Sorry its taken me so long to upload this chapter guys. I know you probably gave up on me... *sigh* Anyway, if you're still with me and interested, here is chapter 6 of A Gentle Push. I had major writer's block because every time I tried to write this chapter I didn't like the interactions between Yaya and Tsubomi, but I finally got it worked out enough to upload. If you guys like it give me a comment. If you don't, give me a comment. Just let me know what you guys think in general lol. Thanks!
Mr. Okuwaka bounced about lightly on his feet, playfully challenging any of the group in front of him. The family all sat on the porch in the backyard. The yard was much bigger than Yaya had expected, but this family just kept surprising her with their modesty in comparison to their actual material items.
Tsubomi rolled her eyes at her goofball father. He wanted to play basketball, though she knew none of the four girls were any good at sports. "Come on! Someone come play! I'm ready to school you guys! I'll show you Dad is cool after all!" Mrs. Okuwaka giggled at her husband happily, but there was no way she could jump around on their small court.
"I'll play I guess. Lunch was so good it gave me too much energy anyway." Yaya stood and stretched her arms above her head to get all the stiffness out of her body.
"That's what I'm talking about! But I won't take it easy on you just because you're Tsubomi's girlfriend!" The pink head began to protest loudly, but Yaya and Mr. Okuwaka ran over to the court laughing happily. "Alright, are you ready? First to ten? Each basket is one point. Deal?"
"You're on. You can have ball first." Yaya readied herself for his attack eagerly.
"Yaya! You don't have to play just because he won't quit begging. Its not a big deal." Tsubomi was about to go drag her friend off the court, but her sister stopped her.
"She volunteered. Besides, its not like he's torturing her. Its just basketball." The younger girl sat down in a huff. She didn't want her father ruining any of the fun she was having with Yaya.
Her father checked the ball in, dribbling about lazily before finally trying to break passed the dark haired girl. She was too fast for him. She batted the ball out of his hands and reached the point before anyone could close their mouths from shock.
"What was that?! Tsubomi said you weren't good at sports!" He stood in the same spot, barely able to comprehend what had just happened.
"Why would you say that?! I'm plenty good at sports!" Tsubomi held up her hands in surrender.
"You go to a sports oriented school but only participate in choir! Everyone who sucks at sports normally joins choir!"
"I joined choir because I was in it in elementary. I haven't had time since you've been around because I was made vice president, but I used to practice with some of the teams just to stay in shape while at school. I used to be more athletic than academic." She laughed at the dumbfound expression on her younger friend. "Just stick around. You'll see I don't suck at sports. I rather enjoy them." With that, she continued her game with Mr. Okuwaka.
It took less than ten minutes to score all ten points while her opponent stayed at zero. She whirled and glided around him almost angelically. She looked like she was really flying with every swift move she made. His fingers couldn't graze her shirt no matter how hard he reached, and his feet fumbled around trying to keep up. Sweat rolled down his face heavily, while she wasn't even breathing hard yet.
The first year on the porch stared at the beautiful girl in awh. Tsubomi couldn't believe this girl could make something like this look so graceful, but she had. Mr. Okuwaka flipped on his radio and turned up the volume. Yaya laughed but continued to shoot a few baskets from a distance. Tsubomi's mother and sister giggled and began to applaud the athletic girl. A few more shots and Yaya couldn't keep from dancing around to a song she loved. She tossed the ball behind her with a smirk and quickly pulled Tsubomi by the hands out into the yard.
The pink head protested at first, but soon couldn't keep her laughter from bubbling up. They twirled around playfully, the rest of the family chuckling at their silliness. Tsubomi's excitement radiated out of her as the older girl clung on to her happily. Every inch of her body felt the powerful effects from Yaya's touch.
The family played in the backyard for a few more hours before Mrs. Okuwaka excused herself to start preparations for supper. "Is it alright if I help?" Yaya bounced after the woman cheerfully.
"You wish to help me cook? Yaya, you're a guest dear. I wouldn't dream of asking for your help." The woman patted the brunette's head softly.
"Actually, I enjoy cooking. I used to cook at home all the time before my parents moved, and I even do it for Hikari during summers." Mrs. Okuwaka was impressed by Yaya's determination, and agreed to let her help. Tsubomi wasn't too thrilled about the idea of Yaya being in the kitchen the whole time while she had nothing to do, but she found it quite entertaining to watch the older girl prepare the meal.
Yaya ended up concocting most of the meal herself, though neither she nor Mrs. Okuwaka minded. "Yaya this is quite good. Have you thought about cooking in the future?" Mr. Okuwaka happily stuffed his face with the brunette's dishes.
"Thank you sir, but no. I haven't really decided what I want to do after high school yet."
"Well, there's plenty of time. Don't worry too much about it now. Right Tsubomi? You're girlfriend is quite the chef. You'll be set for life." The table burst out in laughter as the pink haired girl had to be restrained from crawling across the table.
"Dad I told you! Yaya is my friend!"
"Sure sure dear. I understand." A smirk played across his face jokingly, sending the young girl into a rant about privacy and respect of boundaries.
After dinner was finished, Yaya and Tsubomi volunteered to clean the dishes, but Mrs. Okuwaka steered them upstairs saying she wouldn't have Yaya cook and clean up too. Both girls stumbled up to Tsubomi's room awkwardly. Neither really had anything to do besides tv or get ready for bed, and neither really wanted to talk about Mr. Okuwaka's teasing he seemed to enjoy so much.
They took turns in the bathroom, changing into their night clothes before they sat down to watch tv. "Hey Yaya?" Tsubomi looked over at the older girl curiously.
"What?" She was mesmerized by the game show that was currently on. Her white t-shirt hung loosely around her chest and waist, and her shorts could barely be seen under the pale fabric.
"Why don't you ever go home to see your family on vacations? I mean, its not like you wouldn't be staying awhile right?"
"It would be pointless unless I stayed for good. My family doesn't really spend a whole lot of time together, so going over to see them for vacation wouldn't do much good if I didn't actually see them." She still hadn't looked away from the flatscreen, almost as if it didn't bother her in the slightest.
"You're a lot stronger than I am. I don't know if I could go years without seeing my family like that." Her downcast eyes and dreary voice missed the lightning movement from the brunette. Tsunami was quickly pushed onto her back with a tickle attack, flailing uncontrollable with laughter. Just as fast as the attack came, the older girl let the pink head catch her breath.
Looking up at her assailant, Tsubomi struggled to stay calm with her beautiful friend setting atop her stomach. Her weight pressed into the younger girl slightly, only enough to be noticeable. Yaya leaned in closer and brushed the hair away from her face and the tears out of her eyes. "See? Nothing to be sad about. I'm used to it by now, so don't worry about it okay?" Tsubomi lit up sparkling red with the close proximity of their faces. A smirk played across Yaya's features, "Are you nervous Pinky?" Tsubomi turned her head slightly to catch her breath.
Why was this so hard for her? Yaya didn't feel the same way as her. There's no way she could. And yet… Yaya's smirk only grew wider as she closed the distance between them. The pink haired girl's heart felt like it was going to beat out of her chest. Was this really happening? Her breath caught in her throat as the brunette drew closer. Her lips trembled impatiently, her entire being filled with anxiety. She felt Yaya's warm breath poor over her in short waves, sending quivering sensations down her spine. She clutched the blankets beneath her tensely. Only a few inches left. A second later she felt the slightest brush against her lips. Almost as if a hair had touched her instead, but a sharp noise made both girls jump instantly.
Yaya's phone buzzed and vibrated on the night stand vigorously. She sighed heavily, but obliged to retrieve the phone. Tsubomi sat in a daze. Her fingers gently touched the spot she knew Yaya had grazed, though it felt more like a feather than anything more. Her cheeks flushed at the thought. Yaya actually tried to kiss her. There was no doubt. Teasing or not, she had leaned in for a kiss. A brilliant smiled played across Tsubomi's face, stretching from ear to ear. Yaya crawled back in bed, pulling the blankets over her body sluggishly. Tsubomi looked to her friend hopefully, but quickly noticed the distant look and vacant expression donning her doleful face.
"Yaya? What's wrong?" Tsubomi inched closer, but it only seemed to make Yaya scoot farther away.
"Nothing. Just tired. Night Tsubomi." The older girl rolled over on her side to keep from looking at her younger friend.
"Night…" Tsubomi curled up in the blankets, trying to keep the tears from falling. Something was wrong, but Yaya didn't trust her with her problems. Or maybe she was the problem. Maybe Yaya changed her mind about the kiss. Maybe that was Hikari on the phone and Yaya realize the mistake she had made with Tsubomi. Maybe Yaya had gotten caught up in the moment and didn't like Tsubomi at all. She couldn't stop the tears any longer. It took what seemed like ages for her to finally drift to sleep. Only her tear stained cheeks and pillow would know the feelings she harbored, and she refused to let them surface again while Yaya was there for break.
Morning came all to soon with the sound of rustling in the corner of the room. Tsubomi stretched out in the bed trying to feel around for the brunette, but found no such thing. "Yaya?" She groggily leaned up, squinting her eyes to scan the room. The older girl stood by her suitcase on the far side of the room, reluctantly stuffing clothes into the already overfilled base. "What are you doing?" Tsubomi slid out of the blankets cautiously, hoping this was all a dream.
"Sorry. But my parents…" Tsubomi whirled around at her mother's voice.
"Yaya! Your brother is here to pick you up!" Tsubomi felt her heart stop instantly.
"Yaya what did I do?! I dont understand!" Tears rolled down her face in streams by now.
"You didn't. My parents called last night. I have to go overseas for a little while. Sorry I couldn't stay the whole week." Yaya refused to look at her younger friend. She zipped up her bag and started her way downstairs. Tsubomi followed close behind still crying silently at the thought of Yaya leaving her. It didn't sink in until she saw the young man standing in the front door. He had dark brown hair just like Yaya's, sparkling light brown eyes just like Yaya, and even the same devilish smirk, just like Yaya. He could have been her twin if Tsubomi hadn't known better.
"You ready?" He took the girl's bag from her, bid his thanks, then swiftly trotted to the awaiting car.
"Thank you for letting me stay here. I'm sorry I couldn't stay the whole week. I had a lot of fun." The brunette still refused to look in Tsubomi's direction. "I'll call and let you know when I get settled in. Bye." She sprinted to her brother's rental before the pink head got the chance to speak up.
"Don't worry Tsubomi, she said she'd call when she gets there. I'm sure she'll explain everything." Mrs. Okuwaka patted her pink hair lightly, but that was one call that never came.