Chapter 12: Tohru and Joui

A/N:

I...

I...

I LIVE!

Hello everyone, sorry for being gone for so long; sickness, business, sleep deprivation, education, participation, all of it sucks the life out of you. I've been distracted and busy, and I'm sorry for not updating like I should.

Also, to answer a question in the reviews, yes, I did change Kanna's eye color! In the manga (according to the cover of Vol. 2, anyway), she had pinkish eyes, and in the anime, she had more bluish eyes. In this, she has gray (I typically spell it 'grey' even though I'm an American) eyes. It's largely a small change, and I know I had a good reason for it when I did it originally, but I've... kinda forgot why I did. I think it was to make her more distinct from her "dragon" version? Ah, well; it's set in stone by belligerence and a sense of internal consistency now.

...

Riko stood before the crying Kanna, completely blindsided by this turn of events. As the young dragoness remained still and silent, whispering began to take root in the class.

"Wow! The new girl just went straight up to Kanna like that!"

"Yeah... what is she trying to do, anyway? Is she bullying poor Kanna?"

"What is that Riko girl thinking, being so mean to Kanna!?"

Beginning to tremble as she heard the rumors being thrown around, Riko threw her hands up with a flustered expression as she cried, "No! It's not like that! This isn't what was supposed to happen! I didn't..." Pausing to glance at the crying girl, she continued, "I just wanted to be friends! Seriously! I'm sorry for making you cry! I..."

The young dragoness ground to a halt, realizing that she wouldn't be able to calm the girl down quite that easily. More drastic maneuvers would be necessary. Luckily, she recalled a small spell Meisuke had taught her once when she had grown tired of Riko complaining about being bored.

A small greenish-white light beginning to flow into her clenched right hand as she reached into her pocket. With a smile, she offered, "I'll give you some candy, so please stop crying, okay...?"

...

"...and then the teacher walked up and got mad at me for having candy in class!" Riko concluded.

Meisuke scratched her chin, considering the younger dragoness's report of the day as she walked her home from school. "Y'know, I'm surprised you didn't just blast all those classmates and that Kanna girl away." She said, offering a sardonic smile. "That seems a bit more your M.O."

Wrinkling up her face at this comment, Riko replied, "Well, I could've, but..." Her expression shifting from vexed to perplexed, she continued, "...I didn't want to. I didn't think I'd ever like a human, but... I liked Kanna."

"You liked Kanna, huh...?" The older dragoness repeated, a bit taken aback. "I didn't think you'd ever find any human you liked either... I wonder if that's why you took an interest in them in the first place? Because you were curious if there were any you could like?"

Riko cocked her head in confusion, asking, "What do you mean, 'I took an interest'? It wasn't until you and Miss Tohru asked about school that I said I wanted to go!"

With a shrug, Meisuke replied, "Only because you were looking at the school kids when they walked by. So why do you think you even watched?"

The young dragoness glanced down in thought, uncertainty covering her face as she answered, "It's because they were there, I guess...? I was bored, and they were interesting. I guess I stuck with everything today because it was interesting."

Meisuke cocked an eyebrow, saying, "Maybe it is now, but it won't always be. Are you going to stick with it? Even when it gets boring?"

After a moment of consideration, Riko nodded. "Yeah," she answered, "I think I will."

"Oh ho," Meisuke said, a small, knowing smile taking shape, "So you're willing to put up with the humans? Even if you don't have to? In other words, you're choosing to accept them when you could ignore or hate them?"

With another nod, a smaller one than the first, Riko answered in a quiet voice, "I don't want to hate them... I don't know why, but ever since I first really met Miss Tohru..." Pausing for a moment to find the right words, Riko said, "Ever since then, I haven't wanted to hate humans. Now that I think about, even today... Even in class, all I wanted was for my classmates to look at me... To notice me... I wanted to be acknowledged, even if I didn't need them to... even if it was just a lowly bunch of humans..." After yet another long pause, Riko concluded, "I wanted to be embraced by the humans. I didn't need it, but somehow it felt way more important than getting something I needed."

"You want something more than the things you need, huh?" Meisuke mused, considering her time with Tohru. "Yeah, I guess I can understand the feeling, even if only a bit. I'd rather go a year without food, water, or even alcohol than go a week without seeing her." With a sigh, she added, "I'd say a day, but that's just not realistic. I'd only be setting both of us up for heartbreak."

"Who cares?"

Meisuke blinked in surprise, turning to Riko as she said, "Riko, did you just...?" before trailing off.

Riko was doggedly looking any direction Meisuke wasn't in, a crimson blush on her face as she repeated, "Who cares if it's not realistic? Who cares if you're not sure you'll be able to see her every day?" Turning to the older dragoness, she continued, "It might not be true that you'll be able to see Tohru every day, but... I won't be able to stay interested and accept the humans all the time, right?" Glancing away again, Riko added, "Even if we won't be able to always do what we say, as long as we believe it when we say it, it won't be a lie, right?"

Caught off guard by the younger dragoness's conviction, Meisuke couldn't help but nod as she replied, "Yeah, I guess you're right." With a smile, she mentally added, Now that's not something you would have said before meeting Miss Tohru, huh?

...

"So, how'd it go?" Tohru asked as she opened the door, allowing the two dragons to re-enter the apartment.

Cocking a cynical eyebrow at the young woman, Meisuke asked, "Were you just waiting for us behind the door?"

"Wha!?" The young woman exclaimed, flinching as a bright blush overtook her features before she sheepishly glanced away. "Er... that is... I mean..." Turning even further, she mumbled, "...maybe, but I was excited to see how it went..."

Meisuke began to smile and began to reply before being cut off as Riko launched herself through the door, nearly bowling Tohru over. With a smile, the younger dragoness latched on to Tohru as she declared, "Miss Tohru! I went through a full day of school and caused no harm to anyone, even though it was just a bunch of insignificant humans! Rewaaard meee!"

A firm glare and a swift chop from Meisuke dislodged Riko from the young woman, and as Riko rubbed the spot she was hit with a whine of protest, the older dragoness said, "What was all that stuff about not wanting to hate humans, huh!? Besides, you wanted to got to school anyway, so it's not like you should be rewarded for doing what you want!"

Grinning awkwardly at the pair's antics before sheepishly scratching at her cheek, Tohru said, "Well, actually, I did get you a little something, if you want it..."

Blinking in surprise, the dragonesses uttered a simultaneous, "Really?"

...

Riko sat on the couch, her eyes sparkling and her mouth hanging open at what Tohru had placed in her hands. After a moment of speechless marveling, she finally found her voice well enough to ask, "It's-! But how did you...?"

Tohru glanced away, a blush and a smile filling her face as she answered, "Well... when we were at the store, I saw that you wanted it, but... Well, I was proud you held yourself back, so I... That is, you see..." She trailed off, staring at the ground in embarrassment.

The young dragoness began to copy Tohru's blush, remaining silent for another moment before finally answering, "Well... thank you... Miss Tohru..."

Sitting back and watching the display, Meisuke couldn't help but note as she sipped her beer that Riko really was growing a bit more mature, even if she didn't notice it.

...

With a grunt of displeasure, Meisuke dropped the television remote onto the coffee table. Ever since Riko started going to school, I haven't really had much to do, she thought. I figured that things would go back to the way it was before she even got here, but Tohru's been a lot neater lately-probably to keep Riko from picking up her bad habits-so aside from cooking and a bit of light housework, there's not really much I need to do, huh... With a sigh, she stood up and began to think, I wonder what Tohru's up to... She should be home soon, right?

She crossed her legs as she considered all this, but in doing so, she knocked the remote off the coffee table and, after a short tumble, under the couch. With a shrug, she reached under to retrieve it. As she did so, however, her fingers brushed against something rough. The dragoness cocked her eyebrow in surprise and curiosity before reaching under a bit further, pulling out the remote and a small, wooden basket. "Huh..." she muttered, making a mental note to clean under the couch more often. "I wonder what we have here?"

Before she could open it, however, she heard the door fly open and then slam shut, followed by a cacophony of locks being shut. Shoving the basket once more under the couch, she rose to go investigate.

...

"So... what exactly is going on here?" Meisuke asked.

Tohru groaned in response, forcing the whole of her weight against the door as she replied, "It's a long story, alright!? Just please help me right now!"

With another shrug, Meisuke snapped her fingers and Tohru squealed before dropping to the floor as various chairs, the kitchen table, and the toaster flew across the room before neatly assembling into a barricade before the door. Cringing at her rough response, Meisuke muttered a small "Sorry for that." as she helped the young woman back to her feet.

Shaking her head, Tohru said, "Nah, I'm fine, so it's fine. Anyway, good save." She began to scratch her chin as she added, "I feel like I'm forgetting something, though."

"TOHRUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" A shriek pierced through the door. "HOW COULD YOU DO THIIIS!"

"Is that it?" Meisuke asked as she thumbed over her shoulder at the offending noise.

Tohru shook her head as she replied, "No, I remembered she was there... I feel like it's something a lot more important..."

"HEY! WEIRD LADY! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, SHOUTING OUTSIDE THE GREAT SAIKAWA RIKO'S HOME?!"

"WHA-? W-WEIRD... weird lady...?"

"Thaaat was it." She said with a snap of her fingers.

...

Meisuke closely observed as a stern young woman roughly Tohru's age sat on the apartment couch, taking note of her short, dark hair, deep blue eyes partially hidden behind a small pair of round glasses, and what was probably an attractive figure-the maid uniform she was wearing made it difficult to precisely discern. The dragoness shot a quizzical glance at Tohru, who dramatically sighed with a slump in response. After taking a moment to collect herself, Tohru straightened up and cleared her throat.

"This," she began, "is my co-worker, Joui Elma. She's a stick-in-the mud who works in the same maid cafe as me."

Spluttering in protest, the woman in question replied, "S-s-stick in the mud!? You're only saying that because you're so completely lackadaisical when it comes to your work! I had to chase you down without even having time to change out of uniform because you couldn't be bothered to finish the dishes before leaving! And another thing!" Pausing to thrust an accusatory finger at Tohru, she continued, "We've been friends since high school, and all you can think to call me is your 'coworker'!? You're not just lazy; you're cruel!"

Heaving another dramatic sigh, Tohru explained, "When we were in high school, my parents forced me to join a club; I ended up picking the swim team because it sounded like it wouldn't be much work as long as you were only an alternate or something. Joui was mad at me for never 'giving it my all' and was always pushing me to try harder, and she started following me around afterwards. I haven't been able to get away from her since."

"Only because you never do anything unless you're pushed, Tohru! Whenever you get put on kitchen duty or cooking, you act like it doesn't matter!" Elma complained. "Also, you even acknowledged that we've known each other for years! So call me by my first name, darn it!"

"Well of course I act like it doesn't matter, because it doesn't! We're service workers; our job is to serve our customers! You're just mad because I'm more popular with the customers, and that's because I'm cuter!" Tohru shot back before adding, "Also, no! Just because you decided you're my friend doesn't mean I have to agree!"

"Cuter!? Try more flirtatious! Just because I conduct myself with some decorum instead of acting like some sort of bar hostess doesn't make you better!"

Riko shook her head as she watched the display, saying, "Man, those guys get along like dogs and monkeys, huh?"

"Pick that up in school, Riko?" Meisuke asked, offering a thumbs-up. "Good work!"

Riko beamed in response before asking, "Y'know, they're starting to get really worked up... What d'you think'll happen if they really go at it?"

Before Meisuke could offer a response, a lull came in the fighting as a loud growl filled the room. All eyes quickly turned to Elma, who began awkwardly shifting in place as she mumbled, "Er... well, you see... I was kinda hungry, but I didn't get a chance to eat because I had to chase down Tohru, and..." She suddenly jumped in realization as she shouted, "W-wait! Why am I apologizing!? It's your fault I'm in this mess, so take responsibility!"

With a sigh, Meisuke said, "If you're all about taking responsibility, then maybe you should take that advice and apologize for just barging into our apartment." With a sigh, she added, "You don't seem like a bad person, and I understand why you're mad, but seriously, you're noisy..."

Elma flinched, beginning to tear up but remaining resolute as she said, "B-be that as it may, it's my responsibility to bring Tohru back to the store so she can fulfill her responsibility to the dishes! I'll do whatever I have to to take you back!"

With a smirk, Tohru muttered, "If it's a fight you want, I'll give you a fight... I'll give you such a fight you've never even-!"

"HEY!" Meisuke shouted. "I don't want to have to deal with extra work... even if I was kinda bored. And you guys fighting like a couple of teenagers hopped up on red bull is exactly the sort of thing that makes extra work for me!"

"Okay!" Tohru happily answered, turning to Elma as she said, "I have a better idea, then. I know you're still in practice, and there's a public pool about three blocks from here... How about we go get suited up and then head down to the pool?"

Blinking in surprise, Elma said, "Okay, but..." As she trailed off, she couldn't help but think, Tohru was always so headstrong and lazy, but she still listened to whatever this lady says! And I've known Tohru for years, but I've never even met her! Who is she?

"Well? What is it?" Tohru asked, a sour expression on her face as she watched Elma's dawdling.

The young woman in question shook her head, saying, "It's nothing, nevermind. Anyway," pausing to dramatically point at Tohru, she concluded, "I accept your challenge! In half an hour, I will meet you there; then, our competition will start!" With this said, she turned, rushing out of the apartment with a determined expression on her face.

Nodding once, Tohru locked the door and then returned to the living room before plopping down onto the couch, stretching as she picked a book at random off the nearby coffee table and began to read.

Meisuke blinked once, realization hitting her as she asked, "So you have no intention of going to compete against her, do you?"

Letting out a long, luxurious sigh, the young woman replied, "Of cooourse not! Work at the cafe was reeeally stressful today, so I just want to relax. If she wants to compete so badly, she can compete against herself. I have the day off tomorrow, so I plan to spend as much of tonight as I can doing nothing."

"So that pool you mentioned...?" Meisuke asked, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Oh, that?" Tohru replied with a dainty smile. "It doesn't exist... but looking for it will keep Joui occupied for a while!"

"Figured as much." Meisuke said, rooting through the fridge as she began to make dinner.

***End of Chapter 12***

A/N: Y'know, it's weird; originally, I planned to do Chapter 14 of the manga, but then I realized that in order to do that I'd need to find someone to be the sh*censored for the censors*tty manager, and I was trying to find a dragon character to fit the bill but then I thought "hey, shouldn't that be Elma?" so I looked at that before thinking "yeah, but if that's the case, shouldn't I do chapter 24...?" and it sort of morphed into that. Weird, right? Elma's really hard to write in this, y'know; she has no clear human counterpart, so it's difficult to figure out where exactly I should put things!

Also, something I've been wondering lately. I was looking through the fanfics I'm writing and my list of ideas for fanfics I'd like to write, and I can't help but wonder... do people think I'm just a pure yuri writer? I wouldn't mind that, necessarily, but I feel like that makes me out as creatively limited. Plus, I don't just ship yuri, y'know! I ship things like Fafnir x Takiya, Cyborg 007 x Cyborg 006, Bakugou x Kirishima, Jirou x Kaminari, Tanya x Rerugen, Reiji x Hamura, LLENN x P-chan, those two dudes from Citrus who got roped into Matsuri's plot and only appeared in like one scene x each other... I have depth! Versatility! Diverse interests!

...doesn't mean I intend to stop writing Yuri, though. Probably gonna write something for Kill Me Baby after the day in the far distant future when I finish one of these things...