Disclaimer: Nothing's mine but the plot! Characters belong to Stopani and Marimite respectively.
How Can You See With Your Eyes Shut?
Chapter Two: Green is the Color of My True Love's Heart
Yaya lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling and trying not to think about the new girl- especially the way she made Tsubomi dissolve into a mess of stutters and blushes. Moaning, she rolled over in bed and buried her head in the pillow just as the door flung open.
"Morning Tsubomi-chaaaan," Yaya mumbled, not bothering to turn and face the pinkette. She heard a loud sigh and smiled to herself as Tsubomi went off on one of her lectures, not even noticing when Yaya picked herself up out of bed.
Tsubomi was still ranting when she felt a pair of warm arms wrap around her gingerly, and the warmth of Yaya's breath against her neck. Being as short as she was, her face was pressed into Yaya's chest, causing her to flush crimson. "Y-Yaya-sempai?"
Yaya pulled back with a grin that made Tsubomi huff and fold her arms over her chest. "Let's go to breakfast, pinky," she said, pushing Tsubomi aside gently by her head so that she could get to the bathroom. "Just give me a minute to get dressed."
"I can't today," Tsubomi said smugly, and it seemed to Yaya that she was taking entirely too much pleasure in not being able to. "I have to show Sei-sempai around campus."
Sei-sempai? A muscle in Yaya's jaw worked as the strange feeling from the day before returned in full force, and she suddenly had the urge to say something- anything that would make Tsubomi stay with her instead.
Bemused, Tsubomi watched the subtle curl of Yaya's upper lip as the older girl leaned back against the door. "Is there a problem with that?" Yaya actually opened her mouth to reply in the affirmative, but Tsubomi held up a hand to silence her. "You know what? It doesn't matter, because I'm doing it anyway. I promised Hikari-sempai," she stated nobly, ruining the effect several seconds later by muttering under her breath, "besides, it's kind of nice to have someone pay attention to me sometimes."
Tsubomi had flushed bright red, but for once, Yaya took no pleasure from it. She didn't like the way Tsubomi said 'for once'- wasn't she always giving the pinkette attention? And that damn blushing that she'd found so amusing just the day before was starting to rub her the wrong way. She stepped towards Tsubomi and was about to say something, but was interrupted by the sound of a voice she'd come to hate in just one day.
"Where's my Tsubomi-chaaaan?" Sei called, grinning the way she did every time she purposefully made Sachiko jealous for Yumi. Sighting the pinkette, she zoomed in on her target and pounced, eliciting the same squeal she had yesterday. Laughing, Sei looked up only to find Yaya glaring daggers at her- the dark-haired girl didn't bother trying to hide it. "Where are you taking me today, Tsubomi-chaaaan?" she asked, seemingly oblivious to Yaya's attempts to kill her with her eyes.
"W-well I was thinking we could start at the chapel, and then go from there?" Tsubomi asked, stumbling over her words yet again. "But maybe we should get breakfast first."
Yaya stood back, watching the exchange with narrowed eyes before she remembered something. "Sorry for interrupting your little reunion," she stated with a smile that the blonde matchmaker was quite familiar with, and Sei read Yaya's statement for the implications beneath it, not the spoken words. "But could you please let me get dressed in private?" But stay away from my girl.
Sei returned the fake smile with a real one of her own and nodded emphatically. "But of course," she stated jovially, grabbing Tsubomi's wrist before Yaya could reach the pinkette. "But I get Tsubomi-chan!"
Tsubomi scoffed. "I doubt saying that was necessary," she mumbled. "It's not as if that of all things makes a difference to her."
Out of the corner of an experienced eye, Sei saw Yaya wince. "Tsubomi-chan…"
Tsubomi sighed and turned to face Yaya. "What, Yaya-sempai? I don't want to make Sei-sempai wait."
Sei held her breath- this was the moment that could make or break the master plan, and it was coming all too soon. Yaya wasn't supposed to have to decide until later whether to fight for her or not, when her feelings would hopefully be more defined. Resigning herself to the inevitable, Sei straightened and looked Yaya dead in the eyes in a nonverbal challenge, playing her part perfectly.
She watched in unadulterated surprise as Yaya set her jaw, her amber eyes flicking from Sei to Tsubomi for only a second before stepping in between the two girls. "I'm sure it won't hurt 'Sei-sempai' to wait for a moment- you've only been fawning over her since the moment she got here," the brunette said, her voice barely more than a growl.
Once over the initial shock, Sei's face split into a wide grin- this girl was more aware of her feelings than Hikari seemed to believe. She was just more careful with them, and who was Sei to blame her? She, of all people, knew the pain of a broken heart. She leaned back against the wall, arms folded over her chest, content to watch the scene that was playing out before her eyes.
"What are you talking about, Yaya-baka?" Tsubomi asked, genuinely confused, but blushing nonetheless. "I haven't been 'fawning' over anyone, and even if I was, it'd be none of your business. I didn't interrupt when you were flinging yourself at Hikari like a lovesick puppy, did I? Not even when it got painful to watch." Tears pricked at the corners of Tsubomi's eyes, but she forced them back; now was not the time to be jealous of Hikari.
"Are you kidding me?" Yaya replied, her tone soaked with disbelief. "Every time she looks at you, you melt into this big, blushing pool of mush!"
"What does it matter!"
This statement caused Yaya's jaw to snap shut, her amber eyes darting away from the furious pinkette. What did it matter? But she knew, because she'd already lost Hikari to Amane, and she wasn't prepared to lose Tsubomi to some pretentious, arrogant womanizer with a lion's grin. "Doesn't," she finally muttered, sitting back down on the bed with her arms folded over her chest. "I'm just…trying to look out for you."
From her position against the wall, Sei could watch as Tsubomi literally melted before her eyes- inside her head, she smirked. This Yaya girl must be really thick if she can't see how much Tsubomi-chan adores her. Sounds familiar…
Tsubomi sighed and shot Sei a pleading look. The older girl nodded with a knowing smile that caused Tsubomi to blush and Yaya to glare. "I'll just go down to breakfast with Hikari-chan, and you can show me around later, yeah?" She left the room as quickly as she'd entered, leaving Tsubomi alone with Yaya.
"Yaya-sempai," Tsubomi said quietly, treading carefully, because she never knew when Yaya was going to slip back into the badly timed teasing and joking. She sat down on the bed beside the older girl, looking up at her through large eyes and carefully resting some of her weight on her shoulders. To her surprise, Yaya's arm snaked around her back, causing the pinkette to fall into her generous chest with an inaudible squeak. Looking down, Yaya grinned and, before Tsubomi quite knew what was happening, kissed the younger girl on her forehead. "Y-yaya-sempai?"
Yaya stared at the wall for a moment. "Why is it different with her?" she finally said, blunt as ever.
Tsubomi bit her lip, caught between two choices that could possibly change the situation drastically- tell Yaya the truth, or lead her on a different trail entirely. Usually Tsubomi liked to think of herself as above lying, but looking at Yaya and her carefree, strong figure, she suddenly felt all the courage drain from her body. It was one thing to live in suspense, never knowing, forever hoping that she could possibly love Tsubomi back. It was another entirely to know that there was no chance at all. "Because…" She paused before it all came out in a rush. "Because it is different with Sei-sempai. All you ever do is argue and tease me and try to get me riled up, while Sei-sempai is kind and charming and…and treats me like an actual person, not an 'impertinent kouhai'." Her tone grew stronger and more bitter as her semi-rant went on, leaving her almost breathless by the time she was finished.
You've already lied for more than a year- what's another day?
She could feel Yaya's eyes on her, but refused to look at the older girl, instead staring straight ahead, fighting back the tears that threatened to leak out.
For her part, Yaya was feeling a whole myriad of emotions, guilt and hurt being among the largest. Tsubomi was right- she did only argue to get a reaction from the younger girl. But it's not like it's my fault she's so cute when she blushes! And then the hurt…it wasn't fair. Tsubomi knew Yaya saw her as more than just another stupid kouhai- she had to! And even if she didn't, she'd only known this Sei girl for a day, and already she ranked higher than Yaya on Tsubomi's scale of affection? And that's where a fire flared within Yaya, and all she wanted to do was shove that stupid Sei-sempai away from her Tsubomi-chan.
Funny that they called it a green-eyed monster- Yaya wondered where they'd come up with that stupid saying, anyway. To Yaya, jealousy was red, like the color her memories were every time she thought back to the way Sei held Tsubomi, offered to kiss her goodnight…
"Um…Yaya-sempai?"
Yaya was jerked from her thoughts to find Tsubomi staring at her with a considerable amount of concern. "What, pinky?"
Tsubomi looked at Yaya with disbelief, confusing the older girl. "You growled," she said, raising an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you didn't know that."
Quickly covering up her surprise, Yaya grinned and leaned well into Tsubomi's personal space, closer than Sei had ever gotten. It better be closer than she's ever gotten… "I think after more than a year, you should know," she began, "that I'm just that sexy."
Tsubomi threw up her arms and let out a loud groan. "Whatever, baka," she cried as she stormed out of the room.
Yaya grinned, waiting until the door slammed shut behind Tsubomi to sigh and lie down on the bed, arms poised behind her head.
She really had to find a way to get Tsubomi away from Sei before it drove her insane.
PGBR
Across the campus, Satou Sei suddenly sneezed, blinking in slight shock before her trademark smirk made its way back onto her face. Someone must be talking about me… Judging from the way she'd just seen Tsubomi storm past, she could make a pretty good guess as to who it was, too.
"What are you doing in here?"
Sei glanced up, her face blank for a second, just as it had been the night before. Then she grinned at the Miator president and shrugged. "I guess my resume impressed the head sister," she said, "because she wants me to train to become the Spica-kaichou after Toumori-san leaves this next year." Sei didn't include the fact that she'd approached the sister with this false proposition just to get closer to this girl who reminded her so much of a friend who felt like something more. "And who knows," she added, "maybe politics won't be the only thing I learn." With a lightning quick, practiced once over and wink, Satou Sei had the indomitable Rokujou Miyuki blushing like a first year.
A slam of the door startled both girls, though Sei's expression quickly turned sly as her gaze found Toumori Shion wearing a her usual scowl as a poor attempt to disguise the green glint in her violet eyes. "I suppose it's useless to ask, but I will anyway," she said, her glare fixed on Sei. "Why are you here, Satou-san?"
Grinning winsomely, Sei flashed a somewhat concerned Miyuki a reassuring wink, watching Shion out of the corner of her eye. The Spican president twitched, her hands clenching, and Sei realized that Shion was one of the types to wear their emotions on their sleeves. "Where there is a beautiful woman, there is a way," she said with a smug smile directed at the fuming president. "Perhaps you're familiar with the concept; however, if you are…" She paused, purposefully looking to Miyuki before looking back to Shion, "I think you need a lesson on how to make yourself appealing to women in the first place. You have the looks for it, other than being a bit on the short side, that is." She eyed Shion appreciatively- she was a pretty girl. Shion folded her arms tightly over her chest, glaring at Sei, and the former Rose realized she'd hit a nerve. Vaguely she wondered whether the broken-looking Miyuki made it a point to lean on those that were stronger physically. It wouldn't be the first time such a thing had happened. "But you obviously lack training in any sort of affection."
Miyuki's eyes widened just a small amount at this- she wasn't stupid, far from it. She knew there was something off ever since Shion snapped at Sei the night before, and now it was almost as if the two were…fighting over her? Her heart leapt at the prospect, but she shoved the feeling back. As much as she'd love to leap into warm, protective arms, the only feeling she'd ever associated with love was the pain of heartbreak. A wry smile graced her features- how perfect, then, that after this year, she would enter a relationship that would rely only on physical contact. Slipping seamlessly back into the council room, she looked up just in time to see Shion's body coiling, readying for another attack.
"Perhaps we should just start the meeting," she said in a no-nonsense voice. Both girls backed down into their seats, Sei wearing that same smug smile, and Shion looking surprisingly adorable with a large pout and furrowed brow. "The president of Lulim, Minamoto-san, is in bed with the flu from what I hear. So…" Here she let out a large sigh, knowing that Chikaru was basically the only thing that kept every meeting from turning into World War III. And that was it, wasn't it? How could she believe in Shion's feelings when the blonde had only ever shown her anger and contempt? "I suppose we should just continue on without her."
"There's really nothing to discuss," Sei pointed out after an awkward silence, earning a glare from Shion. "What?"
Shion huffed. "There is always something to discuss. The progress of the Etoile elections-"
"But the school year's just begun!"
"-school funding-"
"Have you seen the way some of these girls act? There's no shortage of money, I'm sure!"
"-please stop interrupting me," Shion growled, eyes flashing menacingly at Sei, who had somehow maneuvered herself closer to a somewhat amused Miyuki. Shion's expression softened, hoping the girl was amused at the conversation, and not pleased at how much attention she was getting from Sei. "As I was saying…"
Finding Shion's strong, determined voice strangely soothing, Miyuki's mind started to wander for once, knowing Shion's main fight today would be with Sei.
The feeling she got when she began to comprehend the situation hadn't confused her at all- she wouldn't lie. It was uplifting, like an hallelujah chorus to her lonely heart. But if she let her heart have what it wanted, she wasn't sure it could survive another break. And what did it want, anyway? There was no doubt that either of the girls were extremely attractive, Shion especially, though it pained her to admit it. While both were strong, determined types, Sei seemed more playful and less sure of herself than Shion. It wasn't like she couldn't handle the flirting, but selfishly, Miyuki needed stability right now, something that she knew full-well was impossible. What she really wanted was someone who would stand up to her parents and refuse to allow her to be sold off to the highest bidder. Someone who could support her when her parents scratched her from their will; someone who would be happy with her, not just her money.
Miyuki sighed- she wasn't stupid. She knew it was impossible, but was it so wrong to dream of her Prince Charming, just like every other girl in the world?
She was so caught up in her depressive realizations that she didn't notice the concerned look in a pair of violet eyes belonging to a girl who had long-since stopped talking.