Here's another. Keep sending in reviews about your opinions!
Chapter 5, "The Lesser Divide, Pt. 1".
"Hey...Osaka...come here." Yomi called, waving the vacant girl over.
"What is it, Yomi?" Osaka asked, having been talking to Kagura moments before about athletics.
"I need your help. With Tomo..." the more settled girl requested.
"But...I'm helpin' Miss Kagura. She'd be mad if I started helpin' you." Osaka replied, thinking for a moment.
"Well, yeah, but...I really, really need your help!" Yomi asked desperately.
"...Hmmm...I'll think about it..." Osaka finished, and walked away.
"Damn! It shouldn't be this hard! I need to get at least one more person to help me!" she mulled, hunching over her desk. Unable to read Tomo's feelings for Kagura, she decided she'd just ask it. Simple, but dangerous to her original plans. It might support her, or give her away, making it a tough decision for her. She didn't notice that Osaka had returned until the other girl was standing right next to her.
"Alright...I suppose to be fair, I'll help ya." She informed Yomi, who was cycling through joy, worry, and planning.
"Great! It really mans a lot!" she thanked the bubblehead, and began thinking of how to ask Tomo about her feelings concerning Kagura. She also wanted to bury the hatchet with Kagura, in terms of talking with her about this little competition.
"Kagura, I need to talk to you again." She informed the swimmer, walking over to her. "What? I-"Kagura protested, but was cut off. "NOW." Yomi commanded, and led her out of the room.
"Alright, what this time?" she asked Yomi, who fidgeted.
"Well...I'm sorry. "I've been acting pretty...well; I've been immature and selfish. I'm apologizing. Do you...forgive me?" she asked pleadingly, expecting no such thing.
"...Yes. I don't wanna hold anything against you, and we'd be friends no matter who got her, right?" Kagura answered, beaming.
"What? R-right! Of course, Kagura! I'm so glad you understand!" Yomi shook her hand hastily, and rushed off.
"...Is it a trick?" the other girl questioned, unsure of what had just happened.
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At break, Yomi whisked Osaka away as well. "Is she talking to all of us personally?" Tomo inquired, looking to Kagura.
"...Not that I know of..." she replied, wondering that herself.
"So, what is it Yomi?" Osaka asked, as she was pinned to the wall.
"Alright, you said you'd help me. I want you to find out if Kagura will be doing anything with Tomo today, alright?" Yomi asked, hoping to head Kagura off.
"A-alright, but that's a little underhanded, isn't it?" Osaka contemplated, wondering if the others would be mad at her.
"Don't worry; I'll take the fall if you get found out. Now let's go!" the larger girl implored, and they returned to a confused group.
"What was that about? Is she going to talk to us, too? What is she talking to us about?" Chiyo asked, leveling an accusatory finger at Osaka.
"I-i-it was nothin'! Don't worry!" Osaka calmed the increasingly nosy Chiyo.
"What is going on? Tell me, Yomi!" Tomo pouted, pushing her lower lip out.
"I...I...it's just, that we were going to..." Yomi faltered, almost unable to resist her crush's fronts. Regaining her composure, she settled Tomo down, while Kagura and Sakaki watched.
"This is interesting, to say the least." Kagura commented, watching the four argue with each other.
"What'll happen...to whoever loses?" Sakaki asked reluctantly. It was actually a thought that hadn't really crossed Kagura's mind. What if she lost? Not only would she lose her first love, but...what if their entire friendship was ruined? She was unable to respond, but watched the group intently.
"The loser would have to find someone else..." she responded weakly after a few minutes.
"Someone else? It wouldn't be that easy, would it?" Sakaki asked, perplexed.
"Well, no, but it'd be the only option. I wish neither of us would lose, but I have to win her!" Kagura stated, making a fist. Sakaki nodded, admiring her determination.
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A dull evening awaited them. Or at least it seemed so. Tomo walked the city, mostly because she didn't have anyone to hang out with. She thought about the events of the past few days, though. 'They're acting even weirder! I mean, I'd expect Kagura to be weird, but...not Yomi...she and I...' she mused, unaware of the way in which she was thinking about her best friend.
She didn't even realize it, but she was developing feelings for both of them. And of course, she thrived on the attention she received from them, enjoying the constant visits and things they did together. Not having them around really bored her. "I wonder what they're doin', anyway?" she imagined, since Kagura would have been home from practice and Yomi would have finished her work by now.
She suddenly remembered the actions Yomi had made towards her; holding her hand, sitting close to her, overprotective of her. It all fit the description of – "No! Impossible! I'm just thinking about it too much, is all!" she resolved, shoving the thought out of her mind.
In her mind, it WAS impossible; she didn't even consider the concept a possibility, until she thought about it more. She'd struggled to stay with Yomi for so long, and had considered Yomi's opinions and done things with her, so it fit into place.
On the other hand, there was Kagura. They'd been rivals for quite a while, but she'd slowly accepted her as a friend. But now, in the manner that she was acting, Tomo wondered if Kagura might also... "AGH! No! Stop thinking about it, Tomo! Just stop!" she growled at herself. She walked the distance home trying to think of anything but Yomi and Kagura.
On her way, she found...a gray kitten. "Cat? Huh, it must be a stray..." she resolved. Regardless, she moved to pet it. It quickly opened its eyes, startling her. It meowed loudly and rather vacantly, but approached her none-the-less. When it got within petting range...
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"AGH!" Yomi heard someone scream from a few streets away. She would've ignored it, but she heard another, closer this time. 'W-what? What if it's...a murderer or something?' she thought; even she thought it a bit childish, but you don't just ignore it when somebody is running around screaming their head off. Her thoughts were soon shattered by an abrupt, loud pounding on her window.
"Ah! No, go away! I-I'm not gonna die!" she yelled.
"YOMI, IT'S ME! Let me in!" Tomo cried.
"T-Tomo? What's wrong?" Yomi asked, opening the window. Tomo jumped in, and Yomi looked in horror at a slightly bleeding hand.
"Damn cat! I went to pet it and it bit me!" she pouted.
"What were you doing to it previous to that?" the other girl asked.
"...Nothing! Anyway, shouldn't you have gotten me some bandages a long time ago?" Tomo shrieked.
"S-sorry!" Yomi replied, and ran towards her medicine cabinet. She ran back with some, and fixed her crush's hand.
"So...what're you doin' right now?" Tomo asked, grunting from the pain.
"J-just some work...why are you here?" Yomi replied, and stopped when her friend held up the bandaged hand.
"I think you just answered your own question. Now, there was something I wanted to talk with you about..." the wildcat said, unusually seriously.
"Y-you did? What about?" Yomi stuttered.
"Why are you two acting so...out of character?" Tomo asked.
"W-we're not! We were just...a-arguing over something!" the other girl defended.
"...I don't believe you!" Tomo responded, moving closer to her.
'Crap, what am I gonna do now?' Yomi asked herself, frantically looking for a way out of the problem.
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Pt. 1 is done; Pt. 2 will be up soon. RR!