I'm back with another chapter y'all! (I've just been watching Paula Dean on the Food Network xD)

A/N: Has anyone else ever burned the roof of their mouth? Like, I was eating a frozen dinner and it got stuck on the roof of my mouth for five seconds, and then I got this huge blister, and it popped and now my mouth hurts like a mother every time I try to eat something =( Which sucks because I totally just bought the best Cheezits ever.

Thank you much for all the reviews! This is kind of a crap chapter for Shion/Miyuki, just because I'm paving the way for a serious angsty/jealous chapter for them, so I'm sorry about that =( I didn't think it would make sense for Shion just to explode about it or anything, though she came pretty damn close. We'll be seeing things from her POV next chapter. I had to start with Miyuki's just because hers was kind of repetitive and boring, but I had to write it anyway. I'm also trying to figure out a great way for Yaya/Tsubomi to happen, but as some of you may or may not be aware, these things are not my specialty. Please keep reviewing- it's what keeps me posting.

Disclaimer: Nothing's mine but the plot! Characters belong to Stopani and Marimite respectively.

How Can You See With Your Eyes Shut?

Chapter Four: Everything I'm Not

"SO, apparently Tsubomi-chan's a cuddle monster or something!"

"Shut up, baka!" the pink-faced pinkette snapped. "You started it anyway. I probably couldn't have gotten away even if I'd tried with your humongous weight holding me down."

Tamao watched the exchange, sweatdropping as she poured their tea. "I'm sure it wasn't anyone's fault," she said quietly, but quickly shrunk back when the full force of both Yaya and Tsubomi's glares hit her. Hikari shot her an apologetic look; she had a feeling that this overdose of PDA that was causing the fight in the first place was very much Yaya's fault. Though she'd only known Yaya for a little more than a year, she knew her best friend preferred to speak through actions rather than words. Her affection with Tsubomi around Sei was probably meant to say what she herself could not.

Speaking of Sei…Hikari hadn't seen her all day. She had seen a feral-looking Shion stalking the halls for unsuspecting prey, though, so Sei had to be somewhere on campus. But where-

"I can't believe you didn't invite me to your party, Hikari-chaaaan!"

Blushing, Hikari faced her grinning cousin with an apologetic look. "Sorry…it's kind of a tradition and I just didn't think about it."

"Ah well, as long as I get to sit with my Tsubomi-chaaan!" Sei crooned, making a beeline for Tsubomi. Nagisa just looked confused, while both Tamao and Hikari were wincing in anticipation. A second before Sei would have collided with the blushing pinkette, Yaya deftly swung herself around to the other side of Tsubomi, thrusting an arm over her shoulders and effectively blocking Sei off. "No fair…" Sei whined convincingly. Hikari suspected she really was a little bit disappointed, and apparently Yaya picked up on that too. Inside, though, Sei was rubbing her hands together in glee. So this girl's the kind of girl who won't just sit there and glare, she thought smugly. Yaya had struck her as that type since the moment Sei arrived at the school, but now that her suspicions were confirmed, she felt extremely pleased with herself. Ah, but there's more, she thought, her eyes once again focusing on the two girl's in front of her. They were better than daytime television, these two.

"What's your problem?" Tsubomi finally managed to stutter, ducking away from Yaya's possessive arm. "Weren't you just accusing me of PDA or whatever you called me?"

"I called you a cuddle monster, because you are," Yaya shot back, stubbornly holding on. "I wasn't getting mad at you or accusing you of anything, except maybe enjoying it too much." She added the last part in with a wink and a quick appraisal of Tsubomi's body, earning her a smack to the back of her head. "Oww…"

"Baka hentai!"

Sei watched, slightly amused as the feud went on. The look on Yaya's face stopped her cold, however; she'd seen that look before. The grin, the wink, the pretending everything's fine even though it's damn well not…she'd seen that face countless times, everywhere she looked. In the pool, in the fountain…in the mirror… She really hoped Yaya realized how much Tsubomi adored her, and soon,

because the girl with the wide, bright smile was resilient to everything except a broken heart. She'd make Tsubomi the center of her universe and if she ever lost her, it would be like the sun exploded, leaving everything in ruins. According to Hikari, the only reason the Yaya she was seeing existed was that Tsubomi was there to pick of the pieces. Sei didn't want to think about what would happen if Yaya's one constant left her behind. Suddenly she realized that the argument had died down, and silence had taken over the small room as a pair of heels clacked down the hallway.

"Damn," Yaya muttered, only to be smacked by Tsubomi. "What?"

"Cursing isn't ladylike!"

Yaya scoffed before continuing. "They're doing double guard duty tonight. Someone probably did something really bad last night or something," she said with a sigh.

"So…"

The amber-eyed girl shot Sei a withering look so poisonous that Sei felt her insides corrode just a little bit. "So we're stuck here. All night."

Tamao bit her lip. "Well, since we don't have as many people as usual…," she began, calculating in her head. "Nagisa-chan and I can share a bed- if it's okay with her." The poet flushed bright red the way only Nagisa could make her. The red-head in question shot her a brilliant smile.

"Of course it's okay, Tamao-chan!"

"R-right," Tamao stuttered, trying desperately to recover gracefully. Yaya cocked an eyebrow, her arm still draped over Tsubomi. "And Sei-san, you can talk with the others to decide where you want to sleep."

Instantly Sei's eyes shot towards Tsubomi just as Hikari bit her lip, not knowing how far to push the situation before it was considered too far. "I call Tsubomi-chaaaan!" she cried joyously, wrapping the pinkette in her arms.

"You damn well do not," Yaya shot back, prying Sei away from Tsubomi with fiery eyes. The pinkette turned and shot her a venomous glare. "Oh, what now? You want to sleep with this hentai?"

"One hentai for another seems like a good trade," Tsubomi huffed, folding her arms over her chest. "And besides, at least that hentai appreciates me." She pursed her lips, her eyes focused on the floor. "And wouldn't you rather sleep with Hikari-sempai anyway?"

Yaya was speechless for a moment, and Sei took that time to flop back on the bed across from Nagisa and Tamao, dragging Tsubomi with her. "Well, that's settled then," she stated, stretching her arms lazily.

As if the words brought her back to life, Yaya stood and pulled Tsubomi away from Sei. "No, it's not," she spat, one arm looped over Tsubomi's waist as if to hold her still. "Sleep with Hikari- you're her cousin, so it doesn't matter if you perv on her."

"Yaya-sempai!"

Tsubomi wasn't as angry as she was shocked- she'd never heard Yaya be so careless about Hikari's safety. Granted, Sei was related to her, and they were already sharing a room, but…for Yaya to choose her over Hikari…her heart swelled with a hope that she'd been trying so desperately to repress for the past year. "C'mon, Tsu-bo-mi- we can take the floor."

"Okay- wait, what?"

PGBR

Tsubomi puffed out her cheeks, and then was overcome by a vague despondence, realizing that no one could see her disapproval. She'd been rolling around on the floor since she'd woken up at one a.m., unable to get comfortable on the rough wood. Yaya seemed to be absolutely at home, her arms spread out behind her head, sprawled out in an altogether unladylike manner that Tsubomi would usually have frowned upon, but in the dead of night, no one was there to call her for smiling down at the adorable sight.

"'s late, Tsu-bo-mi-chaaaaan." Tsubomi started as a pair of sleepy amber eyes blinked up at her. "Why aren't you 'sleep?"

Fighting back the urge to giggle at Yaya's sleep-stunted vocabulary, Tsubomi lay back down, her back to Yaya. "I just woke up," she replied quietly. "I think maybe I should have taken Sei up on her offer. Oh, wait- that's right, I didn't have a choice!"

She heard Yaya scoff, and there was a vague rustling sound before she felt a strong arm pull her directly on top of the older girl. "What are you doing?" she hissed, glad Yaya couldn't see the red in her cheeks. "Baka- I'll crush you!"

Another scoff. "You'd have to gain another two hundred pounds to do that," Yaya mumbled, "now shuddup 'n sleep."

Tsubomi huffed, remaining in her awkward position until she heard Yaya's breathing slow. Then slowly she adjusted herself so that her left arm was wrapped around Yaya's shoulders from behind, her right placed just over Yaya's collarbone. With the sleep distorting her thoughts, she couldn't see the point in keeping up with her façade at the moment. With blurred vision, she watched as her hand rose and fell with the older girl's breathing before sleep quickly claimed her as well.

PGBR

Yaya awoke the next morning to the sensation of light, quiet breathing and a heavy weight, warm weight on her chest, a ticklish feeling at her chin. Blinking the light from her eyes, she glanced down to see Tsubomi draped over her chest, her arms wrapped tightly around Yaya's form and her legs tangled with the older girl's. She was still dead asleep, and would every so often snuggle deeper into the crook of Yaya's neck.

A flash of light blinded Yaya for a second time, and she shook her head before glancing up to find a grinning Sei (whom she glared at for no particular reason other than existing), a guilty-looking Tamao holding a camera, a squealing Nagisa, and a very ecstatic Hikari. "You're all too happy," she observed. "You need another few hours of sleep." With that, she wrapped both arms around Tsubomi and rolled onto her side, burying her face in the pinkette's fine hair.

PGBR

After waking up in Nagisa and Tamao's dorm, Sei made her way down to breakfast, still groggy from sleep. In fact, she almost walked right into one person, and probably would have, too, except the person spoke at the last moment, causing her to veer towards a wall, only to be pulled back by a pair of dainty hands.

"Are you alright?" Miyuki asked, looking extremely concerned; Sei couldn't blame her. She always looked a sight in the mornings, and the fact that this was a boarding school meant she had to do it in public. "Satou-san?"

Sei grinned sleepily. "Call me Sei-chaaan," she said with practiced ease, winking at Miyuki for good measure. They were so alike…she could see herself falling for this girl.

"Satou-san!"

She groaned internally. If she was ever allowed to, that is…

"Hey, kaichou-sama," she said, turning to Shion with a grin and a lazy salute. A pair of violet eyes narrowed even further, and Sei grabbed Miyuki's wrist, pulling her towards the dining room.

Shion stepped in front of her, blocking her path. "What do you think you're doing?" she practically snarled. Sei felt Miyuki tense behind her and realized that something must have happened. Even though Yaya/Tsubomi mimicked Sachiko/Yumi in its nature, Shion was much more like the temperamental heiress than Yaya was. After any kind of event with Yumi, Sachiko would always be significantly more possessive for a good week or so, and Shion was simply radiating Sachiko at the moment.

Sei instantly adopted what she liked to call her 'Sachiko-mode', aka, 'piss Sachiko (or Shion, in this case) off as much as possible for no good reason other than a good laugh'. "Well, I thought I was escorting this lovely lady to breakfast," Sei said smoothly, her hand easily finding Miyuki's lower back, noting the way Shion's fists clenched tightly enough to draw blood. "A perfectly good reason, wouldn't you agree?"

Eyes flashing, the Spican president looked as if she was ready to fight, and Sei, for the first time, wondered if it had been a good idea to pick a fight with a true Spican- notoriously proud and territorial. "Don't touch her," she growled, taking a step towards Sei. Despite being several inches shorter than the other blonde, the fire in her eyes almost made Sei take a step back. Beside her, Miyuki watched the scene with a kind of twisted interest.

There was no way two girls- two confident, beautiful, determined girls could be fighting over Miyuki when her own family wouldn't even want her if she weren't pretty enough to fetch a nice dowry. Realizing suddenly that the situation could escalate if no one intervened, Miyuki stepped between the two girls, instantly causing Shion to back down, the fire in her eyes dimmed, but still spitting. "Stop it," she said quietly but firmly, staring directly into the violet eyes that now held what should have been an illegal amount of hurt. Shion was her exact opposite; where Miyuki was quiet and stealthy, Shion was loud and brash. Where Miyuki was the follower, Shion was the leader. And where Miyuki could easily hide her emotions behind a mask of glass, Shion wore her heart on her sleeve. "Please."

Shion's lips parted as if to say something more, but she seemed to decide against it, instead fixing Sei with one last, half-hearted glare before retreating into the dining room. Miyuki felt her heart break in her chest; who was this girl to enter her life as a ticking time bomb and suddenly be completely devoted to her ten years later? And it wasn't as if Miyuki was doing something wrong; on the contrary, she was sparing Shion's heart.

Miyuki sighed and rubbed her temple with her fingertips. Raising her eyebrows, Sei glanced down at her. "Did something happen?" she asked carefully, eyes trailing the Spican's fiery path. "She seemed kind of…"

"Angry? Annoyed?" Miyuki asked, slowly walking towards the dining room.

Sei shrugged. "I was gonna say territorial. You know, like a German Shepard or something," she said casually, noting the way Miyuki tensed again. She fixed Miyuki with a steady stare until the Miator president sighed and turned to face her.

"Yesterday," she began hesitantly, as if she didn't know where she was going with her words, "she waited for me after the meeting. She was worried about me and she…she kissed me." Miyuki's voice trailed off, her eyes dazed slightly with what Sei recognized as a kind of shocked joy.

Inside, Sei sighed- she should have known better than to assume she had a chance with this girl. Miyuki needed a hero.

So had Shiori.

And Sei was anything but.

Looking into those sad brown eyes, she realized that the most she could do was help Miyuki be happy with someone who could save her. "And then…"

"And then…" Miyuki replied slowly, "and then…I ran."

"You ran?" Sei asked slowly. "No wonder she was so jealous," she murmured to herself, watching as Miyuki bit the corner of her lip.

"What do you mean?" Miyuki asked.

Sei shrugged. "She reminds me of someone I used to know, kind of like you," she said. "Someone I used to mess with because of how easily she got jealous. She had someone…her petite soeur, kind of like a little sister…and she had the hardest time letting her emotions show through the way they're supposed to. She'd always replace them with anger or annoyance, and then got jealous when I'd show her the love she wanted to." Sei smiled fondly. "Sound like someone you know?"

Miyuki nodded slowly. "And…is that what you think was wrong?" she asked quietly. Sei frowned slightly. She was so used to being shrugged off; so used to being unwanted that she couldn't believe someone might actually want her. "Don't get me wrong…I know she likes me…but I don't…I don't want to hurt her." Her eyes dimmed and lowered to the ground. "I know what it feels like to be led on, and I was smart enough not to let it go farther then…I don't think Shion understands."

"Shizuma?" Sei asked, her eyebrow raised. Miyuki nodded. "Right, well, I think Shion does understand. I think she just wants you to realize that you're not chained to this man."

Miyuki scoffed. "But I am," she said bitterly. "I have been since I first arrived at Astraea Hill. It's not like I'm going to be horribly disappointed with whoever he is, because it's not like I didn't know this was coming. And Shion knows it too." She folded her arms across her chest, her eyes darting to the floor like they always would when she was trying to distance herself from her emotions. "There's no reason for her to suddenly start caring now."

Sei shrugged, her gaze flickering to the dining room, easily pinpointing a glaring Shion from just a few meters away. "Then talk to her about it," she said, "I've never understood why girls need to be so complicated. Anyway, whatever you do, you need to at least explain it to her soon. I don't want to be on the receiving end of it when she finally loses it."

Miyuki looked like she wanted to argue, but her eyes followed Sei and she caught the look Shion was shooting the other girl. "Okay," she said resignedly, brushing past Sei and into the dining hall, taking her place beside Chikaru, who was, miraculously, once again at perfect health. She shot the Le Rim president a suspicious look, to which Chikaru returned a plucky smile. Beside Chikaru on her other side, Shion's violet eyes followed Miyuki in a way that the Spican president probably thought was discreet.

Miyuki just shook her head and tried to ignore both the look of intense hurt that Shion sent her as well as the vaguely disappointed look from Sei.

She couldn't do it. It would be better to run away now and live a safe life with a man she could possibly learn to love than to fall for another person she couldn't trust.