ShadowApparation: I feel like Yaya will eventually catch on, it just takes her a bit longer, I judge her reaction time the way I used to judge my boyfriends', lol. So far it's been pretty dead on :3 Oh my god, I actually total forgot about those two, they're just boring to me…but don't worry, I won't leave any loose ends. And thanks :)

Themightymustachex3: Wow, thanks :3 That means a lot, I hope you keep enjoying this story :)

AlexSamtin: Thanks :)

Obsidian and Cobalt: Thanks :D And yeah, feeling like that…I'm empathetic to begin with, it's one of the worst feelings in the world for me. And thanks :)

Kisa Cross: Thanks, I'm glad :3 And thanks, it really is nice to know I'm not alone. It's like no matter how hard I try, I always mess things up. The more I care, the worse it is, you know?

TheDarkAznVampZard: Thanks :) You're so right, there always needs to be more SP!

Jam: Yeah, it was, it still hurts a lot, really, even though things kind of got fixed. Everything's moving so fast D: Thanks :3

XxRin-sanxX: Like I said in my message, I'd be happy to see a story like that, the world needs more SP fanfiction!

So guys, when someone calls your writing shit (cute shit) is it a compliment or an insult? O.o Also, to really put the cherry on top of one of the worst weeks of my life, I lost a HUNDRED dollar bill the other day D: I was gonna go shopping.. :(

No Shion and Miyuki in this chapter, their story isn't finished but I had to get this other stuff out of the way first :)

XxxxX

How Can You See With Your Eyes Closed?

Chapter Fifteen: Free-fall into Me

xXLiStLesSXx

XxxxX

Yaya was really starting to feel the effects of Tsubomi-withdrawal. Or really, cute-girl withdrawal. Her body was aching for affection, but the last thing she wanted to do was give Tsubomi another reason not to forgive her by going back to Hikari again.

But she just couldn't understand it. Tsubomi seemed fine (albeit mildly annoyed) whenever Yaya mentioned other girls on the Hill, unlike Yaya herself, who grit her teeth every time the pinkette mentioned having more than friendly feelings for anyone. The pinkette seemed to accept Yaya's libido for what it was…at least, until it came to Hikari.

"You don't get it at all, do you?"

Yaya practically growled at the sound of the voice she'd grown to hate. First Hikari, now Tsubomi…would this girl never get tired of stealing the things she cared for away? "I don't know what you're talking about, Ootori," she bit out, her arms folded tightly over her chest as she glared straight ahead of her. "Haven't you done enough? Even when you stole Hikari from me, you couldn't even hold onto her long enough not to ruin everything all over again, right when it was starting to look up."

Amane shrugged. "I don't own Hikari," she said simply. "Anyway, it's none of my business what happens between you and Tsubomi-chan-"

"Damn straight it isn't," Yaya growled, bristling at Amane's words. "And who gave you the right to call her that?"

Sighing, Amane ignored the jab, realizing that it was the insecure, jealous part of Yaya talking. "Whoever's fault this whole mess was…blaming someone else won't get you anywhere, Nanto-san," she said in a low, unwavering tone. "Tsubomi-san doesn't want to hear about how none of this was your fault, or about how Hikari started it. You have to remember that you kissed her back, and even if you don't find reason to apologize for what happened between the two of you, you at least owe her the time spent to make it up to her. You can't just expect her to get over it with no real effort on your part."

Yaya scoffed, willing herself not to show how much the words affected her; how stupid she felt that Prince Charming had to be the one to point it out to her. "As if you can go around preaching about love," she muttered under her breath, not even realizing what she had just said.

Amane merely nodded, surprised at the sudden confession, but not altogether shocked that the brunette felt that way for her pink-haired…whatever she was, at the moment. Girlfriends would probably be a stretch, even if Yaya was still referring to them as such, and she was positive Tsubomi would have her head for encouraging the brunette. "You're right," she admitted, "but just because Hikari and I haven't worked out doesn't mean that you should put yourself above taking advice from others."

Yaya scoffed again, fully prepared to lash out, but Amane continued on.

"Think about this, Nanto-san," she said, "Will knowing that my relationship with Hikari failed make it any less painful to you if Tsubomi leaves you because you put yourself above doing everything in your power to make her come back?" She hesitated there for a moment. "If so…I used to think of you as my serious competition, Nanto-san, but if your pride is stopping you from saving your relationship with the girl you love, you're not the girl I thought you were."

Yaya's temper spiked, but Amane was walking away even as the brunette yelled at her back, "As if I care what you think of me, Ohtori!"

And then she was gone, and Yaya slumped back down on the couch, wondering if maybe Amane's words were true.

Well of course they're true but…

Yaya stared down at her feet. Would she really lose Tsubomi if things kept going on like this? For every stupid, thoughtless thing Yaya had done, the pinkette had forgiven her within days. But now…

She didn't recognize the look in Tsubomi's eyes, not on the pinkette. Tsubomi was supposed to be bossy, loud, and, above all, optimistic. But that look, it was like…it was like Tsubomi had given up, like she was agreeing to give Yaya a second chance only because she truly believed she couldn't hurt anymore than she was right now.

It was like a ticking clock, a bomb waiting to go off. It was as if she had accepted Yaya's fleeting devotion as inevitable, only sticking around because really, what could it hurt?

And that realization hurt Yaya more than she thought possible. It was realizing that she was in love, in love with a girl who had remained utterly loyal to her, stuck by her side through everything, no less. It was realizing that she had a chance at happiness, a chance at something even bigger than whatever she'd had with Hikari, and then realizing that she might have already thrown that chance away.

And for the first time in years, silent tears fell down Yaya's cheeks, as if she didn't realize she was crying at all.

PGBR

Chikaru lay flat on her back on the large bed, her head turned towards Tamao, who currently had her nose buried in a book of poetry.

This was to be the last night of their trip before the return to Astraea Hill (the real world), and she wanted to clear a few things up before they left, because she wasn't sure how easy it would be to have so much time together anywhere else. That in itself wasn't a problem- the real problem came in that she wasn't sure exactly how to ask these questions of the adorable blunette sharing her bed.

Chikaru was patient in many ways, even in love, to an extent, but she wasn't a hookup kind of person. It wasn't that she thought that Tamao was, but she did know from firsthand experience what the pains of unrequited love could do to any woman, especially a young, emotional girl. She still remembered that night, not so long ago in her fourth year, when Shion came to her after not speaking directly to her in years, in tears because that was the day she discovered that Miyuki was in love with Shizuma. She was certain that she meant nothing to Shion- not in that way, at least.

And everything was okay, because it didn't have to mean anything. But sitting here, now, with her growing feelings for Tamao, Chikaru wasn't sure she could bear to be in that position again, not for the girl she was well on her way to falling for.

And it wasn't that she thought Tamao would be angry with her, either; she liked to think she knew the blunette better than that. It was the honesty she wasn't sure she would be able to bear; the honesty that she knew Tamao would face her with in answering her question.

Chikaru shook the thoughts from her head- this wasn't like her at all. She was kind, patient, forgiving…anything but petty and insecure. But every time she saw Tamao's eyes light up around Nagisa, a sick, unfamiliar emotion lit up in her chest, and all she wanted to do was claim the blunette for her own.

She sighed- this thinking was doing nothing for her. Surely Kizuna and Remon would have a party if they realized that even their beloved Chikaru-oneesama was affected by the green-eyed monster. At least she was skilled in hiding it.

"Chikaru-sama?"

Chikaru blinked from her thoughts, up into the eyes of a concerned Tamao, and her lips curled into a sweet, involuntary smile. "Come here," she murmured, helping the girl arrange herself on her lap before pulling her into a sweet, lengthy kiss. She felt Tamao pause in surprise, but the girl soon adjusted and kissed back, shifting so that her legs were hanging off to the left, arms wrapped around Chikaru's neck.

As the kiss broke, Tamao ducked her head to rest against the Le Rim president's chest, content to listen to the steady, safe lullaby of her heartbeat. The raven-haired girl tilted her head back towards the ceiling, resigning herself to the inevitable, even as she felt the smaller girl's fingers pressing lightly against her neck. "What are you doing?" she asked in a fond, amused voice, and Tamao blushed heavily.

"I was feeling the vibrations when you spoke," she mumbled, her face growing redder at an unhealthy pace. "Sorry." The blunette's eyes filled with shame, leaving the great Chikaru flustered for half a second before she quickly remedied the situation by kissing the girl's temple.

"Don't apologize, I was only curious," she hummed, running her fingers up and down the blunette's arm. "May I ask you a question, Tamao-chan?"

Tamao frowned in confusion, but smiled up at Chikaru soon after. "Hai, Chikaru-sama."

Chikaru giggled and ran a hand through the blue locks. "First of all, no more with this Chikaru-sama business, okay? Call me Chikaru, or Chikaru-chan. I think we're past that point, don't you?"

Tamao flushed and nodded, embarrassed, in a way that Chikaru found to be utterly adorable. "Hai, Ch-Chikaru-chan."

Chikaru smiled and leaned down to kiss the girl on the top of her head, hesitating there for a moment before pulling away. "Tamao-chan, I'm well aware that you still have feelings for Nagisa-chan…to be honest, anything else and I would doubt you loved her at all," Chikaru began, adding in the last bit once she felt Tamao stiffen in her arms. "But I need to know…" She paused, mentally putting the words into their correct places so as to elicit the most honest, least painful answer from the blunette in her arms. "If she and Shizuma were to break up…" And then Chikaru felt like slapping herself, because that was quite possibly the worst thing she could have said.

You're supposed to be good at this, what's gotten into you?

But the damage was done, and Chikaru left the fragment for what it was, knowing the brilliant girl in her arms would piece the puzzle together. Tamao frowned slightly, and tilted her head to look up at the Le Rim president, who immediately looked away, wanting to keep her emotions out of Tamao's honest answer as much as she could. "Would I consider dating her?" Tamao finally specified, to which Chikaru replied with a nod. The blunette giggled slightly, causing Chikaru to frown down at her, bemused and slightly hurt. "Chikaru-chan…do you really think I would willingly put myself through that roller coaster again? Even if Shizuma was gone, Nagisa is hopelessly in love with her, and then what if Shizuma came back?"

Chikaru's face fell, and Tamao scrambled to continue.

"Th-that's not to say you're second best, or a replacement or anything," the blunette hurriedly added. "In fact, I've come to realize that Nagisa and I could probably never work out. I won't lie and say I don't still have feelings for her, but with our personalities and interests…I'm finding it hard to believe what I felt for her was true love, especially after watching Rokujou-sama and Shizuma throughout the year."

Chikaru's eyes glinted with hope- this was much more than the answer she had been hoping for, and she couldn't resist leaning down and capturing the blunette's lips in another kiss, this one more frenzied than the last. It was a kiss of relief, of an uplifted spirit. "I'm glad, then," she murmured against Tamao's lips before pressing another long kiss to them. She hesitated there for a moment before pulling away, a far off look in her eyes. Tamao tilted her head, confused. "I haven't had feelings for someone in so long," Chikaru mused, "I've forgotten what angst feels like."

Tamao giggled and a proud smile played at the edges of Chikaru's lips. "Hopefully there won't be much more of it," the blunette murmured, her eyelids drooping with sleep as she cuddled closer to the warm body that held her.

"Hopefully," Chikaru hummed, running her fingers through the silky blue locks. "It may be early, but I'd like to not waste more time wondering, so, would you give me the privilege of calling you mine?"

Tamao tensed in her arms, and for a moment, Chikaru was terrified that she'd read the situation wrong, but then the blunette grinned widely and leaned up for yet another kiss. "Of course I'll give you 'the privilege'," she said, eliciting an uncommon blush from the Le Rim president. "I never had you pegged for the chivalrous type, Chikaru-chan."

The raven-haired girl only smiled enigmatically and slid down under the covers with Tamao, arms wrapped around the girl's waist as she drifted to sleep.

So a shamelessly fluffy Chikaru/Tamao section in this one, sorry D: I'm miserably sick, to the point of not being able to sleep even when I'm dead tired (don't you HATE that?). I really thought I made it through both my mom and my sister's colds without catching one, but I guess it was too early to count my chickens, right? (feels like a total dork for saying that) Anyway, whenever I'm sick, I need tons of affection, but seeing as I can't get that, because even if I DID have friends, they wouldn't want to be around me at this point, I decided to experience it in a third-person kind of sense.