Chapter 5: Misunderstanding
Mitsuru could almost feel her knees were just about to buckle. Her arms were slack at her sides and her confused crimson eyes were wide open as Yukari continued to press her lips against hers. This can't be happening… can it? The auburn-haired college student's thoughts wandered aimlessly in her head as her whole awareness was completely focused on the timid kiss. Yukari? Kissing me? I never would have thought that things would go this way between us. She didn't react when Yukari's smooth hands wove through her long and wavy hair, one hand settling on the back of her neck and the other skimming down her spine. She teased me when we went out together before I crashed my bike, Mitsuru thought. She claimed that I might be inclined to like girls since I wasn't showing any interest in boys. Was she already testing at that time if I was open to such a relationship? A relationship with her? Mitsuru's body unconsciously stiffened.
Yukari pulled away abruptly upon feeling her senpai stiffen from her touch. There was a dejected look on her face, obviously misinterpreting the reaction of her friend. A fierce blush roved her cheeks as the younger girl looked down at her feet. She couldn't meet the confused and questioning eyes of Mitsuru for fear of being rejected.
"Yo!" Junpei yelled from the roof top access door. "Yuka-tan! We need your presence in the meeting." The young man with the goatee walked forward and spotted his classmate and Mitsuru standing face to face a foot away from each other. "You feeling alright, Yuka-tan?" He tilted his head to the side and looked quizzically at her.
"I'm fine Junpei," Yukari replied, her voice sounding a little bit shaky. "You said you needed me for the meeting?" She stepped further away from Mitsuru.
"Yeah. That is if you're done talking with Mitsuru-senpai."
Yukari nodded her head. "Yes we're done." She still couldn't look at her senpai.
"Well… I'll meet you downstairs in the council room then," Junpei told Yukari. He waved to Mitsuru before heading back inside.
Once Junpei had gone back down, Yukari immediately began to make her way to the door. She wanted to get away as quickly as possible to save some face after what she had just done. It was bad enough that Mitsuru had rejected her. Yukari had just walked past Mitsuru when she felt a hand wrap around her forearm and grip her tightly. "Let go of me, senpai," Yukari whispered, still not meeting the eyes of Mitsuru.
"We're not done talking yet, Yukari," Mitsuru told her friend with utmost seriousness. They stood like that for a few moments; Mitsuru holding on to her friend's arm with Yukari's back to her. There were a few times when Yukari would try to break free from Mitsuru's hold, but couldn't because her senpai would just tighten her grip around her arm. Finally, the high school senior slowly turned around, but continued to avoid Mitsuru's eyes. "Have… you always felt this way about me?"
Yukari nodded her head. "Ever since we talked on this roof," she admitted.
"Why only now?"
"I was afraid," Yukari replied, hugging herself as the wind swept across the roof. "We were two completely different people and I knew that it would never be acceptable for someone like you to be involved in such a forbidden kind of relationship," she explained sadly. "I didn't make a move on you because of that. Besides," she finally looked up and gazed back at those crimson orbs. "You admitted that you weren't interested in…" She couldn't finish, her heart feeling heavier as each moment passed.
Mitsuru sighed inwardly. Today was definitely one of those rare occasions when she felt utterly confused. Honestly, she had little to no idea on how to handle her current situation. However, looking at Yukari's dejected look, it made Mitsuru think deeply. Perhaps it was expected that a person of such stature like her would never be thought of having a relationship with a girl, but Mitsuru had always somehow felt that there was something special between her and Yukari. There would have been a gaping hole in her character if not for the younger girl. Closing her eyes and coming to a decision, Mitsuru brought up her hand and gently gripped Yukari's chin and urged her to look back at her. "What is that you want, Yukari?"
"Senpai…" Yukari looked reluctant to answer.
"Tell me, Yukari," Mitsuru pressed. She had to know the truth before she followed through with her decision.
The brown-haired girl's cheeks flushed as her lips quivered from her nervousness. "I-I want…" she began, her voice shaking. "I want to be with you, Mitsuru-senpai," she continued, tightly clasping her hands together in front of her.
Mitsuru remained silent as she took in what Yukari had just told her. "Is that what you really want, Yukari?" she asked, her voice still serious.
Yukari nodded then looked up to repeat what she had just said and further explain herself. "Senpai… I," she began but could not go further because Mitsuru had placed one elegant finger against her lips, effectively silencing her. Mitsuru's other hand rested against the small of her back and Yukari felt her body be pulled forward. Yukari's hazel eyes widened in surprise as her hand went up to push against Mitsuru's shoulder, which instead was caught by her senpai's hand, the one originally silencing her. Before Yukari could voice out her protest, she suddenly felt something soft and velvety press against her lips. Mitsuru-senpai… she's… kissing me? Yukari's wide eyes slowly closed as she fell limply into the embrace of the auburn-haired college student. After what seemed like hours of staying in a locked embrace, Yukari felt her senpai withdraw slowly.
Mitsuru gazed gently at Yukari who looked at her with a mixture of awe and surprise. She doesn't realize that she's crying, Mitsuru thought to herself as she reached out with her fingers and wiped away Yukari's tears. "Was that what you wanted, Yukari?" she asked softly.
"Senpai… I thought-" the senior's voice quavering.
Mitsuru pulled the younger girl into a tight embrace and shook her head. "Why would you think that? Yukari, just simply asking me if it was alright would have been fine." She pulled back slightly to regard the high school senior. "Perhaps I wasn't at all interested in girls back then, but if it was going to be you," she started, smiling genuinely at Yukari. "I wouldn't have minded at all."
"Senpai…" Yukari sobbed and began to cry hard.
"There, there…" Mitsuru cooed, smoothing Yukari's hair as she held onto her. "I'm willing to give us a chance so please stop crying," she told the younger girl. "It's making my heart break. Here," Mitsuru said, pulling out a handkerchief from her pocket and handing it to the girl. "Dry your tears and try to calm down. You still have to attend a meeting," she reminded Yukari with a smile.
When Yukari finally mastered herself, she let Mitsuru accompany her downstairs to the student council room. The moment they stood before the closed door, Yukari turned to face her senpai. "Thanks… Mitsuru-senpai," she told the crimson-eyed college student. "It means a lot to me that you have accepted me." Her face turned into a dark shade of red as she gazed lovingly at Mitsuru. "I-I like you a lot, senpai. Can we see each other again soon?"
Mitsuru smiled and nodded her head in agreement. "Call me, Yukari," she told her and waited as her new lover smiled brightly at her before going up to her tiptoes and pecking her quickly on the lips. "Go on now. You've kept them waiting long enough." Mitsuru watched as Yukari opened the door and stepped inside. The college student waved briefly to Junpei and Fuuka before she made her way down the stairs and outside of the school where her chauffeur waited patiently for her.
A week had gone by since Yukari and Mitsuru had become lovers. They saw each other secretly and would go out on dates; making it look like that it was a normal gimmick between two friends. Mitsuru would often head to Gekkoukan high school after her classes at her university to spend some time with Yukari who would either be staying behind in school for student council work or archery practice. Many students didn't seem to mind that a university student was dropping by frequently at their school. Mitsuru of course had it all planned out. Whenever she would visit her former high school, she would always have an alibi to justify her visits. The first few times she came to the school, she had explained to Junpei and Fuuka that she was checking with the school's administration regarding Minato's late enrollment and make-up classes. The other variety of excuses she would give would revolve around supposed orders from the Kirijo group, transcripts, guest speaker for symposiums and others.
On the other hand, other students merely saw these frequent visits as attempts to keep relationships intact. Junpei, Fuuka and Ken thought this was so and readily welcomed Mitsuru whenever she would grace their hallways. Minato on the other hand was doing well despite having a late start on that current school year. Mitsuru was told by her friends among the high school seniors that Minato was excelling in his academics and would take probably a week more of make-up classes to get back on track. The teachers were all accommodating and did everything that they could to help Minato since he had just woken up from a coma.
It was a cloudy late Sunday afternoon in Paulownia Mall. Yukari was patiently window-shopping as she waited for Mitsuru to arrive. They had originally planned to spend the whole cay together but then the Kirijo group had all of a sudden called for a meeting. Mitsuru's attendance was required and there wasn't any excuse for her to be absent so they pushed back their plans to a later time instead so that they could still see each other. Yukari was of course a bit unhappy that she would have less time to spend with her senpai, but then again a night time date was better. It was darker and there were relatively fewer people in their age group who chose to be outside at that time. It meant that Mitsuru and Yukari could continue keeping their relationship secret for the time being.
As the high school senior looked through the glass display of a variety of jewelry and accessories, Yukari thought back on how she and Mitsuru had ended up together. She had always liked the stoic and often-nonchalant upperclassman. Mitsuru was always popular and admired among the students for her intelligence, charisma and beauty. Many boys and quite a handful of girls wooed after her, but couldn't or would not dare to get close either because of fear or inferiority. Yukari wasn't sure at that time when Mitsuru was still the student council president of Gekkoukan high school if she liked Mitsuru in an admiring kind of way or if was something else. She'd always thought that she admired and respected the older girl and that admiration increased steadily when she had discovered her persona and was recruited into S.E.E.S., the same group that included Mitsuru and Akihiko.
It wasn't a smooth relationship between her and the heiress all the way. Yukari had her bouts of being irked by Mitsuru's often cold and uncaring attitude. Back then, Mitsuru was frequently dead-focused on doing her job so seriously that it would sometimes cause rifts between the members of S.E.E.S. Then there was that time when she had taken the members of S.E.E.S. to Yakushima. During their stay there, it would be the second time Yukari would be at her most vulnerable when Mitsuru's father explained to them the incident that brought about the existence of shadows and Tartarus to their world. Yukari was already insecure because of the absence of her father and her dislike for her mother, but her insecurities increased all the more when Takeharu Kirijo showed them the only video footage recovered concerning the incident that happened ten years ago. She lost control of her temper upon finding out that her father had been responsible for bringing about the shadows and Tartarus. Tempers flared that night because she had pinned the blame on Mitsuru for hiding that fact from her especially since she has been searching for answers to her father's death.
Prior to the school trip to Kyoto and after the murder of Mitsuru's father, Yukari had made up her mind to approach Mitsuru. The auburn-haired president was planning on skipping the trip because she would just ruin the fun of the students. Yukari of course protested that and told Mitsuru that she was going to be more frontal with her. She would have said more except that Ryoji came and began to flirt with Mitsuru. When the juniors and seniors were already at Kyoto and were enjoying their free time before their imposed curfew, Yukari found Mitsuru by the riverbank on the brink of giving up everything they had fought for. Her senpai was wallowing in her guilt for having trusted Ikutsuki. She claimed that she was blinded by and allowed him to use them for his evil purposes. Yukari remembered how Mitsuru had told her that night that her life was now without meaning to which she responded to by slapping Mitsuru hard on the face. And then… Mitsuru had asked her that question.
"Yukari, will you stand with me until the end?"
It was then that Yukari began to have strange feelings engulf her. She had intended to just cheer up Mitsuru, but these unknown feelings assaulted her being. It took her more than half a year later to realize what those feelings were and after gathering enough nerve, she came out to Mitsuru. Thankfully, things have been going well between them and now she couldn't wait to see her. Yukari chuckled to herself as she continued to think about her senpai.
"You're quite happy."
Yukari twisted around in surprise and grinned at Minato. "Is there something wrong with that?"
Minato shrugged and returned the smile. "Not at all," he assured her.
"How have you been doing with your make-up classes?" Yukari asked, she and Minato walked around the mall. "You've been having them every day after class and on Sundays too. Aren't you tired?"
Minato shook his head. "I don't mind being tired," he started and grinned goofily at Yukari. "After all, I have been resting for half a year so I shouldn't be complaining." He stretched his back as he accompanied Yukari into a store. "The extra classes are all right and the teachers say I've been progressing quite nicely. I just have to get through one more week of these classes and I'll be on the same level as you guys." Minato looked up at the dark clouds in the sky and frowned. "Honestly, the classes are really worth it since I'll be able to go through senior year with you, Junpei and Fuuka. I tried to convince Aigis to do the same so that we could all be together again, but she refused and said that she was content on watching over us."
Yukari nodded her head and looked a bit regretful that Aigis had turned down going back to school. "What are your plans when you finish the extra classes and get back on track with the school year?"
Minato looked thoughtful for a few seconds, his eyebrows furrowing. "Well, I was thinking of rejoining the Kendo club. I wouldn't want to stick being an ordinary student," he told Yukari. "Besides, I need the exercise. Sleeping for over six months has made me really out of shape."
Yukari laughed and lightly punched Minato on his arm. "You could always join the student council again," she pointed out. "Junpei mentioned something that he needed help in the disciplinary arm of the student council. Maybe you'd like to take that position? You'd be with Junpei, Fuuka and me if you do that."
"Hmmm… Well, I was active in the student council since Mitsuru-senpai had asked me to help out," Minato stated. "I suppose it wouldn't be such a bad idea to help out again."
"Great!" Yukari exclaimed, clapping Minato on the back. "Let's tell Junpei about it first thing tomorrow morning!" They walked into a bookstore still carrying on a conversation with each other until Yukari spotted a book on display. "Oh! This is the book Mitsuru-senpai was talking about!" She picked it up and flipped through the pages. "She was saying something about wanting to buy a book with illustrations about historical Europe."
Minato leaned over to look at the pictures in the book. "That's actually quite interesting," he observed and pointed at a picture of a painting. "That's Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa, right?"
Yukari nodded and excitedly began to explain what she knew about the painting. "There's a whole lot of controversy with this particular work of art. Mitsuru-senpai said that people are still in doubt about the real identity of the woman in the painting. Some say that it was the wife of one of the patrons of Da Vinci. They say that that patron was a wealthy noble who commissioned him to make a portrait of his wife. Others speculate that the woman in the painting is in fact a self-portrait of Da Vinci," she explained with enthusiasm, returning the book and heading outside towards the central fountain of the mall. "Mitsuru-senpai also mentioned that the greatest intrigue behind the Mona Lisa is the mystery of her smile. Until now, people don't know the exact reason why the Mona Lisa is smiling."
Minato gazed at Yukari with great curiosity.
"What?" Yukari demanded. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
The blue-haired man shook his head ruefully. "You've been spending a lot of time with Mitsuru-senpai, haven't you?" he asked, his gray eyes unreadable.
Yukari took step back, surprised that Minato was asking that question. "Why do you ask? We're good friends after all," she told him, trying to not look and sound nervous.
Minato shrugged, sticking his hands in his pockets. "Junpei told me earlier before I went to class that you cancelled out on a group lunch date because you had other plans. You also didn't mention why you were cancelling, but Junpei guessed that it was because you were going to hang out with Mitsuru-senpai."
"What's that got to do with this?" Yukari demanded.
"People talk, Yukari. You know that word gets around quickly and eventually circulates as rumors. Students have been wondering why Mitsuru-senpai is frequently at Gekkoukan high school when she's already a university student. There's a small minority of students who speculate that Mitsuru-senpai has been coming back because she's looking to forming a relationship with an unknown student," Minato explained, his eyes and tone of voice unreadable. "Just recently, I overheard a student joke to her friend that the student Mitsuru-senpai is looking to forming a relationship may be you, Yukari since Mitsuru is often seen hanging around with you."
"Mitsuru-senpai doesn't hang out with me all the time!" Yukari protested, feeling really nervous now. "Whenever she visits, she hangs out with all of her friends! Ask Junpei and the others!"
Minato shifted his weight to his other foot. "I know senpai also hangs out with the rest of our friends when she does visit," he told Yukari. "But perhaps it is only I who has noticed that she has been spending more time with you compared to our other friends. There is also the fact that the two of you often go out with each other these days."
"What are you implying, Minato?" Yukari asked quietly, her hand clenched tightly into a fist on her chest.
Minato looked at Yukari seriously before letting out his question. "Yukari… Is there something going on between you and Mitsuru-senpai?"
Shock veined Yukari's face as she stared at the blue-haired boy before her. She couldn't believe it. How could Minato be able to tell so easily that there was indeed something going on between her and Mitsuru? Was she so easy to read? No… even her other friends could not tell that there was something going. She looked carefully at Minato and saw a dark look in his eyes and what looked to be a forming frown on his face. He's against it! He's going to tell the others and have them force me to break up with Mitsuru! Yukari thought, tears forming in her hazel eyes. The dark clouds gave way to pouring rain. She spun around and was about to run but felt herself pulled back by a strong hand.
"Yukari! Why are you running away?!" Minato demanded, keeping his grip tight around Yukari's wrist. "It was just a simple question!" he explained, sounding panicked. "You don't need to answer it if you don't want to!"
Yukari turned around slowly, the tears slowly leaking out of her eyes and down her cheeks. "You're not trying to make me break up with Mitsuru?" she half blubbered out, swiping at her tears.
Minato blinked a few times and shook his head vigorously. "Break you up with Mitsuru?" he clarified. "So you're saying that you're in a relationship with Mitsuru-senpai?" He let out a sigh. "Since when?"
"About a week ago," Yukari replied, still unable to halt the flow of tears. "You're against it, aren't you?" Yukari accused Minato, misunderstanding the look on Minato's face.
"Against it? Why should I be against your desire to be with senpai?" Minato asked, a gentle smile appearing on his face. "The two of you had always been close and I never had anything against these kinds of relationships." He pulled Yukari forward and gave her a comforting hug. "Hey stop crying already. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable. I just wanted to hear the truth from you if it was indeed true." He smoothed Yukari's hair and patted her back as the girl cried into his shoulder. "I didn't like it that rumors about you and Mitsuru-senpai were circulating so I decided to ask you about it first."
"Will you keep it a secret?" Yukari asked softly, still not pulling away from Minato's hug. "I'm not sure how Junpei and the others will react."
Minato nodded his head. "If that's what you wish then I won't say a word." He hugged her tightly and continued to calm her down. Suddenly his eyes widened and he pulled away from Yukari. "Senpai," he stuttered. "It's not what you think!"
Yukari turned around and saw Mitsuru who was slightly drenched and was holding two steaming cups of coffee in her hands. There was also a hurt look on her face, which gave off the fact that she had witnessed the intimate hug between them. "Mitsuru! Please don't take this the wrong way!" Yukari begged, walking towards the auburn-haired woman. "Senpai! Don't!" Yukari shouted when Mitsuru let the cups of coffee fall and splatter on the ground then run outside of the mall into the heavy rain.
Minato and Yukari ran outside of the entrance and looked around for Mitsuru, but there was no sign of her. "Yukari calm down! We just have to explain this calmly to her!" He held Yukari back who struggled to get free from Minato's hold and run after her senpai.
"I have to find her! Please let go of me!" Yukari wailed. "Let go of me Minato!"
Minato sighed and wrapped his arms around Yukari to restrain her. "Yukari… we won't be able to find her in this rain and if you do go after her, you'd risk getting sick." He felt the girl's struggle slowly cease. "Please calm down! I'll help you try to contact and look for her!"
"Senpai!" Yukari yelled distraught and fell hard on her knees onto the hard concrete ground.
The rain pounded against her as she ran hard down a few streets. She hurt terribly within her after seeing Yukari wrapped up in Minato's arms. Mitsuru grit her teeth as she ran aimlessly down the street. This hurt ten times more than that time Ikutsuki had betrayed them and killed her father in the process. The roads where unusually not congested as she ran up to a building and pressed her hands against the wall as she caught her breath. Why did this happen?
Things were going so well in their newly formed relationship. Was there something wrong with Mitsuru? Was there something lacking in her that made Yukari seek Minato's affections? Mitsuru let her hands clench tightly into fists against the wall of the building. She felt betrayed. They had planned the day before that they would spend the whole Sunday together, but then the Kirijo group had to intervene. Mitsuru didn't mind that she was going to have less time to spend with Yukari. She had just arrived at the mall when the rain started to come down hard. Mitsuru thought that it would be a good idea to buy some hot coffee for the both of them because of the weather and had done so. When she got to the central plaza, she was utterly shocked at the scene before her. Yukari and Minato were hugging each other intimately. What made it worse was that Yukari didn't seem to mind and was hugging Minato back with the same intimacy.
What did they expect her to do? Take it in civilly? She did what she thought any person would have done if a lover had betrayed him or her. She ran fast and hard as far away as she can. Mitsuru pushed herself away from the building and continued to run farther and farther away. It was hard to tell where she was now because of the rain, but she could vaguely make out the coastline and the rough seas beyond the side of the road. Mitsuru guessed that she was on one of the coastal roads. Without thinking, she stepped onto the road and began to run across it wanting to get to side of the road where a protective fence stood and barred the way to the beach. She was at the middle of the road when she heard the ugly squeal of tires several yards away from her. Mitsuru looked where the sound was coming from and froze in fear as a motorcycle speeded towards her. The auburn-haired woman remained frozen and could not emit a scream as the bike came closer and closer, blinding her with its bright headlights. She was closing her eyes when the bike was about to hit her, but kept them open when the bike, just a few feet away from her swerved and almost narrowly missed her. One of the bike's sharp edges had clipped her arm, but the force was enough to knock her onto her behind. Mitsuru gripped her bleeding arm in pain as she heard the bike's tires squeal violently, as if the rider was struggling to keep the bike under control.
Finally, the screeching sounds of drifting tires against asphalt stopped. Mitsuru closed her eyes tightly as she tried to forget the pain on her arm. It burned painfully and it complimented the emotional pain she was feeling. Hot tears eked out of her eyes as she sat there on the drenched and hard ground.
"Are you alright?!" A voice shouted at her from a distance.
Mitsuru looked up and watched a vague helmeted figure run towards her. The person was wearing black and silver helmet and was obviously not dressed for the weather. A worn leather racing jacket and jeans were donned by the biker and were completely soaked. Mitsuru continued to stare at the rider and did not react when the person suddenly stopped in his tracks, seemingly gawking at her from behind the tinted visor of the helmet.
"Mitsuru?!" This time Mitsuru could tell that the biker's voice was female. "What the hell are you doing out in the rain?!" The biker came forward, her hands going up to the helmet on her head and pulling it off. Emerald-green eyes gazed at Mitsuru as the familiar shock of dark-blue hair flattened against the biker's head, face and neck. "Damn…" Skye hissed, seeing that Mitsuru was nursing an injury. "I hit you, didn't I?" she cursed and got to her knees beside Mitsuru. "Forgive me for that, but I really had little time to react when you just ran out onto the road like that." She looked closely at Mitsuru's face. "Mitsuru? Are you alright? You're… crying?"
The tears came down harder now and Mitsuru threw herself into her professor's chest, sobbing uncontrollably. She clung tightly onto Skye's racing jacket as she buried her face into Skye's chest. It was rare for Mitsuru to break down like this. The last time she had done it was when her father had died. Now she felt weak and silly as she cried almost hysterically in her professor's comforting embrace.
Skye was obviously taken aback by her student's behavior, but she chose to comfort her in the pouring rain in the middle of the road. The green-eyed woman rubbed Mitsuru's back soothingly and allowed her to continue crying into her chest. She knew that she should get the both of them off the road and out of the rain, but she wouldn't be able to do that until Mitsuru had calmed down enough for her to work with. After five minutes, Mitsuru's sobs had calmed down to soft hiccups and her grip on Skye's jacket had considerably loosened. Sensing that it was the right time, Skye pulled away and looked at Mitsuru comfortingly. "We're both getting drenched," she told the younger girl. "My apartment is nearby. We could talk more when we get there." She smiled and squeezed the auburn-haired student's shoulder reassuringly.
The blue-haired professor helped her student onto her feet and led her to the motorcycle that she was riding. Mitsuru was so out of it that she didn't even react that the motorcycle that Skye had been riding was her very own Ducati bike. Skye had decided to take the bike for a test run and was planning to bring the bike to Mitsuru's apartment so that the girl wouldn't need to trouble herself. She got onto the bike and put the helmet on. "Sorry. I'd make you wear the helmet but I need it in this rain." She held her hand out and waited for Mitsuru to take it. When the girl grabbed hold of her hand and got in behind her, Skye urged Mitsuru to hold onto her tightly. She assured the younger girl that she would get them back to her apartment in short time.
The ride to Skye's apartment just fell short from dangerous due to the slippery roads. Skye focused hard on the road, but still worried about her student who clung tightly around her waist. Thankfully, there were hardly any cars out on the road and it only took ten minutes before Skye rolled into the sheltered garage of the apartment she resided in. Skye killed the engine, kicked the stand down and helped Mitsuru off the bike. The girl still seemed unwilling to move on her own so Skye took Mitsuru's hand and led her inside the apartment, leaving a wet trail behind them. They boarded an empty elevator and took it to the top floor. The door slid open and out trudged Skye who pulled Mitsuru along with her into her modest looking apartment.
Skye had Mitsuru sit down on her couch, not minding that she was wet and headed to her room to grab some towels. She stalked back into her living room and dropped the large towel over Mitsuru's head and shoulders. "Go dry yourself off while I make a pot of tea and find you some dry clothes to wear." With that, the soaked professor disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Mitsuru alone with her thoughts.
Mitsuru felt strange as she gripped the edges of the fluffy towel and wrapped it around her shaking form. First, she was at Paulownia mall and now she was at her professor's apartment. Mitsuru felt embarrassed that Skye had to witness her break down like that and actually take her back to her place. Tears fell from her eyes as she remembered what had happened earlier. She covered her eyes with her hands, her shoulders jerking upward each time she sobbed.
"Hoy… Drink this for now. It'll make you feel better while I go fetch you some clothes." Skye set a full cup of hot tea on the table in front of Mitsuru. She gazed worriedly at her student. "Mitsuru… please stop crying. You're distressing me," she told the younger girl before heading into her room to change and get another set of clothes for Mitsuru. She came out after a few minutes in loose black cloth pants and a wifebeater shirt. In her arms, she held a similar pair of black cloth pants and a London University t-shirt. She pointed the bathroom out to Mitsuru and waited in the living room for her student to change out of her wet clothes. "Are you ready to talk now?" Skye asked once Mitsuru was settled on the couch beside her.
Mitsuru nodded and ran her hands through her wet hair. "I'm sorry Skye..." she started. "I didn't want you to see me in this state and to trouble you." She brought her knees up to her chest and hugged them. She buried her face into her knees, embarrassed to meet the gaze of her professor.
Skye sighed. "Mitsuru, you don't need to apologize to me." She gently prodded Mitsuru's injured arm and saw that the blood was starting to clot. Skye walked to a nearby closet and pulled out a first-aid kit. "You had me really worried back there when you just suddenly ran onto the road," she told the younger girl, applying some disinfectant to the wound and wrapping a bandage around her arm. "What happened?"
The auburn-haired student hesitated, not sure if she should tell her professor. But then again, Skye looked like a very open and liberal character so Mitsuru took a deep breath and began to tell her professor everything that had happened. She told Skye everything from her evolving friendship with Yukari, the day Yukari had confessed her love to her, their short time spent together as a couple up to the events that had recently occurred earlier that day.
Skye had an indecipherable look on her face as she took in everything that Mitsuru had told her. "Don't take this personally Mitsuru," she started, when the girl had finished explaining. "But don't you think you probably just misunderstood Yukari and your friend Minato?" She took her towel and continued to dry her hair. "From what you told me about this boy, it doesn't seem like he had any intention of taking Yukari away from you."
Mitsuru let out a defeated sigh. "Perhaps you're right, Skye," she admitted feeling a bit guilty. "I… I just overreacted when I saw Yukari hugging Minato." Mitsuru rubbed her sore arm gingerly. "I have some explaining to do tomorrow."
"Well, you could leave that for tomorrow," Skye told her. "Right now I want you to rest here for tonight." She looked out of the window and scowled at the still heavy downpour. "Nobody will be getting anywhere with this kind of rain. Come on," she urged her student. "You can sleep on my bed for tonight. I'll take the couch."
Mitsuru shook her head vehemently. "Please Skye! That wouldn't be necessary! I would gladly sleep on the couch."
"I refuse. You're my guest so you should sleep on my bed."
Mitsuru crossed her arms and glared up at the taller woman. "Sensei…" she said in a warning voice. "Could we compromise?"
Skye sighed and leaned against her bedroom door. "What do you suggest?"
"Share the bed," Mitsuru put it simply. The bed was indeed big enough to hold the both of them. "Skye-san? You're turning red," she pointed out, feeling amused. "You're not comfortable sharing your bed?"
"Well… I will admit that I am a bit uncomfortable, but if that is what you wish then I suppose I could manage," Skye relented. "For one night at least," she added ruefully. She dimmed the lights as Mitsuru first got into her bed. Skye then eased herself into the vacant space on her bed and settled herself in. "Will you be going to your high school to talk to Yukari?"
Mitsuru nodded ad snuggled deeper into the blankets. "I really plan to but there's class tomorrow."
"You forget that it's an official university holiday tomorrow," Skye informed her student, holding back a yawn. "All classes have been cancelled so you could head over to your former high school and have your talk with your Yukari and Minato."
"Skye… Have you ever been in a relationship?" Mitsuru asked hesitantly.
"Why do you ask?"
Mitsuru shrugged and looked over at the supine form of her professor. "It just seems like you're so knowledgeable about people and their relationships with each other."
Skye twisted around so that she could look at Mitsuru. "It doesn't always necessarily mean that the best people who know everything about the relationship game have been in relationships themselves."
Mitsuru rolled her eyes. She knew that her sensei was trying to avoid the question she had just asked. "Skye just answer the question."
The blue-haired woman scowled deeply and threw a pillow over her face. "If you really must know, I never had a relationship with a person although there were quite a few suitors who did try for me when I was still in high school and college."
"Boys?" Mitsuru asked, looking to tease her professor a bit.
Skye's head peeked out from under her pillow, revealing a tussled shock of dark-blue hair. "Mostly boys… then there were the occasional girls," she admitted, grinning ruefully at her student on the other side of her bed.
"You seemed to be well liked."
"I was the typical girl that boys and girls in this case liked." Skye rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling. "Tall, built, athletic, well-mannered, rich and worldly. It was a constant annoyance to have a train of people following you around every single day."
Mitsuru was intrigued. So… her professor was a supposed heartthrob during her school days. "So you never accepted any of the proposals of your suitors?" she teased.
"Why should I? I wasn't interested and I was kept busy with my mother's family's business." Her mouth opened widely to accommodate a yawn. "Are you going to keep asking me questions or are we going to get some sleep?" She turned away from Mitsuru and wrapped the blankets firmly around her body. "Look, I'll bring you over to your high school first thing in the morning so that you could patch things up between you and Yukari. So go get some sleep already!"
As Skye promised last night, she brought Mitsuru to Gekkoukan high school first thing in the morning. Mitsuru had woken up an hour later than her professor to find that her clothes from the previous day had been washed and pressed. The both enjoyed a quick and simple breakfast before they headed downstairs to the garage to board Mitsuru's Ducati bike. This time Blake handed Mitsuru a spare helmet before they both boarded the black and silver bike.
They reached the school as students walked through its gate to get to their classes. Several of the students stopped and stared as the large black and silver bike cruised to a stop in front of the gate of their school. Skye cut the engine off and balanced the bike by setting her foot firmly on the ground as she waited for Mitsuru to get off the bike. "Looks like I'll be keeping your bike for a while longer," Skye told Mitsuru, pushing the visor up to gaze at her student with her emerald green eyes. "I have to get going. I have to check on my father."
Mitsuru nodded and handed the spare helmet back to Skye. "Thanks for everything Skye. I really appreciate what you've done for me." With a wave from her professor, she watched as Skye ignited the engines, snapped down her visor then raced away. Mitsuru didn't bother to stand there and wait for her professor to disappear from her sight. Instead, she strode to the place she knew Yukari would be at this early in the morning: The archery dojo. She ignored all the looks she was being given and walked up to the sliding wooden doors of the archery dojo. Taking a deep breath, the auburn-haired woman silently slid the doors open and closed them securely behind her. Surely enough, Yukari was there intent on practicing and honing her skill.
Mitsuru cleared her throat and waited for Yukari to turn around. When Yukari did turn around to regard her, the heiress opened her mouth to apologize but was beaten to it. The young archer threw herself into Mitsuru's arms and began to blubber apologies and explanations. "Shhh… it's alright. I forgive you and I ask for your forgiveness too."
"Of course I forgive you, senpai," Yukari whispered, pulling away from Mitsuru's embrace. She sweetly smiled at the older woman and leaned up to give Mitsuru a kiss. "Senpai," she said after they broke away. "We should look for Minato and explain everything." She looked sheepish. "He knows about us."
Mitsuru shrugged and hugged Yukari fiercely. "We'll do that then."
"By the way senpai, where were you last night?" Yukari asked as she and Mitsuru walked out of the small dojo and made their way to the main school building. "I kept trying to call your cellphone and your landline at your apartment, but you wouldn't answer."
"I got picked up by… a friend of mine who put up with me for the night."
Yukari was curious to find out about this mystery friend of Mitsuru's. "Who's this friend of yours?" she demanded to know.
"I'll tell you another time," Mitsuru replied, ruffling Yukari's honey brown hair with her hand.
"Awww! Senpai!"
Another chapter up! Hurrah!
Mr. Thumbsup: didn't expect that again? hahaha! Oh well! :)
Next chapter: dating, friends finding out and thoughts of taking the next step.