"I can't believe it's finally time for the ball!" Hikari jumped around the room, totally out of character. Amane, Yaya and Tsubomi stared.
"Who is this and what the hell did you do with Hikari-chan?" Yaya asked Amane, with a stern look in her eyes.
Amane shook her head. "I was just about to ask you the same thing, Yaya-san."
"Well, I should go to my room and get ready." Tsubomi said, keeping her eyes on Hikari. "I'll see you later." She quickly kissed Yaya on the cheek.
"I'll pick you up." Yaya smiled.
Amane caught Hikari in mid-hop.
"Honey, I'm glad you are excited, but what got into you?" She smiled at her cute co-Etoile.
"I don't know. I'm just excited about going to the ball with Amane-sama and I'm happy that the entire preparation is over. It was really stressful." Hikari gazed up at the tall young woman.
"You are so sweet, honey." Amane gently kissed Hikari. Yaya looked away, a bit uncomfortable. Noticing Yaya, Amane let go of Hikari.
"I'll get going, I want to look in on Starbright before I have to get ready. I'll see you later, sweetheart."
"Okay. Say hello to Starbright for me, okay?"
"I won't forget."
After Amane had left the room, Yaya stood up.
"I think it's great that you're so excited about tonight. I am, too. Let's get ready, we don't have that much time left."
Hikari went over to her closet and pulled out her dress.
"By the way…Are you going to spend the night in Amane-sama's room tonight?" Yaya asked innocently, her head in her own closet.
Hikari blushed. "I…I don't know, Yaya-chan. Why do you want to know?"
"Oh, I was just curious." Yaya tried to hide her own blush.
Hikari was looking at her dress, wondering which shoes would go best with it. Since she and Amane would be opening the ball, dancing the first dance, she wanted to look her best.
"Wear the light pink ones, they match." Yaya said, throwing a glance at the selection of shoes in Hikari's closet.
"Arrigato, Yaya-chan!" Hikari said gratefully. She took the shoes out of her closet and pulled on her dress.
"Yaya-chan? Will you zip me up?" she called into the bathroom where Yaya had disappeared.
"Sure!" Her roommate came, her hair messily piled on her head, one of her eyes made up, the other one still plain. Yaya quickly pulled up the zipper at the back of Hikari's dress, then looked over her best friend's shoulder, studying the young Etoile's reflection in the mirror. Hikari was wearing a pastel pink dress, which had a corsage, embroidered with tiny roses. The skirt was long and full and separated from the bodice with a sash.
"You look lovely, Hikari-chan." Yaya murmured.
"Arrigato, Yaya-chan." Hikari's cheeks matched her dress.
"If you want, I'll do you makeup." Yaya offered. "But first, I'll have to finish mine."
"That's really nice of you, Yaya-chan."
Hikari sat on her bed and waited until Yaya was ready to take care of her. Finally, Yaya emerged from the bathroom, showing off a short red dress with a gathered corsage. The skirt was only slightly longer than that of her school uniform. Her hair was flowing freely down her back, her eyes were accentuated with mascara and dark eye shadow.
"Wow, Yaya-chan! You look amazing!" said Hikari earnestly.
"Arrigato, Hikari-chan! Now let's do your hair and make-up." She pushed Hikari onto a chair in front of the mirror and grabbed a brush.
"I wonder how the others are doing." She mused while brushing out Hikari's light hair.
Exasperated, Nagisa wailed.
"What's wrong, Nagisa-chan?" Tamao poked her head out of the bathroom.
"My hair! It just won't do what I want it to do!" She pulled at the disobedient red strands.
Tamao took the brush and hair clips out of Nagisa's hands.
"Sit down, I'll help you." She began brushing and styling her best friend's hair.
"Are you going to the ball with anyone, Tamao-chan?"
"Yes, I am. Why do you ask?"
"I was just wondering, you hadn't said anything. Who is it?"
"Miyuki-sama. She asked me a while ago. We decided it would be nice to get to know each other better, since our best friends are dating. She's really nice." Tamao's heart was beating fast when thinking about Miyuki. They had decided to keep their relationship a secret even from Shizuma and Nagisa for the time being, waiting for the perfect moment to tell them soon.
"I haven't noticed you spending time with Miyuki-sama. I must have been really occupied with Shizuma-sama." Apologetically, she smiled at the blue-haired girl.
"Don't worry, Nagisa-chan. You also had much studying to do lately. And Miyuki-sama and I haven't really spent that much time together." '…in public', she added silently, remembering the evenings she had spent with Miyuki in this room, when Nagisa had been with Shizuma. They hadn't done anything more than kissing and talking, but Tamao deeply cherished their budding relationship, feeling certain that they would go further when the time was right. No need to rush anything.
Nagisa seemed to ponder this for a while.
"Well, I think I should have paid more attention to you, Tamao-chan. You are my best friend and I want to be part of your life." She finally said.
With a slightly bad conscience, Tamao focused on Nagisa's hair. She felt a little bad hiding something from her friend, but she had promised Miyuki. Even though it would be nice to be able to talk to Nagisa about some things. After all, her relationship with Shizuma was further advanced than Tamao's with Miyuki. Considering that it was Tamao's first relationship, some questions did cross her mind now and then.
"There, all done!" Tamao fastened the last clip. "Is it okay?"
"It's perfect! Arrigato, Tamao-chan!"
A knock sounded at the door.
"And just in time!" Nagisa grinned. "I think that's Shizuma-sama. Is Miyuki-sama picking you up?"
"No, we're meeting at the door. I'll come with you if that's okay?"
"What is okay?" Shizuma stood in the doorway, looking stunning in her sexy dress. Her hair was for once out of its usual ponytail, done up in a creative style, with just a few curled strands hanging about her shoulders and face.
"Shizuma-sama, you look sensational!" Tamao exclaimed.
"Arrigato, Tamao-san." Shizuma actually blushed slightly.
"Tamao-chan was asking if she could come to the dance with us because she is meeting Miyuki-sama there." Nagisa told her girlfriend.
"No need for that," came the voice of the student-council president from behind Shizuma. The former Etoile moved aside to make room for Miyuki in the doorway. Tamao looked at her girlfriend fondly. The tight-fitting ice-blue neck holder gown complimented her own bright blue dress quite nicely. Like Shizuma's, Miyuki's skirt was slit, even though it showed a little less leg.
"Well, let's hurry or we'll miss Amane-sama's and Hikari-sama's opening dance."
The four girls hurried toward the dancing hall, Shizuma and Nagisa walking arm in arm, Miyuki and Tamao behind them, keeping a safe distance from one another.
The door to the dormitory building fell shut behind them. Tamao pulled Miyuki tightly into her arms, kissing her girlfriend intensely. Kissing and stumbling, the two clumsily made their way to Tamao's and Nagisa's room, not even letting go of each other when Tamao unlocked the door, pulled Miyuki through and slammed it shut.
Within minutes, their elegant ball gowns, shoes and underwear lay discarded on the floor and they had fallen onto Tamao's bed.
"I don't know how I managed to keep my hands off you all evening." Miyuki gasped in between two kisses.
"It was difficult for me, too, believe me." Tamao answered breathlessly.
Miyuki again covered Tamao's lips with her own, parting them, allowing their tongues to play. Tamao sighed. Her hands roamed over Miyuki's neck, her shoulders, her back. Miyuki's lips moved to her girlfriend's neck, while her hands gently massaged the younger girl's breasts, causing Tamao to moan sensually.
"Miyuki…I want you…" Tamao's voice was sultry.
"I want you too, sweetheart," replied Miyuki huskily. She slipped beside Tamao, letting her fingers glide slowly across the blue-eyed girl's stomach, her thigh, then dipping between her legs. Tamao moaned as Miyuki's fingers worked their magic, pushing her relentlessly toward the edge of self-control until she climaxed.
"Miyuki…" she whispered when she had finally caught her breath again, gazing into her girlfriend's brown eyes. Her hands caressed Miyuki, moving lower and lower until they had reached their destination. The student council president closed her eyes. It was her turn to moan and gasp.
Suddenly, the door flew open and the light was switched on.
"It'll only take a minute, I've got the bottle right in my…" Nagisa's voice trailed off as she viewed the scene in front of her. The dresses, bras and panties on the floor, Miyuki and Tamao, tangled up in Tamao's sheets, staring at her with big eyes.
"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to…" Nagisa blushed crimson.
"What's wrong, honey? Oh…oh my…I'm sorry, we didn't mean to interrupt anything." Shizuma appeared in the doorway. A grin formed on her beautiful face as she put her hand on her hip.
"Just friends, huh?" One eyebrow went up quizzically.
Miyuki and Tamao were caught in a blushing contest.
"Shizuma, I think we should just get the wine bottle and leave these two alone." Nagisa said, a smile pulling at her lips. She reached into her closet and grabbed the bottle of red wine.
"Yeah, you're right. Well, good night, you two." Shizuma grinned mischievously, took Nagisa's hand and pulled her out of the room, switching off the light as she went out.
Tamao and Miyuki stared at each other in the pale moonlight filtering in through the curtains.
"Well, so much for waiting for the perfect moment, "Tamao said. She and Miyuki burst out laughing.
"So…Miyuki and Tamao-san…" Shizuma grinned as she and Nagisa sat down on the former Etoile's bed.
"Tamao-chan told me today when we were getting ready that she and Miyuki-sama wanted to get to know each other better because you and I are dating and we're their best friends."
"Looked like they were getting to know each other quite well." Shizuma giggled.
"That was sooooo embarrassing!" Nagisa exclaimed, her face turning red at the memory.
"A little bit. But I'm really glad Miyuki found someone. Maybe she'll manage to stand up to her parents now."
"And I'm glad Tamao-chan found Miyuki-sama. They're really cute together, I think."
"Right. And now we can go on cool double dates!" Shizuma exclaimed happily. "Then I can get to know Tamao-san better and you Miyuki."
"True. That'll be cool." For a moment, Nagisa dreamed of a future filled with fun and dates, shared with her best friend and her girlfriend.
"How about opening the bottle?" the redhead finally asked.
"Good idea." Shizuma smiled.