A/N: Hey there, so here is the next chapter, it did take a little longer because I've been enjoying my last two weeks before college starts again! Anyways, I hope you like this chapter, it's one of my personal favorites so far for this story. Which doesn't exactly matter for you I'm sure. I just had fun writing it and generally liked it.

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Yumi smiled as Sachiko leaned down and gave her a kiss before taking her hand and entering the gates of Lillian with her. It was kind of a morning ritual and a way to get ready for the name calling that was about to happen. Today though, something was different as they walked down the path. No one was openly calling them names they were just glaring at them.

Sachiko couldn't help but notice that all eyes seemed to be on Yumi though, which worried her after what had happened just recently.

"Why are they staring at me?" Yumi asked nervously getting a sinking feeling that she was in for whatever they had planned.

"Why don't we go talk with a teacher, I think it may be best." Sachiko said as she pulled Yumi a little closer to her. She was genuinely afraid of what might happen, she knew the school was upset with them, but they looked disgusted and angry at them this time. With all eyes on Yumi too, there was no way she was going to take any chances.

"Do you think something happened?" Yumi asked as Sachiko shrugged and looked around at the girls who were still staring even after entering the school.

"I don't know, you were with me all weekend and nothing happened. I just have a bad feeling about this." Sachiko said as Yumi nodded and kept walking towards her teachers office.

Once there they were invited in they closed the door behind them and bowed to their teacher a little. "We're sorry for the intrusion, but we feel it is important." Yumi started as Sachiko nodded in agreement before speaking herself.

"I fear that something bad will happen to Yumi. When we arrived today all the girls were staring at her as if she had done something wrong. After the last incident, we don't want to take any chances." Sachiko explained as the teacher looked at her a little confused.

"Last incident?" The teacher asked as Sachiko nodded.

"Yumi got pushed around by a few girls and hurt. We fear they plan on doing something worse this time." Sachiko said as the teacher looked to Yumi who nodded.

"What are the girls names? Did you tell someone?" The teacher asked as they both shook their heads.

"No, it wasn't a big deal, we let it go that time, but they have never looked at us like this before, we're worried now." Yumi explained as the teacher sighed and thought for a moment before sighing.

"Have they physically harmed you?" The teacher asked as both girls shook their head and she frowned a little. "I understand your concern girls, unfortunately, I cannot do anything if no one has done anything. I know you two have been the center of unwanted attention since your...coming out, but there isn't much we can do. . . I mean the best I can manage is getting the girls that pushed you, Yumi."

Yumi shook her head with a sigh before glancing to the floor. "I don't want to get even, I just don't want it to happen again."

"I'm sorry girls, unfortunately there isn't much I can do." The teacher concluded as both Sachiko and Yumi frowned a little before thanking her and leaving the office.

Once the door was closed Sachiko sighed and looked around noticing many eyes on Yumi again. "Maybe we just shouldn't be here today, I don't want any problems." Sachiko said as Yumi looked around.

"I don't think my mother would like me missing one whole day of school." Yumi replied as Sachiko nodded and took her hand.

"My mother won't either, but no one will help us and our mothers will be glad we did if something were to happen." Sachiko explained as Yumi nodded and started walking with her towards the stairs.

"Has your mother said anything about us since that day?" Yumi asked as Sachiko shook her head and glanced over to her.

"She hasn't said anything, but things are returning to normal around the house. I'm not sure what they think yet, but I'm not getting pressured to leave you, so everything is fine in my eyes." Sachiko smiled as they made it to the bottom of the stairs and headed towards the door.

They wouldn't make it far out though before a group of girls blocked their path and stared at them angrily. Sachiko quick took a step in front of Yumi as a familiar cold gaze appeared on her face. "I don't know what you want, but I would like if you leave me and Yumi alone, we did nothing."

"She did plenty!" A girl said pointing directly at Yumi who looked at her a little frightened, she was actually afraid of her classmates right now. Sachiko swallowed as she took a step back to make sure Yumi was right behind her.

"Do you know what she did?" The girl asked as Sachiko shook her head feeling the pressure of the six or so girls that were around them.

"Why don't you ask Sei-sama." Another girl said as both girls raised an eyebrow.

"I heard she is seeing Sei-sama behind your back!"

"Yea, someone even saw them kissing this weekend when you weren't around!"

Sachiko looked at the girls thoroughly confused for a second thinking about her weekend which she had spent with Yumi. "That isn't possible."

"It is possible. . . It seems your lesbian lover has been seducing women behind your back."

Sachiko glanced to the girl coldly as another spoke up, they would not say such things about Yumi.

"I heard she had liked Sei-sama way before meeting you."

"Shut up!" Sachiko growled, unfortunately on deaf ears.

"Yea, they're saying after that kiss they probably did it!"

Sachiko took a deep breath as she felt her temper rising about as much as it could. Her cold ice gaze was now replaced with an angry look matching exactly what she felt inside. "You're wrong." Sachiko insisted as she turned to Yumi who had tears in her eyes from the accusations. "Yumi, it's all lies, don't listen to them."

"The truth hurts doesn't it Yumi!"

Sachiko just shrugged it off even though her anger was boiling over. "Come on Yumi, let's get out of here." Sachiko said before hearing something that would push her anger over the top.

"You're going to believe that whore?" The girl asked as Sachiko stopped dead in her tracks and turned to the girl with an intimidating aura that no one had ever seen before.

"What did you say?" Sachiko asked in a grim tone that sent a chill to everyone in the group.

"I said, you're going to beli. . ."

SMACK!

All girls silenced and those around that could hear the resounding slap stopped and looked towards the scene. Sachiko stood towering over the other girl who was holding the side of her face on the ground. Never before had she felt so angry in her life, even Yumi stood in shock of what Sachiko had just done.

Sachiko looked from the girl on the ground to the others with a dead serious stare. "If I ever hear any of you call either me or especially Yumi such a vulgure name again, you will wish I had only slapped you. These rumors are lies and I will not tolerate them." Sachiko said firmly as she glanced around at the girls who were just nodding. There was something about Sachiko that could make even her enemies listen to her words carefully.

"Good," Sachiko said as she turned towards Yumi and the girls started to leave. "Hey are you alright?" Sachiko asked as she brushed a hand through Yumi's hair before pulling her into a hug. "You know I don't believe anything they said, you were with me the entire time." Sachiko said as she glanced up and saw a teacher with a bunch of girls walking towards her and Yumi as the girl that had been slapped pointed at her.

"How could they say such things?" Yumi asked as Sachiko hugged her tighter for a moment.

"I don't know, Yumi, but just know that everything will be fine." Sachiko said as the teacher approached them.

"Ogasawara, Fukuzawa, my office now!"

Shimako smiled as she watched the two follow the teacher back into the building. She didn't expect it to go this well.

-X-X-

Rei looked down at her desk before glancing back up to Sachiko's empty seat again for the hundredth time. She couldn't imagine that Sachiko would skip a class, but then again with the way they were treated she figured it may be a possibility. Either way, it was annoying for her because now she would have to wait another day to speak with her. It had taken her long enough to get her confidence up to try and tell her what she needed to anyways.

She sighed as she thought about the day before, it would be her courage when she finally got the chance to speak with her.

Rei opened the door and stepped inside quietly taking her shoes off hoping no one would notice her. It had been about three hours since she had been home after telling her parents everything. It was an everything that she wasn't exactly sure about though. Did she really mean it when she said she was a lesbian or what she just being harsh on herself?

She couldn't answer the question fully, but she knew one thing for certain was that she was miserable without Yoshino. She felt alone, depressed, and everything just seemed dimmer without her around. It would be like that for awhile though she imagined after what she had done yesterday. It was the one action that had confused her the most about what she felt. The kiss she had shared with Yoshino, though not returned, felt so right. Even though it was a spur of the moment thing and unwanted ultimately, it sparked something inside her. Since that point she could only sit and wonder where her sexuality really lied.

"We made dinner if you're hungry." Rei's mother said as Rei lifted her head and glanced to the side quick, it was evident she had been crying. She couldn't find her voice though and instead just shook her head before heading up the stairs.

"We're not mad." Her mother called up the stairs pausing her for a moment before she continued into her bedroom and shut the door.

For about thirty minutes she would lay staring at her ceiling thinking of Yoshino, that was of course until her father knocked on her door. Rei quickly tried to wipe her eyes so her father wouldn't see, but he already had and frowned a little at her.

"Thank you for not locking the door." He said as Rei sat up in her bed and he went over and took a seat beside her. They both sat in silence for what seemed like hours as her father looked around the room before finally sighing. ". . .I'm not going to talk about it unless you want to. I just want to know that my daughter is alright."

Rei glanced up to her father somewhat surprised at his calm manner. "I-I don't know," was all Rei could respond with as she looked to her doorway with a tear stained face.

"What don't you know?" Her father asked curiously as he put an arm around his daughter who he could tell was upset.

"I-I don't know if what I feel is right." Rei replied feeling to ashamed to say it again. She couldn't just simply say that she was feeling something stronger than friendship for Yoshino.

Her father sat in silence for a moment thinking, the last thing he wanted was to upset her more. ". . .Does it feel right?"

Rei pondered for a moment before feeling a few more tears roll down her face as she nodded.

"Then as far as I'm concerned, everything is alright." Her father said in response to her nod as she looked up to him before being pulled into a hug. "Whatever you decide you want is your decision, just know that you always have me and your mothers full support."

"Thank you, dad." Rei simply said as he hugged her tight for a moment. ". . .Dad, what would you do if you screwed everything up and deserted your friends who desperately need you, but you were too scared to help?"

". . .I guess that depends. Are you still too scared to help?" He asked as Rei smiled a little before glancing out her bedroom window with Yoshino on her mind.

"No, I don't think so."

-X-X-

Sachiko sat in the chair next to Yumi with a fearless look on her face though deep down she was as scared as she could be. The only time she showed any sign of faltering was when the door opened and she could feel her fathers presence. This was the first time in her life that her father had ever been called to the school for misbehavior. To say she was nervous would be an understatement, but she knew just like back there facing those girls, she would have to be strong for Yumi's sake.

She still couldn't help from sitting up straight though as her the door closed and she heard footsteps towards her. The only comfort she would get was feeling Yumi take her hand.


A/N: Hey so just quick thing down here. I did intend to end it that way, sorry about the cliffhangerish spot! :x