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Disclaimer: Sakurako Kimino, the creator of Strawberry Panic and Media Factory, the company that sponsors its anime, own all copyrighted material this fanfiction may include such as characters, events, et cetera.
The rest of it is mine... ALL MINE! BWAHAHAHHA! *thunder crackles in the background* ... So no stealing! =p Well, unless you ask me nicely. ^.^;;;
Author's Note: Let me first sincerely apologise for how long I've been away. At first, I thought I was going to take some time to rest my muse to continue the next half. A month later, I found myself suffering from writer's block. I was and still am actually doing some writing for an RP, part of my Final Fantasy Exigo series, but even getting that going for a bit wasn't helping me with this fiction. It finally became clear that it was due to the chapters themselves. This and the next chapter take place during the summer and, even though I had an idea of what I wanted to write about, I couldn't for the life of me expand on any part of it. This is why, again, I mean to apologise as even after I completed this chapter, I wasn't completely satisfied so I'm not sure how any of you will appreciate it. -.-;; Hopefully, it is good enough. What's to follow will be better, I think, so please bear with me for now. xD
Thank you for staying with my story, my dear Guest, and a massively belated congratulations to the completion of your studies. And don't be afraid to be marked a nerd. We're a fantastic lot. ^.~ The title of the last chapter was indicative of several points within it, but one of them was Kizuna's prank. =p I'll be honest here; even I didn't see it coming. xD The entirety of that scenario wasn't at all in my outlines. However, I'm of the opinion that it could have only been Tsubomi to discover Kizuna's trick. I'm also glad you enjoyed the dance and that you're defensive of your favourite character. It speaks volumes that a character of my imaginings could insight such compassion out of her fans. And, never fear, Yaya's angst is far from done. xD In fact, I think I've come up with an even crueler idea for the next chapter that I hadn't originally thought of until my bout of writer's block.
To Nene-chan, xD I did get a kick out of writing the Yaya/Makoto groping bits myself. I felt it was the perfect way to present Asuka's personality and her budding relationship with Yaya.
As suggested by the title of this chapter, it will elabourate the consequences of the Senkou Dance, including all plots therein. The most obvious fallout is that of Yaya, but I think that will develop more so later. The poignant question, as Guest pointed out, is why Tsubomi didn't immediately push away from Eiko's kiss.
Many nuances will start with this chapter and be carried out in the second half so that is exciting and one of the reasons, I believe, that caused it to be so difficult for me to write this chapter. This chapter takes place much like its place in the previous school year as depicted in the anime and that is during Summer School. If you might recall from that episode, Summer School is more of a resort tour featuring the beach, wilderness hikes, and the infamous "Courage Trail" at night. It should be fun so I hope I've captured that just right. Now, without further ado, I present the long-awaited fourteenth chapter of my fanfiction.
~Strawberry Panic: The Second Year~
Shade coats a single room in the Strawberry Dorms in spite of the bright sun shining just outside. Silent, sullen, and static, a figure looms over the window sill, eyes of amber cast out into the light. She has distanced herself from it since the events of the previous night. The wounds are too fresh. Time has shown that the she grows wiser, but for the moment, there is comfort in the dark.
Aftermath
"Ow." A grumble is released as her injury is bandaged.
"You're just too reckless." Her raven-haired nurse speaks softly, reprimanding her.
Taking a hand to the bump on her head, her only response is that, "I'm usually good about my footing."
"Did you have your mind elsewhere?" Chikaru asks as she goes to get more ice.
"Astraea never has a shortage of drama, does it?"
Chikaru giggles, taking a look at the bandage. The Senkou Dance had been more interesting than she could have predicted. As her roommate predicted, there were many plots afoot. A graduated student made her reappearance. Old rivals united to rouse a star. But the most impressive must have been the one that led to the current event.
"Where might you be off to, chicken little?"
"What?"
After witnessing Tsubomi share that kiss with her kouhai, Yaya had decided to make a swift exit. There were many thoughts bubbling to the surface and not one of them did her any good. Even so, she'd attracted unwanted company. Yaya had struggled to hold back her sorrow and any delays only made that harder to do. She wanted to leave, but that was another of her desires she couldn't attain.
"Don't be so quick to jump to conclusions simply because a pebble was kicked your way." Shizuka's silky voice had suggested to her, "The sky may not be so lofty, but it's yet to fall."
"Leave me alone." Yaya grumbled, turning to continue on her way.
"Isn't that what you're trying to avoid?"
"What?"
"Being alone." Shizuka clarified, drawing the few steps to console the girl.
An adverse effect was felt when Yaya heard those words and she had given an angered retort, "What do you know?!"
She pushed the older girl away and stumbled in the opposite direction. Unfortunately, the two of them had been standing before a brush, the familiar lakebed lying just beyond it. There was a hill that joined one side with the other and, in Yaya's frenzy for escape, she'd made a misstep. Her footing was lost to her and she began to plummet through the brush. It was too late to stop her descent, but Shizuka moved in, pulling the girl close. With a quick twist, she'd placed herself in front as they continued to descend. Yaya was protected from the full impact, only feeling a bit groggy as she lifted herself up, however, her company didn't meet such fortune.
Yaya propped herself up and took her amber eyes to her saviour, the ebony-haired star of Lulim sleeping soundly beneath her. She brushed a few of those long strands away from the girl's face, her mind idley pondering the recent events. There was someone for everyone. Even this girl had someone and that someone had told Yaya that she needed to believe in a love-filled destiny, but it was obvious that wasn't true. There was someone for everyone, names and claims to every star shining in the night sky, but who would claim the night? Who would name it? Yaya was that night sky, the thing amidst all the stars that was the loneliest of all.
"Looks like one tigress already struck her own." Shizuka adds, standing up to stretch.
"She can be forgiven. After all, she was motivated by love for her cubs." Chikaru suggests, moving towards the door.
Shizuka goes to her, stopping her just before it, "But can she forgive herself? Maybe she could do with some perciverence."
Chikaru ponders it a moment before saying, "Probably."
The two gaze out at the hall ahead of them. Turning to one another, they share a smile as Chikaru's hand reaches for the knob and pushes the door closed.
Nagisa finds she's taken the same seat she had the year prior, though her company is who she'd hoped it had been then. Her silver mane draped over her shoulders and eyes closed to take in these familiar surroundings, the former Etoile seems the most peaceful she's ever been. She does admit to feeling guilty about it; after all, her previous company was her best friend and roommate, but that didn't and still doesn't compare, does it? Apart from that, it seems Tamao has already moved on.
"I wonder if Chikaru-sama already knew about that." Nagisa whispers to herself, eyes on her roommate and her present blue-haired companion.
"What was that?" Shizuma asks, roused by the mumbling.
"Oh, it's nothing. I just think this year will be very fulfilling." She replies with a smile.
"Is that so?" Shizuma ponders on this, "Even though there was an incident?"
"Oh, does Shizuma-sama mean…"
"Why do we put value to rocks when we know they'll only cause problems?" She answers absentmindedly, only then realising her statement didn't make sense to the redhead next to her.
"I heard from Tamao-chan…" Nagisa continues on despite not understanding, "I don't know too much about it, but…"
"I'm sure it will be fine." Shizuma interrupts, "It has to be quieter around here now that I'm not around."
"Too quiet." Nagisa blurts, looking at the floor.
"The quiet is good…but I suppose it can make things a bit boring."
Much in the same way Nagisa has been struggling since her graduation, Shizuma hasn't fared any better. University and all its pressures have kept the former Etoile distracted during the days apart, but the nights are annoyingly long. She's taken to counting them, which, when considering her personality, isn't a tame hobby.
"There's a calendar in my room that's seen better days." She admits, "Worse is that it isn't my calendar."
"Many people mark off the days that have passed, so I don't think your roommate would mind."
"Yea, I suppose people do mark off each day, but how many of them scribble bits of death threats to them for passing so bloody slowly?" Shizuka explains and with a sigh further adds that, "She's gotten into a habit of keeping the sharp things locked away and sleeping with one eye open."
Shizuma's dramatic reaction to separation anxiety causes Nagisa to giggle. To think, she'd been worried over how she behaved since they parted when Shizuma has clearly been worse. The revelation allows Nagisa to understand that Chikaru was right and that she needs to find the fire inside her heart for the both of them. And what that fire was is slowly becoming clearer.
"How long does Shizuma-sama have anyway?" She asks.
"Sadly, my next semester begins in about a week."
"That's fine. I'm happy for any time I can be given to be together with Shizuma-sama."
"Nagisa." Shizuma cooes, hugging the redhead close.
Tamao takes in her new environment. The room she inhabits this year is different from before. Now that she is Student Council President, she shares a floor with the only other President who could partake in the Summer School trip. Spica's President, along with the Etoile that hails from their school, are to remain behind to entertain the representatives from the Ministry, which performs its annual evaluation at this time. Of course, the second room also sits empty, which can only mean one thing, but Tamao digresses with a knowing smile.
"Tamao-oneesama?" Chiyo questions, having just settled and starting to unpack.
With Shizuma returned to her, Tamao thought it best that her roommate share her room with the former Etoile instead. Besides, she had plans and a new target for them. Nagisa would only pose a complication. That said, Tamao moves to her bed and begins going through her things.
"Is that a fishing rod?" Chiyo asks, noticing the rather obvious item amongst the President's belongings, "Does Tamao-oneesama plan to fish during Summer School?"
"Among other things." She casually answers, closing that pocket of her bag and moving on to another, "Many other things."
"Everything is so pretty!" Eiko says as she twirls about the hillside.
The first year travels with her senpai and her friends on one of the many hiking paths near the inn. Kizuna and Remon busy themselves with recounting the previous excursion for Misato and Kaede in the absence of their Chikaru-oneesama. They mention that they are taking a different path and Kizuna notes she'd have liked to have pictures of this hike, but Chikaru was the one that always knew to bring a camera.
"Oh, that's alright." Misato tells her, taking a quick snapshot from her own, "I never go on a trip without mine."
The flash momentarily blinds Kizuna, but Kaede and Remon are there to steady her. Together with upperclassmen Chihaya and Noriko, the group moves on. However, not everyone is so carefree.
"Everything is so pretty. Don't you think so?" Eiko repeats.
"Huh?" Tsubomi replies halfheartedly, her mind elsewhere.
It had been this way since the events of the previous night; ever since the Senkou Dance, when the final song was nearing its end and Eiko had made her move. That night hadn't gone according to anyone's plan, but then again, it wasn't meant to accommodate them anyway. Several parties just happened to choose it for their own ends and the ones that did caused more problems than they hoped to resolve. For Eiko, it had all fallen apart with a kiss.
Try as she might, Tsubomi wasn't responding to Eiko. The kiss had actually longer than she expected, but most of it had resulted from shock. Once Tsubomi caught up with the reality of the situation, she immediately moved away, though she had still been at a loss over just what to say. Instead, Eiko herself would break the silence.
"Sorry, Tsubomi-senpai. Tonight was going so well, I think I got carried away." She had explained.
"Uh… That's alright."
"It's just that, I've never kissed anyone before and I wanted the first person I kissed to be special, someone I respected." She continued regardless.
"Then, I'm flattered." Tsubomi replied to her, a blush appearing on her face.
"What are you thinking about?" Eiko asks, though she has her suspicions.
Tsubomi looks away, her eyes following their friends as they trail further and further away. Unknown to her company, she continues to recount the events of the previous night. She admits to herself that it was a very enjoyable evening even if her kouhai did take it a bit far. She still remembers the costumes and choosing masks to wear so that neither the upperclassmen nor the first years knew who they were interacting with. Of course, as she thinks on it, that wasn't as effective as it was mostly likely intended to be.
"Then, I'm flattered."
Eiko breathed a sigh of relief and then proceeded to ask, "Does Tsubomi-senpai feel the same way?"
Tsubomi recalls smiling then and her kouhai elabourating right after, "I mean, does senpai have someone special like that?"
"I do…" She says, confusing the girl.
"Tsubomi-senpai?"
"Um, never mind, Eiko-chan. We should catch up with the others. It isn't proper for Spica students to lag behind."
"Oh."
Meanwhile, back at the Strawberry Dorms, the guests have left and that means the official duties of Spica's most prominent are all but completed. What remains is a plethora of paperwork, but neither the President nor the Prince has any patience for that. The task falls to their counterparts who busily work towards completing each form and writing each report. For them, it is a pleasure simply to witness the changes that have occurred in this short span of time. They had, after all, started as adversaries.
"She is imperative." Kaname groans, slamming a fist against her desk.
"That she is, but we are no closer to realising that goal than when this year started." Amane adds, showing nuanced camaraderie.
"That's because we aren't being direct enough." Kaname grumbles, "If you hadn't stepped in at the dance when you did…"
"You'd have gotten yourself embarrassed." Amane interjects, "And we would be even further away than we are now."
Momomi tilts her head as the two argue, blowing away a few loose strands of auburn from her face as she shifts her gaze to Hikari. The other Etoile is struggling to stifle a giggle as it is ruining her penmanship, but Momomi's playful expression spoils any hope of that. As the fourth year loses her composure, Momomi takes the file she was working on and does her best to imitate her handwriting. It is also at this time that the conspiring pair is made aware of the impression they are leaving and a bright shade of red begins decorating their cheeks.
"Ah, should we take the new colour on your countenances to mean you're finished?" Momomi asks, placing the file on the completed pile.
"Not exactly…" Kaname mumbles, taking a seat at her desk.
"We might need to wait for an opportunity this time, Kaname."
"And Yaya-chan?" Hikari suddenly speaks up, "What should be done about Yaya-chan?"
Though seemingly alone when they spoke, Shizuka and Yaya had had eavesdroppers. Both of her dance partners had stalked her when she pardoned herself at the dance. They had seen the exchange and Amane knew enough to tell the bistre-haired girl's best friend of her anguish coming to light.
However, unexpectedly, she and the President unanimously agree that, "Yaya-san's dilemma is for Makoto to figure out."
"But maybe we could help." Momomi interjects.
"Best to leave it for now, Momomi." Kaname suggests, standing to move to the window.
"I doubt there's much we could do that wouldn't have the opposite effect." Amane adds, placing a hand to her chin.
"There should still be something…"
"No," Hikari says, "Amane-senpai and Kenjou-san are right. Right now, this is for the best."
A bonfire sits at the heart of the campsite where the group of friends has gathered. Chihaya and Noriko tend to it as they converse amongst themselves. Remon chases Kizuna after the latter pulled yet another prank. Tsubomi watches them at her seat on a downed log. Her kouhai holds firms onto her hand as she leans against her. The first year seems not to have a care in the world. Conversely, there is much on Tsubomi's mind. Of course, as she has no intention of admitting this to herself, she only watches the others and the fire burning brightly.
"Kedakaki yuri no shiro no gotoku." Eiko's voice sings, rousing Tsubomi from her thoughts, "Fushigi bara no rei ni gotoku."
She turns to see the girl's topaz orbs gazing intently into her own, almost as if knowing that her mind strays and worrying it may stray too far. With a smile, Tsubomi decides to ease the girl and so she also sings, "Aoba no nobe midori no gotoku. Ten no kisaki wa uruwashiku emu."
Saa eikou iu you no yami no ue ni
Shirubenaki hi no ou na bara
Elsewhere, still adrift in the winding path of the Courage Trail, Nagisa cuddles close to her silver-maned love, sleeping soundly. They'd ventured onto the trail at the whim of the former Etoile and managed to find themselves on every single route at some point in the night. Several times, they'd even become the very tests of courage the trail were purported to possess.
"If only Nagisa had a better sense of direction." Shizuma whispers, holding the redhead close, "I haven't been to this place since my first year."
Kiri fukaki chi no mori no uchi ni
Otome no hoshi ga kagayaki darou
"Iyaaah! Ahhh! Eeeep!"
"Such a wonderful sound." Tamao beams, the whole of her attention given to the headphones she currently wears.
Just as she had done the previous year, Tamao had gone to great lengths to acquire a new item for her collection. Her target is changed, but that doesn't affect her tenacity. At present, as she rolls about her bed enjoying herself, Chiyo rests in a fetal position on hers, still shaken after her ordeal.
Kinou kimi sa wo ouki na kagoboshi ni
Koe wo awasete inori tsutaeru
The group has joined hands, their attention having been drawn by the duet. Summer School draws to a close and holiday will soon follow. There's been many an incident in the past months, much of which remains unresolved, but hope lies in the coming term.
Amen...
Author's Note: The song at the end is the extended version of the prayer the Saintly Choir usually performs, which was used at the end of the play episode. Similarly, there was no bonfire scene in the Summer School episode. That one ended with… well, actually it ended with Nagisa meeting with Shizuma, but the final scene at the Summer School house was the girls watching the stars. I figured they could have easily had a fire going then, too. It also made it a bit more possible to fit the song. x)
I hope the explanation I came up with for the Tsubomi and Eiko kiss was well received. I thought that anyone might pause a bit after being surprised with a first kiss. It is a rather difficult situation to be in, particularly when the initiator is someone you do care about, just not being in a romantic way.
I must say, the easiest part of writing this chapter was the scene between Nagisa and Shizuma. It was fun getting the chance to work with such an outlandish character as the former Etoile, which is one shortcoming of doing a story taking place after she's graduated. . In the anime, Shizuma was a key player of both the emotional, captivating scenes, as well as, the flighty and humourous scenes.
The next chapter, which I've also been having trouble with, will take place during summer holiday and, thanks to the new idea I had, will be unique among the chapters I've written so far. =p See you then!
次回予告
Yaya: Summer's here…
Shizuka: The sunlight feels nice.
Yaya: I guess.
Shizuka: You wouldn't know. How could you with the blinds down like this?
Yaya: What do you want?
Shizuka: Pause.
Next time on Strawberry Panic, Fermata!
Yaya: Is this real?
この番組はメディアファクトリーとご覧のスポンサーの提供でお送りいしました!
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