted them to the arrival of one Yukari Tanizaki.
The safety-challenged teacher sped up the driveway, stopping short of the front patio.
"Another few yards and your insurance rates would be up! Wait...I don't think they go as high as you've got'em!" a familiar voice cackled at the scene.
"Tomo! You finally decided to show up, I see." Kagura greeted her with a tight hug.
"Hey, a gal like me has got to look perfect! I couldn't be seen out here without getting fully prepared!" her narcissistic companion responded.
"I'm sure. So, does that mean we just have to wait up on Yomi and Nyamo?" Yukari queried, exiting her battered car.
"Seems that way. Hmmm...It's rare for me to get anywhere on time before Yomi...I guess I'm rubbing off on her!" Tomo chuckled. Kagura frowned a bit; Tomo seemed to be thinking about Yomi more these days, and she didn't like it. Right on time, though, Yomi came up the walkway. She was greeted with a nod from Sakaki, a hello from Chiyo, Tomo jumping on her, and Kagura only acknowledging her presence with a nod. After that, though, they were puzzled when their other teacher hadn't shown up yet. Yukari called her, and came back outside with a grunt.
"Figures. Well, she won't be with us, she's sick. Which means..." she began grinning malevolently, sending a shudder of fear through all of the girls.
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"Yay! We're here!" Tomo yelled, jumping out of the rented van. Getting out and taking a look, she then commented, "You know, you're not supposed to take rental cars to demolition derbies." And earned a rather large welt from the spot upon which Yukari promptly landed her fist.
"Quiet, you! I can't see you doing any better when you get a license!" Yukari argued.
"Enough of this! It's time to head down to the beach!" Tomo exclaimed, making a run, only to be captured by Yomi.
"Do you have an ounce of patience in you?" she rebuked her with an exasperated tone. Kagura also looked on this with a suspicious eye, but wouldn't interfere too much, at least so as not to draw too much attention. As they entered the house, they noticed something amiss; Tomo was missing, again. Both Yomi's and Kagura's nerves popped at this, and they both started off to look for her.
"It's kinda like a soap opera, ain't it?" Osaka questioned randomly, although her statement did make sense.
"Eh? What is? Did I miss something?" Yukari asked, still unaware of the happenings of late.
"It's nothing. So, should we look for them?" Chiyo asked. "...Nah, they'll be fine. Well, I'm assuming..." their teacher waved it off.
"That's not very reassuring..." the rest of them sweatdropped.
Yomi and Kagura had split ways after they exited the summer home, each with their own agenda in mind. Tomo, on the other hand, was checking out the beach, eager as ever to get in the water. It wasn't until then that the thought dawned on her to ask Kagura to go with her. "Should I...? Hmmm...She'll be fine by herself for a while, ne?" she resolved, wandering around a while. After seeing what the strip of shoreline had to offer, she happened on Yomi.
"Yo! You were looking for me?" she called.
"There you are," Yomi grumbled, "what idea made you wander off this time?" she wondered.
"Nothin', really. Say...I know we've been kinda out of touch lately, so, do you wanna hang out or something?" The smaller girl said. The question in itself caught Yomi by surprise; wouldn't she want to be with Kagura instead?
"Uh...sure!" any ill will she held toward the hyper girl faded into obscurity as they went on their way.
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Having failed to locate her partner, Kagura resigned herself to mulling about the house. "Yomi had better not try anything, or else...well, what am I thinking? It wouldn't matter; Tomo loves me, not her!" She thought. Still, something was giving her a bad feeling.
Meanwhile, Yomi and Tomo were enjoying themselves. While the others swam, they were lurking around the area, seeing what small shops and such had to offer. While in any other circumstance Yomi wouldn't have been caught dead masquerading around with Tomo, she was now just grateful that they could spend time together.
But her mind suddenly thrust forth her purpose for coming here: her plan. It was decided that she'd enact it later that night. And thus she plotted, up until their return to the house. Upon that return, however, was a fuming Kagura.
"Did you two enjoy yourselves?" she leered at both of them, Yomi in particular.
"Yeah! It was great! We went looking around, and found cool stuff, and-" Tomo would've continued, had Kagura not held up her hand.
"You could've invited me, you know?" she sounded hurt, and that automatically triggered Tomo's soft side.
"No, no, it wasn't like that! I, we, we just kind of bumped into each other, is all! We weren't planning on leaving you by yourself!" Tomo stammered.
"...So will you spend a little time with me now?" her girlfriend's voice lifted a bit.
"Of course! You don't mind, do you, Yomi?" Tomo turned to her friend, but found her gone. "Eh? She's acting weird again...oh well." She let it go as Kagura pulled her upstairs.
"No telling what she might be doing to her up there..." Yomi muttered, angry at herself for giving up her chance so easily. She sat outside on the balcony, as the sun began to set. "Why couldn't she be with me right now, seeing this?" she asked no one in particular. The entire ordeal was finally taking its toll on her, and for a second she considered giving up this futile game.
But she mentally slapped herself for thinking like that; it wasn't some game. She really cared for Tomo, she always had, and once again she resolved that tonight she would make things different. When Kagura came back down later, the sun just peeking above the ocean now, she jumped the opportunity and hurried to Tomo's room.
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Hearing the knock, Tomo was perplexed. "You don't have to knock, come on in!" she called. She was surprised to see Yomi. "Yomi? Uhm, about before..." she began to make up an excuse, but stopped abruptly when the other girl locked the door behind her. "Y-you...you're not gonna beat me up are you?" she asked, half-joking, half-tense.
"What? Who do you think I am, some kind of barbarian?" Yomi recoiled, causing them both to laugh lightly, "and by the way, don't answer that question. It'll ruin the mood." She added quickly.
"So...what's up?" Tomo said, sensing the direction this was heading. Yomi considered running away right then and there, but steeled herself for whatever result she may face.
"I-it's about...you...you and Kagura..." she answered reluctantly.
"Y-Yomi...we've been through this..." Tomo avoided, looking out the window. The last of twilight covered the ocean now.
"But Tomo...isn't there anything? Anything between us? We've been together for years! And I've watched you for so long, trying to take care of you in any way I could! I know you're independent, but I always wanted to be with you. I always acted harsh because I was afraid to act any other way around you..." Yomi couldn't stop the stray tears from falling now, and was on the verge of a breakdown.
Tomo looked on, stunned. She was having a hard enough time taking it everything that had just been said to her, everything that contradicted the way she'd perceived her best friend for years. Now, while she was a little overwhelmed, she brushed away the tears with a finger.
"Yomi...I...I've never had anyone...say anything like that to me before...and I'm not saying that there's nothing between us, it's just that Kagura makes me feel...special..." Tomo admitted, sitting fully upright now.
"I w-want to make you feel special too!" Yomi blurted, and they both blushed at the statement. Yomi was about to cry again, but Tomo, having only a small experience on this with Kagura, embraced her. This served 2 things: it truly comforted the larger girl, to know that Tomo cared, and also, it was the exact moment to put her plan into action.
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Tomo was comfortable with the situation when Yomi returned the embrace; however, she didn't know what hit her when the other girl took the moment to push her back on the bed.
"Y-Yomi? W-what're you doing?" Tomo stuttered, a bit scared now. She backed away as the other girl advanced, but found her back against the headboard. In a flurry of movements, the event found Yomi straddling Tomo, holding the smaller girl by the wrists. While it wasn't nearly enough to hurt her, it made quite clear that the larger, and admittedly more powerful, girl wasn't about to let her go anywhere.
Tomo was shocked, scared, and a number of other feelings that left her feeling lightheaded. With nowhere to go, she panicked when Yomi began closing the gap between them. Before she could utter a protest, Tomo found Yomi's lips pressed against hers. But there was something about the kiss that felt new, something she hadn't felt as strongly with Kagura. She felt sincere warmth of love in the kiss. Unintentionally she moaned, signaling Yomi to continue further. However, Tomo regained her composure at the last second.
Steadily, she pulled her wrists from Yomi's hands and moved her away. "Yomi, we can't...I can't...it wouldn't be right." She protested.
"That's all right, Tomo. I'll see you in the morning, okay?" Yomi got up from the bed, walking to the door. As she opened it, she turned back to look at the confused girl one more time. She then smiled, a loving smile, and left Tomo to her thoughts. Absentmindedly, Tomo bought her fingers to her lips. Yomi's rather forceful display had shaken her to the core.
She found her loyalty to Kagura...faltering? Was that possible? Kagura gave her the same warm feeling inside as Yomi did, and yet...with Yomi, it seemed so much more, it was hard to describe. It might have just been because she thought Kagura was mad at her, but thinking through all the options took to great an effort after the interlude.
She let her head rest against the back of the bed. She suddenly felt exhausted, and wanted a little bit of sleep. That wouldn't come easy, to her dismay, as Kagura entered the room.
"Hey...what's the matter? You don't look so good. Are you sick or something?" she asked Tomo, who had paled because of her wonderful timing.
"I-it's nothing...let's just go to sleep...?" Tomo waved it off. Shrugging, Kagura turned off the light and got into bed with her, not uncommon now. She wrapped her arms around Tomo's waist, and kissed her before they both fell asleep.
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Yomi was beside herself on what to do. On one hand, she was cheering inside that she hadn't been thrown away for what she did to Tomo.
On the other, she couldn't believe that fact: she had forced herself on her, knowing full well that she could easily overpower her friend if she had a different mind set. And it reminded her of how much she wanted to protect Tomo. She now worried what Tomo would think of her. Would she be disgusted at what she had done to her? Would she accept this, considering the circumstances. Immediately, Yomi regretted the entire thing.
She went to sleep troubled, and would work to fix things the next day. The morning greeted them with a slightly overcast sky, nearly reflecting their moods. Yomi woke up from a rather difficult sleep, and was the second up. Seeing that the sky outside was still a semi-dark gray, it was still pretty early. Looking to the clock, it read 6:12 A.M. Though she tried, she couldn't get back to sleep.
Thus, she resorted to walking downstairs. As the large girl wandered the house, she came upon the door leading to the beach. It was slightly open, and it looked like it'd been fairly recent. 'Which one of them would be out at this hour? It's not like there's anything interesting at this time in the morning...' Yomi thought as she went to investigate. Upon her inspection, she found...Kagura? At that moment, she debated whether to disregard it, or to see if something was wrong. After what seemed like forever, her instinct as a friend won out, and she went to pry.
"Something that matter?" Yomi asked, startling Kagura.
"Wha...? Well, yeah, but not with me. Something's wrong with...with Tomo." The athlete answered. Yomi's mind was torn in half at the end of that statement. So her darker predictions had come true, then?
"W-wrong with her? Like what?" the intruder plied.
"She couldn't go to sleep for a while, and even then she was throwing a fit in her sleep. And...she kept muttering your name..." Kagura informed her, a poisonous edge to her words.
"Oh really? I'm...really not sure what to say about that. We haven't seen each other since we got back yesterday." She lied, her composure caving in. Kagura didn't respond at that, but simply turned to look out at the ocean.
'I'll bet. She probably tried something last night. And I'm gonna figure out what it was, whether it's from her, or from Tomo.' She thought sharply. At the time, their love interest decided to wake up as well; sleep was worse than being tired right now.
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Later that morning, everyone had gotten the chance to sleep in, and the group was assembled at the table in the living area. The atmosphere was awkward, however. The others looked between the three sitting at opposite sides from each other. Yomi would occasionally find Kagura glancing at her with a menacing look, before she'd turn back to Tomo. Tomo, on the other hand, would steal quick glances at Yomi, but couldn't seem to meet her in eye contact.
This, of course, was all very amusing to Yukari, who didn't have Minamo to torture this time. As the tension mounted, Yomi finally got worried and excused herself. "Well, this is pretty fun. Kinda like a drama, eh?" their teacher commented.
"Enough of this moping around! It's time to have a little fun!" Chiyo exclaimed.
"Yeah, I'd be up for swimmin', or maybe a game of volleyball." Osaka agreed, the two of them getting up. Sakaki followed, and Yukari went to go back to sleep. Rather dull, considering them, but they didn't have Tomo's antics or Kagura's competitive spirit to boost their morale. This left Kagura and Tomo alone, giving the former the chance to get some answers.
"Tomo, has...has anything been going on between you and Yomi?" she asked blatantly. Tomo failed to form the right words in her head, blushing like mad.
"N-n-nothing's going on...she just said some things t-that made me a b-bit uncomfortable." She stammered.
"Oh? You want I should have a talk with her about it?" her girlfriend defended, raising a fist.
"No! It's n-not really that important!" Tomo denied, flailing about.
"It had to have been worse than that, otherwise you wouldn't have been saying her name in your sleep." Kagura stated, which shook the girl opposite of her.
"I-I didn't really do that...did I?" Tomo demanded, the events of the previous evening flooding her thoughts now.
"Yeah, you did. And I want you to tell me what it was? Did she do something to you, or something?" Kagura was growing irritated, by both of them.
"Let's just drop it, okay?" her partner's resolve was wavering.
"Fine. You can tell me when you're ready." Kagura told her, and got up as if to leave.
"B-but...where are you going?"
"Out. I'll be back later." Kagura didn't so much as glance at her as she said the words. Hearing the door shut, and assuming Kagura would be angry, not Tomo, Yomi made her way to her younger friend.
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Yomi watched from the doorway as Tomo sat at the table, head in her folded arms. "Why does this have to happen to me? Why is she so pissed? She doesn't even understand what happened, she's just jumping to conclusions..." Tomo whispered, her heart aching. While for the past few months now she'd been an item with Kagura, her feelings were once again split down the middle since Yomi's actions.
"Tomo? What're you doing?" Yomi attempted to ask in her normal, uncaring manner.
"Ack! W-w-what're you doing here? You weren't s-spying on us, were you?" Tomo jumped at her, attempting to strike her.
"Calm down! You're acting like an idiot." Yomi dodged her half-willed attacks, and took her by the forearms.
"Let go of me! I'm sure you just wanna do what you did to me last night..." Tomo spat, surprising and worrying Yomi all the more.
"Tomo, get a grip! Last night was...was something I had to deal with. I'd wanted it for so long. My body took over when my mind said 'No'. I'm sorry if I hurt you at all." The older girl said, still holding Tomo tight.
"You d-didn't hurt me. Physically, anyway. You had to be a jerk a-and start messing with me, is that it?" she began sniffling, although the words were true to her normal nature. It seemed that they were finally fitting back into their normal roles as sensible and insane, but there was still a problem at hand, one Yomi intended to solve at that moment.
"No, I wasn't trying to hurt you in any way. Tomo, everything I said last night, and everything I did...I did because I love you. You're probably the most important thing in my life. I guess it was just wishful thinking on my part, but it's the truth." Yomi finally broke down, and dropped to Tomo's level.
Coupled with her already known feelings for Yomi, the events that had transpired since the entire mess began, and the harsh attitude of Kagura, Tomo's impulsive nature drove her to one conclusion; she tackled Yomi to the ground in a fierce hug and kissed her. This culmination completely baffled Yomi, but she returned the feelings nonetheless. After it was over they both sat up, Tomo blushing at her compulsive behavior.
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Kagura returned that evening to hear the others' laughter and recounting of the day's activities, but found Tomo nowhere. She was about to go after her, but remembered that she wanted to give Tomo some space. 'She's good at making me worry about her...and I hope I didn't sound too mean when I talked to her this morning. Maybe I should go look?' her brain went into overdrive from her concern for Tomo vs. her want to appease the confused girl's need for time.
She finally decided she'd give the other girl her room until tomorrow (both their actual room and thinking time), and moved to go to the last extra room. Had she chosen to return to their room, and look out toward the lookout point, she'd have noticed two people sitting close together. The skies had cleared through the day, and the sun once again sat without obstruction.
But the two girls watching it were blissful. Yomi stretched her arm and wrapped it around Tomo's shoulders, who lay her head against the other for support.
"Tomo, this is great...but...can it stay like this?" Yomi wondered aloud eagerly.
"The truth is...I don't really think I can be with either of you at the moment." Tomo replied, despondent.
"W-what! But Tomo...why not?" her admirer asked frantically. "I'm so confused right now it ain't funny. And you two are giving me a real headache with your fighting. Not to mention, that I hold the same feelings...for both of you." The smaller answered.
Yomi would have continued, but sensed that it would only lead to trouble. That didn't change her peace of mind that Tomo loved her, though. Or at least, there was a powerful bond similar to it. The events of late had seen the emergence of Tomo's more controlled and impressively smart mind, but she still retained her spunk as well, which was what made both of them fall in love with her in the first place. Reluctantly, the two returned to the summer home. They entered quietly; they'd come back pretty late. When Tomo returned to her room, she found it empty.
'Is she really that mad at me? ...Oh well, it's not gonna matter when I tell her...' she thought with a sad smile. Until things cooled down, she figured, a working relationship wasn't possible. While a bit over the top, it was her way of reasoning, having never been in previous relationships and being fought over by two of them.
Yomi stayed with her a bit, before retiring to her own room. And for the first time in so long, she was content with the way things were happening.
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End of Chapter 11.
CLIFFHANGER! Tomo decides she can't choose again! Does this mean there'll be a renewed battle, considering her new feelings toward Yomi and her misunderstanding of Kagura's actions? R&R, please! I'll be updating soon, too!