Lonely No More
by Cyberchao X

Chapter 6

Disclaimer: The usual.

CCX: Damnit, "Chapter 5 Syndrome" again. I thought I'd gotten past that…

For those of you who don't know, the fifth chapter used to be where I'd always get stuck. Sometimes I wouldn't even be able to finish it; other times, like this one, I'd finish it but be unable to get a start on Chapter 6. And now I'm running right up against my self-imposed deadline.

*February 14th—late evening*

The snow was, in fact, not so bad that it would be hard or even terribly inconvenient for Suzuka to get home, but nevertheless, Arisa ended up inviting her to stay the night. Lacking a viable excuse not to (the only real reason being that "it would be awkward", the reasoning for which could be told to absolutely no one), Suzuka accepted. Arisa's parents started to prepare the guest room, but Arisa pointed out that there were only two of them now, not five as there had been before, and that her bed was big enough for two. Suzuka tried not to show any emotion at this proclamation, which naturally did sell. (The exact reasoning given for the other three girls' sudden departure from Japan involved some foreign academy that they'd been accepted to that ran its years in semesters, and for some reason they were starting in the winter semester. Luckily, all three girls got very good grades and this was actually made to be believable.)

"Geez, what's the matter, Suzuka-chan? I'd have thought you'd be thrilled by this."

"I just feel like you're trying too hard."

"You can't be serious. Just because we're sharing a bed doesn't mean we'll be 'sleeping together'. Yeah, we'll be snuggled up close, but it's just innocent skinship between girls, right?"

Suzuka glared at Arisa. "You know full well that's Haya-chan's line."

"I know. That's why I said it."

"…Promise you'll be gentle with me?" Suzuka teased.

*February 15*

*Yes, that's right; we go right to the next day. Nothing happened aside from some very adorable spooning, okay?*

"So, sempai, did you have a happy Valentine's Day?"

"Well, it was pretty good, even without a boyfriend. You probably had a nice night, Suki-san."

"Heh heh, yeah…I suppose I did."

"That's good," Arisa said, and meant it. As much as she loved Suki, she knew that it was important that the younger girl spend plenty of time with her boyfriend as well. "One of the perils of dating bisexuals; you'll never be able to fulfill all of their needs."

CCX: "The needs of bisexuals" was actually the subject of a recent dinner table conversation in my household—namely, how does a bisexual end up in a monogamous relationship when there's something they desire from each sex? I couldn't come up with an answer.

As for Arisa's honorific use, remember what happened when she referred to Suki by the "-tan" honorific when speaking to Suzuka. In case the "wink-wink" tone of the conversation hadn't clued you in, they're meeting in public at the moment. The camaraderie of the court is enough to account for the first-name basis.

"So…are you expecting a big haul for White Day? …Or did you get more yesterday?"

"Haha, very funny. It depends on how many members of the team decide to return my obligation chocolate gift. But no, I didn't get very many chocolates yesterday. I am a girl, after all, and Valentine's Day is generally when the boys receive chocolates."

"Well, you know I'll make you a chocolate for White Day, since you gave me one. And…I guess that's the only one I'll be making for White Day. You?"

"…Two. That's how many chocolates I got yesterday." This didn't arouse any suspicion, since, as stated in the previous chapter, Suzuka giving her friends chocolates on Valentine's Day wasn't exactly a new thing, and while as a first-year Suki wouldn't actually know this, the closeness between the quintet was always quite evident. Suki figured that this count was probably lower than in previous years.

Arisa managed to get Suzuka's chocolate home that day, and she tried to hide this one from her parents as well—unsuccessfully. "Looks like you have another lover…not that I've ever met your current one, but still…you couldn't even take this home yesterday? You had better not be two-timing…"

"No, no; this one was accompanied by an anonymous note; it's just an admirer. I only didn't take it out because I didn't want to give Suki-tan the wrong idea."

"You couldn't just explain yourself?"

"Didn't want to risk having to. Besides, she might not have been in a position to speak up when she saw it…she's not 'out' like I am."

After dinner, she got a phone call. "So?"

"So what, Suzuka-chan?"

"So how is it? Have you tried it yet?"

"It's delicious. I'm going to try to make it last as long as possible so I can savor its greatness."

"Is it better than Makimaro-san's?"

"I wouldn't know. I haven't tried hers yet."

"Really?"

"Well, it would've been tacky to do so with you there…and besides, I always look forward to your chocolates. This one's the best yet, as is to be expected."

"Geez, Arisa-chan, you're making me blush."

"You deserve every bit of praise I give you, Suzuka-chan."

"Thank you…"

Arisa decided to try Suki's chocolate. It was also delicious. Perhaps a little too sweet, though…the type of food that you can feel the cavities forming as you bite into it. But still very good. She was glad that it had worked out that way; the one whom she actually had to give a comparison to had made the better chocolate, and the one who didn't know she was competing against someone else had still been more than good enough. Everyone would be happy.

CCX: I feel like this chapter was too short. Well, I'll try to produce something longer for the next chapter. *sigh* The thing is, I always have a tendency to rush the story along, and this definitely seems like the type of story that would need to be drawn out, because relationships do take time to develop. Well, until next time…Cyberchao X, signing off.