I suck for taking such a long time to update. Therefore, I promise to make an original SP! joke at the end of each AGUA chapter from now on. Enjoy and review please.
AW, GROW UP ALREADY!
Chapter Twenty-One
Home Sweet Home
After their stay at the beach was over, the girls all went their separate ways. Most of them went home. Chikaru and Shion opted to return to St. Ninnian University for a reason only known to them. The rest of the gang boarded buses that would take them to various train stations. This part of the school year was always unsettling: the part where they were temporarily removed from warm, romantic Astraea Hill and moved to the real world.
It was a cold and rainy world out there.
Yaya sighed, listening to the downpour outside pound on the train window. The train moved relatively smoothly, occasionally jolted by an imperfection on the rail. The hhhrruuummmm of the train became a hypnotic buzz in the Spican's ears.
Tsubomi sat snuggled up to her, her fuchsia-haired head rested on the elder girl's shoulder. She wasn't asleep, but she drifted in and out of the threshold. She knew she had to stay awake lest she miss her Tokyo stop. But the train's warmth and Yaya's cuddliness made it a tribulation. Maybe Yaya-chan will wake me up when we reach Tokyo, the pinkette thought. And with a drowsy sigh, she gave in to sleep's temptation.
Little did she know that Yaya, lulled by the music of rainfall, had also fallen asleep.
---
"Wow," Nagisa gasped as she and Tamao exited the train station hand-in-hand. "It's so…so…" No adjective seemed to do the bustling city of Harajuku justice.
"I know," the poet sighed happily, suddenly overcome with nostalgia. "It's impossible to be bored in Harajuku."
Nagisa's garnet eyes took in the city's assets one at a time. Construction work set aside due to the inclement weather. A traffic jam due to the construction work. A multi-colored sea of umbrellas flowing through the sidewalks. A glowing Mc Donald's sign. A statue of a toadstool in the center of a shopping plaza. It was almost overwhelming to Nagisa, who had grown up in a small, intimate suburb. She wondered what it would've been like to grow up here.
Tamao opened her blue umbrella. As she started to walk, she pulled her hand away from Nagisa's.
The redhead blinked, confused. "Anoo, Tamao-chan. Why---"
"I don't mean anything bad by it," the blue-haired girl sighed. "It's just…In a big city like Harajuku…Its residents don't…take too kindly to…………yuri," she finished uncomfortably.
"Eh? Why, Tamao-chan? What problem do people have with it?"
Tamao smiled ruefully, resisting the urge to pinch Nagisa's cheeks or hug her or something. "You're so naïve, Nagisa-chan. Not all of Japan is like Astraea Hill, where homosexuality is tolerated, even preferred. A lot of people think it's creepy and unnatural."
"I don't get it…"
"Neither do I," said Tamao. "I can't really explain it or justify it." She was quiet for a moment. Then she said, almost worriedly, "Some kids' parents kick them out."
"Uwahh? That's awful!" Nagisa fell silent. She thought about her parents. Komatsu, the air-headed klutz, and Naomi, the determined conglomerate shark. Would either one of them kick their daughter out? But they were abroad, so did it matter? Would her aunt kick her out? But Naoki-obasan went to Miator, so…
"Tamao-chan," Nagisa blurted.
"Hmm?"
"Does…Does Astraea Hill turn a girl into a…into a…"
Tamao lowered her chin. "That's a popular opinion in Japan. A lot of outraged parents have withdrawn their daughters from the Hill. Some have even sued the Headmistress. But no one can prove that Astraea Hill is a 'gay school.' It's not like the staff encourages yuri…" The blue-haired girl shrugged. "I think it's just puberty. You have all these raging hormones and beautiful almost adult girls around. What else are you supposed to do?"
"But your theory suggests that these feelings are temporary," Nagisa pointed out as they rounded a corner. "Are you saying that after we graduate we'll lose interest in each other?"
"I could never!" Tamao cried, impetuously seizing her girlfriend's hand. She promptly withdrew her own. "Gomenasai. You may be right, actually. Perhaps my theory is erroneous." Another pregnant pause. "…But then, why does everyone at Astraea Hill couple with other girls?"
"Maybe it's not everyone…"
They turned into an alleyway. By foot this was always how Tamao and her family went home. True, it left you vulnerable for an attack, which was why the poet was never allowed out on her own at night. Once they got through the alleyway they were in a small subdivision. Red brick houses with gray shutters and black doors lined the narrow street. The only thing that distinguished them was the number next to the door.
Tamao closed the umbrella, for the trees provided sufficient coverage from the rain. She paused before leading her girlfriend toward her home.
"Why do you seem so hesitant, Tamao-chan?" Nagisa inquired.
Tamao sighed. "It's just…there's so much bad blood between my mom and dad. I've a feeling Nobuyuki is not happy to have Arashi in her house. I don't want to drag you into this, but…you wanted to meet them…"
"I do," the redhead nodded.
The blue-haired poet squeezed her eyes shut and pinched the bridge of her nose. "They are going to be at each other's throats constantly. You're probably going to get caught in the cross-fire," she warned.
"Hey, it's okay," Nagisa assured. "After hanging out with Yaya-chan and Tsubomi-chan I should be used to cross-fires, ne?"
Tamao groaned. "Nobuyuki and Arashi will make Yaya and Tsubomi look like WASPs."
"Jeez." Nagisa bit her lip. "That bad?"
"Excruciatingly so…"
They came to the Katayanagi-Suzumi residence toward the end of the street. It was a squat, boxy bungalow with the same color scheme as the other houses. A brass roku (six) was nailed next to the steel black door. A russet-colored pot of flowers was set out on the front deck, an old chair covered with cob webs, a doormat saying konichiwa. Everything your friendly household has. Looks can be so deceiving, Tamao thought as she rang the doorbell.
---
Yaya was woken up suddenly and violently by Tsubomi shaking her. The brunette groggily sat up, wiped drool from her chin with her sleeve, and blinked her sharp brown eyes. The train was completely empty save for the two of them.
"Oi, Yaya-senpai! I missed my stop!"
"And what…? It's my fault?" Yaya twisted around so she could look out the window. The train seemed to be going in the opposite direction it was going in before they fell asleep. "I seem to have missed my stop, too."
"This is ridiculous! You were supposed to wake me up!"
"No, I wasn't! But, of course, being the little brat you are, you thought you were entitled to a nap! I'm tired, too, okay?"
"I'm not a brat, you---" Tsubomi's cell phone interrupted their dispute. The pinkette jumped up to take the call. When she returned she reported sullenly, "That was my dad, chewing me out for being late."
Oh, like it's my fault, Yaya thought bitterly, crossing her arms and glaring. Drop it, you dumb baby.
"Apparently we've been out of it for two and a half hours," Tsubomi continued. "I was supposed to be home around 1200 hours." She sighed. "But my father's happy that I wasn't hurt or anything. Still, he expected better from me than falling asleep on the train."
"It's so hard not to," Yaya yawned. Then she grinned and pulled Tsubomi close. "Especially when you've got a cute li'l kouhai to cuddle!"
"H-hey! C'mon!" The fuchsia-haired Spican glowered, but her cheeks pinkened. "It doesn't help that Yaya-senpai is soft and snuggly as well!"
The raven-haired senpai had to laugh. Soft and snuggly were such endearing words, and here they were using them in argument. That is so us.
"You're softer," Yaya teased, poking Tsubomi's cheek. "You haven't lost one bit of baby fat, have you? I'll bet you have Turner's Syndrome!"
"Well, excuse me that it didn't all go to my chest, Yaya-senpai. And I don't look that young!"
The brunette chuckled. "Oh, yes you do. When I was your age I was twice your height!"
The intercom crackled and the driver announced, "Now approaching Shinjuku Station in Tokyo," but the two lovers didn't hear him.
"Well, then," said Tsubomi, "that means when you're fifty and I'm forty-eight you'll look like an old hag and I'll still be young and cute!"
"You? I doubt it. You'll develop all kinds of bad habits and age like that."
"That's a hypothetical argument, Yaya-senpai."
There was a beeping sound, and the train started moving again.
Yaya snorted. "Please, Tsubomi…I've seen you drink coffee. 'Moderation' is not in your vocabulary. You're just an AA-case waiting to happen."
Tsubomi looked out the window sharply. Then her golden eyes widened and her jaw dropped. "Yaya-senpai," she spoke at length, "did I just miss my stop again?"
Yaya also looked out the window, not recognizing the urban scenery. The rain made it difficult to decipher landmarks. But the dark-haired Spican could've sworn the train just passed a glowing sign that said Eastern Tokyo High School.
"I guess you did," she sighed.
The pinkette pounded the seat in frustration, a virtual thundercloud forming over her head. "Damn it, Yaya-senpai!"
"I suppose this is my fault, too, ne?"
"You distracted me!"
Yaya held up a finger, indicating silence. "We should hold off on the fighting. I don't want to miss my Yokohama stop…"
---
Kagome pulled the hood of her olive spring jacket further over her face as she made her way through the residential parts of Saitima. With Pashibaru jammed up the front of her jacket, the Lulim girl looked like a beer-bellied pedo. And a short one at that.
The heel of her shoe skidded on the rain-slicked sidewalk, and Kagome nearly fell. She had always loved the sidewalks in Saitima, especially the cracks. These were real, actual cracks, not just indents in the cement. Ever since she was little Kagome had loved stepping forcefully on each crack. However, walking on the sidewalk after rain or snowfall was an ordeal.
The Byakudan residence had always exuded a reclusive air --- garage door always shut, curtains always drawn. So it surprised Kagome to find the garage door open. Even more surprising: there was Rumiko, bent over the engine of her Honda.
Kagome blinked. It wasn't like Rumiko to be doing these things. Hesitantly, the third year walked up the driveway, removing her hood as she entered the garage.
"…Okaasan," she uttered.
Rumiko jumped, thwacking her head against the hood. She cringed and shook her head exasperatedly. She was a tall, skinny woman with shoulder-length black hair and piercing ice-blue eyes.
"Gomenasai!" Kagome cried, touching Rumiko's shoulder. "Are you okay?"
Her mother sighed and nodded.
"I d-didn't mean to surprise you…"
Rumiko nodded once, signifying that she knew her daughter hadn't meant to surprise her. She cleared her throat and turned her attention back to the car. She was facing away from Kagome. She didn't acknowledge her at all.
The Lulim girl inched toward the garage entrance. "I'm, uh, going to unpack and settle in…" When Rumiko didn't say anything, Kagome squeaked, "…okay?"
Her cold eyes fixed on the engine, as if trying to telekinetically repair it, Rumiko nodded and gave her daughter a thumbs-up.
"I-I didn't know you could fix cars," Kagome stuttered.
Rumiko continued to stare at the car as she replied distantly, "Fixing cars is simple…It's people I can't fix apparently…"
---
Tsubomi sat alone on the train. During their fifth round through its route, Yaya remembered to get off at Yokohama. The Spican couple shared a long, passionate kiss, grateful that the car was empty, before the elder girl grabbed her laundry bag and dashed off.
Shinjuku Station in Tokyo was the next stop. Tsubomi knew it from the map of the train route.
She really needed to use the bathroom. But she didn't want to miss her stop again. That would just be shameful. The train could arrive at Shinjuku any minute now. Tsubomi had been telling herself that for the past half hour, and her bladder was ready to explode. She crossed her legs and leaned her elbows on her knees.
She sighed, knowing that when she got to Shinjuku Station she'd have quite a distance to walk to the nearest bathroom. And the nearest bathroom on the train was right there.
I'll just be a second. She ran into the bathroom, did what she had to do, washed her hands, and ran back out. She sat back down and waited for the announcement…
"Now approaching Shinmaku Station in Osaka."
Tsubomi blinked. Once. Twice. Then she referenced her map…
"What the hell!" she exploded. She was on the verge of crying because she had had such a bad day.
Her cell phone rang.
"Moshimoshi…Yeah, Dad, I know. I'm sorry…"
Q: How many Lulim students does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Four. One to change the light bulb, and three to start a club for it.
*Drum roll*