Here's another chapter just because I can't just leave off with Miyuki's fiancé angst looming around the corner- I'll decide whether to continue or not after this.

MalokaiKuhlua: Thanks!

Kaze Rei: I like ShionXChikaru too- for some reason I have a strange fascination with Shion's character…this weird pairing was due to a picture I saw in the manga of Miyuki kissing Shion's hand for some sort of pact.

Bumface: Thanks =) I'll do my best.

Ptolemaeus the Mighty: Thanks =) I'm a girl, btw, if that helps ;) And wouldn't it be interesting? I think Yaya would go kung fu on their ass to protect her little tsundere =D

GardenBeauty: Thanks! I'm glad I was able to capture the right mood for the chapter.

How Can You See With Your Eyes Closed?

Chapter Seven: Even If You Run

Tsubomi knelt on the floor in between Tamao and (ugh) Chiyo in the room that Nagisa and Tamao shared, trying to pretend she didn't know just where her maybe-semi-girlfriend was at the moment.

It had been days since the kiss, but other than that one kiss the morning after, Yaya hadn't shown any signs of wanting to be anything more. Baka, she thought, though she wasn't sure whether it was directed at Yaya or herself, you knew better than this. You knew this would happen. She sat up straighter as a knock came at the door, hoping that maybe…

But she was greeted by a head of messy blonde hair and a grin that would have put the Cheshire cat to shame. For the first time since Shiori, Sei felt her heart drop as she saw the pinkette's expression going from hopeful to listless in a matter of seconds. Tsubomi's shoulders had dropped and she seemed to grow smaller than she already was, and Sei could just see the perky cat ears droop. "Hey, it's my favorite cutie," she chorused, flopping down beside the pinkette in an attempt to make her smile. And she did- a little half smile that would have broken a more fragile girl's heart. Sei frowned- a girl like Tsubomi (any girl, in fact) should never have to fake a smile. Had she done the wrong thing in pushing the two together? Yaya's possessiveness could just be the way the girl responded to having her friends taken from her- but no, she had definitely seen something there.

"Hi, Sei-senpai," Tsubomi said quietly, staring down into her tea. One look at the bluenette across the room told Sei that she'd been like this all night. Tamao was watching the pinkette with a mixture of sadness and empathy, and Sei could only imagine what this poor girl had gone through.

"Where's Yaya-chan?"

Sei regretted speaking immediately when Tsubomi shrunk even further into herself, and was almost positive she could now guess where the brunette in question was. "She's with Hikari-senpai," Tsubomi said, her voice all but a whisper. "She was upset because…because she and Amane-sama…it turns out that Hikari didn't have any real feelings for Amane-sama."

Tamao nodded her agreement. "Idol worship," she said softly, giving Tsubomi a moment to collect herself. "They hardly knew each other."

Nagisa mimicked Tamao's gesture fervently. "And from what we hear, everything between Hikari-chan and Yaya-chan was a bit blurry," she said, oblivious to Tamao's desperate attempt to shut her up with her eyes. "Hikari-chan did push Yaya-chan away but apparently she responded at first. She-"

Too late, Tamao clapped a hand over Nagisa's mouth in a last-ditch attempt to save the situation. Sei turned her gaze to a positively broken-looking Tsubomi. The pinkette's eyes raised to meet her own. "I already knew," she said quietly. "Just hearing it…was a bit of a shock." She'd never heard the pinkette so docile before. It reminded her of things she'd forced from her head a long time ago. "She asked Yaya-senpai to meet her in the chapel."

Sei watched as Tamao's head dropped along with Tsubomi's, as if she truly knew what the pinkette was feeling.

Suddenly the door burst open a second time, revealing a grinning Yaya and a blushing Hikari attached to her arm. Tsubomi's knuckles turned white around the poor teacup she was strangling as the smug brunette plopped herself down onto the floor right beside the pinkette.

"Hey guys, what'd we miss?" she asked, popping a cookie into her mouth. Her gaze shifted around the room when her question went unanswered. "Hey, what's up with you guys?" she asked hesitantly, taking in Sei's solemn expression, Nagisa's tentative lip biting and Tsubomi's hunched posture. But it was the expression on Tamao's face that really scared her. The bluenette's eyes flashed with disdain and her lips curled downwards as if she'd smelled something vile. "Tamao-chan?" Yaya leaned slightly into Hikari as a means to escape Tamao's wrath.

At that moment, Tsubomi couldn't take it anymore and set her teacup on the ground before darting out of the room. Yaya stood up quickly, completely lost but prepared to follow the pinkette, but found herself trapped by Tamao's iron grip on her wrist. "I would think," the bluenette hissed, her voice so quiet that no one else could hear her, "that you'd be a little more sensitive, considering what we both went through. How could you wish that on anyone else, especially the girl who saved you from whatever cave you buried yourself in? The girl who adores you more than anything?"

Yaya frowned, jerking out of Tamao's grasp. "Let go," she snapped. "I don't know what the hell you're talking about, but nobody's going to tell me when I can talk to my girlfriend."

Tamao scoffed in disbelief. On the floor, Hikari and Nagisa both inched closer to Sei, a bit scared of the two girls, especially the normally tame Tamao, who'd never said so much as a negative syllable against anyone, not even Shizuma. "Your girlfriend?" Tamao asked, incredulous. "So you're not just a player, then? Now you're greedy too?"

"Greedy?"

"Not only do you want Tsubomi, but now that Hikari's available, you can't choose between them?"

Yaya recoiled as if she'd been slapped, and suddenly a quiet voice rang out from the floor. All eyes turned to a mousy-looking Hikari. "Yaya-chan and I aren't a couple," she said quietly, avoiding the stares. "I did ask her, but…she said she had someone else now. I guess she was thinking of Tsubomi-chan?"

Tamao blinked and Yaya shot her a scathing look. "So that's why she ran away?" she asked hotly, "because she thinks I'm still in love with Hikari? I guess you told her that, too."

"What was I supposed to do?" Tamao shot back. "Let her get hurt the same way you were? The same way I was?"

Yaya ran a hand through her hair and took a calming breath. "Right, well I'm going to go find her before she gets hurt," she stated, her protective instinct overpowering her need to continue arguing with Tamao. Who knew what kind of people prowled around Astraea Hill at night? "And I expect you to explain this to her."

PGBR

Miyuki stood between her mother and father, head bowed appropriately as the man before her pressed a kiss to her hand.

"You have such a beautiful daughter, sir," he said to Miyuki's father, who grunted approvingly. Miyuki almost scoffed; all her father cared about was the money. As long as this man would put up with her, he was happy. "I cannot wait for you to become my wife."

"Miyuki, the head sister instructed us that you would introduce us to the leaders of your student body to show how much you have grown," Miyuki's mother said, fixing her with a pointed gaze. Miyuki bit her lip- she hadn't been informed of this technicality until earlier that morning. Shion had promised to behave but with the way Hideshi had been acting so far…

"Of course," she said with a bow, stepping in front of her mother and accepting her…fiance's proffered arm. "This way, please, Hideshi-san."

Outside the council room, Miyuki could hear the head sister beginning the introductions to the rest of the student council. She took a deep breath, and, willing herself to keep her composure, she pushed the door to the room open, sparing a small smile to her concerned-looking best friend. Shizuma sat back, her eyes clouded over with disinterest, though she was secretly scanning the man before her for flaws.

Chikaru sent a gentle smile Hideshi's way, though her eyes didn't reflect it. Despite whatever disagreements existed within the council, they all knew of the situation, and they all knew that this man was the reason Miyuki had stopped smiling.

Shooting Chikaru a grateful smile, which the Le Rim president returned with a concerned gaze of her own, Miyuki sat in her chair across from Shion. She didn't look at the Spican president.

Hideshi and her parents sat on the chairs beside her, oblivious to the invisible conversation going on between the presidents. "I'm glad to see you were associating with the right sort of people," he said, puffing out his chest. Miyuki caught Shizuma coughing into her hand and shot the other girl a glare. Shizuma's eyes glinted mischievously.

Miyuki's shoulders tensed as she felt a heavy weight land on her shoulders. Beside her, Hideshi grunted in a satisfied sort of way, and she cringed. Less than an hour and she could understand Shizuma's hatred of men.

"Huge, self-righteous oafs that think they have the right to every girl in the world without a bit of effort."

Miyuki pursed her lips- okay, so maybe Shizuma's description had been a little bit biased, but Miyuki could see the truth in it in Hideshi. She raised her eyes to meet Shizuma's. The other girl raised an eyebrow, and her olive eyes flickered over to the left for a fraction of a second. Miyuki followed her eyes and immediately wished she hadn't- Shion was glaring at the man with an intensity that could have melted a more perceptive man. As it was, Hideshi was entirely focused on whatever the head sister was saying, and Miyuki took the chance to send a pleading glance to Chikaru, who in turn put a hand on Shion's forearm. The bluenette felt her eyes narrow, but she forced herself to look away from the scene, knowing that it was for the best.

Several minutes later, Miyuki felt a scratchy, rough sensation against the back of her neck and forced herself to swallow back bile as she realized what was happening. Hideshi was trying to seduce her- in front of her parents, no less.

In front of Shion.

Miyuki looked up fearfully, her eyes meeting with the Spican's only to find an absolutely enraged expression that she'd only seen once before, when Chikaru won the role of Carmen in last year's play. Her teeth were clenched like her hands, and, after watching for a moment, Miyuki realized that she was actually shaking. When Shion realized that Miyuki was staring, she shot her one last, pleading gaze before abruptly standing when the Miator president shook her head. "Excuse me, I'm not feeling well," she bit out before practically storming from the room. Chikaru's eyes became riveted to Miyuki's, and she sighed heavily, though she was secretly glad to have an excuse to shrug out of Hideshi's arms.

"I should see if she's alright," Miyuki said, donning a near-perfect apologetic expression for her fiancé. She cringed inwardly at the mere word. "If that's acceptable?"

Hideshi replied with a patronizing smile. "Of course," he said. "I am honored to have a fiancée who is so caring of her friends."

Miyuki attempted to return the smile and left the room before the façade crumbled. She stood there, against the wall to the council room, for the longest time, trying to collect herself. It was worse than she'd imagined- she'd had a hunch about the age difference, but such a repulsive man, and a liar at that… She knew it was all a façade for the sake of her parents, and it was ironic, really, considering that she was doing the same.

Finally she glanced up, having managed to steady her breathing for the time being, and easily located Shion. The Spican was leaning against the banister to the stairway, arms folded over her chest, her violet eyes boring into Miyuki. The Miator president sighed and slowly made her way over, stopping only about a foot away from Shion. "What is it, Shion?"

"I think you know what it is," the Spican said coolly. When Miyuki's shoulders dropped, revealing her true exhaustion, Shion's eyes softened considerably and she pushed away from the banister, taking one of the Miator president's hands in her own and kissing her knuckles. "He's just a little more than I thought he'd be, Miyuki," she said tiredly, pulling Miyuki to her by her lower back. "I don't see how you can stand him touching you like that."

"Obviously," the Miator president intoned. "Do you think you can manage? He'll only be here for a few days at the most."

Shion grumbled noncommittally. "I don't like the way he looks at you," she stated unhelpfully. "And the way he touches you. It makes me want to rip the fingers off his hands so he can't touch you anymore."

"Someone's protective," Miyuki said lowly, focusing her gaze on Shion's collarbone, because it seemed easier than meeting the Spican's eyes. Her heart was beginning to race the way hearts do when they know something's about to happen, and she knew she had to get out of there. "I have to go back, Shion."

The Spican sighed and leaned her forehead against Miyuki's for a moment before pulling back and placing a firm kiss to her forehead. "If he tries anything, I want you to tell me," she said seriously as she pulled away. "I'll make sure no woman will ever have anything to do with him again."

"You know I can't do that," Miyuki said, her heart dropping at the defeated look on Shion's face. "It would ruin everything."

"He's not the only choice you know."

Miyuki frowned, drawing further away from Shion, who was now staring at the floor. "What do you mean? I've told you a hundred times, my parents-"

"Chose him for his money and good family," Shion finished for her. "I know. But…you do realize you're attending a school full of rich girls from powerful families, right? One of them's bound to like you." And there- it was out. Somewhat.

Miyuki rolled her eyes. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Tomori-san," she said, smiling slightly when Shion winced. "As if I'd do that to any girl here- force them to marry me and pay my parents' dowry only to let me go once it was all said and done."

Shion scuffed the floor with the toe of her shoe, looking strangely nervous. "What if she knew all that already?" she asked quietly. "What if she was willing to do it just to see you smile again?"

Miyuki was silent for a moment before her eyes flashed with understanding. "No," she said sharply, causing the Spican to almost physically recoil. "Don't talk like that, Shion. I'm not worth the trouble it would cause your family and I'm not worth the dowry. It's one thing to let…to let that man pay it, but I won't bring this situation near anyone I halfway respect."

"What if I want to?" Shion asked quietly, switching from the hypothetical seamlessly, not seeing the point in continuing to hide her intentions. "What if the money didn't matter- what if my social standing didn't matter? Would you say yes then?" She was begging now, pressing in on Miyuki with a new urgency. "What if I couldn't bear to let your smile disappear forever?"

"There's no point in dwelling on what ifs, Shion," Miyuki said, her tone cold as ice once more. She sighed, turning to look back over her shoulder in the direction of the room that her…fiancé…was seated in. "Go to bed, alright? I have to go back to the meeting."

She turned and left, and Shion reached out to stop her a moment too late, and was forced to watch her disappear through the council room door, back into the arms of the man she didn't love. Back into the arms of the man she loathed, but still chose over her.

Her hands clenched into fists at her side- she would not give up. Not yet.

PGBR

"Tsubomi…"

"Go away," the pinkette growled from the front of the chapel, where she was seated in one of the pews. Hot tears were slipping down her cheeks at an alarming rate, but she didn't dare wipe them away. So far Yaya was still behind her, and as long as she didn't come any closer, nothing would be given away. "I'm practicing."

Yaya smirked. "What, keeping your mouth shut for more than five seconds?" A growl came from the front of the chapel, and Yaya walked over to where Tsubomi was seated, hands clasped behind her back. "Why'd you run out like that, pinky?"

"Because I couldn't stand to watch you corrupt another innocent person." That was half true, at least. She sighed, finally rubbing the tears away from her eyes so that she could turn to face Yaya. It was dark enough that if Yaya stayed far enough away, she wouldn't notice the redness of Tsubomi's eyes or her tear-stained cheeks. "What are you doing here, anyway? How long have you loved Hikari-senpai now? Shouldn't you be enjoying your time with her now that your feelings are returned?"

Yaya sighed, noting the way Tsubomi's voice broke. "I don't love Hikari- not like that, not anymore," she said, not really surprised when she heard Tsubomi scoff. She took a step forward and in one fluid movement had her arm wrapped around Tsubomi's waist, maneuvering her so that she could slip into the pew beside the pinkette. "I know it's hard to believe," she began, keeping a firm arm around Tsubomi despite the latter's squirming, "but after what happened with her and Amane…she abandoned me, Tsubomi-chan. If you hadn't been there, I'd probably have done some pretty stupid things by now. Hikari isn't like Nagisa-chan; she can't focus her attention on more than one person at once. She gets attached, and she doesn't need or want anyone else. The only reason their relationship ended at all was because Amane cut things off. And it's not like I got over my feelings in one day, either. It took a while, but…I'm not the kind of person who can be okay with not knowing whether my girlfriend is going to need me the next day or not. I'm stubborn and overprotective and as I'm sure you've told me a thousand times, I'm an idiot. Especially when it comes to someone I really care about."

Tsubomi was silent for a moment, having given up her struggle against Yaya's much stronger arm. "Why are you telling me this?" she finally asked. "It's not like it affects me, whether you're with Hikari-senpai or not."

Yaya frowned. "What do you mean, it's not like it affects you?" she asked, sincerely confused, her pride slightly dented. Tsubomi couldn't possibly have forgotten, could she? Yaya was renowned for her skills… "I thought…the other night…"

"Was just a stupid hookup," Tsubomi interjected, her words laced with venom as she jerked out from beneath Yaya's arm. The older girl was too shocked to stop her, and simply watched as Tsubomi stalked down the aisle towards the door. "You should learn to keep your hormones under control, Yaya-senpai." And then she was gone.

Yaya sat there, shell-shocked, blinking hazily as if trying to understand how the conversation had gotten to this point. And then suddenly her brain kicked in, telling her that Tsubomi had just walked out into the forest in the middle of the night in an area that was probably crawling with perverts trying to get their hands on a young, cute girl like her tsundere. She was out of the pew in a flash, thanking her athletic skills for the edge they would give her on finding Tsubomi.

It didn't take her long at all- after about three minutes of frantic searching, she caught sight of a shivering bundle pressed tightly up against a large tree. "Tsubomi."

Tsubomi glanced up, her eyes wide and her face streaked with tears. "Why are you-" She didn't get to finish- she was cut off by the older girl taking three quick strides in her direction and easily lifting her off the ground, catching her in a tight embrace.

"Don't ever do that to me again," Yaya mumbled into Tsubomi's light sweater. "Do you have any idea what could have happened to you?"

Unable to fight her instincts any longer, Tsubomi clung to Yaya, her hands gripping the older girl's shoulders and her face cold with the sensation of the wind blowing on her wet face. "Yaya-senpai…" she murmured, sniffing wetly and hardly reacting when she felt the older girl scoop her up easily, carrying her towards the dorms. Tsubomi only held on tighter and buried her face in Yaya's shoulder. She had been so terrified- it was almost one a.m. When she'd first run from the dorms, she was too consumed with emotion to notice her surroundings, but when she'd run from the chapel, she'd become paralyzed with fear. In reality, she knew that Yaya was just a teenage girl like herself, and more attractive, at that, and therefore an easier target. But something inside her told her to trust the older girl, and she was tired of hurting.

Yaya carried Tsubomi back to her own dorm room, having no intention of allowing the pinkette to spend the night alone. She gently lowered her onto her own bed, considering that the other was stripped of its covers. Once she was sure that Tsubomi was comfortable, she sunk down onto the bed herself, her head cradled in her hands. "Tsubomi-chan," she began, thinking over her words before speaking. "What happened the other night…it meant something to me. And that doesn't mean it has to mean something to you, even though I really think it did. But please, don't run off like that again."

Tsubomi nodded mutely, the covers raised up to her nose. She could smell Yaya's sweet perfume on the fabric, and felt her cheeks flaring up once more.

Yaya glanced over at her and sighed. "Tsubomi-chan…" she murmured, brushing the pinkette's bangs away from her face. "I really want you to be my girlfriend," she stated bluntly, figuring that was the only way she would ever be able to put it out there. "I know I'm stupid and stubborn and way too jealous for my own good, but I really care about you, and if you like me too, I really want you to tell me."

Tsubomi looked down at the covers. "Of course I like Yaya-senpai," she said quietly before turning her amber gaze up to meet Yaya's. "But she avoided me for days after what happened between us, and now she wants me to be her girlfriend?"

Yaya sighed. "You know what happened between me and Hikari?" she asked, relieved when Tsubomi nodded. "Do you really think I was willing to go through that again, especially with the one girl who's always been by my side? I didn't want to mess anything up."

Slowly, Tsubomi let the covers fall as she sat up. "You didn't mess anything up," she said softly, her eyes red from crying. "You're just a baka- it's to be expected."

Yaya grinned and leaned over, stealing a kiss from the pinkette before Tsubomi could protest. "Good," she said, her eyes dancing in a way that made Tsubomi's heart soar. She hadn't seen that look on Yaya since before the incident with Hikari. "Because you do realize you're stuck with me, right?"

Tsubomi faked a groan. "I should have thought of that before," she muttered, only to giggle when Yaya jumped onto the bed, straddling Tsubomi between her legs.

"Yeah," the brunette said with a roguish grin, leaning down to press her lips to Tsubomi's neck. "You really should have."

Finally another update! I'm working on a MariMite fic, so it's taking a bit longer than usual =P A/N: I meant no offense to anyone by Shizuma's view on men. I actually quite like them ;) I just wanted to make Hideshi's character a bit more hateable.