TheDarkAznVampZard: I'm nineteen, a lot of kids (adults? O.o) in my classes don't have jobs either, but my mom makes it sound like it's the end of the world… I'm not going, I won't be able to at this time, I just hope I won't guilt myself too badly (this is a major issue with me :/). That's great, the fandom is totally dying, I can't wait to read it :3
Shadow Apparation: Well, I'm sorting out all the details at the moment, I'm not exactly sure what's going to happen just yet :P Well, the thing with the job is that if I could get one at my own pace, I do want the money, and I am willing to work for it. It's just this social anxiety that literally makes it impossible for me to do these things when I'm pushed into it, or in a huge crowd.
ChibiRox: Thanks :3 Don't worry, there'll be more :3
Kaze Rei: Missing what? Thanks :3 It was a spur of the moment idea, lol, I'm glad you liked it. And thanks :3
Jacheis: Well, it's not anything that prevents me from going about my normal life (like classes, even making friends and such if they're willing to put up with my initial shyness) but something like a job fair as crowded and stressful as this…I just can't go, and it feels really pathetic, like I should be able to make myself go, but I can't…ugh, it's frustrating. Well I'm glad you like it, I'm going to try and write them as well as I can :3 I think at the moment, Shion/Chikaru is my favorite. Well thanks, then :3
going-rogue2374: I'm not sure if Yaya would accept the job :P But Shion and Chikaru are a year underneath Shizuma and Miyuki, so Spica won't need a new president for a while :3
oOOOo
Strawberry Boys?
Five
iAtethePoisonApple
oOOOo
"So…about you and Toumori-san…"
Chikaru stood and turned to the bashful-looking brunette boy who had dropped by her last class to walk her back to the dorms. "What about myself and Shion-chan?" she asked, flawlessly masking her emotions behind a small, understated smile.
Kenshi frowned as if thinking of the right words for what he was about to say. "Are you two…together?" he finally asked, then winced, clearly chiding himself for his wording. Chikaru giggled. "It's just that Toumori-san really doesn't like me, and I don't know what I've done to upset her, but it seems like it has something to do with you."
"Shion-chan is just a bit territorial," Chikaru replied lightly, smiling softly at the boy as he held the door for her. She waited for him to catch up before continuing, "I think that she's afraid that with the men here on the campus, she'll lose her standing at Spica. And as for me…Shi-chan and I used to be…friends." Her voice was hesitant, almost as if it pained her to say the words. "Back before her father began to train her for taking over the family business. Shion-chan has always been far too formal for her own good; she took it on herself to eliminate those who weren't…productive for her career." Chikaru's eyes were slightly pink, and she'd very nearly spat out the word productive- Kenshi decided there was definitely something more behind her explanation, but kept it to himself for the time being. "I suppose she still thinks of me as something of her territory."
The remark was so casual it was almost painful. It was very obvious that Chikaru was hurt by whatever Shion had done, and that the fact that the blonde seemed to want to keep her away from any and all threats wasn't much of a comfort to her. "Ah," was all he said.
Chikaru smiled sadly. "That pretty much sums it up," she replied. Her eyes clouded over, and Kenshi wrapped an arm around her waist reflexively, if only to make sure she didn't walk into anything in the midst of whatever zone she'd gone to. "But she's such a sweet girl, you know," she finally said. "Blunt, hard-headed and so oblivious, but she's always been such a sweet girl. She doesn't have it in her to willingly hurt anyone, and I think that might be why I can't seem to let her go…"
A single tear streaked down her cheek, and Kenshi panicked, wide-eyed, and rubbed her arm, because he really, really couldn't handle crying girls. "Hey, don't cry," he said in what he hoped was a soothing voice, but it just came out a little choked. Chikaru giggled through her tears.
"I'm sorry, Kenshi-kun," she stated, gently wiping the tears away from her eyes. "It's just been a while since I've thought about it all."
Kenshi nodded, and was about to reply when he felt an ominous shiver jolt down his spine. He turned slowly to the left, and yep- he was dead.
"What did you do to her?" Shion snarled, instantly pushing away from the wall, where she'd clearly been waiting for Chikaru, and effortlessly invading his personal space. She was a rather small girl- or at least, only about an inch taller than Chikaru, and Kenshi was surprised by how intimidating she seemed when she closed in on him. She was so close that he could literally feel the rage pouring off of her body- it was clearly an intimidation technique, a trait very characteristic of the Toumoris. "I swear, if you touched her-"
"Shi-chan."
Chikaru's voice was faint, but seemed to carry for miles as that small proclamation was enough for Shion's entire demeanor to change. The Le Rim president stepped towards the blonde and deliberately stood away from Kenshi, on Shion's other side, resting her hands on the girl's arms. "He didn't do anything to me, Shi-chan," she said quietly, brushing the blonde's hair back behind her ears. "I was just remembering some things, and he just happened to be with me when I did."
Kenshi frowned at her words, wondering why honest Chikaru would try to cover up their conversation- until he realized that she was only softening the blow. He could see the rage sparking in Shion's eyes, and also how quickly it had gone out when Chikaru had made a point to step away from him.
"But…" Shion stammered, before sighing and deflating entirely. Chikaru smiled slightly and wrapped her arms around the blonde's shoulders, an action that seemed to both startle and appease the Spican. When she'd finally relaxed into the embrace, she continued, "What was it, then?"
"Nothing that's important now, Shion-chan," Chikaru replied in a voice that almost broke Kenshi's heart, especially since he knew what Chikaru was crying over. "Walk me back to my room?"
Shion's lips curved into a small, almost shy smile as she held her arm out for Chikaru, the first real smile Kenshi had seen her wearing, and he realized that he needed to disappear. He stepped away from the girls and continued towards his own room in an area of the dormitories that had been marked off for his school, resolving to talk to Chikaru tomorrow. The girl was something special, and if Shion finally grew a pair and told her how she felt tonight, then he would back away quietly, but if not…he wasn't going to make the same mistake that she had.
PGBR
Yaya was lying on her back, smirking up at the ceiling as she ran her fingers mindlessly through the soft pink hair of her surprisingly cuddly kouhai.
The pinkette had insisted on finishing up her English project that night, never mind the fact that it was due days from now, and Yaya had made a silent pact to stay up with her. Tsubomi had ended up only lasting until around eleven at night, and had gone from sitting at the desk, to sitting on her bed, to yelling at Yaya for something that slipped the brunette's mind at the moment, to sitting on Yaya's bed, and finally, to falling asleep with her arms curled around her roommate's waist, as if she were clutching a giant teddy bear.
That had been more than an hour ago, and Yaya wasn't any closer to sleep than she had been then. Her mind just kept wandering to that scrawny blond boy, and the way he looked at Tsubomi- the way he made her pinkette smile.
Yaya wasn't blind- she knew that Tsubomi had been harboring a crush on her for some time now, and the most infuriating thing of it all was that she had been planning on acting on the feelings that she returned wholeheartedly only days ago. She didn't know why it felt so much harder now- if she had been able to do it on her own, with no provocation, why couldn't she spit it out when her pinkette's heart was at stake?
But you know why, don't you?
And deep down inside, she did know why- she was terrified, afraid of losing Tsubomi like she'd lost Hikari. Back when Tsubomi's feelings for her were clearer than crystal, and there was no threat of competition, everything had just seemed to fall into place, but now, there was that boy, and she didn't know what to do. Yaya knew she wouldn't be able to give up on the pinkette, just like she hadn't been able to give up on Hikari until the last second, but she didn't want Tsubomi to resent her like Hikari had.
To be afraid of you like Hikari was.
Yaya tensed, snapped out of her mood as Tsubomi shifted in her sleep, her head coming to rest on the brunette's chest. The older girl smiled fondly down at her, unable to keep herself from leaning down and pressing a firm kiss to the pinkette's head. Any onlooker would have balked at the obviousness of it all- Yaya wore the same look now as she used to when she looked at Hikari.
PGBR
It was all so obvious, but to the two most argumentative girls in Spica, the situation was nothing if not opaque and dizzying.
It's all so painfully obvious when you look at her like you're so in love.
But Yaya had been burned by love less than a year ago, and Tsubomi had watched it all happen- the pinkette had watched Yaya love Hikari for so long that she didn't even notice when the brunette's feelings were beginning to change. Sure, other girls had confronted her about it, but they had never known what it was like to watch the person you loved love another- they couldn't have.
Because if they had, maybe they would understand why it was so impossible for her to believe that her feels would ever be returned.
And even if they were, Tsubomi was surer than sure that she could never so much as measure up to Hikari in Yaya's eyes.
The pinkette struggled to regulate her breathing as her fingers twitched at Yaya's sides. It was so hard to pretend to be asleep when she was so close to the one person who could make her feel as though she'd been set on fire, and all she wanted to do was run and jump in the water and put it out, but she was paralyzed here, unable and unwilling to move.
Her cheeks flushed crimson when she felt the unmistakable sensation of a kiss being pressed to the top of her head, and she unconsciously held a little tighter to Yaya, content to 'sleep' for just a while longer.
PGBR
Tamao was lucky she was such a fast learner, really.
That and a multitasker.
Because if she weren't, she would have no clue what Miyuki had been talking about for the past hour and a half, and that wasn't really the impression she wanted to set as she was being trained for office. But really, it was so hard for her to concentrate with her crush only several inches away from her, and Tamao had never been known for her subtlety in the first place.
"Suzumi-san?"
Tamao was jolted from her thoughts, her violet eyes flickering to inquisitive mocha, and she blushed feverishly. Okay, so maybe she wasn't so great at multitasking. "Sorry, Miyuki-sama," she said, the words slipping through her lips before she could stop them. Miyuki's eyes widened and she seemed to tense, but besides that, she didn't acknowledge the use of her first name, and Tamao decided to roll with it. "I've just been a bit out of it today, I guess," she added, throwing in a sweet, abashed smile that bore a startling resemblance to that of a certain Le Rim president.
Miyuki blinked- she knew that Tamao was known all over Miator for her cute disposition, but she was nowhere near prepared for how adorable the younger girl was physically. "It's fine, Suzumi-san, just don't let it happen again," she finally stated, still slightly bemused.
She turned back to her notes and Tamao's smile fell just slightly as she watched the older girl.
Why was it that she was always going around falling for girls that she could never so much as hope to have a chance with?
She could never fall for one of her fangirls in the literature club, could never fall for Chiyo (who seemed to have taken a liking to her ever since the Shizuma-Nagisa nightmare Etoile Election).
No, it was Nagisa, who loved Shizuma.
Nagisa and now Miyuki, who loved Shizuma.
And besides it all, Miyuki was promised to a man the moment she graduated after this semester.
She'd come to the conclusion that her heart simply wanted what she could never have, and that maybe she should stop listening to her heart before she fell for yet another person who would rip it to shreds.
But Tamao always fell like she'd jumped off the edge of a cliff.
And really, once you jump off the edge of a cliff, you're pretty much screwed no matter what you do, unless by some miracle you manage to land in the narrow stream and not the gallery of sharp rocks surrounding it.
Because I have the opportunity, I wanted to ask- I was thinking of writing a new fic, like of Harry Potter mixed with Strawberry Panic. Yes, it's crazy and probably weird, but I think it'd be fun to write, like sorting them into houses and all. Would anyone be interested or is it just really weird?
And hey, thanks for the great reviews! I really appreciate longer reviews, and you guys have been GREAT about that, it's really encouraging to hear all that you have to say! Please continue to review, it really is motivating!